Mel Bays Modern Guitar Method, Grade 2 [Paperback]

Mel Bay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1990 | Series: Grade 2

Grade 2 explores more complex rhythms in carefully graded solo and duet settings with parallel lessons in music theory- just enough to keep students up to speed in terms of what they are expected to play. The book begins with a review of playing in the key of C major but soon goes to F major/D minor followed by D major/B minor. Written in standard notation only. A companion double CD set is available for this book.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mel Bay was born on February 25, 1913 in the little Ozark Mountain town of Bunker, Missouri. He bought a Sears Roebuck guitar at the age of 13 and several months later played his first "gig." (He recalled playing until his fingers were raw!) Mel took up the tenor banjo shortly thereafter and continued to play both instruments. During his teenage years Mel played with a wild assortement of bands and characters in rural Missouri. Perhaps no "gig" was as strange as the job he landed with, in Mel's words, "a snake oil salesman." This flamboyant peddler would pull his ostentatious Pierce Arrow automobile, complete with steer horns mounted on the grill, into the center of a small, rural town. Mel would sit on the car and play up a storm on the tenor banjo. After a crowd gathered, the peddler took over and began extolling the merits of his "wonder elixer." In 1933 Mel Bay moved to St. Louis and began his professional career. He played with numerous local and traveling bands. In addition, he landed staff guitar jobs on several radio stations. Mel fronted his own trio (piano, bass, guitar) and played steadily for 25 years! He was equally adept on most fretted instruments and played mandolin, uke, Hawaiian guitar, tenor and plectrum banjo professionally. While Mel was actively pursuing his playing career, he continued to teach as many as 100 students a week. He decided to begin writing instructional materials due to the difficulty encountered by guitarists at playing good sounding chord forms in rhythm sections and due to the poor note reading ability prevalent among guitarists. After the war Mel was asked to write instructional materials on guitar for GI's wanting to learn music under the GI Bill. In 1947 Mel formed his own publishing company and wrote his landmark initial book titled The Orchestral Chord System for Guitar. (This book is still in print under the title Rhythm Guitar Chord System and continues to be one the finest rhythm guitar chord texts available!) His Modern Guitar Method was penned shortly thereafter. For years Mel traveled from town to town talking to guitar teachers and players and showing them his publications. At one time Mel claims to have known virtually every guitar teacher in America on a first name basis! The guitar and Mel Bay books caught on in a big way in the 1950's. Things have continued to grow ever since. Mel used to sell D'Angelico guitars. At any given time he would have 5 or 6 "lying around the house." Mel played professionally on his New Yorker model but his favorite was the initial Mel Bay Model crafted as a gift for him by John D'Angelico. This famous guitar had all of the main features of the New Yorker but was a "cut away" model and had a slightly thinner neck. This instrument has been pictured on the Mel Bay Modern Guitar Method for decades. Someone once calculated that sales of guitar books written by Mel Bay have exceeded 25 million copies. When asked, Mel frequently said that he quit counting long ago. Sales of his Modern Guitar Method have alone surpassed the 7 million mark. It is safe to say that Mel Bay is one of the pivotal figures in the world of guitar music and instruction in this century.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (June 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871663570
• ISBN-13: 978-0871663573
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.7 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,954 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Music > Instruments & Performers > Guitar
  • #12 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Music > Instruments & Performers > Strings
  • #14 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Techniques

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mel Bay'sGuitar Method, Level 2 Is Excellent, December 2, 2003

By 

Scott Kolecki (Brooklyn, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mel Bays Modern Guitar Method, Grade 2 (Paperback)

As a guitar instructor of 10 years, I can say that the entire Mel Bay series of guitar technique books are very good-the best around. This second book in the series, Level 2 continues the education began in Level 1.

This second book, more so than the first, does require the assistance of an instructor or experienced player. Although it still introduces new techniques with decent visual graphics and adequate written instruction, it does not allow for the beginner to reference it in the way Mel Bay 1 does. Instead, this second book advances a little more quickly, with more advanced playing technique that develops the individual player's skill with such devices as scales, plectrum technique, more advanced bar chords, and beginning movement in positions up the neck.

As with level one, the book continues to introduce players to new chords, and provides practical applications of these chords to songs to be attempted by the guitar student. The intent of this technique is to master the use of the chords in playing styles that are more classically evolved rather than only focusing on rythem playing. The result is a more rounded education with a playing style that, upon completion of this book, should begin to become highly developed.

For anyone who has been looking for a great study of the guitar, look no further than the MelBay Guitar Method series. These books are first rate and will provide a great education for anyone from the casual player to the most dedicated student musician.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This is NOT Mel Bay's Book, May 25, 2011

By 

dalepres "dalepres" (Park Hill, OK United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mel Bays Modern Guitar Method, Grade 2 (Paperback)

They should change the name of this book to Bill Bay's Modern Guitar Method. It's definitely not Mel Bay's book. I've been through the Mel Bay series many years ago and even after 30 years of not playing guitar, I can still play the first half of Senorita - Mel Bay's arrangement of an etude from Carcassi op.59 - his Complete Guitar Method in Three Parts.

The Mel Bay version, that was in Grade 2 for probably 30 years, was a reasonably accurate arrangement, made a little simpler to fit a Grade 2 (as in guitar grades, not school grades) student. This book no longer has the Mel Bay version - it must, therefore, be the Bill Bay version. This version is boring, overly simplified, does nothing respectful to the master's work - or to Bill Bay's father's work.

I had ordered the extended versions as I am re-learning to play guitar and had always been a huge fan and evangelist for Mel Bay books - in fact, even though I haven't been playing for many years until about 8 months ago, I have still bought many Mel Bay books as gifts for all my kids and grandkids or anyone else I knew that was learning guitar. When I found how badly the extended versions had mangled Mel Bay's original work and arrangements of other master works, I was pretty disappointed. Thinking that I would get the original books and use them as my base with the extended versions just used for the "extended" parts, I ordered this book, which was supposed to be the original. In fact, I used the "Look Inside" feature to find Senorita specifically and verify that it was the much better original version - since that was the only song I really remembered from 35 years ago. The "Look Inside" showed it to be the Mel Bay arrangement.

Well, I got this book this week only to find that this book, supposedly the original, has received the same Bill Bay thrashing and now has the overly simplified, completely boring, version.

Funny thing is that I haven't noticed such changes in Grade 1. Maybe I just don't remember as much about that book after all these years but the pieces I do remember seem to be untouched.

Why Bill Bay felt he had to, or could, improve on his father's work is beyond me.

I have to say that Grade 2, this version or the extended, are a complete disappointment compared to the real Mel Bay versions. If you can find an old copy of Mel Bay's Modern Guitar Method, buy that instead of Bill Bay's Modern Guitar Method.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very nice!, August 22, 2006

By 

Aubrey (MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mel Bays Modern Guitar Method, Grade 2 (Paperback)

Learning to play again, read music this time. Very logical, well thought out, new skills seem to appear on their own after sustained practice. The man must have been a fabulous teacher.