How to Play Guitar in a Big Band [Paperback] Review

I love this book! It goes into different style, voicings, gear, musicianship, and other topics that I always thought about and to see it in a book is just great! The best part is the psychology of the big band guitarist, amazing! A must have for the student/teacher/guitarists! Good information even if not into big band, but into jazz guitar.

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Complete Fingerstyle Guitar [Library Binding] Review

I have received a request to review this book from Amazon.
Unfortunately, Amazon never delivered this book.
After about month wait, they sent me a message that the book was unavialble.
I gave three stars, because I am sure that one of Stefan Grossman's books, of which I have several, would have deserved 4-5 star, and Amazon derserves 0.

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Product Description:
This comprehensive text covers the spectrum of fingerpicking technique and styles. Preformance and stylistic notes, fingerstyle guitar solos and a listening guide are presented for each section of the book. Sections include; Gospel Songs; Country Blues; Ragtime Blues; Rags and Dances; Appalachian Fiddle Tunes; Celtic Airs; Jigs and Reels; Classic Rags; Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar and Fingerstyle Guitar Duets. All solos are in notation and tablature and are written by noted fingerpicking guitarists Stefan Grossman, Elizabeth Cotten, Dean Sires, Ton Van Bergeyk, David Laibman, Rev. Gary Davis, Duck Baker, Seth Austen, Steve Tilston, John Morris, Sid Percy, Tom O'Farrell, Jim McLennan, Leo Wijnkamp Jr., Lasse Johansson, and Claes Palmqvist. 237 pages. The 2-CD's contain 43 of the 60 songs in this book.

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Secrets from the Masters [Paperback] Review

This 1992 book is a collection of interviews with famous guitarists - primarily rock and jazz guitarists from the 60s, 70s and 80s. There are some big names missing, but most are there. There are some interesting insights and anecdotes, and some music history. Sometimes I wished the interviews would get more a little more technical - rather than re-hashing the stars band-hopping history. I would like to know more specifics about how these top players view the neck, how they think and how they learnt, for example. That said, the book does contains a lot of insights and variety. I particularly enjoyed the interviews with Steve Morse and Howard Roberts -- guitarists that I was not previously familiar with. Les Paul is incredible. Actually - there are just too many good bits to itemize them here. A good read, and each chapter stands alone. I find that I re-read parts of this from time to time. Worth buying, for a classic rock/jazz (and possibly blues) oriented guitarist.

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Product Description:
Interviews with 50 of the worldÕs greatest guitarists spanning the past 25 years and collected into one information-packed volume. Based on articles originally published in Guitar Player, Secrets From The Masters features the most influential guitarists of our time - from legends such as Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins and B.B. King to Joe Satriani, Eddie Van Halen and Eric Clapton, and all genres in-between. This book celebrates the guitarists who have forever altered the way we play and think about the guitar. Within these interviews you will find poetry and prophesy, the outrageous and the sublime, plus rare photos, challenging music, groovy gear, groundbreaking techniques and other glimpses into greatness. 8-1/2 inch. x 11 inch..

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Handbook of Guitar and Lute Composers [Paperback] Review

Interesting dictionary of authors for lute and guitar of all the times, although it is not exhaustive. For example, the chapter "Composers Whose Music Has Been Arranged For The Guitar" lacks some authors such as Stanley Myers, whose " Cavatina " work was arranged with so much success for the celebrated Australian Maestro of the guitar John Williams, that nowadays this work is better known for this guitar version, that for his orchestra original score. Anyway, there are good Scandinavian authors not seen in other relationships.

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Product Description:
Hannu Annala & Heiki Matlik have used more than 70 music books as sources as well as dozens of composer leaflets acquired from the musical information centers of several countries. During the writing process, which lasted for more than three years, we received extra information from many modern composers, Leo Brouwer and Reginald Smith Brindle among others. In addition, several internationally renowed performing guitarists gave us valuable information, we are indebted to the following; Magnus Andersson (Sweden), Remi Boucher (Canada), Margarita Escarpa (Spain), Aleksander Frauchi (Russia) and David Tanenbaum (USA) among others.Their aim was to write a book with a clear structure and therefore there are separate chapters for each instrument, such as the Renaissance and the Baroque guitar, the Renaissance and the Baroque lute and the vihuela., We have not seen such division in any other books. This kind of structure enables the reader to easily discover which composers have composed for a certain instrument during a certain era. In the beginning of the book there are short introductions about guitar and lute instruments as well as basic facts about their history.In addition to traditional composers, the book presents several modern composers, on whom there has been little information available. The list of concertos is a new invention; it contains information on more than 400 guitar and lute concertos dating from the Baroque until the present day. We hope that the Handbook of Guitar and Lute Composers serves as a practical guide for both amateurs and professionals, encouraging them to study the history of these instruments and the situation today.

