Customer Reviews

Henry Mancini - Pink Guitar Book & CD (Acoustic Masterclass)

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

 

 

This book+cd masterclass is just that, a master class. The quality of the arrangements make learning the songs very worth while, although most are challenging to master as they are technically intermediate to advanced.

The music from the Pink Guitar CD (Henry Mancini : Pink Guitar) is amazing and should be purchased on its own merit. If the music from the Pink Guitar CD inspires you to learn those arrangements, then this book is for you. It would be almost impossible to learn any of the pieces in this book without owning the retail Pink Guitar CD for guidance as the accompanying CD to this book focuses on the artists' comments and teachings on playing their respective arrangements.

Although most tab guitar books are focused at introductory lessons, this book is quite a bit more advanced and should be enjoyable for higher level acoustic guitar players. Beginner players may find many of the pieces outside of their range.

The caliber of players brought together for the album this book is transcribed from is a who's who of great guitarists. The arrangements are world class and definitely suited for an advanced player looking to stretch. Speaking of stretches, some kind of warm up and stretching is mandatory before trying these pieces. There's a lot to be learned by playing through these songs...ideas and approaches that will open up new creative directions.

This is an excellent way to be introduced to a selection of innovative acoustic fingerstylists through the beautiful songs of Henry Mancini. The CD of "helpful hints" range from a few thoughts from some to full walk-throughs by others. I would recommend that you invest in the actual recording "Pink Guitar" to use as a guide for the subtle details. For intermediate to advanced players. I don't think there is a standard tuning in the lot - maybe one drop D.

The CD contents that accompanies the book are mostly tutorial stuff. I was expecting completed pieces like they do in some other books. However, the tutorial does help in some of the technical parts though.

There is one score by Ed Gerhard, i.e., "Moon River" that is truly a well written piece for fingerstyle guitar. If you search in YouTube, you will be able to hear this piece being played.