An instrument guide that isn't tedious
597728
There are some easy, classic tunes in this book that made learning more fun than the average musical instrument method book. It does go more in-depth with chords than the first book that spends the first half on notes. It gives handy tips on common problems.

Unfortunately, it doesn't do as good a job in teaching fundamentals like rhythm and keeping time and it is no substitute for a good, engaged teacher. Overall, it is a good learning tool for those that are self-teaching, but it works best for those with some prior musical knowledge.
2685967
Use for beginner level, nicely arranged in playable keys.
2492395
S. Hering' methods are valuables, enjoyables and not awful. They guide you in the trumpet world in a straightforward and progressive manner.
373670
A book that progresses from fairly easy to medium easy duets. The style for each piece is displayed at the beginning of each exercise (Allegretto, adagio and so on). This helps the student to learn Italian musical terms. The duets are taken from compositions by famous composers, which familiarizes students with different periods of music. Key choices extend up to four flats and four sharps, and time signatures are nicely varied as well. Dynamics are noted in each part and articulations are clearly notes. It would have helped if breath marks were indicated to assist the student in their breathing. I was glad to see that grace notes and trills are included as a training device for solo playing.
2812239
This book is compact and has extras that make understanding the play much easier.
3100439
I bought this pack as a gift for a friend's child who has shown interest in playing the guitar. Of course, I needed to check it out before passing it along... Inside the gift box, you get a  size "classical" (nylon-string) acoustic, a slip cover, tuner and course book with 2 CDs (software and music) and a certificate. The learning materials look approachable (book and software, plus a certificate of accomplishment). Alfred has a solid reputation in the educational arena; I haven't dug in to the materials too deeply, so I will focus on the instrument and accessories for this review. The guitar itself is decent - hardly a prime example of old-world craftsmanship, but it sounds nice enough, and seems solidly built. A "gig bag" is included. Not very protective, but it'll keep the dust off. The tuner works ok, although you'll want to help your little student use it to tune the guitar and keep it in tune. The strings are nylon - a good choice for beginners with small hands and soft fingers, but expect to do a lot of tuning in the first day or two as the strings stretch out a little and settle in. Overall, a nice value for the money, and suits its purpose well.
2559333
This edition is bilingual.

The front 107 pages are in English, with Chinese translations for section headers and photo captions. The English translation is a bit awkward in places, but the intention of the author is clear.

The English section contains 37 pages of black and white illustrations of the instruments. The text and photos are cross-referenced by number.

The Chinese section starts with the "back" cover. This section is 48 pages long.

Each page of text is faced with an line-art drawing of a musician playing one of the instruments. The drawings are quite elegant, and are white on an orange background.

Please see the photos I have uploaded to this ad to see examples of each type of page.

