2 comments about The Fender Electric Guitar Book: A Complete History of Fender Instruments.

1. Very well researched!
   exciting to read for any guitar fanatic.
   great when you wanna trace the ancestry of you strat or telly!



2. This book for those of us Guitar nerds who love Fender instruments. It duplicates the history of the Telecaster somewhat and the Telecaster History has a bit more helpful stuff on dating of Telecasters. I would liked a bit more information about the staff in the pre-CBS years (who were these people who were signing the neck and bodies of the old Teles), the methods of production (were they effectively hand built) and levels of production generally year by year. If you are thinking of buying a vintage Tele or Strat you should definately buy this book along with Gruhn's guide to Vintage Guitars. Even if you are not then its an interesting read.

5 comments about RHYTHM GUITAR BOOK/CD/BONUS DVD: FOR BEGINNER TO ADVANCED STUDENTS (Progressive).

1. I've gotten a fair collection of how-to guitar books. This is one of the best. The DVD is a nice mixture of short snippets to quickly show a technique, and longer "tunes" that require a bit of practice. And the book matches the DVD pretty well while filling out the lessons.



2. I'm a bass player and I have never understood chords. With this book I was able to learn all the basic chords and a bunch of other chords (sevenths, sus's, barre chords, etc) in just a few weeks.
   
   A little musical knowledge helps, but its just not necessary. Trust me, If I can use this book, anyone can.
   
   I almost sound like I know what I'm doing!



3. Although there are several instructional books on rhythm guitar (and I think I have all of them on my shelf!, this seems the most complete. One shouldn't expect highly sophisticated rhythms from any instructional book, but what is presented here is more than adequate for success. The full range of chords and ways to weave them into the backbeat is clear and easily understood. Of course, serious players will go beyond this eventually, but at that point, no appropriate instructional book will be necessary....or available. I highly recommend this book.



4. I have been following the "Progressive" series of guitar method books since day one. I've managed to accumulate nearly all of them. All I have to say is one thing. If you are serious about being a well rounded guitarist and musician, without the complex, boring, and pointless music method books their are out there today, then you need to get these books, study them, practice the lessons, and most importantly, review, review, review; this is what will make you into the musician you need to be. Based on a rigorous practice regime, and following the series of Progressive books, you can become a complete guitar professional from novice level within 1-2 years, providing you use all the tools available to you; books, CD's, jamming, theory, playing in a band, etc. Remember, most guitarists haven't had formal lessons, they've learned off records, CD's etc. but with this series of books you have a tap into what the modern guitarist needs to learn, understand, and use as an accomplished guitarist/musician/songwriter. Get these books for your kids, students, yourself, even your grandmother. They are the best!



5. My niece's guitar teacher strongly recommended this book/cd/dvd pack, so I bought it and have been very pleased with it. What I like is that, unlike some other books, it starts you out with simple chords and while progressing through more difficult chords it weaves in individual notes and reading sheet music. What helped me make initial progress was when I learned, in only a few sittings, the first 5 or 6 chords and began making simple melodies by putting them together.
   
   Five years ago I bought an acoustic guitar with every intention of learning how to play it, so I bought a different book/CD pack and got started. The focus was on learning each individual string one at a time (I could only play Beautiful Brown Eyes and Jingle Bells so many times) so I soon lost interest having only learned 3 strings and 3 frets and a couple of (now) annoying songs.
   
   Get the Progressive Rhythm Guitar book and enjoy playing much sooner.

5 comments about Mel Bay First Lessons Violin Book/CD Set.

1. I'm 32 years old, and decided to learn the violin as my son has been playing a few months now. I've been working through this book for almost three weeks without a teacher and I'm in the middle of lesson 8 right now. As other reviewers have mentioned, there is no instruction on how to read music or how to tune the violin.
   
   I played a string instrument (bass violin) many years ago and did not find this a problem, you simply remember Every Good Boy Does Finely to name the lines and F A C E to name the spaces and work from there. This will not slow you down, the bass plays in a different clef and learning to "read" the music in the treble (G) clef that the violin uses took less than a week. As for tuning, buy a chromatic tuner when you purchase your instrument and ask for tuning instructions then.
   
