Customer Reviews

The Guitars of Elvis (Signature Licks Guitar)

5 star:		(4)
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3 star:		(1)
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This is a great book and CD! Not only do you get the songs played at regular tempo, they are also done very slowly and the various licks and techniques explained in detail. A rarity with guitar course material in my experience. I can't believe that anyone interested in Rockabilly and early Rock & Roll wouldn't benefit greatly with this material! This is the best presentation of Scotty Moore material on the market today in my humble opinion! One small complaint. I would have liked this song added instead of that song, maybe, but that's a personal thing! This is money very well spent!

This book and cd reminds us all that early rock and roll guitar work was often very carefully crafted and came from a variety of influences. I was caught off guard by the quality and detail provided. This is a must have regardless of what you play and "where you are at" in your evolution as a musician. I also found it very helpful as inspiration for my original works in progress.

This book/CD by Wolf Marshall is a great introduction to Rockabilly guitar in general, as well as a great overview of Elvis' music... A great deal of what we think of as Rockabilly guitar style comes out of the Elvis/Scotty Moore collaboration, and this book covers it well... Of course, you also get some insight into James Burton's playing, as well as Hank Garland... Excellent tab of all the songs, including rhythm backup, as well as solos...

But the thing that I really like about this book, is the CD that comes with it... Wolf Marshall actually talks to you on the CD, and actually explains details of how to play the material... Yes, he conversationally explains things and makes the tab and the demo versions of the guitar parts understandable... This is pretty rare in the world of guitar instruction, where you usually get little but slowed down versions of the tab on the CD...

Anyway, if you're into Rockabilly, get this one...

This book is one of the few that delivers exactly what it promises. Clear tabs, and oringal music by elvis, played entirely, but bit by bit. An honest breakdown of how to play the songs, with AUDIO explanations and comments on the book.

If you want to play elvis, this is better than a songbook with just the tabs. In no time I was playing Jailhouse rock.

Don't expect theory however.

Wolf Marshall breaks down the guitar licks down more so than his Beatle signature licks to the point of over-kill when you consider the not-so-difficult riffs. For example, describing 12 bar blues with word/phrases like "...pentatonic and diatonic third diads with dissonant minor seconds..." just clouds the instruction. If you are a stickler for Elvis' or Scotty Moore's guitar/sound set-up reproduction, you will be disappointed. The guitar sound/set-up is the worst I have heard, and the drums are not far behind. When you contrast this product to similar products from Hal Leonard or even other Signature Licks, you'll ask yourself, why they couldn't have given the music/sound the same effort and care as the Beatle catalogs or the other Elvis 'Play Along' products out there? I was baffled, sounds very karaoke-like. Consider the IVideosongs catalog for Scotty Moore and other Elvis tunes, you'll get better sounds there with the added benefit of video instruction and all for the same cost per song as this signature lick retail cost.