Melodic Rhythms for Guitar Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a useful and challenging book, extremely helpful as a structure for mastering the discipline of playing tight rhythm in a multi-guitar group. To some extent the principles are simple common sense that could be worked out without any book, but Leavitt's exercises provide a ready-planned progressive development path that helps a student to get the balance between perfecting what they can already do and pushing on to try new things.

The print quality of this book is adequate but not great - the paper is coarse and the ink is smudged in some places, especially stave lines and 'full-body' notes (crotchets and quavers). In other places (particularly titles and explanatory text) the ink is under-applied, leaving the text faint and therefore harder to read.

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Product Description:
A thorough presentation of rhythms commonly found in contemporary musicincluding 68 harmonized melodies and 42 rhythm exercises. This highly respected and popular book is also an excellent source for duetssight-reading and chord studies.

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Rhythm Guitar Encyclopedia Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I made a mistake when I bought this book:
- there was no cds with it, so I can't use it.
But it may be good for someone else!

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Product Description:
Includes over 450 rhythms in every musical style including rock, blues, jazz, folk, alternative, country and more. Examples are shown in an easy-to-read rhythmic notation, standard music notation and TAB. Fingerstyle accompaniment patterns are included.The CDs offer performances of examples.

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Rock Guitar 6x9 Bk/CD Hal Leonard Guitar Method (Hal Leonard Guitar Method (Songbooks)) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Has many popular licks with tab and such. The backing tracks are good. The CD ONLY has the backing tracks on it, ie does not have the individual licks and examples.

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Product Description:
Learn to play rhythm and lead rock guitar with the step-by-step lessons and 70 great rock songs in this book/CD pack! The Hal Leonard Rock Guitar Method is your complete guide to learning rock guitar. This book uses real rock songs - no corny nursery rhymes here! - to teach you the basics in the style of Eric Clapton, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and many other top artists. Lessons include power chords, riffs, scales, licks, string bending, vibrato, hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides, to name but a few topics covered. Each chapter ends with a jam session that enables you to play along to such rock classics as "Wild Thing," "Crossroads," and "Takin' Care of Business." The accompanying CD includes 9 full-band tracks to make learning easier.

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Scales and Modes for Guitar (Handy Guide) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have used this book, primarily when I am in a hurry to find a scale to blow over some changes, and have found that the suggestions are accurate, usable, and some are interesting.I think that this book is verycomprehensive and will take your playing to the next level if you spendsome time with it.

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Product Description:
This Handy Guide is a fast and fun way to learn how to use scales and modes from day one and will provide a strong foundation from which to build upon. This Handy Guide contains: 14 essential scales and modes Guitar TAB, neck position and standard music notation.

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Arpeggios for Guitar (The Progressive Guitarist Series) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book's title undersells it: it shows not only arpeggios but the corresponding scales and chord forms as well.It does not actually name each chord, but gives chord-scale-arpeggios in fretboard diagrams for each chord type, for example, major, minor, 6ths, 7ths -- on through the various altered forms.As the editorial review says, five positions for each are given.All of this is on one page for each chord type. So for example, you can find five scales, five chord forms, and five arpeggios for Dm7 (assuming you already know where to find "D") all laid out logically in fretboard diagrams that correspond to one another by position-- all on one page!
You'll need enough guitar knowledge to figure out the root of the chord or scale you're actually playing.Also, this does not show you chord progressions.Those could be viewed as shortcomings, but if you just accept you'll have to learn those topics elsewhere, this book becomes extremely useful.In order to actually name each chord the book would be extremely lengthy and repetitive (I have another arpeggio book like that).As it is, it packs a wealth of information into a readily accessible format.One page gives you all the musical possibilities for each chord.This is a great tool for improvising, creating new licks, and composing on the guitar.Its should prove useful for the fairly new guitarist to the more advanced, as it covers simple major and minor chords through advanced jazz chords(-scales-arpeggios).This is a true "fretboard roadmap" all in one book that I expect will give me more material to work on than I can probably master in one lifetime!Its a very simple, logical approach to the guitar that I wish I had found a long time ago.
I use this both as an exercise book -- playing each scale/arp/chord up and down the neck -- and as a reference for particular situations: coming up with ideas for soloing over, say, a maj 7 chord - or creating musical ideas for a composition.I play both pick and fingerstyle and the book is opening my eyes to all sorts of new creativity and technical growth in both styles.
Other books of this genre force you to turn pages -- or go to another book altogether -- to get from scales to chords to arpeggios. Having it all "at a glance" on one page is invaluable.I've had this book for a year or so, and am only now beginning to realize what a gold mine it is!Obviously not the only book you'll ever need, but if I were marooned on the proverbial desert island (with my guitar of course!) this is the book I'd want.

