No comments about 2009 Official Vintage Guitar Magazine Price Guide.

5 comments about Solo Guitar Playing/Book 1 with CD (Classical Guitar).

1. I bought the book with hopes I could learn to play solo guitar without reference to notes and conventional music notation. However, this book, although very instructive and thorough (and fast) in its design, still relies on the reader's understanding of proper music notation.
   I hate notes. I started playing guitar by the ear only and still play complicated chords by the ear. I wanted to see some important techniques, not exercises, of playing solo.
   The good thing though is that it comes with a CD to accompany some 40 exercises in the book.
   If you are keen on notes and promise to sit and train 2 hours a day, you will play solo guitar freely after one year with this book. If you are like me and like to improvise on the guitar without any proper musical education this book will be too boring.
   In either case, the key to playing guitar is practice anyway! So no matter what you play, spending some time with the guitar every day will yield the fruits sooner or later, with or without any book.



2. I stumbled onto this book as a teenager trying to teach myself to play the guitar. I found it both easy to understand and rewarding. Eventually I went on to minor in jazz guitar in college and spent several years as a union musician. A few years ago I returned to this book (I finally replaced my old copy with a new version) when I wanted to venture into classical guitar. Almost thirty years later I found it equally as captivating and rewarding as it was in my first encounter.
   
   Recently I decided to learn to play the English concertina, but found that there were no quality tutorials readily available, so I turned, once again, to Mr. Noad. The exercises presented in the book have been very helpful and have allowed me to feel an increasing sense of aptitude on the concertina as I step through the lessons!
   
   Solo Guitar Playing is built on a clear, accessible methodology and a well-paced progressive learning system that stands the test of time! If you could only have one guitar instruction book, this would be the one to consider.



3. This book is great if you have a teacher who is helping you. If you are trying to go through this book by yourself you will probably fail and become frustrated with the guitar. I do not recommend you use this book by yourself if you are starting out. Otherwise I love this book. I have a good instructor and I am learning alot. The book does not have tabs so you will be forced to read music (which is good) but harder. Buy the book with the CD so you can hear how the songs are played. I would have liked to see him include a DVD so that every musical section can be heard by the student, this is especially helpful to know if you are playing each section correctly and for the student who is trying to learn on their own.



4. I had been playing guitar for 5 years before I dug into classical studies. A local classical guitar instructor recommended this book to me, to get me started. I had a fairly brief knowledge to reading standard notation, but the finger notation was completely new to me. Noad went into great detail about which fingers to use where, and how the notation is ment to be read. I am now a guitar instructor myself, and I recommend my classically interested students to this book.
   
   It starts off slow, and to new standard notation readers, this is a huge plus. Even the easier exercises sound great and are fun to work out, and are easy to figure out. Then we get into the collection of wonderful solo guitar pieces presented in this book. It has a very wide varaitey of different musics, which will help students get an idea of the defining characteristics of each genre (baroque, classical, spanish, etc). There are tons of great songs with their each own little challenges to overcome to well round your playing. This will take you from a beginner classical player to intermediate, and you will have fun while doing it. It has helped me become a better reader (classically, I do notice that my reading of jazz lines have not improved, but this book is not for that. I just kind of thought it would help with that too (for what ever reason I don't know :P ).
   
   I am a jazz major in college, and I have a greater appreciatation of classical music, and the classical style, because of this book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED



5. This book is good. A lot of song exercises. I recommed this book to those who have an general understanding of reading music. I'm a beginner myself and found this book easy in some parts yet harder in other areas of the book. A good buy for learning to play some of many classical songs.

5 comments about Story of the Orchestra : Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, the Music and the Composers Who Wrote the Music!.

1. "Santa" brought this book for our 4 year old. She loves it! It is layed out in a way that we can read just portions of each page without her getting overwhelmed. It is definitely a book she can grow with. Because a mom has to brag: My daughter can now easily name each instrument and knows which "family" it belongs. She laughs hysterically over Beethoven's picture, knows Tchaikovsky composed Swan Lake and the Nutcracker (the sweetest thing is hearing a 4 year old rattle of Tchaikovsky and Vivaldi!) etc. Highly recommended!



