an excellent guitar course
344050
this is an excellent guitar course for someone with a little experience who is not quite a beginner. the booka nd dvd that comes along with it is loaded with informatin about all kinds of guitars how the're played and hoie the're manufacured.
2845200
Most new guitarists struggle to find a useful method for self-teaching.  The typical guitar method book assumes you have never picked up an instrument before, and immediately starts you on a tedious program of learning the open-position notes string by string and teaching you to sight-read "Mary Had A Little Lamb".  Gradually more complex concepts are introduced, but in general that methodology tends only to frustrate and disappoint.  The same is often true when taking formal lessons, since many guitar instructors do little more than guide their students through books of that nature.

Not so with the Fretboard Logic series.  This approach starts by assuming (rightly, I believe) that even beginning guitarists have already learned, or at least can quickly grasp, the basic chord forms.  These become the foundation of an entire teaching method that explains the fretboard and all the patterns on it in the context of the CAGED sequence.  Whether you're learning to play rhythm or lead, working with pentatonics, diatonics, blues or any of the different modes, or whether you want to focus on chords, scales or lead patterns, or whatever else you care to name, they fit with amazing clarity into this method of understanding the entire fretboard.

This book takes a little bit of focused study accompanied by hands-on application of the principles, but once you learn to use them they will revolutionize your ability to access the full range of your guitar.  For example, once you memorize the minor pentatonic lead pattern it's easy to work it for the entire length of the fretboard.  Turn on a backing track in any minor key, throw in a few blue notes and pretty soon you're learning how to play some funky blues just by improvising over this simple pattern.  And this is just one of many examples of how you can put this method to practical use with just a little bit of effort.

The long and short of it?  I have tried many different books and methods over the years to deepen my understanding of music theory as specifically applied to a guitar, and this is far and away the best resource I have ever found to make that happen.  A definite must have.
4156685
Like most of you, I have an increasing stack of guitar instructional books.  Mr. Alexander has given the process of learning essential jazz guitar techniques a thorough step by step process.  I'm a fan of the Mickey Baker book and have worked through enough to 'fake' jazz guitar for the non-jazz guitar player.  Where the Mickey Baker book can be overwhelming, the Fundemental Changes book really breaks the down the process in digestible sections.  Not only that, but the chord/arpeggios sound natural.  As a blues player, I've already incorporated more jazz chords/arpeggios into my songs & solos.
This is my first book by Mr. Alexander and I'm already lining up a purchase of the Minor Changes and his Blues soloing.  I highly recommend this book.
3922438
This is by far the best Guitar Theory course i have ever used. I have tried a few others but they always seemed to miss some steps or were just too hard for me to follow. Desi has a way of explaining things that just make sense to me.
The printed material and the great Videos that are provided with the course are a win win in my book.

A great added bonus is the email contact that Desi provides. he has always answered  my emails and addes other links or tips that he thinks will help me. I highly recommend this course to anyone that may be struggling with trying to understand Guitar Theory.

Mike C.

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Fretboard-Theory-Complete-Guitar-Theory-Including-Scales-Chords-Progressions-Modes-Song-Application-and-More/dp/B004ASNACS/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Fretboard Theory: Complete Guitar Theory Including Scales, Chords, Progressions, Modes, Song Application and More.</a>
654888
Like many others here, this was the first guitar book I purchased.  While I can't really say the theory section is all-encompassing, it is an excellent introduction to basic theory and gives a push in the right direction.  And that's essentially what the whole book does... nudges one's enthusiasm for the instrument.  The bios of influential rock & jazz guitarists (and bassists), the anatomy of the guitar and various basic repairs listed, the section on amplification and electronics... while none of them could ever claim to be complete, they are an excellent beginning and do a great deal to foster curiosity.

Most of value, in my opinion, are the technical sections.  I've used this book to modify, repair, and build numerous guitars and basses and very rarely have I needed to go beyond this text... that alone makes this book valuable as the money I've saved doing basic repairs, setups, and other adjustments is considerable.

Honestly, there are better texts for each specific subject, but no other book combines them all into the same volume.  If you're just starting out on guitar or know a kid who wants to play, this is the book that needs to be read and absorbed.
2491080
By way of background, I'm a Berklee College of Music Grad from way back in 1981. My primary instrument is piano, which I also taught for 34 years, so I am very familiar w/ teaching materials in general. Additionally I'm a singer, songwriter, and producer.

