Customer Reviews

Fretboard Theory - Learn Guitar Theory, Scales, Chords, Progressions, Modes, Song Details and More. Music Theory Lessons For Acoustic and Electric Guitar.

5 star:		(144)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been playing on and off for about 10 years. I have read fretboard theory books before, the CAGED system included, jazz comping, and numnerous books on Modes. I can honestly say not one of them explain the application as well as this book (and videos).

Most of what Serna teaches you probably have seen before; but what is unique about this material is the application. I dont know how many times before in other material the CAGED system, pentatonic scale, and modes have beenn disussed but never applied with actual examples. This course ties it all togther. At least it did for me. For the first time ever, I understand how modes are actually used and which are common and which are rare. Try finding that info in any other course - never happen.

Throughout the course Serna provides examples from the book and videos of how to apply what you have learned from actual songs you have heard on the radio etc.. Although he makes no attempt to teach the entire song, he gives you the understanding to figure it out yourself; so if you want to be told where to put your fingers to play a particular song this is not your book/course. If you want to learn and be able to figure things out, this course should be very helpful. It has been for me at least. Also, I think he does not reproduce entire songs ver batem because the music industry is closing down sites that directly reproduce artist intellectual property. That is why all the courses are now teaching methods "in the style of... Jimi Hendrix etc".

I play electric blues. I make no attempt to play top 40 cover tunes so my goal is to learn my own style for myself so I need to understand what I am doing and how to figure things out. Without a doubt this book (and videos) has accomplished more in the last month than almost all the other material combined because for the first time ever it "connected the numerous dots" that other courses have failed to do. For example I never fully understood how the pentatonic patterns, both major and minor, tie in to the CAGED system as well as the arpeggio form of the chord.

I do not recommend the course for beginners that do not know too many chords or progressions yet. Also I do not recommend it for those who simply want to "play" without understanding the underlying theory.

This is my first guitar learning book besides a Mel Bay book that one of my friends gave me a while ago. I am pleased with this book and I do find it helpful. I certainly have no regrets from buying it. I also like how the author gives a personal touch by sending and replying to e-mails. He also sends links to some extra materials that compliment the material in the book.
I just want to add that I do know music theory from my years playing sax, if that weighs on my review at all.

I'm sure that anyone who wants to get a solid hold on the basics of playing guitar without learning music theory will benefit greatly from this book. It covers the pentatonic patterns, CAGED chord patterns, arpeggio patterns, interval patterns, major scale patterns, and a few other things, and relates them to each other very well. The visuals are used very effectively to teach the relations. You don't need to sight read to learn from this book and you will not learn how to sight read from it. The emphasis is on patterns and shapes and relating them to songs as well as to each other. This is a very effective and simple way to learn the fretboard and it is done very well in this book. The author is very descriptive of how to apply what he is teaching to playing songs, and the song references are great if you are able to play by ear (because the music is not written in the book, and it would cost a fortune to buy all of the sheet music). The author also encourages the reader to contact him at the end of each chapter so I don't think you will have any problem getting answers to any questions you have.

The book sits very easily on my music stand thanks to the spiral binding, and the material is presented extremely well. I get the impression that the author put a lot of love into this creation.

This book is marketed very well here on Amazon because, as you can see, no reviewer has anything bad to say about it. However, I was a little mislead by the statement in the description "The ONLY BOOK IN THE WORLD that includes important details to hundreds of popular songs." The author does explain how to relate the material from the book to the songs listed (by title and artist) in the book, but I think the description goes a little overboard.

Overall - This is a keeper and a great resource for learning to use the fretboard in an effective and simple way. I wouldn't say it's going to make you a great player because only practice and constant learning can do that, but it's a good starting place and a good guide to the basics of the fretboard. I was looking for a guide to learning my way around the fretboard and this book put it together in a way I could see it, know it and use it.

For more in depth study I plan on getting a different book (maybe the Berklee Method) to learn the more complete and technical theory and practice of the guitar, but I also enjoy learning that type of stuff.

This book overlaps a great deal with Fretboard Logic vols 1&2 which I purchased at the same time. It shows you the CAGED chords, scales from the chords, etc. I got about halfway thru the book when I started to see some things I didn't know already. I consider myself an intermediate player.

The way he explains modes is unique, to my knowledge, and very helpful. The mode is in context of what root it's played over. You can't hear the mode of a scale without hearing the root underneath. This alone made the book worth the price of admission for me, and I'm still working through the rest of it.