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GarageBand '09 Power! (Artistpro) [Paperback] Review

"The simplification of anything is always sensational," noted G.K. Chesterton. Apple has continually simplified everything: made it easier, not harder, smaller, not bigger, cleaner, not more cluttered, more, not less accessible. Snow Leopard, for instance, has half the footprint of the previous operating system version. Everything in iLife '09, including Garage Band, is sensationally simple.

So why do you need this book? Maybe you don't. I went to a free Garage Band seminar at the Apple Store. There were two of us. One of us was familiar with Logic Pro, and asked very technical questions. The other wasn't familiar at all, and asked how to plug in a keyboard. While it's not obvious, I was the second guy. It was all so amazingly simple, until I got home. And there's an on-screen tutorial. But I'm a book guy. Isn't there a book? I asked. There was. Not at the Apple Store. At Amazon. This is it.

You don't need this book if you want to just dive in and play with Garage Band. But this book, which starts very simply, also answers all the questions of the tech guy who knows Logic Pro. I asked a lot of questions at the Genius Bar at the Apple Store which are answered in this book. Like, can I upgrade my G4 Macs to run OS 10 Leopard, iLife '09 and iWork '09? The answer is yes, and I did. The only parts it won't run is part of Garage Band called "Learn to Play" and iMovie, which need the new Intel processor in a G5. The latter is a great loss, as Garage Band and iMovie on a G5 work seamlessly together, but it's amazing a G4 could even run Leopard by simply adding more memory (Snow Leopard is designed especially for the G5). New Macs (G5s) come with iLife '09 (which has Garage Band) already included.

This book is really a workbook, a big, 400 plus page, oversize paperback with large print and lots of graphics and screen shots. The author answered my questions about what kind of keyboard and mike to buy, the different sorts of hookups like USB and firewire, and the simplest way to get started playing (you don't need to plug anything in if you want to play all virtual instruments). The author shows how Apple has updated GB from the first version (which I had on my G4s), and their genius for simplifying things: when you click on a tab, instead of more options engulfing the screen, you only get a few, the optimum ones for your instrument or settings. If you want others, they're all really still there, merely hidden, which makes it easy, clean, and classy.

The author continually explains Apple terminology, which makes the book redundant, but that's what you want. It increases the chances of leafing through it and finding the parts you want. There's a great index in the back, and a list of everything included in the various, optional, royalty-free Garage Band jam packs. There's also a list of keyboard shortcuts, a feature I liked so much in the Dummy and Idiot books for PCs and Macs.

Beginners can learn to play guitar or piano on Garage Band. Guys like me can plug in and play, add virtual instruments, mix, morph, and mess with the whole thing. My friends Matt and Dave, who are audio geniuses, could record their bands, and make entire studio albums and podcasts. This book will help music lovers at any level to experience and enjoy the simplicity and power of Garage Band.

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Product Description:
Ready to explore music composition, recording, podcasting, audio/video blogging, remixing/mashing, and sound design for video editing or DVD creation with GarageBand? Great! This book will show you how. GarageBand is one of the most powerful and user-friendly tools available for capturing and manipulating sound, and the best part is, it comes free with your Mac! Although GarageBand has always been easy to use, it provides an amazing amount of power and sophistication to users who really want to dig in and get the most out of it. GarageBand ?09 Power! provides an easy-to-understand, detailed guide for how to make professional-sounding music, podcasts, soundtracks, mixes, mashups, and much more with the newest version of GarageBand. Through the use of screenshots, tutorials, creative jumping-off points, real-world examples, and a conversational, personal tone, this book will teach you how to use GarageBand to create music, record and publish podcasts, or even score your own movie. Whether you?re just starting out with audio creation, or you are already familiar with GarageBand and simply want to take your skills to the next level, GarageBand ?09 Power! is for you..

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David Cullen: Jazz, Classical, and Beyond (Book & CD) (Acoustic Masterclass) [Paperback] Review

The arrangements are very nice and not too complicated for the common fingerstylist altough playing the right tempo is challenging. There is a pretty big downside - the CD does not include the music itself but general explanations which i don't find much logic in (not only for this book, for many other book+CD folios). But in general - excellent book with a lot of pieces to work on and enjoy.