   This book takes an approach much better suited to adults or musicians who play other instruments in that it emphasises melodies to learn to play. You are done with open strings after lesson one and learn the notes and fingering of the A major scale in lesson two. This is a much more satisfying approach than traditional method books. Slurs are introduced in lesson 11. You'll have learned most of the notes in first position by lesson 13 and the rest by lesson 17. Lesson 22 will introduce the 4th finger.
   
   My only complaints about the books are: 1.) the heavy emphasis on the A and E strings. This was dramatic enough to make me search through the book to find any songs that use the G string (I found a couple at lesson 13), and to make me wonder if I should write out the songs an octave or fifth lower just to practice using the D and G strings as well. (The D string is included a little more often that G)
   
   And 2.) the lack of difficult songs. Always one to run before I can walk, I'd have liked to see a "challenge" piece every couple of lessons or so. The pieces included in the lessons here can be conquered somewhere within 1 to 3 hours of practice and, of course, become easier with repetition.
   
   All in all, an interesting book to work through and the CD is a nice bonus.



2. My children had taken violin in school when they were growning up. after they became adults their instrument sat around gathering dust. Now i've had some piano lessons years ago. My husband playes a Yamaha 6 string Bass. At 46 I've decided to learn to play my daughters violin and needed something that was simple enough and easy enough for me to enjoy the beginning process. This book is not only easy for me with the DVD and the CD that comes with the book, it is enjoyable and relaxing to listen to and watch. The only reason i gave it a 4 and not a 5 is i wish the DVD should more clearly the fingering position closer. Overall this is a very excellent way to learn.



3. Not for the absolute beginner but a good supplement for lessons with a qualified instructor. I use this when I practice alone and find the pieces challenging but worth the effort.



4. Background: I'd studied suzuki style for all of one month before firing my teacher because I couldn't sing another nursery rhyme. I didn't read music, or understand what a key signature was, and in the 3 years since the Suzuki method, I couldn't remember which was the upstroke sign and which the down, so while I wasn't an ABSOLUTE beginner, I had more bad habits than good. I've also TRIED and failed to learn piano and guitar, so I do have SOME music theory background.
   
   The Bad:
   As a beginner I rely on having my neck taped so I know my finger placements. (no frets ;) ) This book does not tell you where or how to do that, so getting finger placement right if you have no one to help you will be difficult. Beyond this, I'm loving the book.
   
   The Good:
   
   1.) This has the simplest and easiest notation I've ever seen for learning to read music. I tried and failed many times before with piano and guitar books both to learn to read real musical notation, and failed every time. A week into the book and I'm already sight reading some simpler pieces. (very simple, as in 2 strings, but reading them none the less)
   
   2.) Some of the music doesn't suck. Now, being a beginners book, you're going to be stuck with twinkle twinkle little star, just like every other beginners book, but finding "Ode to Joy" on the second lesson of actual play made my day. :)
   
   3.) The big graph on the top of all the first lessons makes it easy to remember which strings and finger placements are which notes.
   
   4.) you learn to find key signatures slowly and simply while you learn the scales and notes on each string. Once again, this is something I'd read about alot in other books, but in this book it was shown simply and only one example at a time as you worked your way up the strings and scales played on them, so it finally made sense to me.
   
   In conclusion: While I'm not an absolute newbie to music, I really am to the fiddle, and after throwing away a few books I found absolutely useless and giving up on learning under a teacher who targeted 5 year olds, I've found a book I'm REALLY happy with and which is helping me make progress.
   
   -- James



5. This book is difficult to review, because I was truly a beginner using this. I was not just a beginner to the violin, but also to reading sheet music. I felt that there was very little setup to get to the point that you not only feel comfortable reading music, but also holding the violin. Unlike many other instruments the violin is not inherently natural because you hold it in place with your chin. The actual sheet music has a good progression from simple finger exercises to more advanced pieces. Especially with some of the baroque music, different time is kept. Again this is a case of ignorance of not having previous education in sheet music. The concept is explained, but little weight seems to be given to it. The CD accompanying the book is nice to have, but has little dialogue . I wasn't incredibly impressed with the overall number of scores in the book either. So in all it has all the basic elements of a beginner's book, but little explanation of anything is given and falls short of being very helpful for a "true" beginner.

