4 comments about Easy Classical Guitar Duets: Book/CD Pack.

1. The book is great but the CD doesn't work on CD player or by computer. Returned the book hoping that it was a fluke but 2nd one had the same problems.



2. I presume the manufacturer is intensionally selling defective, unplayable cd's because of other revues indicating this same fact. Amazon was supposed to follow up on this complaint, but I never received a response to my conversation with an Amazon rep. This is the first time I've ever been dissatisfied with any product I've bought thru Amazon.



3. I like this collection of duets, especially the last (and most difficult one), "Pavane, Op.50" by Gabriel Faure. Incredibly beautiful. I have played it many times (even with Charles Duncan himself). However, I don't let the fact that I know him personally and have played many duets with him over the years influence my opinion of his books. As a matter of fact, I have dissed a couple of them.
   
   The duets progress from very, very easy (great for newbie guitarists) to higher levels of difficulty. Each piece is also broken down by parts (1st guitar and 2nd guitar parts) by level of difficulty. I teach classical guitar and use these duets frequently to teach my students how to play with another guitarist. The pieces in the book are all very good pieces written by famous composers (Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Dowland, etc...) but of course they have been greatly simplified for inexperienced guitarists, but are still very lovely to listen too.
   
   The CD that comes with it is very helpful to play along with so that the guitar student can practice either part with the recording and get a good feel for his/her part. I haven't tried using my PC to play the CD yet so I don't know about that problem mentioned in the previous review, I've just played it in my boom box and it sounds great.
   
   Just remember that it is a book of EASY duets. If you are wanting some intermediate or advanced scores, this book won't have them. I recommend this book to beginning guitarists. The notation is clear, NO TAB (yeah!) and helpful fingerings are given.



4. I have never had any problem with the CD that comes with the book. I have used it often for every piece in the book with my computer.
   
   The last three or four pieces are especially nice, but it's all good stuff. The music is easy for any intermeidate level player.

3 comments about Mel Bay Presents Classical Guitar Pedagogy: A Handbook for Teachers.

1. In the words of Les Cahiers de la Guitar (Paris), "...Glise is the first to propose many of these questions... this book is a goldmine of information and reflections and I strongly recommend it!" (Les Cahiers de la Guitare, Paris, no. 67, 1998).

   This book is currently in use as the primary textbook for classical guitar pedagogy classes in the US, Canada, Australia, Brazil and France and has recieved praise by virtually every guitar magazine in the world.

   The first textbook of its kind, it covers a vast wealth of subjects and information from anatomical information to performance and career develoment for the classical guitarist....




2. This book is used in virtually every university and conservatory in the US, Europe, and S. America. Glise is the first to compile a "how to" for teachers. Has gotten brilliant reviews world-wide. As a professional guitarist/professor, this work is required for ALL my students.
   Glise is one of the "Gods" of the classical guitar - on stage, on recordings and in the teaching studio.
   Anyone who even PRETENDS to play the guitar MUST HAVE THIS BOOK!!!!



3. Teacher or not, this is a very informative and eye-opening book. There are many things here about which I have never particularly thought or even cared, for that matter. A serious student or teacher of the classic guitar would do well to read this book.

5 comments about LIBRARY OF EASY GUITAR CLASSICS (Classical Guitar Series).

1. I ordered this book for my son. He loves playing classical music and this book has very nice selection. He has been playing guitar for a year and a half now and almost all of his music is from this book. There is nice variety from easy ones that he can read right from the list, to lots of difficult ones that he'll keep working on. Anyway, he loves this book and I love listening to the nice music.



2. This collection of classical guitar tunes is a wonderful resource for the beginning or advanced player. I have it and I love it. It's a hefty book, so it might take years to work through them all. It's spiral bound, so it opens easily on the music stand.
   
   The first section gives tab notation for each song, which is a big help if you're learning on your own. The rest of the book is arranged by composer. There's a good selection from Sor, Carcassi, and Carulli of the 18th century. Also Bach and folk tunes. Many, many, many more. I highly recommend this book.



3. I ordered a book and it never arrived. I am rating Amazon 0 stars: A complete failure, a complete waste of time!



4. I bought a lovely guitar and wanted to really get into classical guitar. I knew very very little about it. All I knew was that I sure do enjoy listening to it. With this book I have been introduced to the master composers. With college classes before...and a busy work schedule now. There is very little time for me to get really good at music reading. The tabs help me to warm up to it. Everyday...before I head out the door or after I come home from work I open this book and play a few peices. I have many many favorites but I don't limit myself to the favorites. There is so much music this book has kept me busy for several years now. I enjoy playing so much!



