Customer Reviews

Joe Pass Guitar Style (Mel Bay Presents)

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

 

 

Simply put I've been using this book every time I want to add some fresh
ideas to my playing. This is the constitution on how to make the guitar your own voice. If your serious about getting beyond playing power cords and soloing diatonically. This book will be with you the rest of your playing days. I've been using it for 20 years and I still find useful info out of it. I think it's a bit too much for beginers, but it won't hurt your playing if you feel overwhelmed with soo much info in such a small book. the key is to take to take it slow & have pateince. This and Ted Greene's "Cord Chemistry" are essential reads for any serious GTrist. Plus it's wrtten W/O Tabulature. Yeah
Buy this Book now if you don't have it. The bible of how to play Jazz

This great tutor was published in 1970 and is in standard notation only - there is no tab. This book is available from Amazon as a book or a "Book and CD package" from "Imagine This" or a "Book and enhanced CD" from "cktutors". Both "Imagine This" and "CKTutors" are Amazon suppliers.

The CD for the book has audio samples and helpful information on fret positions and fingering, but the following sections of the book are missing from the CD:

"Improvising" (pages 32-35)
"Blues" (pages 35-36)
"Minor Blues" (pages 37-38)
"Modern Blues" (pages 40-43).
Some of the choruses from "Rhythm Changes" are also missing(pages 47-48).

The enhanced version of the CD has the missing material (recorded by Carole Kaye) as well as the original content (recorded by Joe Pass). The solo from "Rosetta" (transcribed at the end of the book) is from the "For Django" album, which is still available on CD.

This is the best tutor for jazz guitar I have used - and like other reviewers, I have re-read this book many times, each time finding another perspective on jazz guitar.

This is not an easy book to work with but it is dense with material and worth the effort. Joe Pass was a genius at playing. As a teacher, he wasn't always as clear. Fortunately, he tried a lot, and we have plenty of published music from him. This book rewards patience and perseverance. Go through it slowly. Take what you can from here or there, and come back for more later. I've been returning to this book for years, and always come away with something that I missed before.

I have been using this book for over 30 years. I am well into my 2nd copy as I had completely worn the 1st out.
I was 17 when I got this book and was studying with Barry Morton, who had studied with Joe Pass. Barry gave me Joe's fingerings for the blues choruses in this book whick I would be happy to pass on to anyone who wants them; this is a moot point though for if this book is practised the way Joe says it should be, in every key and every conceivable fingering, Joes fingerings will be uncovered in the process.
On that point, it this book was practised in every fingering, transposed to every key, the result would be one monster guitarist.
No TAB wasting paper here.
I get annoyed when I buy a book and discover that the printing costs, and much of the production costs, could have been significantly reduced if the TAB was cut.
This is a book for the intermediate guitarist who is going to be professional and will do whatever it takes to learn the guitar. Yes, even read music.
Oddly enough, this book does not teach at length, Joes solo guitar style. He really pioneered solo jazz guitar. The imformation in this book could easily be adapted to solo guitar playing though, if the student was prepared to do the work.

This is a serious book; No 'easy Way to Play Jazz Guitar' here. A must have for any hardworking guitar student

I have owned this book for over thirty years, practiced extensively from it in my formative studies, and am preparing to teach a college class using it as a text. It is simply an excellent book, still one of the best out there.

The book is all Joe Pass which is all jazz guitar.
Unfortunately it indicates a Accompaning CD which is non existant.