5 comments about Creative Guitar 2: Advanced Techniques.

1. Extensive picking exercises really get your fingers doing the stuff that's tough to do. Lot's of insight from the master. Really a large number of variations on each topic so there is bound to be something that will highlight a weakness of yours. Then it's up to you to spend the time practicing them. The CD is great for improving over as well. A steal when you consider what lessons covering this material would cost.



2. Tear their faces off with blazing virtuousity is what you'll do when you master the techniques in this book! I have quite a few other technique books by Troy Stetina, Satriani, and Musicians Institute I believe. They are alright and have some decent and some useful information in them but have not made the impact on my guitar playing I was hoping.
   
   Particularly useful in this book is that exercises and ideas are written in both standard notation and tablature. Sometimes its easier to see patterns in standard notation than it is in tab form; notation also helps a lot in learning the fretboard. I was worried this book would skimp on the technical side of playing and be geared more to standard scale exercises like other books I own. This is not the case. Two handed tapping, eight finger tapping even, legato picking, strange sequences similiar to those found on Vai's Passion and Warfare album, odd rhythm grouping patterns, double stops, and even how to make your guitar sound like a Hammond organ and other intruments are included.
   
   This is a fantastic book geared to highly technical guitar playing. References to other great guitar albums are also sprinkled throughout to expand your listening library. I would highly recommend this book to anyone serious about mastering the guitar and wish I had it years ago myself. I've been playing for almost 15 years now.



3. This guitar book is great for people who kind of know a good amount about the guitar. It has many helpful tips and it contains a lot of good examples to practice.



4. I have been a great fan of Guthrie Govan (the author of this book) since I read his articles in the pages of Guitar Techniques magazine (also a great resource):)
   I really liked the way the author summarized and verbalized the techniques that are involved in playing. For me, it was a great way to explain how each technique should look like and feel like which for this part, I believe is the sign of a good teaching technique.
   This book is great for people who have played for a while and think are pretty familiar with the majority of concepts the instrument has to offer and Guthrie here throws a monkey wrench into the system. As guitarists we realize that the comibations and scale patterns are virtually endless but he offers combinations and ideas that sound melodious and musical.
   I particularly liked the sections on picking (a great simple explanation of a big topic), the immitation of other instruments on the guitar (now I don't need that mandolin) and the two handed techniques deserve hours and hours of expirementation.
   If you have been playing for several years and if you feel like you in a bit of a rut this one is for you.



5. Hi,
   I'm happy with the book, fast shipping to my home.
   
   First, 2 pages about how to hold your pick in your hands. Than: work on scale exercises!
   
   It's well written, but it's still up to you: lots of practice!
   Some things are less explained, but it's for the advanced player, you have to know already some basics about what scales are, how they are formed. In fact you don't need it, but it's nice to know it beforehand.
   But maybe there are things explained in Creative Guitar 1 (wich i don't have), but you can follow without that book if you already can play.
   
   I'm still at the first chapter and playing slowly, but I'm looking forward to work it out. Finally good exercises for stretching fingers and playing scales. I'm looking forward for the sweep picking and tapping exercises.

5 comments about Banjo Case Chord Book (Banjo).

1. Well, if you've been playing banjo for a while, you may not need this. But if you're starting out (like me), you'll find it invaluable. It's a slim line book that will fit in your banjo case behind the neck (yes, its that slim). And its just pages of chord diagrams. The sections of the book are different tuninings (ex: G tunining, C tuning, etc.) So if you've tuned to a different key, you can quickly see how to make any chord. It also covers multiple ways to make the same chord, in case you're up the neck. I'm going through "Earl Scruggs and the five string banjo" to learn to play, and this little book is the perfect accessory to reference.



2. A lot of banjoists won't think they need this chord book. Chords and old time banjo playing especially are not recognized as friends. If you play old time, then you get a lot of non sense from guitar players or even people trained to play tenor or classic banjo about chords.
   