Some silly things: (1) Auhor lists examples of songs that contain what he is teaching. A list of songs with the E chord in them, oh yeah! Later this is somewhat more useful, for example a list of songs with chromatic scales, or mostly seventh chords. Many of author's teachings cite the same songs as example without specifying what part of the song is relevant to what's being taught. I know there's copyright issues but without this the examples are next to useless.

(2) Author shows the treble staff, the guitar tab, the bass staff, and the bass tab for each example. But never does the bass tab differ from the guitar tab! This is just a waste of space. Honestly, if I wanted to learn bass I'd buy a bass book.

Neither this book nor Fretboard Logic place much emphasis on learning where the root of a scale pattern resides. I know the value of this so I'm going to pencil this in myself.

I guess it's of value to me if I learned something from it. I have yet to discover the perfect guitar book and I don't think it exists. I give it three stars.

Friends of the author marking my review as unhelpful: you may fire when ready.

I started playing guitar 22 years ago. I became very dependant on tablature and MEMORIZING songs from TABS. Consequently, I learned very little about theory. I unsuccessfully tried several books in the past. Now I'm in a band that improvises quite often. I found I needed more fretboard awareness and articulation to keep up with the band. I found Fretboard Theory by chance while searching the internet.....and what a find it has turned out to be!! Fretboard Theory is clearly written for guitar players; by a guitar player. Any skill level will benefit from this book! FAST!

I have several books that deal with the CAGED system on the fretboard,etc. I recently bought this book, and I must say that I think it is the best of the bunch. Nice and practical, it gets the reader down to work right away and leads them along in a logical progression through the various scales starting with the Pentatonic. Also includes a good discussion of the CAGED Chord System, modes, applying scales over song keys, chord progressions, etc.

Desi also adds nice little charts showing well known songs that use the scale or whatever he is teaching at the moment. This real world information is quite helpful, and I think also motivating when learning new material.

Definitely a worhwhile purchase.

I purchased the e-version of the book.
The content is really good. If you want to learn music theory that is guitar based, this is a good choice. The CAGED system is outlined well. Good song references to help you make the connection that most other theory books leave out. For the price it is well worth it.
My only beef is that the e-version is set up for 9"x12" format which is not print friendly. Printing on "normal" paper leaves out page numbers and some important footnotes.
Desi, Fix that!

I have been playing my guitar since age 7, I am now 63.
I have always wanted to play Blues Guitar for as long as I can remember. This book propelled me to the next level faster than I could have ever imagined. Thank You Desi

David W. Twaddell, Eureka, CA

This book really is excellent value and very easy to use. I'd recommend it to anyone either looking to learn guitar theory from the ground up or also to anyone looking to refresh and gain a different perspective on what they've learnt previously.
I'm a long time guitar player and buying and working my way through the material in this book has revitalized my enthusiasm for guitar playing.

This is an excellent book on guitar theory!

Before I get started I want to address a bad review that was posted on this book... I do not know Desi Serna or have any association as the writer suggested that all good reviews must be based on. I'm sorry that whoever posted that review was not able to see the value of this book. My suggestion to whoever is reading THIS review is to go along with the majority and purchase the book! It's an excellent resource for material and deserves every good review that has been posted for it.

As mentioned in my other reviews on Desi's materials, I started off by purchasing this book to help me teach my 10 year old son to play more advanced techniques. After working through the first couple of chapters with my son, I ordered all of Desi's videos too! All of these materials are excellent. They are precise and provide exactly what you need to get going. That guitar is not going to play itself, it's going to take work on your part to learn and Desi's book and videos provide exactly what is needed to get you moving.
The book will teach you Pentatonic and Major scales shapes and how to move them around and play them in different keys. It provides you with tips on how to discover the key(s) that songs you are learning are in. You will learn the CAGED chord system and how to connect it. I've also have to mention Modes, Modes confuse many musicians but Desi explains and simplifies them beautifully. You will learn advanced chord topics and how they are created... WOW, I could go on but I'll just stop here and say that there is a whole lot more information in the book that I didn't mention. I'm sure that if you take my advise and purchase this book, you'll be here posting good reviews for others to see as well.

I've been playing rhythm guitar for about 25 years, on and off stage. After hitting a creative wall a few years into it, I began searching everywhere for a method of teaching that would help me progress past the open and barre chords into something more dynamic, and help me learn the leads and fills without memorizing every note on the fretboard. Fretboard Theory is what I found that actually works, and one can start using it in their playing almost immediately. It has a direct hands-on approach that actually makes sense and is quite easy to remember! I've learned more from this book in 2 months than I have learned elsewhere in 20+ years. Fretboard Theory is a definitive MUST HAVE for any guitarist that is serious about playing more than just the open chords.