10 Minute Guitar Workout [Paperback]

David Mead (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2006

10 Minute Guitar Workout is the solution for anyone wanting to develop their guitar skills without sacrificing their precious time. In a series of graduated exercises designed specifically to enhance technique rapidly and painlessly, and with the support of a full-length audio CD, it's now possible for guitar students to practise their new-found skills in the shortest possible time and still achieve satisfying results.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Time is often the biggest obstacle to a student making progress on guitar kids, work, study, domestic duties, finances it all becomes guitar practice

Product Details

• Paperback: 198 pages
• Publisher: Sanctuary Publishing; Book & CD edition (January 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1860742394
• ISBN-13: 978-1860742392
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #643,240 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good workout and good advice, October 10, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: 10 Minute Guitar Workout (Paperback)

The work-out referred to in the title makes up only a small part of this book, but it is worth the price in my view. The exercises start very easy but gradually become more challanging. Each work out consisits of five different exercises:

1. A warm up based on chord changes which promote finger independence.

2. Arpeggios- good ear, as well as finger training

3. Scales- more ear and finger training

4. Finger twisters- sets some initially awkward fingering patterns to help improve finger independence as well as right hand technique.

5. Endurance.

You do each exercise fo a maximum of 2 minutes within which you need to play it a certain number of times. The number of repititions increases and eventually you move on to the next- moer difficult- set of exercises.
It is good for instilling a bit of dicipline into your guitar practice. Its only ten minutes, but I have been suprised at how much good it does.

The exercises would probably be suitable up to the intermediate guitarist. The author provides some useful information on how to deelop you own exercises to continue beyond what is provided here.

In addition to the workout there is a bit of a grab-bag of advice on everything from buying gear, some music theory and playing in a band. The CD also includes some tracks to demonstrate different types of effects- reverb, chorus etc. The book is written in an entertaining and easy going style and while it is mainly pitched at a young audience, it isn't grating on older eyes.

I reccomend it. When I moved house and couldn't find my copy, I bought another one.

The only bad thing is that it isn't always perfectly clear what constitutes a single repitition for each exercise.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for beginner or intermediate guitar players, November 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: 10 Minute Guitar Workout (Paperback)

As a beginning guitar player, I found (and still find) this book to be very helpful. David Mead, who has been a guitar instructor for many years, writes it in a very light-hearted way. However, the instruction that he gives is very serious and is a good foundation for beginners. Mr. Mead explains the essentials of what you need to know about chords, scales, reading tabs, etc. The core of the book is the 10-minute workout itself. This is based on scales, chords, arpeggios and speed/endurance, etc. Basically, you start out with five fairly simple exercises that you must complete in two minutes. As you become proficient, the exercises become more complex. These exercises combined with the other material in the book should have a beginning guitar player able to hold his/her own on about 6-8 months. It is no "secret shortcut" book. You earn everything you learn, it's just set up in a logical progression and is based on cumulative practice.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars good for the beginner guitarist, January 9, 2000

By 

[e-mail] (Manchester,UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 10 Minute Guitar Workout (Paperback)

Ten minute guitar workout by David Mead Bit of a strange book this and a little difficult to see who exactly the it's is aimed at. The guitar workout section is only 40 pages of this 200 page tome, and as a guitar warm up/workout it's fine and can be recommended for just about anybody although the more advanced guitarist may find the exercises a little easy. The rest of the book seems to deal with issues concerning the beginner guitarist and as such is an ideal reference work, David Mead has an excellent sense of humour, writes well and is a mean guitarist in his own right. If you know a few chords and are looking for something to help you advance as a player with information about what scales and chords you need to know with a practice regime thrown in then this is the book for you, if however you are a more advanced guitarist looking for a more organised practice seclude you may well be disappointed as I was.