   However, I find this chord book pretty useful for trying to build backup patterns, even if they are done not by strumming chords, but by playing rolls and frailing patterns where I am not actually making the whole chord but playing the notes of the chord.
   
   I played guitar for about 35 years before I played banjo. I developed a repertoire of songs based on chords. Having this chord book helped me to learn some of the chords that might seem normal in a guitar players repertoire that seem distant for old timey banjo players. For example, I did an arrangement of my friend Raeford Starke's song "Roughed" up that has a BM7.
   I could not have figured it out without this book.
   
   You will also find that a practice especially jazz players do with a chord book can be useful by trying to play arpeggios of the notes of a chord. This can get you a lot of notes and how they go together. It can give you a good bunch of ways to harmonice or play leads around tunes.
   
   Just because you play old time banjo, does not mean that you should be ignorant of music!



3. This book really helps in learning chords and very helpful for learning the chords to play in a different chord



4. This is great to refer to when you don't want something too bulky sitting in your banjo case.



5. If you are a BEGINNER who needs a banjo chord list, you have found the right one. This is not only about the banjo chords but about using the capo as well.

5 comments about Building Walking Bass Lines.

1. I've owned this book for over 10 years and it's just as relevant now as it was then. I was looking to grow my playing when I was younger and this book was a step in that direction. At the time I knew nothing about chord structures, music theory, or much else, for that matter, but Ed breaks it down for you simply and clearly. I worked through the whole book as a kid and a lot of the knowledge in it ended up helping me quite a bit when learning jazz in university. Now I'm learning to play cello and want to improve my improv skills. This book has been my go to again. I have the theory knowledge and know how to play walking bass lines, so that part wasn't needed this time 'round, but rhythm tracks and charts included have been very useful and I've spent many hours soloing over them. Thanks for such a great book Ed!



2. This book and CD are an excellent guide on how to build walking bass lines. The exercises start very simply (root, root and fifth, chromatic approach etc..) and build skills steadily. Highly recommended if (like me) you don't find it easy to construct good bass lines.



3. This book is very helpful to theory and practice of bass lines whether in jazz or any other. I enjoy playing along with the CD that comes with it. I've used some of the lines to improvise with a guitarist and we simply jam for fun. Its very good and I suggest it for the intermediate player to learn great theory and to help develop new bass lines.



4. First of all this book assumes you know how to read music--I have never yet bought a book without tabs. Second every example is in ther key of C. I am so sick of piano books that only teach in the key of C. And especially Guitar and bass as the MAJORITY of us DO NOT read music that is why the TAB system was created. This is lazy and disgusting because the key of C has no sharps and flats. Now I have to tracnscribe all the examples into tab and transpose them.



5. Depending on your knowledge of theory, for me this is by far the best beginner book I have come across. It really communicates to you the different ways to start walking in which many books fail to do. My lesson teacher told me to get it. Of all the walking bass books I've looked at this one makes a lot of sense. Definitely a must buy if you want to learn how to walk bass. Mel Bay Walking Jazz Lines for Bass by Jay Hungerford is also a good book to check out, but definitely get this book by Ed Friedland.

5 comments about Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars : An Identification Guide for American Fretted Instruments (2nd Ed).

1. This book was very limited as far as various makes of guitars. It didn't have any price guides on any of the things listed.
   I would think that would be the main information anyone owning a vintage guitar or other musical equipment would be most interested in. This book was useless to us. I wish we could return it. Thank goodness we ordered "The Offical Vintage guitar Magazine Price Guide 2003" It included everything any collector would want to know!!!



2. You can get all information quick and without doubt !! I had the first edition, but this second edition is a lot more complete and updated !!!



3. This is a vast improvement over the older version of Gruhn's Guide to Vintage Guitars. I would like the next version to include vintage Sunn amps, heads and cabinets, as well.