2. I was looking for resources to help make teaching about classical music and composers to primary grade children more entertaining and I found what I needed all wrapped up in this book and CD combination.
   
   Part I of the book concerns composers and is separated into the periods in which they composed, ie., Baroque, etc., with a brief description of art, architecture and feeling of the period. The composers covered for all periods are Vivaldi, Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Mahler, Debussy, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Gershwin, Copland and Bernstein.
   
   Part II of the book is about the instruments of the orchestra. Again, this is further broken down into the different sections of the orchestra such as strings, woodwinds, etc. Then within each of those sections a feature on the individual instruments.
   
   The accompanying CD has brief examples of the compositions introduced in the composers section and for each instrument. It really helps the kids hear what they've been discussing.
   
   One of the best things about this book are the illustrations. They are colorful and entertaining. Sometimes there are humorous illustrations such as a drawing of the ideal Baroque instrumentalist needing 2 right hands, 3 left hands, and 3 eyes which really had my 3rd grade kids in giggles after hearing the intricacies of "Spring" by Vivaldi. There are also entertaining illustrations showing how an instrument produces its sound and they are mixed with photographs of the instrument itself. I highly recommend this book for music teachers to use as a reference and for parents who have children interested in learning an instrument.



3. I purchased this book in preparation for teaching a group of homeschooled students (ages 7-14) a short course in music appreciation. It was a terrific resource for them. The text was brief but engaging; the cartoons were entertaining; and the photography was so eyecatching. It covered the musical periods, with information on several representative composers. Then each of the orchestra sections was covered, with a helpful CD included to hear snips from pieces that featured the instruments. The students all learned quite a bit from this book. I recommend it highly.



4. Excellent tool for teaching your children about the Orchestra. The CD that comes with it is great.



5. As an event manager for Jan Mulder and orchestra, website: www.janmulder.us I purchased three copies of The Story of the Orchestra which will be given to young people to learn about the orchestra's various instrument. I highly recommend this book for both adults and younger people.
   Hans Goede

5 comments about Fretboard Logic SE: The Reasoning Behind the Guitar's Unique Tuning + Chords Scales and Arpeggios Complete (The Fretboard Logic Guitar Method Volumes I and II) (Fretboard Logic Guitar Method Ser).

1. Item was a gift for my son on the opposite coast. He reports this book met all his expectations and is very happy with it. See also the third book in the series.



2. This is not a music theory book.
   Fretboard Logic describes the Fretboard patterns that are a direct result of the guitar's unique tuning. The patterns discussed are essentially scales and chords covering the entire fretboard.
   There is some occasional theory necessary to teach the subject and no more.
   It may be too much for many beginners to grasp the importance of what the author is teaching but, that certainly does not mean you can't benefit by learning something new such as pentatonic scales and full bar chords (that's the first 27 pages.)
   I could not play full bar chords when I bought the book. You know what you do to cure that? Practice playing them 10 minutes a day and then go onto something else.
   I was thrilled when I bought HOB Blues DVD #1 and recognized the scale patterns and realized I could start APPLYING what I learned from this book. No, you will not be a better guitar player after reading this book just because you know some chords and scales. But you will have a solid foundation that will help you APPLY the information in this book as you learn music theory and it will all be a little easier.
   I can't say it as a fact since I don't play with others often but, I really doubt this book would do anything but help you when playing with other guitarists and instruments regardless of their knowledge and how they learned it.
   I would recommend a yellow Gripmaster (to help warm up and increase hand strength) and a metronome to go along this book.



3. I'm finding this book more effective than any other method I've tried to learn and re-learn and practise the basics. I've been playing a few years now and this brought me back down to basics for a refresher. The instructions are conversational and they make sense. Everything is explained in detail, but no too much detail - and all the topics covered are tabbed on the same page.
   I've never come across a more comprehensive way to learn or refresh oneself on the basics of playing guitar. It's a must have for any guitar player.