5. I've had this book for a few days. I am a beginner guitar player although I can read notation(a bit rusty). I used to play the flute and then switched to piano many years later. I found I was getting really bored with general songs and I couldn't remember how I managed to keep playing the flute over and over again every day on the same pieces.
   I remembered a few months ago that I used to play classical pieces, minuets, and little practice pieces that sounded lovely and I never tired of them. So I thought I'd get a guitar and switch to classical pieces. I found a guitar is so much more practical to pick up and move somewhere private in the home to practice.
   
   I'm really enjoying the little pieces I downloaded from the INTERNET but I wanted a proper book of classical pieces. So I went to Amazon.com and searched inside the books of several classical books. On amazon.com they have the "search inside" on a lot more books. I could see from that that this book was well laid out and had a mountain of pieces(over 200).
   
   There are some lovely pieces in this book and with a little effort a beginner can play something simple yet very beautiful. They sound great even slowed down.
   
   The book is spiral bound and includes tablature which I've found most useful.

No comments about First Book for the Guitar - Part 1: Guitar Technique.

2 comments about First Book for the Guitar - Complete: Guitar Technique.

1. It was design to guide a guitar player starting from zero knowlegde in guitar thru adquire playing skill while improving the music reading. The exercises and companiaments were very well selected in a way that every time to master any drill you enjoy doing it and have the filling of achievement.



2. I have used this book for classic guitar beginners in my private studio many, many years. It was written by the eminent teacher/guitarist Frederick Noad. Many introductory books are either overly simplistic for adults, begin with too much theory too soon, or too difficult too fast. This book - although not perfect - is the best I have found for a "middle-of-the-road" first book over a 35 year teaching career. Students with no previous musical instruction may benefit by starting with Guitar QuickStart(tm) - Disler, then moving on with this book. Classic guitar is NOT a "do-it-yourself" activity, so finding a qualified teacher is highly recommended, whatever book is the first one.

1 comments about ZZ Top - Guitar Anthology.

1. This a great book! It is slam full of Texas Blues magic. Buy it! You'll never regret it! Billy Gibbons is the master. Be advised however... There are a few spots in the tunes that are not exactly the easiest way to achieve the riff. Here's a hint: When the spread is too great there must be another way. Your thumb is your friend. ;)

No comments about Fingerpicking Classical: 15 Songs Arranged for Solo Guitar in Standard Notation and Tab.

5 comments about The Classical Guitar Book: A Complete History.

1. For people interested in a detailed discussion of different types of guitar it may be just the ticket, but I was looking for something more general. There is precious little information about players, composers, repertoire, etc.
   This book is for people interested in the construction of guitars and it's not really a "History of the Classical Guitar" as I understand the expression.
   It's all very well for Amazon to say we can have a refund. What they don't tell you is that you have to post it back to America - and it's a large and heavy book!



2. Though I like the book, the highlights are more about the luthiers and not so much on the quality of the guitars they make. The book is layed out in a chronological order, and focuses on just one luthier and guitar per year.. This is confusing, as many luthiers produce guitars across 40,50 even 60 years. So, this approach doesn't really work for me.
   
   The book could have benefited from a comparison of major achievements introduced by each luthier, and focused on broad comparisons of different guitars. It instead focuses on the personalities of the luthiers.
   
   If the reason you want to purchase the book is to help you find a concert guitar, this book will provide a good reference to the major luthiers operating today. However, if you are looking to find distinguishing features about the guitars, you will be hard pressed to do so, as the book provides just a few tidbits of information in that regard.



3. This book is simply great. The rich, colorful photographs brings the guitars to life. There's plenty of information for the reader without being overwhelmed. Any guitarist would do well to purchase this book at least to have a snapshot of the wonderful world of guitar history.



4. This book is what I wanted. Great color photos of classical guitars from many makers. Its a good book for those who love not only the sound but the look of these great instruments. Only wish it were available in a hardback version. Luscious photos !



5. This book is a goldmine for those who want to learn something about the classical guitar and for those who love the instrument.
   
   Although it does discuss some of the great classical guitarists -- Segovia, Williams, Bream, etc. -- it is oriented more toward the great classical guitar builders and has detailed information on the great luthiers of the present and recent past.
   
   A real plus is the selection of superb color photos of a number of gorgeous guitars; the photos make clear that a guitar can be a work of art as much as an instrument of music.
   