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Product Description:
Shows each arpeggio in five positions in a simple diagram format. For every arpeggio the corresponding chord form and scale pattern are also shown. Covers all forms of the major, minor, and dominant 7th type chords.

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iPlayMusic Beginner Guitar Lesson Software for PC and MP3 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The few lessons I've managed to complete have been easy.Software loaded just fine no glitches, great for a beginner series.

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Product Description:
Learn to play guitar the easy way! iPlayMusic offers the first guitar learning software product that is fully integrated with your PC and Video iPod. Users can learn to play guitar, play hit songs, create in ACID XMC (software included) and export lessons to their video iPod. The software features over four hours of interactive video guitar lessons, an 80-page eBook and multiple chord charts. Appropriate for guitarists of all ages, the iPlayMusic video learning method teaches guitarists to play without learning complex theory or reading music. Users can have fun and learn by making music right away. The software features lessons for over 25 popular rock, folk, country and children's songs from artists like the Beatles, Eric Clapton, Bob Marley, Johnny Cash and Woody Guthrie.

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Chord-Melody Guitar: A Guide to Combining Chords and Melody to Create Solo Arrangements in Jazz and Pop Styles (Musicians Institute: Private Lessons) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I was fortunate enough to study Chord Melody electives with Bruce at GIT recently and this book covers the underlying skills to create nice chord movements.
Note that no Jazz standard complete chord melodies are included and emphasis is more on the chord part than the process of adapting a melody.
Some of the material here is part of the GIT Rhythm Level III core class, which Bruce also wrote and this book could also be used as a nice follow-on to 'Rhythm Guitar - The Complete Guide'.
The material is intermediate/advanced and Chapter 14 - More Chord Voicings contains plenty of fingerings I had never seen before, but which sound great if you can play them.
Since there is no 'Look inside' on Amazon yet I will list chapters;An overall fretboard view, Shells, Inversions, Harmonized scales, Chord scales, Slash chords, Harmonic moves, Voice leading, Cadences, Moving Lines, Substitution, Diminished chords, Chordal Interpretation, More Chord voicings.

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Product Description:
Master the art of blending melody and harmony on the guitar with this book/CD pack. It includes in-depth studies of chords and chord melodies as well as a CD containing 90 demonstration tracks. Lessons include: the five patterns; chord shells; inversions; voice leading; cadences; diminished chords; and more.

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Jazz Guitar for the Absolute Beginner (Book & CD) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is easy excellent introduction into Jazz guitar, I mean rock bottom simple including some very basic chords, some very basic comping, improvisation and little taste of blues thrown in. You can get enough here to get you started whether you have been playing another style or just starting on the guitar. This book is like a good golf shot enough to make you come back for more, You can get a nice Jazzy sound with some very rudimentaryknowledge. I also like that she plays Jazz on a solid body rock guitar.....not a Jazz Boat.

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Product Description:
Learn everything from chord strumming and melody playing to basic jazz improvisation.Amanda Monaco's warm and encouraging style motivates even the most casual hobbyist to learn.

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Guitar Techniques (Bk/Cd) Hal Leonard Guitar Method Supplement Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is a great introduction for some of the most common guitar techniques that have been used for years. When i bought i was thinking: "Yeah, I'm gonna learn all this stuff and I'll improve my playing...". Well, i guess i was totally right because this book teaches everything with an amazing clarity. The book says in what kind of music is the technique used and how to do it. Though it shows you everything with great facility, it always tells you that you must practise, practise and practise until you master the technique.

If you wanna improve your guitar playing, you could buy this book and learn every technique and then practise it until you master it.