4. I am very impressed with the content of Fretboard Logic. I am a beginner so actually playing the way presented seems overwhelming right now. I can make my hands stretch to barre with a lot of effort, but it will be a while before I can do it effortlessly. That's why I'd recommend this book for intermediate to advanced, someone who can put the information into practice right away. Beginners need to start with easier stuff. That said, it is a great resource to explain the logic of the fretboard that you may not find elsewhere.



5. The bottom line is: this book will do more for your playing confidence than anything else you can invest in (that is, if you don't already have expert knowledge of the fretboard). I have mainly played rhythm until now, but even my band members are amazed at my lead progress and the varieties I add the rhythm. Get it, learn it, and your confidence on the guitar will grow.

5 comments about The ABCs of Violin for the Absolute Beginner: Violin, Book 1.

1. I purchased this for my wife and she loves it. It is a nice violin starter guide with a great assortment of songs and instruction. I was very pleased with the incredibly fast shipping!!! Thanks! I'd highly recommend this item!!!
   -Mel



2. I've never played violin. I have a cheap one and just wanted to mess around and this book seemed like a good way to get started. There is a companion DVD that does not come with the book and unless you know something about playing the violin already, you need the DVD. They should either bundle the DVD with the book or stress that the DVD is required if you are really an "Absolute Beginner".



3. This book is really no good without also buying the DVD and CD. The book does NOT give any information about placement of the bridge (searched the web an I think it should be by the notches in the F holes, low end by E string) or how to tune or use rosin. The DVD gives some information about tuning and a little about finger placement. I don't have the CD, but think it is probably necessary so you can learn where to place your fingers to get the sound right.
   
   Edit: Well, I bought the CD and it does not have any commentary, or announcement of the song or enough pause to follow along. So I would downgrade this series to a 1 star. There are better choices. I feel like I really wasted the money, especially on the CD.



4. I was very disappointed in this book. The title ("The ABC's of Violin for the Absolute Beginner") really should have been something like "The Beginner's Violin Class Primer" and/or come packaged as a set with the CD/DVD.
   
   I am an absolute beginner at age 37 and was expecting a little more instruction about how to hold the violin and other basics. There was nothing in the Amazon "blub" about needing to purchase the separate DVD or Audio CD. I'm not expecting to become a 1st chair concert violinist at my age....I just wanted to learn a little about the violin and we live in a rural area where violin teachers are about as plentiful as hen's teeth.
   
   This really seems to be a book for students who have access to a violin teacher. The lessons also seem to move very quickly. So far I prefer the "Learn to Play the Violin" by Frank Cappelli that I got from our local library. The Cappelli book at least has photos and descriptions of how to hold the violin and bow (it's not great, but it helps) and has more exercises on learning to play the correct strings...which isn't easy at first! I'll keep the "ABC" book for the songs, which I know I'll enjoy when I become a little more proficent.
   
   Good luck to you all!



5. I have just started playing the violin, and can not find any person to give me lessons, so I bought this and it is very good. it is a basic here is where the notes are and steps you through learning each note, and gives exercies to practice it...

5 comments about The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing the Harmonica, 2nd Edition (Complete Idiot's Guide to).

1. I just begun to learn how play the harmonica. So far, this book is very comprehensive and fun to read. It's not only about how to play, but it also offers wonderful tidbits about the instrument. I know that, as I keep learning as I intended, I'll have to go beyond this book, but that will be a couple of years down the line. One thing though, and this is very minor. Even as a beginner I found some mistakes on a couple of easy songs, as they were written for the harmonica. That actually made me proud for catching these flaws, when I'm only a beginner.
   Maybe they were there on purpose!
   Other than that, I love the book.



2. I have a keen interest in music but have no training. I bought the "Idiot's Guide..." hoping to gain some insight into harmonica playing. I was entirely pleased. The authors assume that the reader is intelligent but ignorant of the subject. This book was meant for people like me.



