Book Description
The "First Stage" Guitar Book....is a must have beginners guitar book for those who really want to learn how to play the guitar which includes more than just 4 or 5 chords.
Look no further for simplicity and the easiest to play chord fingering diagrams of the most commonly played guitar chords whether it is rock n roll, blues, pop, country or any other style.
The "First Stage" Guitar Book....is Boldly Illustrated with a See and Do Approach....Only the Easy To Learn Guitar Information...Free of All That Wordy Fluff.
The "First Stage" Guitar Book.... takes you from tuning your guitar to naming each note on the guitar neck-fingerboard. It clearly illustrates the most commonly played guitar chords in the easiest and best sounding fingering shapes of each chord in both "Open"-notes typically played within the first four frets and "Barre"-fretted shapes. Also included are simple illustrated tips on how to enhance the sound of various chord shapes.
There is a Chord Combination Chart which will enable you to begin creating a surprising number of your own chord progressions without the guess work of which chord goes with which chord, allowing you to form the arrangement of any chord progression to suit your voice.
You will also learn how to read tablature (tabs) and Power Chords which are simply playing the sixth and fifth string or fifth and fourth string of any barre chord which are referred to as 5th Chords, it is that simple.
It is not necessary for the beginning guitar player to spend time reading hundreds of pages of learning how to play to get you on your way to learning how to play the guitar. You will find yourself playing your favorite songs and personal creations right away while saving hundreds of dollars on private lessons.
There is a section on traditional blues and rock n roll progressions which you will be able to transpose to any key to fit your voice.
Another great feature is that the binding allows this guitar book to remain flat for easy viewing of both the left and right side of each page.
Another great feature of this guitar book is you will be surprisingly shown how to change any Major Chord into a Minor Chord, Minor Seventh Chord or Major Dominant 7th Chord by just lifting a finger. It doesn't get any easier and it is so very simple.
You may want to come back at a later time to learn why the chords in the Chord Combination Chart are presented in a particular order but it is not necessary to know this to move forward and begin creating your own chord combinations (progressions).
This guitar book spends very little time in theory but focuses more of your time on getting you on to learning how to play the guitar the first day you receive it.
At the end of this guitar book are presented a few basic practice scale patterns with chord progressions so you can get a feel of what it is like to play lead guitar on a chord progression.
It does not get any easier for the beginning guitar player and those who all already play some. This guitar book continues to sell thousands upon thousands of copies world wide consistently because of it is boldly illustrated and simple diagrams.
Customer Reviews:
OK.......2007-01-09
This book is better suited for people who already know guitar basics. You shouldn't play chords if you're not comfortable playing notes
Good as a companion to another method.......2005-01-06
This is primarily a book on chord progressions. Starting with the most popular chords used in music, and then moving to other chords in open in barre position. Interspersed here and there are some tips on playing guitar. Not much more than that, and not very well organized.
I would consider this most beneficial as a companion to lessons or to a complete method found elsewhere. There just isn't much to it. It's 80 pages, but each page generally contains two 4-chord progressions. I also found that several of the chords listed are inaccurate -- or at least inconsistent with several other sources I checked them against.
I've used about 6 different books and software on learning the guitar, and I found this to be the least helpful. But there are some great reference diagrams that I still refer to, and as it is entirely focused on popular progressions, it finds a home being used in conjunction with another book.
Good Place to Start.......2003-12-02
I bought this book about three months ago and although it is a good place to get started, it does have a few mistakes. I'm now taking lessons and have learned that a few of the chord patterns in the book are inaccurate and/or wrong. For example, the book shows the correct finger pattern for an "A" major chord but does not omit the 6th string (open "E" note) from the chord diagram, thus leading you to believe the note should be played as part of the chord. My intructor corrected me the first time I played the chord. The mistake appears to be a simple publishing error but of course you can't know this if you are a beginner like myself. All things considered, the book was helpful in getting started and I was able to learn a few helpful chords before my lessons began. If you purchase this book, and are not familiar with how each chord is formulated, I would recommend veryfing the finger patterns against another source before you become too comfortable playing the chords.
40+ guitar beginner.......2003-04-07
This was the first book I used to get started from scratch. The reason I like it is that it has NO songs, so it took the pressure off having to learn a song, yet the 4 chord sequences sound quite good (according to my wife). It includes barre chords, but also alterative figuring to barre chords, so you can learn them slowly/progresively without pressure. The other book a bought (for songs) is "The Complete Guitarist" by Russ Shipton
A Great Book for Real Beginners.......2002-07-24
I have been playing the guitar for about a month. I have learned more from going through the chord progressions in this book than a [$$$] one I bought elsewhere. It certainly isn't all I need to know but it is a great start. I intend to go on to the next one in the series.
Customer Reviews:
A fantastic begining book for young child.......2007-08-31
I purchased a bunch of beginner books for my 4-year old, who had no piano experience at all. After I got the books, I reviewed them first, and found this one is the perfect one for young child, because it uses the letters and finger chart instead of the intimiditing music notes to illustrate the popular children's songs. So, I presented only this one to my daughter. Amazingly, she was able to follow the book all by herself, which made her very pround of herself!!! She loves to play piano now, and loves to give piano lessons to us too!!!
Highly recommend this book for parents who want to introduce their young child to the world of piano.
