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: 10.7 x 8 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: #557,785 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just the ticket!, February 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: 1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist Volume One: Chords and Chord Progressions for the Guitar (Spiral-bound)

I purchased this book after buying a couple of the "best sellers." I have to say the first thing that struck me about this method book is the depth that Mr. Arnold goes into about each aspect of playing the guitar for a beginning student. For instance the other books I purchased spent one page on how to hold the guitar, pick the strings, and the placement of my hands on the guitar, they also had very few pictures or visual aids. 1st Steps gave me a detailed explanation of each aspect of physically playing the guitar along with pictures, videos, and a host of audio files (mp3 and midi) to help me learn correctly. I even can e-mail Mr. Arnold through the FAQ page at their website if I can't figure something out. So far the book is so well put together that I haven't needed to. If you are a beginner like me this book is the ticket.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a guitar lesson book that does the job!, January 21, 2003

By 

Susan A. Bloom (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist Volume One: Chords and Chord Progressions for the Guitar (Spiral-bound)

I've been using this book with my students for about six months and I would like to say that Mr. Arnold's method makes my job so much easier. You can tell that this guy is an experienced teacher. Any guitar teacher knows that for beginners, changing from one chord to another in time is a big problem . Mr. Arnold's 3-step etude process is clever and great for students with coordination hassles. I used to have to record my own progressions for students to play along with between lessons, but "1st Steps" already has them on-line.. These are not boring "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore" tunes - when we play them, you should see my students' faces light up..... they really want to learn them! The website also has midifiles which are great for people who need to take their chords more slowly. The progressions get a little bit harder for right and left hand playing each time so students can gradually get more coordinated on their own. the "music theory" and "how to read rhythm" sections really helped my students learn basic theory and how to read music. I appreciated the pro tips section too. I recommend this book for other teachers but its also perfect for people who just got a guitar and are not sure what to do next.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ground Zero, May 1, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist Volume One: Chords and Chord Progressions for the Guitar (Spiral-bound)

If you just walked in the door with your new guitar, buy this book. There are guitarists and there are guitarists who think they can teach. Bruce Arnold has a knack for conveying a feeling of knowing what you are thinking as a guitar novice. This book makes you feel comfortable with your awkwardness of your decision to marry yourself to this instrument.