3. OK book. Its a bit DETAILED for beginners. But great if you are patient in committing your time to learn.



4. From what I've read through Chapter 6, this appears to be a very well written book about playing the harmonica. I've really enjoyed it so far, and would highly recommend!



5. The Complete Idiot's Guide is a very thorough manual to learning the harmonica, including music theory, history, and physiology. For those analytical minds who love to know EVERYTHING about a subject, this is your book. It's well written and educational. From what I can tell, it covers every possible aspect of learning to play the harmonica, including how to read music, advanced techniques of play (such as bending), how to translate written music to a harmonica, and how to incorporate harmonica into a band or group.
   
   However, if you're a beginner ready to pick up a harmonica and a book to play today, I recommend David Harp's Instant Blues Harmonica. Pop that CD in, and you'll be playing in minutes. Literally! It quickly and easily teaches you the basics of harmonica improvisation.

5 comments about How to Play Guitar: Everything You Need to Know to Play the Guitar (How to Play).

1. It's my first time to learn guitar, so finding a guide book is very important to me. This book is not expensive, but easy to read and follow.



2. I recently got back into my guitar hobby and this book has been invaluable to me. I agree with the others who appreciated the user-friendliness here. THe book skips the fluff and is concise, which I appreciate. It gives you all you need about finger position, how to pick, how to read notes, etc. Also has some great songs in there. Highly recommended as long as you're not an expert.



3. I just picked up the guitar 2-3 weeks ago. This book has been my guide since before I bought the guitar and now that I am learning to play. At the thought of learning to play the guitar I was at first intimidated but this book does a great job of easing you into the guitar and playing.
   
   I recommend it for similar folks learning to play.



4. I gave this book to my boyfriend, so I can't say much about it. But he was playing tunes the first day he opened the book. I was impressed



5. This book helped me out within five minutes of opening it. I have no time in my life for taking guitar lessons so I had been using the internet as a resource for learning to play as well as another book that I have. I had some basic skills, two scales, and a few chords in my arsenal but had been struggling mightily forming the C major chord. I was getting frustrated and thinking maybe my hands were too small and my fingers too fat to play this basic chord (and more complicated ones as well). One look at the drawing (from the player's perspective- rather than the front of the fretboard- of the left hand fingering of C major and I realized that I was going about it all wrong. My wrist angle was too perpendicular. I copied the drawing, and presto- C major. So I was quickly encouraged again.
   There is nothing flashy about this book, but I have been having FUN going through it- which is pretty important when practicing and the whole point of playing the guitar I think. Rather than just show you where the notes are on the fretboard (which it does in the back as a reference) you learn them by playing simple songs like Beethoven's Ode To Joy. Very cool and I'm already impressing my wife even though it is pretty easy. I also like that it teaches you to read sheet music which I can't wait to learn (once I master the skills deemed necessary to get to that point). So buy this cheap book and have fun!

5 comments about The Jazz Piano Book.

1. The product was fine. More than fine. Your shipping department needs some training. They put this book in a box 15 times times larger than the book (I measured) with a few air bags. The book bounced around in the box during shipping and arrived damaged. Pretty annoying for a $30+ purchase. I received a few dollars credit for the damages. Would have requested a new book but it would have been shipped the same. The person I talked to was very nice, but he was in India, so I rather doubt if your shipping department heard of my complaint.
   Camille Gollon



2. I have searched high and low for a comprehensive instructional book that contains equal parts application and exercises. This is the book. The book is replete with snippets of famous jazz songs that provide a window into the techniques of many great players, and Mr. Levine is thoughtful enough to provide source albums and songs for listening purposes.
   
   Additionally, the book provides you, early on, with a method for interpreting songs out of the real book. With this easy method, you can instantly begin building a repertoire of material, and revisit these songs with the techniques learned in later chapters



3. The author states (I don't know his exact words) that 6/9 chords are essentially equivalent to maj7 chords and throughout the book he uses them interchangeably. To me this is an example of slipshod thinking and therefore I wonder just how far one can trust this author. On the plus side, the discography is excellent.