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Product Description:
This comprehensive book/CD pack will help beginning to intermediate guitarists master the techniques essential to becoming a great player. Lessons cover all the basics clearly and in detail. The CD includes 92 tracks for demonstration and play-along. A perfect supplement to any guitar method!

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How to Play Guitar: Electric And Acoustic - The Basics and Beyond - Chords, Scales, Tunes, and Tips Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)For a basic overview of guitar playing, this book does the trick, but the examples and explanations are not up to par.The CD is okay, but annoying because it all goes too quickly.I learned more from the Mel Bay Chord diagrams than from this book which supposedly explains guitar playing.A good fingerpicking section, but forget about their lead guitar sections, just a bunch of scales, no explanations or anything.

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Product Description:
Packaged with an audio CD containing 12 lessons from the book, this easy-to-use guide provides lessons for playing electrics and acoustics by some of the guitar world's top teachers, including Rick Gartner, Happy Traum, and Arlen Roth. 25 photos. 25 illustrations.

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Chord Tone Soloing: A Guitarist's Guide to Melodic Improvising in Any Style (Musicians Institute: Private Lessons) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Barrett Tagliarino books are easy to follow. This one uses a format similar to his Fretboard Workbook. Ideas are introduced with easy to read chord diagrams that revolve around the CAGED system of chord organization. Chord tones are emphasized as one solos. This outlines the chord progression making the soloist sound "melodic," instead of simply playing the right scale over chords.

This book expects the reader to be new to soloing and progresses in baby steps. The other book on the same subject by Berklee Press called "Melodic Improvisation" is much more advanced and focuses on heavy weight jazzers like Pat Martino, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, and monster players of that caliber. This book is accessible to rock, folk, bluegrass, and country guitarists, not just jazz cats. The secret to success, the point of the book, is to target chord tones as one solos, but how does one do that?

To answer that question, Barrett provides in depth guitar theory, a lot of break down and analysis, scalar choices, key center analysis, and a lot of down home humor along the way to keep things from getting overwhelming. All-in-all, Tagliarino has written another instructional book you'll want to keep in the library for continued study.

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Product Description:
Learn how the professionals create monster solos with this easy-to-use book/CD pack! The accompanying CD includes 68 tracks of exercises, licks, solo examples, and play-alongs. Includes all necessary foundation materials; detailed instructions on how and what to practice; essential concepts for players at every level; developing your real-time melodic reflexes; soloing over any progression in any style of music; using chords as an endless source of ideas; and more.

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Great Jazz Standards Anthology for Guitar (Popular Jazz) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have a couple books and the "Fretboard Roadmap" DVD from this author, (Fred Sokolow), and I love them but I found the arrangements and chord voicings in this book a bit off of what is common in Jazz Guitar.The arrangements are such that the chord voicings use quite a few open strings which in turn leads to some difficult to get to fingerings.It just didn't work for me.Sorry Fred!

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Product Description:
Fred Sokolow is a prolific performer, educator, author, transcriber and arranger, whose books and videos have covered a wide range of styles including jazz, blues, rock, country, bluegrass and even 5-string banjo. This anthology provides you with solid, clear and accessible solo arrangements for 14 of the of the most memorable jazz standards. Every song is presented with the guitar part, written in standard notation and tablature, combined with the lead sheet for analysis. All arrangements are demonstrated on the included CD.

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Flamenco Guitar Method - Volume 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)PRESENTATION

The comments on presentation I made in my review of Volume 1 of this Method apply equally well to Volume 2, so I shall not repeat them.

CONTENT

The preliminary explanation of signs is missing from Volume 2.I presume that anyone buying Volume 2 is expected to have obtained the other first -- which is borne out by the fact that the examples for both volumes are contained on the CD that comes with Volume 1.

Techniques addressed include arpeggios, tremolo, picado and alzapúa.As before, the coverage is detailed and thorough; in particular, Lucía's technique of playing picado from the middle joint of the finger (rather than the large joint) is described: "If it is played differently -- it's just not Flamenco".Ah, well.

