Customer Reviews

Acoustic Guitar Songs for Dummies

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Don't be lured by this title - this book is not for the faint of heart. I picked up this book because I'm a beginner acoustic guitar player. This is not a fake book or a "beginner's" guitar book. The songs are very well transcribed and no detail is left out. One major gripe is the chord chart at the end is very basic and doesn't include half of the chords used throughout this somewhat advanced guitar book. Good book for an intermediate player but not for a beginner.....which the "Dummies" title often suggests.

Ever tried TAB? This book has detailed performance notes and tablature for 34 guitar classics. Herriges uses five different icons to break each songs down and tell you what to focus on. His guitar notation legend is also very helpful, explaining concepts like pre-bending, wide vibratos, and tapping. The very last page is a chord chart with fingerings. So now you've got the fingerings and tips for pieces like 'Free Fallin,' 'Leaving on a Jet Plane,' 'Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown),' and 'Iris.'

After years of wanting, I finally purchased an acoustic guitar. Naturally I wanted a quality book to start playing. I chose this book for its full transcription of the songs. I play piano and have experienced the full song transcription versus the "easy piano" sheet music. This book doesn't simply include just the chords or just the voice, it's the full guitar track in both notes and tab. The book does show the chords unlike the other review says (2nd to last page). It also include notes on each song to help you understand how the artist plays it. Highly recommended!

While the book is in no uncertain terms "For Dummies", the book contains enough popular acoustic songs to keep the beginning player interested, while allowing them to grow as they progress.

I've used this book for about a year, in parallel with leasons from an instructor, and it has exceeded my expectations. The performance notes won't make much sense to a true beginner, but in conjuction with leasons, are extremely helpful in excelling quickly.

Some criticisms, the book is mis-labeled. It is not a book for beginners learning how to play acoustic guitar from a book. Rather it is a compendium of acoustic songs & tab, period. The chord chart is incomplete for all the chords used in the book, but unfortunately, that's not uncommon. Performance notes often use terms beginners will be unfamiliar with.

Still, with a wide range of very good songs, I recommend it. Just make sure you take lessons if you're looking to actually learn how to play. :)

I love this book. It contains many popular acoustic songs in tab, so you can play the songs as accurately as possible. It is hard to find this many songs in tab in one resource. I plan to buy more of these books as they become available.

The two reviewers who gave this book 2 stars are morons. One reviewer complained about the lack of chord diagrams. Books with chord diagrams are rarely correct and besides, don't you want to learn the instrument? The other reviewer complained about 'offensive' lyrics. Most music is not written with children in mind.

I gave this to my brother in law at a family get-together, and he and my stepdad were playing the songs right away. The next time I saw him, he was practicing more from the book. They like to take this when they go camping so they can play around the fire, and it's also good for teaching his daughter how to play.

This book has alot of the songs I have wanted play, with practice I should be playing them with ease.

This book is NOT for beginners or dummies. Wait until you can understand the basics, play most of the chords and read music before buying this book. It will sit in my shelf quite a while before I can use it. Well written, but misleading "Dummies" manual.

Excellent value for money. Great for the beginner/intermediate who has mastered some chords and wants to play first songs. a good range of styles and degrees of difficulty. Short "playing notes" are helpful. A CD of the music would be an extra bonus.

I'm just starting to learn how to play the guitar, so everything is a struggle, but this book makes it a little easier and it is fun when you start to hear yourself playing songs that you recognize.