4. This is not an easy book to get a handle on. Beginner's may be overwhelmed. Intermediate students will need help in structuring the topics and lessons. Advanced students will probably find plenty of nuggets of jazz wisdom to make the purchase of this book worthwhile. As a long time musician relatively new to jazz, I find this book extremely valuable for learning about jazz, but it isn't terribly helpful in improving my piano chops. I still give it five stars because I didn't buy it to learn the piano so much as to learn jazz, and obviously, jazz piano. That may sound crazy, but it makes sense when you realize there aren't many specific "drills" to learn the various aspects that Levine teaches about jazz and specifically, jazz piano. Yeah, he may say something like, "Be sure you can do this in all twelve keys", but you're not going to stop reading the book, rush to the piano and practice for four weeks before you continuing reading. The kind of stuff he "teaches" takes a lifetime of experience and playing to learn. So I appreciate being told about it, and I like having some perspective added to such a very deep field of music, but after you buy this book, you're still going to need to do some drills, (try Jazz Chord Hanon: 70 Exercises for the Beginning to Professional Pianist, Jazz Hanon (Private Lessons), Post-Bop Jazz Piano - The Complete Guide with CD!: Hal Leonard Keyboard Style Series (Hal Leonard Keyboard Style), and even Piano Essentials: Scales, Chords, Arpeggios, and Cadences for the Contemporary Pianist (Book & CD)), learn some songs (use The Real Book: Sixth Edition), and get some instruction (try your local community college or music store). In short, Levine's book is a wonderful map and a readable, useful guide for just about anyone with interest in playing jazz on the piano.



5. My Background: I have played trombone in concert band in elementary school and high school. I could sight read for trombone. I have tinkered with the piano for years during that time. I would say no formal training in piano.
   Now: After 4 years with this book I now play piano for two churches (by ear), one as a paid position the other as a volunteer. I have been playing at these churches for 2+ years. I owe a lot of where I am to the explanations, background, tips and practice suggestions in this book.
   
   What you will need to know before being able to use this book:
   * Being able to read music in both clefs (you do not necessarily need to sight-read but I'm sure it would help me).
   * A decent sounding keyboard or piano to practice on
   * A desire to practice (there are people who will buy this book and never practice expecting things to just enter their brains through osmosis).
   
   This book takes you from the beginning and explains things in a concise manner. After 4 years, I have probably covered about 25% of this book in terms of things that I have internalized. The covers have ripped off because I use it so much. Things I am practicing right now:
   
   * Upper structures
   * 4th Chords
   * Left hand voicings
   * Chord substitutions
   
   The best thing about this book for me, is that it has shown me how to interpret music that I see and chords that more advanced musicians play. For example, once you realize that a IV chord is so similar to a I chord (with the exception of the 4ths), then you realize that you can approach a IV chord just like you would a I chord by imitating a ii-V7-I. This would mean approaching the chord by playing a minor V, a dominant I and then IV. After buying the book and reading it, you will understand what I just wrote and also realize the beauty of that movement to spice up your older hymns (which have tons of IV chords with nothing to help you move to them).
   
   If you are a hard working musician with a God-given talent for music and you are interested in Jazz Piano, I would advise you to purchase this book. Get a "Real Book" (search on Amazon) to help you along (I got one recently and realized that it would have helped a lot more if I knew this)
   
   Things that made this book a great buy for me:
   * Scale Theory
   * Scale fingerings and how to practice scales (differs from classical practice and helps with improving)
   * Adding notes to 3 note voicings
   * Chord substitutions (Tritone substitution, phrygian chords, upper structures for Dominant chords)... these always impress people and are explained simply in this book.
   
   And I'm not even done working on the other stuff.
   
   Now, I need to learn how to sight-read.

5 comments about My First Book of Christmas Songs: 20 Favorite Songs in Easy Piano Arrangements.