4. I bought this second edition hoping to find more information than I found in the old edition, but beyond expanding the breadth of models, the book is still not extremely helpful. Its basic setup is to use a one-line description of a change that occurs to a guitar model and note the year that this happened in. That's fine of course, but it sure would be helpful if the lines referred to illustrations or pictures. the result is an extremely dry text summary - and it doesn't even really go far enough. for example, the area on Fender Stratocasters lists every model throughout the 20th century, yet the initial list entries of changes seem to stop in the 70s, and while it does make mention of the shoulder on the control cavity routing changing in 1959, it doesn't mention changes in pickup routing in 1970 or so, nor the addition of a ground screw shoulder in the control cavity in 1979-81. it mentions how many patent numbers are on the headstock during which year, but no mention of what they are nor illustration of where they are placed. no mention of logo design changes.
   the list of fender serial numbers is sort of accurate, but the lowest and highest numbers per year listed are just plain wrong. they might look in Duchossoir's book for more information!
   I think it might help people to have more information on Norlin-era Gibsons as well, explaining which were made in Kalamazoo and which in Nashville and how to tell... one thing i noticed was that they say how the reintroduction of Les Paul Standard/Deluxe models had 4 piece pancake bodies, but in my experience I've seen more very early 70s whose bodies were two pieces of mahogany with a maple top and had (3-piece) mahogany necks prior to 1975 when they became maple, and some even had bodies that were one piece of mahogany.
   also since people on ebay seem to be making so much money peddling parts of old guitars, it might be nice for someone to take on the description of how to correctly identify potentiometers, capacitors, even knobs, pickup covers and tuners!
   all of these suggestions would make this a very useful guide! but - especially pictures.... describing how a screw position changes on a pickguard from one year to another is not nearly as comprehensible as an illustration!



5. I am a collector of vintage stringed instruments. I purchased George Gruhn's first volume in 1991, which was called the "Guide to Vintage Guitars". As I used it, I found that it corraborated, expanded and corrected the many other sources I use. The 2nd edition is greatly expanded, and now includes "American Fretted Instruments". It continues to be the most usable, informative and authoritative guide to vintage stringed instruments I am aware of. This is my "go to" guide. All other sources are used for additional detail and corraboration. A must have reference for anyone interested in vintage stringed instruments.

5 comments about Metal Rhythm Guitar Vol. 1 (Troy Stetina).

1. I have played guitar for over 12 years. I have recently begun teaching private lessons. I try to teach such that the information I give relates personally to each student. Everyone learns differently and has different tastes.
   
   I recently purchased Troy Stetina's book, Metal Rhythm Guitar Vol. 1, for a few of my students who are interested in studying heavy metal. I have to say, this book is excellent. It starts from the very beginning, teaching how to play powerchords. Troy's notation is excellent, incorporating counting techniques into his TAB.
   
   I find as a teacher that it is essential to get your students playing something cool from the beginning. Otherwise, they lose interest. This book has been a great resource to help my heavy metal students start rocking almost from the first lesson.
   
   Excellent job Troy, keep it up.
   
   -Craig Nybo, author of Total Human: The Complete Strength Training System



2. Of the 30 or so guitar method books I own, the Troy Stetina collection is by far the most useful. His method is somewhat similar to the musicians institute series of instruction, except that his series tends to focus on a particular style of music rather than just general learning. This particular book is great as it is progressive. Start at the beginning of the book and work your way through at your own pace. That's it -- easy schmeezy lemon squeezy. Also, buy a metronome and you'll get even more out of it.



3. I am a music teacher. I was looking for a book that will teach young adults a method of playing heavy metal music. This is the book I would recommend. My students are enjoying the simple exercises and the play along cd.



4. I worked my way through Troy's Metal Rhythm Guitar I & also his Metal Lead Guitar I before buying this book and I'm here to tell you that guitar instruction books don't get any better than this... the theory, presentation and examples are top-notch! You will LOVE the riffs he gives you to learn each technique and style of Metal Rhythm - it's SO FUN to learn when the stuff you play sounds SO COOL! Troy Stetina knows his stuff & can he ever PLAY! When you hear the examples he recorded to accompany the book you'll realize you're learning from a MASTER! To top it off, the theory is easy to understand as Troy explains it & the musical notation in the book uses TAB, but WITH the timing (half notes, quarter notes, etc.) BUY THE ENTIRE SERIES!!