I have played guitar on and off since I was a teenager but until recently it always took a backseat to piano and songwriting/composing. Lately however I've been putting a tremendous focus on really learning the guitar fretboard as well as thinking more like a guitar player and really exploring the idiomatic subtleties of the instrument.

One area that's been a major priority is rhythm playing. I'm a huge fan of the chordal approach of folks like Hendrix, SRV, Eric Johnson and Andy Timmons (and others) who have more melodic approach to their chordal playing.  While "Beyond Rhythm Guitar" by Simon Pratt isn't specific to any particular player's style, it gives you a basic foundation to start thinking and therefore playing along those lines. I'm thoroughly impressed with it on many levels.

The material is presented in a way that is extremely user-friendly. It progresses from simpler to more complex ideas, and the ideas that are presented are excellent jumping off points to create your own ideas. So this is book is about much more than simply memorizing patterns but learning from a more conceptual basis which means the sky is the limit in terms of exploration. This makes using the materials really enjoyable and I find I really look forward to each practice session and what new nuggets will be revealed.

The other thing I really appreciate is the layout. The pages are clean and uncluttered which makes it visually inviting to work with. I wish all music authors would follow suit with this approach. There is nothing worse than having a page that is so overly cluttered that you have to waste valuable time trying to decipher what you actually need to focus on. This book lets you get down to what most students are interested in, actually playing their instrument.

Another really great feature is that there are audio files of all the examples in the book that can be downloaded online for free. This makes it much easier for someone to work with the book on their own. Hearing the examples is a huge benefit since there are many subtleties that are hard to express exclusively via music notation. This allows the student to try to emulate the performance before exploring their own variations on the material.

Last but not least, the book is a great price, around the cost of a single 30 minute guitar lesson!

Major kudos to Simon as well as the publisher for providing such an outstanding book! I will definitely check out more books in the Fundamental  Changes series in the future when I am looking for more materials on my ongoing journey with the guitar.
2586032
I am an intermediate/advanced guitarist (23 years but no formal lessons). I got serious about becoming a better Travis picker last year, and I worked my way through Mark Hanson's Art of Contemporary Travis Picking, which was excellent. Hanson is more classically oriented, though, and I wanted to play Hurt's three-fingered alternating bass style, laying my pinky on the guitar top to strengthen my thumb attack. I am very glad I worked through Hanson's book first because this book is NOT FOR BEGINNERS, but I am thoroughly enjoying Grossman's instruction and it is true in every way to Hurt's own picking style. This is the real thing.

Mr. Grossman groups the songs by key (starting with G), and the songs progress in difficulty in terms of adding more chords and more fretting hand movement as you go along. This is a splendid approach and builds your skills and confidence very efficiently. You should learn each song in order and resist the urge to skip ahead to your favorites. Everything builds logically and it is worth it.

Unlike many instructors on cd, DVD, or online, Mr. Grossman is quite relaxed and has a friendly, encouraging manner. The blues are a folk form, and Grossman's avuncular demeanor seems to have been picked up from the vibe of his mentors Rev. Gary Davis and Mississippi John Hurt (yes, he actually played with them!). The first song, as a bonus, is a tune Grossman recorded on tape while hanging out with John Hurt at a New York City cafe in the '60s. Clearly, this is the most authentic Hurt instruction you could hope to find.

One problem: the third bar of the first guitar tab is completely wrong, wrong in both the tab and the standard music notation. I skipped ahead to the second song out of frustration with myself before I realized the music was just written down incorrectly and did not match the cd. I wrote in the right notes, learned it, and moved on. This is disappointing from a quality control standpoint, but don't let it discourage you from buying the book. Just be ready for it when you start learning that first song ("Shake That Thing").
2926608
John McCarthy has a vast knowledge of the guitar and his method is very easy to pick up. Also, the DVD is entertaining. We found ourselves simply watching it quite amazed at how everything comes together. The best thing about it is knowing that you are given all the tools to enable you to play the same type of music. Being the ultimate beginner, having only taken a little music appreciation in elementary school, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I learned in the first half hour.
2686327
Buster B. Jones was a rare bird. He was a fantastic guitar player AND, more importantly to this review, a great teacher.  He puts a lie to the "those who can do, those who can't teach" wisdom.  I've been setting under some form of six string for longer that I care to admit to and know whereof I speak.
If you want to play guitar this DVD is an excellent place to start.  When you get this down he has advanced classes on DVD.
For your viewing/listening enjoyment he also cut CD's and performance DVD's and Amazon had them the last time I looked.
3026676
This large-format softcover book with accompanying CD is an instructional guide to mastery of the flatpicking style. The bias is towards bluegrass and trad-American folk, and the main objective is to become an accomplished lead-guitar player.

