Customer Reviews

Mel Bay's Modern Guitar Method: Grade 1 (Grade 1)

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have been a professional guitar teacher for over 10 years. In that time, I have had more than 100 guitar students, many of whom came to me with no former playing experience. At the onset of my own career as a guitar student, I never had a single method book that I studied from, but instead learned from various instructors who gave me exercises they created. As a result, when I started teaching, I had no idea which method book to use. In the course of ten years, I have seen and tried many method books, and none has ever been more useful than MelBay's Gutiar Method Books.

These books are laid out exactly the way I think the guitar should be taught. Too often, method books want to introduce the student to a couple of notes on the first two or three strings, and then delve right into chords, by-passing much of the needed understanding of where notes are located on the neck.

However, MelBay's books do the opposite. They begin by teaching meter and note identification, providing the student with a comprehensive overview of all notes on all 6 strings in 1st position. By the time the student is introduced to even a single chord, he/she should have a strong understanding of how to count and read music on the treble clef, as well as a better than average vocabulary of many guitar and music terms.

The book teaches the strings one at a time, and as each string is introduced, exercises are given that focus on the new string as well as those already learned. Familiar songs, such as "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "Michael Row the Boat Ashore","When the Saints Go Marching In", "Aura Lee" (Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley) and many others give the student a means of measuring their individual success by giving them amterial that is recognizable, even to the casual listener.

As the student masters each string, chords are introduced, and, like the development of exercises for each string, one building on the next, chords are taught the same way, focusing on playing rhythem guitar and lead guitar at the same time. Many songs are written in a "classical" style, and require the student to play melody and chords at the same time, integrating the two parts of the book together, and allowing the student to have a decent knowledge of how to use the chords when playing any song.

As this is the first book in a series, the student, upon completion, will still have a great deal to learn-but-by the time he/she finishes, they will have the ability to play with a level of competence far greater than peers who have finished the first level of a method book in any other series. They will graduate with a strong knowledge of notes-both counting and reading, the ability to play a variety of chords: C, G7, G, A, D, Emin, B7, Dmin, Amin, F, E7, and will be able to play rythem and some basic lead guitar.

With instruction, the book should take 6 months to a year to complete, and somewhat longer if the student wishes to go about it without the aid of an instructor. The book is designed to be self-teaching-that is, anybody wanting to learn can teach themselves with the aid of this book.

I recommend it highly for anyone aspiring to begin playing. I have seen many method books over the years, and I keep coming back to this one for its concise approach to playing the guitar.

NOTE: This book does not teach TAB. For students looking to learn tablature style playing, this book is not for you. However, for anyone who is serious about playing, learning to read music will serve you in far better stead than relying solely on tab.

Scott Kolecki

Despite what the previous reviewer said, this is a great book for self-teaching. But, I don't necessarily recommend it for the absolute novice. I began working with this book after having played a little over a year, and it benefitted me greatly. The entire book is written in standard notation (treble clef), with NO tab. While note-reading may seem daunting at first, it is presented very logically, adding one string at a time, until half-way through the book you find yourself reading notes with no problem. Mel Bay's modern method is time-tested (written in 1948) and proven. Is it the most exciting method book published? No. But it will lay an excellent foundation for any aspiring guitarist.

Good book for a beginning guitarist, but must be used in a class or private lesson setting. The novice will be lost if trying to use this book on his or her own. Some of the practice songs are out-dated, even though musically valid for learners.

I wanted to learn how to play. I tried a few different approachs and there did not seem to be any real logic to most of them so I tried this book and it works! If you have the will to learn this instrument, this book is the way to go.
It starts simply with a little music theory and string work and progresses through to chords. If you don't have time for expensive lessons and want to jump in and play...buy the book!

...I decided to take guitar lessons and my instructor gave me this book. IT HELPS!! I started playing guitar in a week! When I was using a self taught DVD,I was still stuck on E5, A5, & D5 chords and not knowing what I was doing for the whole week ... This book really helps! You need to learn scales to be able to understand chords. I recommend this book for any beginner. It helps you read and understand notes. If you were in a high school band, you will not have a problem with reading the notes. It may be helpful to a novice, but I do recommend a novice to take lessons and use this book!

Other, more modern books with CDs etc. started right off with chords and I had a HORRIBLE time trying to learn. I found an older version of this book in a thrift store and am now playing comfortably no more than 6 months later, and now understand what a chord is and am able to play them! I'm a total self learner so I disagree with the other guy's comments. I had no trouble understanding this book. It was hard at first, of course, but I kept with it and have made lots of progress moving steadily through the lessons in the book and going back to review older lessons.

I am a "self-taught" guitarist of over 30 years. Last year I decided to get serious about guitar and put some order around all the stuff I've picked up over the years. I can't count the number of instructional "stuff" I've purchased over the years. I wish I would have found this text earlier. I would have saved myself lots of money and frustration! If you want to know how music theory relates to your fretboard and *really* be able to play any kind of music, this is the book for you. If you want a quick answer or a formula for playing rifts to impress your friends, you probably won't like it. This book is for someone who sincerely wants to work toward mastering the instrument. The course is not a destination, but rather the beginning of a journey that will bring you hours of enjoyment as you discover how music theory is related to the fretboard. For best results, find a good instructor with a sense of humor to help you; it's a good investment.

There are many complaints about this book. The first two I read said the book was outdated, or not modern. I agree-both of those statements are true.

Another complaint is that this book is boring. Tenting Tonight might not be your cup of tea, along with many others.

Before you listen to any of these reviews, take another look at the cover. I don't think people are paying any attention to the big number one on there. This is book one of seven.

Have you ever looked at the material in book seven? Go to a music store and leaf through a copy. I guarantee you that most guitarists you run into will not be sight reading that material.

If you go into learning the material with the view that it is not modern or boring, you are not going to learn anything. Have you ever wondered why this series of books has been around for so long? You will learn, if you put in some effort.

If you find book one too easy, try book two. Is it the material that is too easy, or the fact that, before long, this series of books will definately show you flaws in your technique that need to be worked on?

Major Successes of the Book:
1. You develop your eye-hand and brain-hand connections very thoroughly early on. You will find that some of the musical passages will come to you without your having to think about them very much. The incremental approach in this regard puts you in good shape from the very beginning.
2. You learn how to read music. You will not be restricted to tablature when you try to learn something new. You learn the notes on one string at a time, so this takes the intimidation out of learning to read music. I am a physicist, so since I think in terms or frequency, wavelength, etc., I find musical notation to be a better visual representation of what I am trying to learn or do.

Huge Caveat: you really need the help of a human being, to demonstrate some of the musical passages. I work with an intructor who has been teaching guitar since before dirt, and he swears by this book.

Final Note: you will be startled at how quickly your skills develop. The pace is a little challenging, but the approach is just right.

My father in law gave me this book as a way to get started on the guitar. After about three hours of reading, learning, and practicing the first few lessons I can tune the guitar, read music, and play "twinkle little star." While I'm a long way from playing in public, this book has certainly gotten me started on my own. My guitar background is limited to handling a guitar a few dozen times. For under ten bucks it's certainly a great buy.