5. Great book for the beginning guitarist. Like the above reviews say, within minutes you'll be playing metal. The explanations are good, the exercises better, and the play-along songs awesome. highly recommend for people starting to play guitar with an interest in hard rock and/or metal.

5 comments about The Luthier's Handbook: A Guide to Building Great Tone in Acoustic Stringed Instruments.

1. I'm not luthier even if I would like to be. When I boght the book my purpose was to understand why some instruments sounds good and other sound bad. Reading it I understood the many varibles to consider when designing and thus building an acoustic instrument.



2. I thought that this was a very good product, one that was easily read and that was very nicely laid out.



3. A 5 STAR rating still does not give this book the credit it deserves compared to ALL the other books written on guitar construction "Tuning".
   
   Although I am not a luthier, I have spent a lifetime earning a living in the field of structural vibrations, and as such, I can firmly say that this is the only guitar construction book I have read that gets it ALL right with regards to "tuning" the instrument during construction to achieve the desired response. Most of the Masters seem to know how to "tune" a guitar, but I think many may not truely understand the technical details of the process.
   
   Yes, as one of the reviewers stated, it may be too complicated for some beginners, but the title says "Luthier's" Handbook, not "Beginner's" Handbook.
   
   I plan to build my first guitar (or more) during my retirement and entend to use this book as my "Bible".



4. Very Very Poor.
   A complete waste of time and money.
   All about his theories (some of which are scientifically incorrect)without any real practical guidance.
   I'm sure he can build a great guitar or mandolin, but this book puts YOU no closer to achieving a good result.



5. This is one of the most incredible books I've had the pleasure of reading. This is not a "how to" book but more of a "why and what if" book. The insight the author has into his craft is something I, being a carpenter / builder can only aspire to have. It inspires you to create. Read this book any brace yourself for a life of creating musical instruments that you will never part with

5 comments about Guitar for Dummies.

1. If I could do it over, I would start with this book. I've been playing now for 7 months, usually for 30 mins to two hours a day and I have taken lessons online, via web experts etc - but I have to say that this book doesn't miss a thing. So many teachers and online experts do miss a thing or two - they just assume you know when you don't (a big peeve for me!) Jon went through learning to play guitar a long time ago and obviously didn't forget a thing to leave out. If you get bored you can skip ahead and start to apply what he just taught you. Finally, the songs you learn are a little corny - but you do learn the important basics of chording, rhythm and timing - which is exactly what you need to do to play your favorite songs!



2. This is for my boyfriend. He wants to learn the guitar and is really enjoying the book. Thank you very much.
   mydoggiepoo



3. I bought 'Guitar for Dummies' for my teen-aged nephew as a gift. When I gave it to him, he was beyond happiness !!! He was just trying to learn to play the guitar.......beginning to learn some chords........and trying to put them together as songs. The book has everything he needs as a beginning musician on a guitar. He is now busily learning the chords each time he has free time. I can't wait to listen to his concerts !!! Thank you for sending the book in great condition and so quickly. You have made my nephew and me VERY happy !!!!



4. I'm going to start right off by saying that no guitar book is going to teach everything in a way that everyone can benefit from. I used it to start myself off, and after laying down the guitar for several years I'm using it again to refresh my memory. It's good for me because I have ADHD and could never grasp sight reading; it's oriented to tablature and ear players, which makes it perfect for people like me. Although it touches on the basics of classical guitar, it is definitely NOT for someone already proficient in music theory. But that's why there's so many other guitar books on the market; the Hal Leonard Guitar Method, for example, provides for that market. There is nothing wrong with any of this.
   
   That said, the necessities are all here. Not only is there information on both rhythm and lead guitar, but there is quite a lot of information on maintenance, guitar internals, trivia, and history. There's enough information on different styles of play to get you started on them and help you figure out where to go from there. That said, it's a perfectly reasonable choice for your first book on the subject, but don't be surprised if it's not the last, especially if it doesn't work for you. Such is the world of music education, and you still can't give up practice time.



5. Package arrived as stated in New condition, cd brand new / I find I am pleased with item. Like I always say, the ladies are gonna be lining up to talk to PeNName cuz I look gorgeous reading my Guitar for Dummies.It is very informative!!!