12 lessons are offered, each from a different guitar master. The songs are in musical notation and tablature, so if you don't read music or struggle with tablature you will need to rely heavily on the CD soundtrack. The upwardly-striving guitarist is taught by degrees to focus and work on right-hand technique (or left-hand, if you're left-handed). The playing is often very fast and slick, so while practicing you may need to slow down the pace or keep using the pause button for the CD and repeating phrases and runs until you can string them together.

To make the most of the tuition you are going to need perseverance and determination. When it all starts to come together, your guitar playing is going to sound very advanced.
3674276
I am a professional musician, and I teach guitar part time. I believe that this is the best introductory book that I have seen for anyone who wants to learn to play a guitar. It also teaches elementary music theory too, which is necessary where you intend to play guitar reading music, or playing by ear. It's excellent, and I give it a top rating.
3449828
Very good and comprehensive instructions for excellent classical guitar tone production. Very useful are the examples for right and left hand training and coordination. The best teaching material I found on this subject.
4903061
I find that all the easy guitar courses are great the instructors are really good at what they do and I find them very helpful
1615261
I recently bought the 10 disc set for $1.25 just to review it. I am an advanced/professional guitarist. I have had conventional guitar lessons. I can read music, read tab, and can also play by ear. I can only respond to the quality of the product, as I didn't buy it from the original Ralph Paul site. My take is that Ralph is a very good guitarist who genuinely enjoys teaching guitar. Yes, the course is a little unconventional, however, Ralph takes the time to show the student how to play what he's showing on the DVD. The approach is slow and methodical with repeated closeups of what he is teaching. Mr. Paul even points out in one of the DVDs that I own, that some guitar teachers might not appreciate his methods, however, I know exactly what he's doing, as I am also very well versed in music/guitar theory. Having said that, I can certainly see where beginners could get confused. Ralph's goal is to have the beginner be able to play and, therefore, that will encourage the student to practice. Many conventionally trained students quit because they can't play anything. So I believe that Ralph'sGuitar Made Easy encourages beginners to not only practice what he has taught them, but also to go on to even more training.
3217505
My teacher recommended me to go for this book and i don't regret my decision of buying it. I wanted a book for learning chords. This book has everything i wanted. The CDS that come with the book are damn useful. There are lots of songs that put the beginner guitarist's skills to test. 3 book in one package is a sweet deal. I'm sure i will spend lot of months trying to master the songs in this book.
The song selection is also great. Starts of easy and then turns the heat up after few songs so it keeps the reader interested and also coming back for more.
The chord exercises are great and i'm making good progress playing them.

If you are a beginner and want to learn some good tricks quickly go for this book.
3735689
Ultimately, guitarists (not to mention all musicians!) have to teach themselves their instrument.  What a good teacher can do is give you a format, an outline to lead you down the road.  Joe's method is easy to follow and his audio files really reinforce what he's trying to show the student.  He is certainly shining a bright light to me to show me the way on my journey.  I'm really thankful for his efforts and appreciative for his clarity and work.

Buy them all, people!  They're a tremendous bargain.......Personally, I'm starting to see and feel my instrument.  Imagine that time and place when you look at your fretboard and you see things that you didn't see before......WOW!  Keep 'em coming, Joe!!
2393336
I purchased L&M Guitar on the recommendation of 2 different guitar players. I'm an adult beginner, so I wanted something both basic and comprehensive in scope. Through Session Four, I'm perfectly satisfied. Krentz teaches by way of reading music, so this set is both music instruction and guitar instruction rolled into one. If you're not into learning how to read music, this won't be for you, though I encourage you to reconsider making that effort for reasons given to me by the two aforementioned guitarists. Krentz's approach is methodical (yet clearly stated), which suits my learning style. If you prefer entertainment-style instruction, this won't be for you either. But if you are serious about learning guitar straight-up and technically sound, give this series a strong look. Production and quality are top-notch. I was sold after seeing the demo video, and I recommend giving that a try before you buy.