1. Having purchased this for my kids to use and practice in time for Christmas 2005, I pretested all the music and found it to be a nice starter set of Christmas music for the piano student in their first or second year of training. The arrangements tend to be minimalistic. Caveat: there are at least two obviously wrong notes in The First Nowell and Jingle Bells, so you'd be well advised to correct them once you find them; hopefully they'll fix them by the time a second edition rolls out. Nice features: Each song can be played without turning pages. A charming black-and-white illustration accompanies each song. There's also a list of the songs in order of difficulty for those who want to learn the songs that way.



2. I have never played the piano before this past year and at 56 years of age, it isn't the easiest thing to pick up! However, this book not only let's you play 'like a pro' right off the bat, but the stylings are simple, understandable, and with the number of the finger of each hand attached to each note, one can play with confidence immediately! Lovely and very satisfying. E.



3. Anyone can truly teach themselves how to play the piano with this children's collection of familiar Christmas songs. My husband bought me a keyboard as a graduation gift when I got my Master's degree. He said it was to fill all my free time now that I won't be studying, reading, or writing. Well, this Christmas I played three songs for my family on Christmas Eve. It was so heart-warming. It was a memorable experience for my husband and son as well. This book presents songs that are playable by the novice adult piano player. Thanks for giving us a new Christmas tradition.



4. This is a great book from Dover Publishing. The layout and illustrations are nice, but there is one infamous typo, and frankly, this is a book for more advanced elementary piano students. As a teacher, I've got quite a collection of Christmas music books, and this is definitely not a "first book." If you're looking for more simpler music that's much better geared for younger children, look for the Bastien collection.



5. Truly great instructions, numbering the finger required for both hands, making it easy to learn proper positioning to build skills. It is presented in simple but effective details, and allows learning as well as producing satisfaction with real songs. Recommended for adults learning to play piano for personal pleasure.

5 comments about Suzuki Violin School: Violin Part, vol. 1 (Suzuki Violin School, Violin Part).

1. So many other violin instruction books become dull and boring with their scales and two-line practices. Suzuki, however, is fun. It teaches you to play the violin through songs instead of through hundreds of exercises on boring items. Exercises are provided, of course, but they are icing on the cake.
   
   I began violin with a different method that nearly turned me away. I didn't see the fun in playing a hundred and fifty repetitions of "hot cross buns." I did see the fun in playing Minuets, however, when a new teacher had me switch to Suzuki.
   
   I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone. The method is fast, fun, and head-over-heels better than those...other books.



2. There are only 17 songs in this entire book! NO fiddle music. All the notes are much smaller than all the other books, hard to read. There are finger numbers above all the notes, so you don't learn to read the notes, you read the numbers and make mistakes because you don't know which string you should put the finger on. The accompanying CD is way too fast to play with! The other books give you more to play, to read and contain twice the melodies which are from all different styles.
   
   Just don't get what all the fuss is about with this method if you don't learn to read right and don't play any worthy exercises.



3. Suzuki is a collection of some classic pieces of music which many of us violin players grew up on. It has exerpts from many famous composers (presented progressively in terms of skills level) which can be perfect for performances. However, it needs to be supplemented by other method books which allow more practice, especially in order to develop pitch, sight reading, and techniques.
   
   For those starting out, volume 1 may not have a clear enough presentation of the basics of reading music. I usually start my students on "String Builder," which gives a more step-by-step instruction and offers a whole lot more pieces to practice on (and it also has short duets to play together).



4. I have played the viola for 5 years and started with Suzuki. Most of the songs are the same in both books. I am now in viola book 4 and it is great. I have been making it into All-County Orchestras by starting with the book!



5. I ordered this book back in April 30 the impression from the website that was in stock and hence could be shipped out immediately. However, I wasn't given notice that it was shipped until MAY 8 and they have not yet arrived by MAY 11! Who knows about the book itself, since i have not yet received it, butI am NOT satisfied with this order. BEWARE - consider ordering from another music or book website.
   
   Suzinne