   It is a book the lover of the classical guitar will return to repeatedly, just for the pleasure of looking at some unquestionably beautiful works of musical art.

5 comments about More Easy Classics to Moderns (Music for Millions, Vol 27) (Music for Milions) (Music for Milions).

1. My main complaint about books edited by denes agay is that they do not lay flat. I sure wish music publishers would publish music book s with comb binding or something similar so the books will open and stay open so you're not constantly fiddling with them and cussing when they close on you while you are playing the music. Is this too much to ask for? And why doesn't Amazon inform us of the type of binding in the details of the book?



2. This book is full beautiful classical songs for beginner pianists. It's even fun for the more advanced student as very little practice is needed in order to play them.



3. When I was in elementary school, I took piano lessons for a while with a decent teacher. I wasn't the most cooperative student -- I really wanted an instant solution that would let me play as well as my well-trained mother, instead of all this hard work and fussing about timing and so forth -- and we gave up at the end of the first book. I've learned very slowly since then.
   
   One frustration in the intervening years was learning a dumbed-down piece, like a heavily edited version of Beethoven's ever-popular "Fur Elise," and then discovering that not only was the real version much more complex and interesting (and beyond my limited skills), but that learning the dumbed-down version actually made it much harder to learn the real one! My fingers kept wanting to go in the "wrong" direction to play the simplified version.
   
   I've looked for a long time for a book like this, which is original, classically structured compositions which have NOT been dumbed down for the not-very-advanced pianist, but simply weren't very difficult to begin with. I received this book just a few days ago, and I'm basically happy with what I see.
   
   On the down side, I'm going to have to take the book down to a print shop to have the binding cut off and have the pages drilled for a three-ring binder. It won't stay flat even with a couple of hymnals to hold it open. This is not an especially expensive task, and it will completely solve the problem, but it is a hassle.
   
   Also, quite a number of the pieces are things I've never heard of, and some of them can't be found on the Internet, either. I wish there were a CD available so I could figure out whether I have a reasonably normal interpretation of an unfamiliar piece.
   
   Finally, I think it might be helpful if there were some effort to describe what the editor thinks "intermediate" means. A few of the pieces look somewhat more intimidating than the little bit that's visible on Amazon's website, and a couple just a little less. But if you're not well-trained or if you're a non-musician buying something for a student, having some specific information (like "recommended for people who have finished John Thompson's Grade Two book") might be helpful.



4. I love this book. When I was growing up, I used it in piano lessons and enjoyed many of the songs. it contains well-known songs as well as many which will become your favorites. It also has a variety of styles so everyone is happy with something. I like it because I am no virtuoso and the songs are difficult enough to be interesting (to play and listen to) and challenging, but not so difficult as to be unachievable. It has fallen to pieces, so I had to buy another one for my kids, who are just getting into this level.



5. My son uses this book. Pieces are not equal in their complexity. My child plays the two "Bagatelles" by Beethoven, Sibelius and similar in difficulty pieces. One can find texts that are much easier than the ones I mentioned in this book. I also love this book as it reminds me of the time when I studied piano as a little girl at a City Music school in Russia. I played the vast majority of the classical pieces from it. These days, when my son is not practicing, I sight read everything from this book for pleasure. It is not for intermediate players, it is for advanced beginners, I think. I expect my son to play Rachmaninoff in a couple of years. He is now 8 yo and has been playing the piano for about two years, instructed by a magnificent Russian teacher. Before formal lessons he played by ear and improvised. So, the book is for people playing for no more than a couple of years.

2 comments about Solo Guitar Playing, Vol. 2 (Classical Guitar) (Classical Guitar).

1. If you are unfamiliar with Noad's "Solo Guitar Playing I", I would highly recommend that you start there first. Book II is an order of magnitude more difficult. The author does an excellent job of introducing you to each new piece of music and pointing out problem sections that will need extra practice or that have tricky fingering. When necessary he also presents exercises or patterns that help to exemplify a piece or that will be used throughout a piece. Overall, the book is well written and the material is well presented. It does not "hold your hand" as much as book one did and the music selections are quite a bit more challenging. I would recommend it only to the experienced guitarist or to those who have completed Book I. If you are able to make it through this book you will have built a phenomenal classical repertoire.



2. It's a very good educational book for the intermediate guitar player who wants to be challenged. A challenge it does provide, however, it does not have a huge variety of great songs in the back.