Mel Bay Presents: The Complete Carcassi Guitar Method [Spiral-bound]

Mel Bay (Author), Joseph Castle (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1974

Mel Bay was born on February 25, 1913 in the little Ozark Mountain town of Bunker, Missouri. He bought a Sears Roebuck guitar at the age of 13 and several months later played his first "gig." (He recalled playing until his fingers were raw!) Mel took up the tenor banjo shortly thereafter and continued to play both instruments. During his teenage years Mel played with a wild assortement of bands and characters in rural Missouri. Perhaps no "gig" was as strange as the job he landed with, in Mel's words, "a snake oil salesman." This flamboyant peddler would pull his ostentatious Pierce Arrow automobile, complete with steer horns mounted on the grill, into the center of a small, rural town. Mel would sit on the car and play up a storm on the tenor banjo. After a crowd gathered, the peddler took over and began extolling the merits of his "wonder elixer." In 1933 Mel Bay moved to St. Louis and began his professional career. He played with numerous local and traveling bands. In addition, he landed staff guitar jobs on several radio stations. Mel fronted his own trio (piano, bass, guitar) and played steadily for 25 years! He was equally adept on most fretted instruments and played mandolin, uke, Hawaiian guitar, tenor and plectrum banjo professionally. While Mel was actively pursuing his playing career, he continued to teach as many as 100 students a week. He decided to begin writing instructional materials due to the difficulty encountered by guitarists at playing good sounding chord forms in rhythm sections and due to the poor note reading ability prevalent among guitarists. After the war Mel was asked to write instructional materials on guitar for GI's wanting to learn music under the GI Bill. In 1947 Mel formed his own publishing company and wrote his landmark initial book titled The Orchestral Chord System for Guitar. (This book is still in print under the title Rhythm Guitar Chord System and continues to be one the finest rhythm guitar chord texts available!) His Modern Guitar Method was penned shortly thereafter. For years Mel traveled from town to town talking to guitar teachers and players and showing them his publications. At one time Mel claims to have known virtually every guitar teacher in America on a first name basis! The guitar and Mel Bay books caught on in a big way in the 1950's. Things have continued to grow ever since. Mel used to sell D'Angelico guitars. At any given time he would have 5 or 6 "lying around the house." Mel played professionally on his New Yorker model but his favorite was the initial Mel Bay Model crafted as a gift for him by John D'Angelico. This famous guitar had all of the main features of the New Yorker but was a "cut away" model and had a slightly thinner neck. This instrument has been pictured on the Mel Bay Modern Guitar Method for decades. Someone once calculated that sales of guitar books written by Mel Bay have exceeded 25 million copies. When asked, Mel frequently said that he quit counting long ago. Sales of his Modern Guitar Method have alone surpassed the 7 million mark. It is safe to say that Mel Bay is one of the pivotal figures in the world of guitar music and instruction in this century. Joseph Castle (1913-1992) was born in Bloomington, Illinois. His childhood was spent on a fruit farm near Mackinaw, Illinois. When he was twelve, Joseph was "discovered" by Russel Harvey, a teacher at Illinois Wesleyan University with whom he studied violin. There were very few guitar teachers at the time Mr. Castle became interested in the guitar, so he was primarily self-taught on that instrument, using the Carcassi text. His interest in both plectrum and fingerstyle guitar started in high school. He played guitar and violin in large bands in Austin, Texas as well as violin in the Austin symphony and small chamber groups. Joseph graduated from the University of Texas in 1953 with a Bachelor of Music degree, majoring in violin and minoring in piano. From 1951 to 1953

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 112 pages
• Publisher: Mel Bay Publications (March 1, 1974)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871663783
• ISBN-13: 978-0871663788
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #244,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not the complete method!, March 26, 2007

By 

HansInDanville "hansindanville" (Danville, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mel Bay Presents: The Complete Carcassi Guitar Method (Spiral-bound)

This edition is not really what it says. Carcassi's original method was published as Opus 59. There are three parts - the first takes you through the major keys C, G, D, A, E, F and minor keys Am, Em, Dm. The second part starts with slurs and trills, introduces higher positions, and rounds out some of the other keys. Part III, ***which is missing*** are 50 graded etudes. These are NOT the 25 Etudes of Opus 60. The omitted etudes of Opus 59 are very charming and do a lot to prepare you for Opus 60. The Carl Fischer edition (the orange one) has the 50 etudes.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best classic guitar method ever, January 12, 2005

By 

James Stevens (NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mel Bay Presents: The Complete Carcassi Guitar Method (Spiral-bound)

The old saying is that copying is the best form of flattery. The original etudes and solos written by Carcassi have been included in almost every classic and acoustic method book "written" in the last 50 years, quite often without proper reference to Carcassi as the author. I do not believe that any single method is complete enough to provide all that is needed however, the quality of the excercises and original songs in this method surpasses what one will find in most (the method published by Carulli is as good as this book) other method books. Mel Bay's imprint of the Carcassi method is densly packed with songs and wonderful etudes and scales (all solos), not words and wasteful pictures. The organization of this version is altered (for the better) from the original. (see the Carl Fischer version for the original organization) It is organized by key and concentrates on mastering the first and second positions before introducing more advanced techniques and the higher positions. My only complaint is that the pace of instruction increases too quickly (and the number of practice pieces drops off) once Carcassi begins to introduce the higher positions. I think learning the higher positions is easier to master one string at a time (see Parkening's method ) instead of by positions.
Included in the book are the 25 studies publishe by Carcassi. These are often sold on their own for about the same cost as this book. The book is spiral bound and is printed with great clarity on parchment tinted paper that is very easy on the eyes. There is just enough fingering, helpful but not overdone. The text is written in english and spanish. For the quality of the printing, the lay flat spiral binding and the shear volume of original guitar music, this is the best bargain around. Get it.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best You Cn Buy, April 14, 2005

By 

M. Collins "MSC" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mel Bay Presents: The Complete Carcassi Guitar Method (Spiral-bound)

I've played the guitar for 25 years or so, various styles including heavy metal, bluegrass, praise music, gospel, country, & classical. I have spent probably 1/3 of that time teaching. Needless to say, over that period of time I have seen quite a few guitar books. I have used various books to teach both students & myself. I have said all of that so I can say this: The Carcassi method book is the best guitar method book I have used. I have never seen the guitar explained in such a manner & fashion that leaves one wanting to learn more, it is pure genius. One key element of this book, I believe, is the fact that the studies & etudes were written for the guitar. You're not taking music originally written for the lute, cello, viloin, or piano & crossing over to the guitar. These studies & methods have stood the test of time. In short, this is the best guitar method book I have ever seen; & I have seen them all.