Customer Reviews

100 Tips For Blues Guitar You Should Have Been Told (Book & CD)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I didn't order this from Amazon because they showed only 64 pages and had no details about the book itself. When I actually saw the book, I was quite surprised at all the information it contained in its **168** pages. After the usual introduction and how to read notation sections, the other main areas are:

Timeline: A Little Blues History
Blues Harmony
Blues Melody
Blues Technique
Style Analysis (of Muddy Waters, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Elmore James, Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker)
Survival Tips for Playing
The appendix has a good listing of chord charts and scales

Overall, it gives you a brief history of the blues and makes every effort to throw some of that history back at you in the larger instruction portions of the book. The book teaches you the basics in a well written thoughtful manner with good larger tablature and diagrams. There are pictures, but only when it seems to be needed for the novice to understand what is being talked about. It would have been nice for the book to be spiral bound, but unfortunately most instruction books aren't.

The cd that comes with it is also a nice addition. It goes over what's included in the book quite well.

I am (unfortunately) one of those folks who just can't resist buying every guitar instruction book I can find - at least ever one having to do with blues guitar. I have been doing this for a few years know, alwyas looking for that magin "silver bullet" that will move my underrstanding and my playing to the next level. I have lots of good books but am always left disappointed for one reason or another. Well, not anymore.

This is (IMO) the best material I have ever found and cona honestly say that working my way through the book and excercises I was improving by orders of magnitude with each section. More important, it was my "understanding" of blues, blues leads, scales, and the like that was really developing so at the end of the day what I got was understanding - (as opposed to a bunch of cool riffs I had memorized) - and that has made all the difference.

Great book - I highly recommend this one.

I went to the local Guitar Centar looking for a good instruction book on how to play the blues, thumbed thru about 10-15 different ones. This one surpassed them all by far. A short history on the blues, recomended musicians, a CD, major and minor scales, major and minor chord voicings, etc... This book has so much to offer, its what I've been looking for
for years! You will not be disapointed at all with this book, you can only improve your playing techniques.

Although the general material is comprehensive - the title is misleading - implying that it is for people studying the blues for a while without the proper information. One thing that bothered me are several mistakes in the first couple of chapters. Perhaps have an editor go through it next time.
Ok for blues beginners - students already well situated in the pentatonics - take a pass

p.s - The Great Depression was the 30's not the 20's...

A very concise and well directed study of Blues guitar. This is one
of the best books about guitar I've read.

Of all the books (guitar)I have reviewed, this book should be on your "must have" list. A beginer or a pro, both would find this book very usful.