Customer Reviews

Guitar Method 1 (Belwin's 21st Century Guitar Library)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I starting playing guitar with this book 15 years ago. Now I use it to give beginner lessons. A great book all around. I supplement other material as well, but everything comes back to this book.

I was looking for guitar method books to teach myself how to play the guitar. I bought this series (with the CD) and determined that the Aaron Stag Guitar Method series is LACKING. He tries to cram a lot of little stuff into his books. Does not explain the items well and not enough play examples to develop your guitar playing.

Go with the proven method... Alfred's Guitar Method. I bought that too and found it much better.

But one positive comment Aaron Stag's books are eaier to learn from then Mel Bay's method. My thoughts on the Mel Bay's method is that Mel Bay was trying to impress you with his stuff.

My teacher in 6th grade used this book to teach us the fundamentals on playing the guitar. Recommended for childrem and adults, this book is simplistic, but covers the basic before you advance to the next level as a musician. This book, i consider it priceless.

Aaron Stang hasn't seemed to edit the content of this book in 16 years. How do I know? I've taught exclusively from it for 16 years, resulting in at least 500 units being sold. I should get a commission from the publisher. but that's not the reason I continue to use it. I use it because, it does away with all the "Mother Goose" and obscure folk songs from centuries ago, seen in the other beginning books and incorporates songs for the student to play that are more mainstream. The lesson plan is better too, as it alternates between notes and chords so as to not bore the pre-teen guitar student to more tears than those already cried. It trumps the old Mel Bay Book I learned guitar from in 1980. The CD is very helpful to, when students get the motivation to take it out of the jacket and practice to it.

I've taught guitar at the high school level for 23 years and this book comes through each year.I start students on the "noad" solo classical guitar book and when the kids start to catch on to the note reading thing I use this book as a supplement.I find that the kids light up realizing that they can read songs they recognize others enjoy too.

I'm 26 and have played for about, oh, three days now, and I'm cooking through this book. Simply put, from someone who has a degree in education and has learned another instrument (I've played trombone since I was 10), this book is worth your money. It's exactly what a beginner needs.

One side note, it is so much more museful if you have a modicum of understanding of how to read music, but it is far from necessary.

I am a guitar/music teacher for over 25 yrs with children as young as kindergarten, up to adults. while this book is basic and an adult can breeze though it on their own in a week, if they can understand how to read music, it is really great for young children. simple songs that work all the notes into each song as they progress help to build a solid command of where the notes on the page as well as the neck. the children appreciate the pics of the finger positions and can be playing simple songs while reading musical notes after a short period of time... great book easy to understand for kids.

This booklet is of little use without the cassette or accompany DVD. Nor is it effective with pages missing. If the description says it has stray marks in the booklet think about it more as drawings and this too makes it extremely annoying to try to learn anything from this booklet. I consider this one thrash from somebodies yardsale. This should have been recycled in the recycle bin. That was about the used condition.
Aaron Stang is an excellent guitarist I am sure in anyother publication or even with this one and the extra media that goes with it this would have been an excellent medium to learn from. One note cords are easy to follow.