The Complete Guitar Course (Reader's Digest) [Hardcover]

Tom Fleming (Author)

Book Description

Series: Reader's Digest | Publication Date: October 19, 2006

Learn to play in 20 easy-to-follow lessons! This deluxe handbook is packed with everything you need to learn from choosing the right guitar for you, to basic fingering, chords, and techniques. Whether you choose acoustic or electric, this is the only beginner's guide you'll ever need! Handsomely designed in full color and jammed with practical tips, this comprehensive course will have you making beautiful music in no time at all!?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–The information in this title could take a lifetime to fully absorb, which is a good thing. Fleming starts with a basic introduction: the care of the instrument, tuning, how to hold it, various accessories. The lessons cover hand positions, scales, and chords, and illustrate the basics of music theory and style with examples from famous songs. Mini-biographies of great guitarists and a discussion of their instruments and what they brought to their music are also included. The styles cover rock and roll, jazz, blues, classical, country, folk, funk, and salsa–a little something for just about everybody. The author backs up the profiles with easy-to-find song examples. There is also a handsome section with portraits of important guitar models and lists of musicians who have used them. Beginners will learn much from this book. It is a thorough immersion into the subject and a great starting place. It reads like a big glossy cookbook to which guitarists may return to sample the instrument's many possibilities.–Will Marston, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Readers Digest (October 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076210662X
• ISBN-13: 978-0762106622
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #561,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Guitar Instruction in Every Chapter, March 26, 2008

By 

Done Macleaning (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Guitar Course (Reader's Digest) (Hardcover)

I was skeptical about how "complete" a single guitar book could be, while looking for a starter course for my nephew. I've been playing guitar a while now, and am a decent guitarist with adequate musical theory. So, I was going to be very critical about the books I would be considering.
This one is pretty complete for a beginner and an enthusiast. It presented material that was solid and easy to understand. Each chapter/lesson of the twenty had theory and practice that gradually built up a competent and knowledgeable guitarist. Later chapters dealt with various styles of music, so there was ample room to grow, at least sample a musical genre.
Overall, it was a very good book, and a pretty good place to start playing a great instrument. It also makes a great refresher, with exercises, songs, and scales to keep an intermediate player's skills honest.
Although a bit easier for my level of playing, I enjoyed the exercises and the songs (some of which are popular modern published works, and not those inane, ubiquitous, royalty-free spirituals) included throughout the book. I believe even beginners will find the lessons doable and be happy with the progress they make. It's well written and keeps a proper level of difficulty.
Once completed, the new guitarist will be able to perform a variety of songs and styles, and understand a wealth of musical knowledge.
Buy this if you're interested in picking up the guitar, or want to play it better with some good musical background theory. Sure, it's easy to knock a book like this (which some reviewers have done), and, admittedly, I caught a few typos (but just by practicing the music, you can figure out what note was off in the sheet music). However, critics of this book tend to forget that there are not many decent guitar books out there. I contend that the courses are as complete as possible without an actual music teacher. It's better than current guitar books out there, and is worth getting.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a good buy, January 20, 2007

By 

broken will - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Guitar Course (Reader's Digest) (Hardcover)

This book is one of the few guitar books I've purchased that actually taught me something. Although I've only played for a year-I have bought alot of books online and have kicked myself in the [...] on most of them. If you are young in your guitar experience check it out-you won't be sorry. It shows the basics of how to change strings all the way to having a chord reference that is really helpful.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will enable any guitar student, November 4, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Guitar Course (Reader's Digest) (Hardcover)

"The Complete Guitar Course" is a single, comprehensive, step-by-step instruction book that will teach the reader all of the basics required for playing the guitar. Comprised of twenty 'user friendly" lessons that are profusely illustrated, easy-to-follow, and progressively skill-building, "The Complete Guitar Course" will help even the most novice aspiring guitarist to select the guitar that is the right kind for them; build chords and master simple melodies on the guitar; choose among rock, blues, folk, and classical guitar music styles; tune, change strings, and otherwise keep a guitar in top shape; achieve special effects on the guitar ranging from 'finger picking' to 'arpeggios'; practice playing the guitar using real songs (with scores of well-known and popular hit tunes); be introduced to inspiring and legendary players in all the guitar music genres from Andres Sergovia's classical acoustic guitar stylings to Clapton's electric guitar masterpieces. Offering the perfect approach to learning to play the guitar and a core addition to personal, music school, and community library Music Instruction reference collections, "The Complete Guitar Course" will enable any guitar student to perform beautiful music, have fun with their chosen instrument, and even embark upon a professional music career.