Customer Reviews

Hybrid Picking for Guitar (Book & CD)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really like Assis-Brasil's method for hybrid picking. I'm not
classical trained, but I sincerely think this book could be a short
cut for people who want to combine fingers and pick to play the
guitar. The book is really well organized and has tons of exercises and lines using that technique. At the end of the book, Gustavo Assis Brasil demonstrates his incredible composition skills using the technique.This book is a must for any serious guitar player of any style!

I'm a professional guitarist and guitar teacher and am submiting the below review based on many years experience performing and teaching the guitar in a variety of styles.
Many guitarists' right hand technique is limited to the use a pick only. Others favor the use of their individual right hand fingers exclusively. The technical exercises required to excel at each approach vary somewhat and the strengths of each approach also vary. For example the pick is a wonderful tool for creating a consistent sound while performing complex, linear single note lines while the use of individual fingers allows for a more contrapuntal approach and excels when wide intervals are required.
Since both techniques are strong at bringing out different types of musical material the obvious question is; why not use both approaches at the same time and get the best of both worlds? In fact a number of great players have been doing just that with what has come to be called Hybrid Picking technique for quite some time but, up to now, no one as knowledgeable as author/guitarist Assis-Brasil has taken the time to really address the technical challenges that a person encounters when trying to get a significant level of mastery in this area.
Hybrid Picking For Guitar is a well organized book that finally addresses this neglected area of guitar technique: the art of using a guitar pick held between thumb and forefinger combinded with the remaining available right hand fingers together as a powerful and well integrated 'team' which then allows the player to optimize the strengths of both approaches. The beauty of the approach is that the player doesn't have to sacrifice anything; if an idea sounds better with a pick it can still be performed with one whale a phrase that can only be played using individual fingers can also be executed with ease and each phrase could be part of one longer integrated line.
The book explains the technique extremely clearly and lays out a series of well thought out exercises that are designed to help the student gain strength, independence and control. The curriculum then progresses to examples which both help the student extend facility while also showcasing some of the musical ways in which the technique can be used. Perhaps the highlight of the book is the section at the end which features a series of wonderful and varied compositions by the author. The pieces are both very instructive and very musical which is not always the case in instructional books.
Most essentially author Assis-Brasil does a great job of giving a sense of how Hybrid Picking technique can be used both to transcend the limitations of existing guitar technique and the confines of traditional guitar vocabulary and/or play traditional guitar phrases with more ease and speed. It soon becomes obvious that, as a guitarist, one may be able to play musical ideas that have previously seemed only possible to execute on piano or saxophone for example.
Assis-Brazil has made a great contribution to guitarists by writing this excellent book because it lays out a methodical approach to mastering the technique and gives inspiring examples of it's application in real music. I strongly recommend Hybrid Picking For Guitar to any student of the guitar especially those who want to expand their technique and musical vocabulary in line with their imagination not limited by traditional guitar technique.

This book is one of the most important and innovative books ever written on the subject of guitar playing. It is required for guitarists seeking to broaden their technical and musical language. I have benefited so much from the material in this book and saw improvements in my technique immediatly. There are no other sources for education on this technique that are close to approaching the insight and detail in this book. Gustavo Assis Brasil is an amazing musician, guitarist, and teacher. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

By LEE PROSSER - JazzReview.com

Recognized for his unique stylings and innovative approaches, Gustavo Assis-Brasil shares with guitarists his many intricate insights for a complete method of combining pick and fingers for hybrid picking. His book will educate and entertain. In creating this fine book of instruction, the author provides step-by-step exercises. He gives standard notation and tablature, and there is a CD with examples and compositions included. The user of this book will learn how to combine legato, alternate, and sweep with hybrid picking. Chapters include an excellent section on hybrid picking lines, melodic pairs, 12 tone lines, harmonic exercises, permutation chart, and voicings. Each chapter covers in-depth its subject matter in concise, clear writing and examples. Highly recommended for those interested in developing hybrid guitar picking skills.

This is a great book, an extra tool for modern sounds. I would suggest this book to anyone looking to increase their vocabulary of technique. But...I thought there would be more exercises in there, especially for 35$ It was a little light on the information. It starts with right hand stuff, gaining independence from one finger to the next. But then he goes atonal, there's not really any formula to what he does other than play the string with nearest finger. I would've liked to get some more linear things, scales, how he fingers them, and common arpeggios, not in 5's, like straight dominant, or maj,7th's would've been nice, he then give lines to go over chords and then his studys. It actually reminds me of classical guitar, through memorization, rather than pure improvisation. Don't get me wrong I liked the book, I was just expecting a little more from this guy, I mean you have to hear him play, amazing!

If you want to be original in your playing, this book is for you. I have gone through all the exercises, and believe me, it will take a lifetime to explore all the permutations that can happen in this method. I tried using this method in my playing employing my own bass runs and other sweep picking techniques. The results are truly amazing. The best part of this book is that the writer encourages creativity. It is not that show and follow sort of books you get often. This is the ultimate guide for original playing. A must have for the independent guitarist.

This is a great book/cd combo.The compositions are fantastic.I have been working on the study #1 and it is really beautiful.When you think what a single lesson costs this becomes a bargain of the century .My only complaint is that the standard tab lets you know which note at which fret but not which finger plays that note.Most of the times this is pretty obvious though.Definitely the best book of its kind that I have seen .

There is a great benefit in learning to pick this way. This book is outstanding and will teach you everything you need to know. Start at the beginning and dont move to the next example until you feel comfortable with the one before it. You'll be amazed at how natural this technique feels and how quickly you will progress.

The topic is very well covered. It offers some very good harmonic devises.