My impression is that the author is quite knowledgeable on this subject, and this surely would provide a good reference.
1425788
Glad I bought this book.  The music is about right and easy to see and use.
4844742
Don't let the title fool you -- this book is an excellent learning guide for a wide range of guitarsits, not just jazz players.  Blues, rock and even country players would beenfit from this book.  Ferguson's narratives are short, clear and to the point.  The solo pieces tie nicely with the narratives.  Scales, modes, etc. are touched upon in an easily understood and useful manner.
3440134
I found this to be a good introduction to doing live sound for folks who have some interest and aptitude.  It's not deeply technical, and it doesn't take that long to read/study.  I think most audio novices who have the inclination to do any reading on the subject will appreciate this book.  I only read it once several months ago, but I would have appreciated this back when I started.
3899796
What I love about this sightreading book (and series) in particular is that it doesn't have chapters of boring methods or introductions, especially if you already know it. It's simple one-sentence directions (or tips) that get to the point like "count in 1 & 2 & 3 &". Basically, this book is for people who have knowledge of basic music theory (which includes key signatures, time signatures, rhythm, notes, etc.) and simply want to improve their sighting reading specifically in piano or any two staffed-based instrument. It's a small book that includes ONLY multiple short exercises. This one in particular, grade one, only includes exercises for one hand at a time. If you know how to play with both hands, I suggest getting grade 2 and 3. The melodies in general are quite boring and not always musical but serves its purpose with surprises. The main idea is to look for intervals more than anything which this book makes easy to do. Overall, great sightreading book, but know that it is truly for beginners and people with basic knowledge of music theory.
898507
Mark Hanson has put togeather a great although not exhaustive referance. It seems to me that the chords included do two things. 1 They get you started and ready to persue more indepth study of your favorite common and not so common alternate tunings. 2. You are given a most useful chord pallet to start your journey of exploration.
If you are at a point of seriously considering the purchase of this book you are obviously at a point where you've more than a basic idea of how to use your instrument. This book is a great tool to help take your music to a different place and can be counted on to enrich both you and your music.
For blusies, yes there's dadf#ad, dadgad for the irish/celtic, dgdgbd for you country shredders. (Of note the dgdgbd section also helped me on banjo.) slide tunings, and a couple that are dooable but would sound better if you change strings first. EEBBf#e?
This book is best consumed with a cheap guitar and a ten pack of strings.
The book is most useful for practicing artists, mid to advanced level guitarests and people who like to blow away coffey shop crowds at open mic nights.
4494112
The songs in this book are fun to play.  I like the helpful instructions which have been written in a progressive way.
2029972
I've really been enjoying playing through this book - unlike some of the other fiddle song books I've looked through, the bowings presented here really capture a particular sound I was having a difficult time capturing on my own.  The tunes are nicely arranged, with endnotes from Mr. Cooper explaining what recording(s) he used as his sources so you can trace them back to a particular person/region.  I've had this out from the library a little too long, so I'm now adding it to my to-buy list because it's easily worth the money just for the great bowings alone.  Anyone can transribe the notes to these great old tunes, but the bowing is what truly drives the sound.  The accompanying cd has each song played once through in a very clean style, moderately paced.  I also love that older (typically British Isles) versions of some tunes are included for comparison.
4927546
Available in both horn and concert pitch editions, LaPorta's approach is nevertheless geared towards horn players reading ensemble charts, combining written lines with improvisatory passages.

However this makes the book especially valuable for plucked string players: guitarists, mandolinists, and electric bassists who may not have have extensive ensemble/improvising experience. The emphasis on articulating phrases and interpreting dynamics is not normally found in the jazz literature for these instruments but is essential to musicianship regardless of what type of setting you perform in.

The book is divided into lessons, each one based around a tune, various rhythmic abstractions and forms of melodic development to be emulated and imitated.

LaPorta's three part work maxim is stated as "Memorize, compose, improvise". Don't be scared by the "compose" part.

In this context think of composing as "slowed down improvisation, allowing for corrections and refinements".

The melodic material is based on major and mixolydian pentatonic scales. For many players new to jazz, this is likely to

be the vocabulary they've already internalized from playing rock, blues or various forms of folk music. That's important because it's easy to become overwhelmed studying improvisation with so many new ideas and so much material to absorb. It's also easy to lose perspective and focus obsessively on the materials themselves (scales, arpeggios) rather than their use, namely making music.

If you're already comfortable playing pentatonic scales and phrases on your instrument and can read music notation (not expertly, but mostly quarter and eight notes, dotted with rests) you can dive right in and focus on absorbing the feeling of jazz phrasing and experimenting with you're own improvisations.

The demonstration recording was piano-based, which I suspect was done to be somewhat "instrument neutral" and for it to

function more effectively as a play-along.

The book has been a staple at Berklee where LaPorta taught for many years.
3918587
I haven't used the instruction book or my dulcimer too much yet, but for the time I did spend with them, I really like this book. It's easy to follow and understand. You can learn the dulcimer by the notes if you are familiar with them or you can learn by the tabs she has under the scale as well. You can learn to play and have fun with your dulcimer in no time, honestly.

It is a very easy instrument to learn and play, plus this book will have you playing songs right away. Including reading the first part of the book, I'd say you can learn 2 or 3 songs in less than 1/2 hour.

Not to knock any other dulcimer instruction books, if you have, or are considering getting a dulcimer, this book will start you off quickly.
1863220
This music book is very informative and easy to read and comprehend.