Hal Leonard Country Guitar Method (Hal Leonard Guitar Method) [Paperback]

Greg Koch (Author)

Book Description

Series: Hal Leonard Guitar Method | Publication Date: January 1, 2004

This book uses real country songs to teach you the basics of rhythm and lead country guitar in the style of Chet Atkins, James Burton, Albert Lee, Merle Travis, and many others. Lessons include: Chords, Scales and Licks * Common Progressions and Riffs * Carter Style and Travis Picking * Steel Licks, String Bending and Vibrato * Standard Notation and Tablature * and much more! Songs include: Could I Have This Dance * Green Green Grass of Home * I Fall to Pieces * Satin Sheets * Yakety Sax * and more.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0634039490
• ISBN-13: 978-0634039492
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 8.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Plenty to get you started, April 23, 2004

By 

"toonmaster" (Decatur, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hal Leonard Country Guitar Method (Hal Leonard Guitar Method) (Paperback)

This is the first Country guitar method book I've bought. I have other guitar method books for rock and I can't say that I am overly impressed with them, however this book has really taught me how to play something and make it sound like an actual song! I find the CD very helpful. The examples are very professional sounding but aren't played so blazingly fast that it leaves beginning and intermediate players in the dust. You'll be learning to play some of the most popular country records from the 50's to the late 90's. I have to admit that I've only mastered 5 songs so far (after 4 months) but atleast that's 5 songs more than I use to be able to play :-) I highly recommend it!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good introduction to the genre, March 15, 2008

By 

JSNTG (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hal Leonard Country Guitar Method (Hal Leonard Guitar Method) (Paperback)

In this beginning to intermediate manual, Mr. Koch does a great job of spelling out, playing, and building on the basics. Travis picking, hammer-ons, pull-offs, bends, vibrato, scale runs, sus chords, double stops and chickin' pickin' are all introduced and presented in several forms. He peppers the manual with licks at each stage and provides several backing tracks on the CD you can solo over. Its progression is very intuitive and baby-steps-walk-before-you-run driven. Most of the material is very accessible to the beginner although some selections like Sugerfoot Rag at 234 bpm and the Jimmy Bryant licks will confound you. For this reason he provides a slow version which is still pretty fast. I used the Amazing Slow Downer to slow everything down and would come up to tempo using this software. Otherwise this manual is a very straight-forward, succinct introduction to country guitar. My basis for comparison is Michael Hawley's 'Red Hot Country Guitar' which is more advanced and develops some of the basic motifs like single note soloing in composite/blues scale, double stops, bends in much more detail. I would recommend Hawley's manual after completing Mr. Koch's. Both books will take approximately 3 months to thoroughly digest with a moderate (20 hour/week) practice schedule.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple to Detail Guitar Chop Chop, October 18, 2007

By 

Joseph Kim "padogy" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hal Leonard Country Guitar Method (Hal Leonard Guitar Method) (Paperback)

This is really good source to learn and even teach other how to play country. Basic to detail you will, you will be able to play up to any different genre out of this country.

At first, I though the coutry music is only for those with oldy ears, but I totally regret and found the country is the source and the origin when you master the guitar.

Well described with play along CD that help a lot!!!

I recomment this lesson book to those who know a guitar only a litte or have few experience with it.

Begginer might feel little hard to start with, but only if you try.