1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist, Chords and Chord Progressions [Paperback]

Bruce E. Arnold (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2001

The guitar is the most popular instrument in the world yet most students of the guitar are self taught. This book is a comprehensive for guitar students who have no prior musical training. No matter what type of guitar you play, this book will give you the information you need, and trouble shoot the various pitfalls that can hinder the self-taught musician. The author knows from over 25 years of teaching experience that students form most of their good and bad habits in the first six months of practicing. It is therefore extremely important to use a method book that clearly and concisely covers the important subjects of proper playing technique, tuning, picking, strumming, music theory and rhythm. Furthermore, the only way a student can remember the information learned is to apply it. The hardest part of learning the guitar for a student is switching between chords. This unique method book contains chord progressions using both "open" and "barre" chords that gradually take a student from a beginning level to an advanced level. The publisher's website also has mp3 and midifiles to be played along with, for developing the strumming, time and feel for each chord progression. The chord progressions presented are commonly found in hard rock, rock, folk, blues and country, giving the student a solid harmonic foundation in all these styles. This method book not only gives you pages of pictures but also gives you access to video clips via the publisher's website to demonstrate playing basics in action. The Muse-eek Publishing Company believes the education of a student shouldn't stop with the purchase of a book, therefore our website, offers a FAQ page where students can write in to the author with questions that may and a free "member's section" where students can download other learning materials to further their education.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

"Quick" and "Easy" seem to be the buzz words for selling beginning guitar method books. From looking at many of these method books over the years I understand why so many of the students I get have so many problems. In their rush to give the consumer a "quick fix" many method books leave out important information or offer poorly explained techniques leaving the student to fill in the blanks as best they can. I find that when a beginning student is shown the proper ways to play and think of music their progress is remarkable. Music isn't a race to see who can play 3 chords the fastest, it's about making those chords sound like music, so that they are a pleasure for you to play and for others to hear. It means developing proper technique, understanding rhythm and music theory. This method book gives you a comprehensive start toward understanding these aspects of music and also points you in the right direction to other resources to develop your musical abilities further.

From my many year of teaching I have found that every student learns differently and is interested in different things. To help provide you with a rich resource I have included the following formats to help you learn guitar.

Text
Video
MP3
MidiFiles

There are many approaches you can take to this book to compliment your learning style and I believe all the resources will provide you with a intriging and fun enviorment in which to learn. I'm also available via our FAQ pages to answer any question you might have so feel free to read our FAQs and if you can't find the answer to your question I'd be happy to help out. --This text refers to the Spiral-bound edition.

From the Back Cover

The guitar is the most popular instrument in the world yet most students of the guitar are self taught. "1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist" is a comprehensive method for guitar students who have no prior musical training. Whether you are playing acoustic, electric or twelve-string guitar, this book will give you the information you need, and trouble shoot the various pitfalls that can hinder the self-taught musician. The author knows from over 20 years of teaching experience that students form most of their good and bad habits in the first six months of practicing. It is therefore extremely important to use a method book that clearly and concisely covers the important subjects of proper playing technique, tuning, picking, strumming, music theory and rhythm. Furthermore, the only way a student can remember the information learned is to apply it. The hardest part of learning the guitar for a student is switching between chords. This unique method book contains chord progressions using both "open" and "barre" chords that gradually take a student from a beginning level to an advanced level. The publisher's website also has mp3 and midifiles to be played along with, for developing the strumming, time and feel for each chord progression. The chord progressions presented are commonly found in hard rock, rock, folk, blues and country, giving the student a solid harmonic foundation in all these styles. A picture is worth a thousand words and this method book not only gives you pages of pictures but also gives you access to video clips that can be downloaded from the publisher's website to demonstrate these playing basics in action. The Muse-eek Publishing Company believes the education of a student shouldn't stop with the purchase of a book, therefor our website, offers a FAQ page where students can write in to the author with questions that may arise as they work their way through the method. It also offers a free "member's section" where students can download other learning materials to further their education. We are committed to making your experience with the guitar as positive as possible and hope you will give us a chance to prove it. --This text refers to the Spiral-bound edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 84 pages
• Publisher: Muse Eek Publishing Company (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890944939
• ISBN-13: 978-1890944933
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,510 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Guitarist Bruce Arnold has developed an extensive reputation as a composer educator and guitar virtuoso. He has created a unique signature sound that stems from his combination of jazz techniques and 20th Century compositional methods. He has played with such diverse musicians as Stuart Hamm, Peter Erskine, Joe Pass, Joe Lovano, Randy Brecker, Stanley Clarke, the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Arnold is also deeply devoted to music education and had written more than 60 music instruction. He heads the guitar departments at NYU and Princeton University and is the director of the New York University Summer Guitar Intensive He has taught at some of the most prestigious music schools in America, including the New England Conservatory of Music, Dartmouth College, Berklee College of Music, New School University, and City College of New York.