The music is supplied throughout in both staff notation, and tablature with time values.I did find a few fairly self-evident misprints, e.g. the arrow directions in the Alzapúa III exercise (p.59) are wrong, although correct in the previous one.Triplet is once confused with triad (p.57).

The sole place I found the text confusing was in the description of bulerías rhythm (p.39).To quote:

"Many players count

1·2·3·4·5·6·7·8·9·10·11·12

[Accents on beats 3-6-8-10-12: no easy way to represent this in straight ASCII (PM)]

which you will also find in most guitar methods.Someone invented this way of counting a long time ago, and many others just copied it without questioning it.It is not really wrong, but it isn't the best way either, because on the one hand, most coplas and falsetas don't start on the 1 [...]It is much easier to start on the accented 12 and to notate the whole the whole thing with alternating time signatures."

This gives the impression that the stated way of counting was invented by some long-forgotten flamenco loony; but of course, it is, and as far as anyone knows has always been, the standard and logical way of counting soleares.The explanation given obscures the vital connection between the two rhythms.

In point of fact, it is bulerías that were invented by a loony -- specifically, by the 19th-century singer El Loco Mateo (according to legend), as a way of finishing his soleares.

It may indeed be "much easier to start on the accented 12".But the example in the book labels beat 12 as beat 1, which I have never heard a flamenco do.I've found it useful to tell people that they should regard the numbers as the names of the beats, so that beat 12 is still beat 12 even if it is first.(The author does indeed switch back to conventional numbering later).

It's true, too, that "most coplas and falsetas don't start on the 1", but some do: and some start on beat nine-and-a-half!

In short, while it may be best on balance to notate starting on beat 12, the rationale given is suspect, and it has disadvantages as well as advantages.

The book continues with full-fledged versions of soleá, alegrías, bulerías, tarantas and tangos.They have the advantage of being attractive and very flamenco-sounding, but still within reach of students with only moderate technique.Next there is a catalogue of styles, including some pretty obscure ones, with a few brief musical examples.Finally, there is a short history of Flamenco, from antiquity to the present day, and a bibliography.The history is well-written and not just a regurgitation of other accounts; although I was a trifle startled to learn (p.122) that:

"The Thirty Years' War, the Spanish wars of succession, the War of Independence started by Napoleon, the Civil war under FRANCOand the transition to democracy in 1976 were of no cultural importance, compared with the former history of the country."

SUMMARY

As previously mentioned, the English throughout both books is generally very good, the use of German-style quotation marks being trivial.However, there may well be those interested in Flamenco -- especially classical guitarists -- who as yet speak no Spanish, and so I feel obliged to quibble over the use of Spanish terms where accepted English ones exist: in particular, the consistent use of Spanish note-names, and terms like modo dórico for Phrygian mode.

This said, the author's explanations, both visual and textual, are very clear.However, I have several reservations about what is not explained.What they boil down to is that this is, by itself, nowhere near an adequate flamenco guitar method.The omissions are understandable: the size and price would be quadrupled if all the relevant material were to be described in the same detail.

If the title were "Modern Flamenco Guitar Technique", then these two books and DVDs would fulfill their function very admirably, and on that basis I recommend them.

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Product Description:
Gerhard Graf-Martinez is a passionate flamenco guitarist and teacher. The wealth of his knowledge is captured in this two-volume work, which also reflects valuable experience gained from his activities as a tutor at national and international seminars and workshops. This is an excellent self-study course that includes many photographs, some to illustrate techniques, others of guitars, guitarists, etc. Self-contained chapters cover all basic techniques plus compas, palmas, nail care, and an overview of current guitarists, guitar makers, construction and sound of Flamenco guitars, etc. Volume 2 includes info on: Posture * The Sound of the Flamenco Guitar * Gingerlabelling * Rasgueo * One-Finger-Rasgueo * 3-Finger-Rasgueo * 4-Finger-Rasgueo * Continuing Rasgueo * Pulgar * Pulgar and ima-Downstroke * Pulgar and Rasgueo * Remate * Pulgar-Downstroke * Ayudado * Golpe * Golpeador * i- and p-Downstroke with Golpe * m-Golpe with Downstroke * The Rumba-Stroke * Tresillos * a-m-i-p-Rasgueo * Guitarra Flamenca * Guitarreros * Guitarreros actual * La Cejilla * Guitarristas actual * Unas * Palmas * Compas * Modo Dorico * Glossary, and more. Please note: The CD included with volume 1 (HL49008401) contains all the pieces and musical examples for volumes 1 and 2.