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Product Description:
David Cullen is a master of many styles. His influences, which rangefrom gospel to jazz, and funk to classical music, combine to give him a unique voice and a deep sense of composition. David has performed and recorded with Will Ackerman, Mike Manring and many others.This book contains 14 of David's most popular solo guitar pieces. All of the songs are transcribed by David himself. Plus, on the includedMasterclass CD David walks you through the key aspects of eacharrangement. All songs are written in standard notation and tab. Bahama Beach, Blue Counterpoint, Coming Home, Cycles, Down Home,Ebb and Flow, Get on the Good Foot, Good to See You, Indigo Blue,Keep it that Way, Midari, Sunday Morning, Go Ahead and Play, Groove Etude

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The Great Family Songbook: A Treasury of Favorite Show Tunes, Sing Alongs, Popular Songs, Jazz & Blues, Children's Melodies, International Ballads, Fplk ... Jingles, and More for Piano and Guitar [Spiral-bound] Review

This book has an excellent selection of songs for families to play and sing together, everything from "Hava Nagila" to "Look for the Silver Lining" to "If You're Happy and You Know It." You can argue with their song choice, of course. Everyone will find gaps, but that would be true of any book like this. Personally, I'd recommend "Keep on the Sunny Side," for their second edition. Pros: great songs in good keys, chords and piano arrangements,beautiful illustrations, etc. It came in handy last night when I looked up "Auld Lang Syne." However there are some easy ways it could be improved in the next edition: give it a metal spiral binding, simplify the chords a little bit, make the lyrics stand out a little more from the page (better typeface? different color?), and include more the lyrics (Erie Canal only has one of the three verses). That's nitpicking however, this book is a very good deal, particularly for $13.00.

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Product Description:
A one-of-a-kind collection of the songs you love to play and sing, including music and chords for piano and guitar. Now in a new paperback format with a lay-flat, wire-o binding

Hours of family fun and entertainment featuring 100 carefully selected songs from every era and for every occasion, from "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain" and "Clementine," to "Amazing Grace" and "Simple Gifts." Charmingly illustrated with four-color drawings throughout


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Voices In Jazz Guitar [Perfect Paperback] Review

As a guitarist I have found insight and inspiration on nearly every page and whether from known artists or obscure teachers/performers there is something worthwhile in every interview. The proof-reading and editing of this book, however, are terrible, there are spelling and grammatical errors on every single page and after a while it becomes a distraction.

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Product Description:
Joe Barth has offered us what is arguably the most thoroughly researched book on jazz guitar ever published. Barth s methodical approach to interviewing jazz guitar icons is highly impressive and his ability to maintain the easy rapport with each artist is masterful. The roster of musicians gathered in this volume reflects Barth s rare insight regarding how the jazz artist, instrument, and industry are inextricably linked. Undoubtedly, this book is a great addition to jazz guitar canon and is easily a must-have for every aspiring jazz musician who is serious about out great American art form.

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Masters of Jazz Guitar: The Story of the Players and Their Music (Book) [Paperback] Review

This is quite an excellent book and is surprisingly done in soft cover now. My copy is hard cover and is a prized possession. It's thoughtfully and knowledgably written, has excellent references, recommendations, photos and discussions.
I love this book, and it would be a GREAT present for ANY jazz guitarist. If you love one, buy it for them and they'll never forget it!
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Product Description:
The jazz guitar and its master players have had vast influence in a genre of uniquely provocative 20th century music. Written by some of the world's leading jazz authorities and featuring over 200 gorgeous photographs, this book spotlights remarkable musicians whose artistry have made the guitar fundamental to jazz. From 1930s electric pioneer Charlie Christian, to 1960s fusion visionary Larry Coryell and beyond, Masters of Jazz Guitar celebrates the achievements of players who changed the sound of jazz.

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Blues and Jazz Complete (Book & 2 CDs) [Paperback] Review

Dr. Konowitz presents a thorough, pedagogically sound introduction to blues and jazz. The book is spiral bound, so it lays flat on your music stand. A variety of blues and jazz techniques are meticulously illustrated. New chords are introduced with a nice full page guide to the keyboard fingering. It is a bit cookie cutter, but having the fingering written out below and above the staffs is a plus. My only complaint is that the "band" seems to be a cheesy concoction of General MIDI instruments played through an inadequate sound engine. The CD sound quality is irritating. One word of extra advice: You will not need the CD for the companion book, Chords Complete, because it only contains incidental backing rhythm tracks for the chord exercises. I have four books authored byKonowitz. The sound quality of the CDs are uniformly cheesy except for the Listen and Learn Blues Book published in 2002.

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Product Description:
Save lots of time searching for ways to play Blues and Jazz. All you need to know to begin playing these great styles is carefully organized here by master teacher and performer Bert Konowitz. Learn to play blues scales, chord voicing, progressions, left-hand accompaniments and improv techniques. Unlock the basics of Latin, Rock, Bebop, Pop Ballads and Fusion styles. Start playing Blues and Jazz now!

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