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Theory for the Contemporary Guitarist Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a very helpful book that demands a decent (aka LARGE) amount of study time. Notice the title of this book starts with "Theory," and not "Practical Application,"If you keep that in mind, you won't be disappointed. This book covers guitar specific sheet music theory and gets quite advanced. Be prepared to study this book in a methodical manner with constant reviewing to really learn the material in a thorough way. I love music and I really enjoy this book but I'm not very far into it yet and it's taking me a while to absorb the information contained on each page.

The only reason I am not giving the book a 5 star rating is because I wish it had practical finger positioning for a guitarist who wishes to build chords from scratch.Yes, you may learn how to properly write a Dominant 7th chord on a piece of sheet music and how it relates to a Major, Minor or whatever, but what about the finger positioning?

I guess that's what other books and guitar teachers are for.This is a great book for serious musicians.

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Product Description:
This is the ultimate guide to theory for blues, rock and jazz guitarists.You will start with the basics and move up to advanced concepts with this easy, step-by-step approach.There are 28 different scales and modes plus over 30 chord types with fingerings for all.Easy-to-read musical examples, chord and scale diagrams and 26 worksheets reinforce ideas.Using this book will demystify chord progressions.

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Jazz Improvisation for Guitar (REH Pro Lessons) Review

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(More customer reviews)First of all sorry for my english.
I just wantwrite two notes about this Les Wise's book.
I'm a jazz guitar teacher (and still a student....) and after 20 years of experience I want to say that this LES WISE book is probably one of the most useful and interesting of my huge collection. If you study the techniques illustrated in this method, after some weeks your playing will move ON AN HIGHER LEVEL.....and after years of modal scales you'll learn THE REAL THING!
Second note: this is a "repackaging" of the original 1980 edition (with cassette...) intitled "INNER JAZZ". Why the publisher don't write this on the cover????
An way the book is FANTASTIC.......and if you have any information about Les Wise, write me at quenda@libero.it.
Ciao a tutti!
ettore - Italy

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Product Description:
This terrific book/CD by Les Wise will allow you to make the transition from playing disjointed scales and arpeggios to playing melodic jazz solos that maintain continuity and interest for the listener. Topics covered include: tension and resolution * major scale, melodic minor scale, and harmonic minor scale patterns * common licks and substitution techniques * creating altered tension * and more! Features standard notation and tab, and a CD with 35 demo tracks.

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The Best of Sting: Fields of Gold, 1984-1994 (Piano, Vocal, Guitar) Review

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(More customer reviews)I find this sheetbook quite useful.Needless to say, if you don't have the album don't bother with it.However it contains some fine music and it is excellent excercise too. Still I find a repeating problem with all ofSting's sheetbooks.They all seem like adapted versions of the songs, nothow they're really played.So if you find the bass riff in the begginingof "Fields of gold" unlike the original, it is because it isoriginally played by the horn, and so on...Still, It's worth it.

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Product Description:
The Best Of Sting 1984-1994 Matching folio to his greatest hits album featuring 14 songs: Fortress Around Your Heart * If I Ever Lose My Faith In You * We'll Be Together * When We Dance * and more.

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Blue, Jazz and Swing Review

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(More customer reviews)Awsome hot licks video. Duke covers a wide range of styles and players like charlie christian and les paul. The nice thing about the item is that the examples and techniques etc. that duke explains are instanly applicable to musical situation w/ a band. He explains everything vry clearly and there is a lot to be learned from this video.

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Product Description:
Take a tour of some great 1940s and 1950s American style as Duke shows you T-Bone Walker style, 9th chord extensions, blues-based swing, Charlie Christian style, passing tones, Les Paul style, scraping the strings, special rhythm licks, fast note flurries, and rock 'n' roll style. Let Duke Robillard share his amazing skills with you in this classic Hot Licks session.

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