Wonderful book!.......2007-08-15
I hadn't touched a keyboard in 20+ years prior to picking up this book. But it is so simple & easy that I was quickly able to play the simple, child friendly tunes: Ring Around the Rosie, Hot Cross Buns, Mary Had a Little Lamb etc...contained within. Not only is the teaching system very, very "friendly" & easy, the book is also a pleasure to read & look through, thanks to the lovely illustrations. I highly recommend this book, for beginner adults & for children!
fun and easy!.......2006-07-12
I am a piano teacher and my 7 year old son and I love this book! He can easily understand what to do and can play each song by himself with little or no help from me. He enjoys playing these songs because they are easily recognizable and short enough to feel successful. I can't wait for the next book!
Book Description
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.
Customer Reviews:
How serious are you about learning to play guitar?.......2005-01-06
First, I would like to point out that this book is but a small part of a VERY thorough collection of educational material for guitar from Mr. Arnold. Each of his books targets particular aspects of guitar and often music in general. The books are part of a complete system by which you can communicate with Mr. Arnold. He actually answers e-mail that you send him and responds with VERY thorough and understandable answers. This "Beginning..." book has a good introduction to chord progressions, technique, and virtually everything you need to get started. I can not recommend this book highly enough. It is NOT a "quick fix" method by which you learn patterns on the fretboard and never even know what notes you are playing. It is not really targeted for any particular music genre, so I think it is appropriate for anyone that is serious about truly learning to play guitar. You begin to learn theory, sight reading, technique, and he will probably encourage you to begin ear training as well (another one of his books). His books are augmented with videos and additional information available on his web site. You can get access to the site by buying any one of his books.
The chord progressions are basic and easy to learn. Yes, it will take some time to learn them, if you are 100% new to guitar, but it is worth it. Each progression is played at three levels and the notation helps you to begin to understand rhythm as well. THIS BOOK COVERS ALL THE BASES FOR THE BEGINNER! E-mail Mr. Arnold if you have questions and he will fill in any ambiguity.
I would like to repeat that although you could just learn your basics from this book, without any of his other workbooks and such, I think that once you get started, you will be hooked. Bruce Arnold knows how to teach music and knows how to convey information in his books, web site, and with personal e-mail. This book is part of a total system (books, workbooks, website, e-mail) that Mr. Arnold can customize for you (by suggesting the appropriate books) that will allow you to take your guitar knowledge as far as you want to go, whether you want to go pro or primarily just play for fun, such as myself.
I think that this is the best method of learning. You have the luxury of learning at your own pace with plenty of reference material AND you have e-mail access to the author of the books if you get stuck on something. It is the best of both worlds of lessons and learning on your own. I have not found anything else quite like it, particularly with the quality of information that Mr. Arnold provides.
If you want to really learn, BUY THIS BOOK. If you just want to strum chords to folks songs for kids, get the e-Media CDROM and go through it (It puts me to sleep.) If you want quick fixes and don't care to understand what you are playing, this will not provide what you are looking for. If you just want to be able to "shread" through pentatonic scales at blazing speeds on your guitar to impress your friends (never actually understanding what you are doing or why), this is not your book. You will need to be serious about learning about music and about the guitar to get through any of this series of books, including this one. These books are for people that want to understand what they are playing so that each new song is not like starting over in your learning process. With a solid foundation, each new song is learned in a fraction of the time it would take if you don't understand anything but where to put each finger for a few chords.
I would also suggest that you purchase (in the near future) a songbook of "Easy Guitar" songs (or something similar) to start working on as well as this book or any beginning method book. This book provides the foundation, but you will want something else to work with at the same time that provides some songs that you have fun learning. Mr. Arnold will probably also recommend that you be sure to spend some time just having fun playing your guitar as well as practicing from the book or doing theory study. You have to continue to enjoy PLAYING as well as learning. That was key for me to maintain my interest.
All I can say is: If you want to learn from a pro, BUY THE BOOK! You won't regret it. Just plan to put a little time into it. As with anything worth doing, it takes time to learn to do it properly. This book will begin your journey.
Stuff I actually want to learn.......2004-07-01
I bought eMedia Guitar Method, Vol 1 and 1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist. For myself I greatly prefer 1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist. I thought eMedia was way over priced for what it offered. I guess if you are really struggling with the guitar, can't even finger a C chord after a few weeks of practice and like songs like Michael Rows a Boat Ashore eMedia would be perfect. 99% of the songs they teach I would never care to play. The Chord finder was cool but no songs for most of the chords in the chord finder so I was unsure how to use them. On the other hand I thought 1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist was great. I should point out that you really should have a DSL or cable connection to the internet for this book. It comes with nothing but the publisher's website and it has 100's of videos, mp3 and midifiles for the information in the book. I've ordered a few of Mr. Arnold's books and I should also point out that he's an author that targets a student that really wants to play well and maybe form a band. His education style is more like one musician to another budding musician rather than giving you stuff that is corny or uninteresting. He also interacts with you via email if you have questions. So I guess what I'm saying is eMedia is fine if you really just want to accompany children or actually like campfire songs on the other hand if you want to learn stuff you wouldn't mind playing with your friends or in a band then I'd go for the 1st Steps.
Amazing Book.......2004-06-25
This book is like getting a book and a DVD. Amazing amount of information for a beginning guitarist to explore. The book is well organized and the on-line video etc... is well laid out. I found the videos showing the pitfalls of each chord type to be very informative. The strumming help files also help me coordinate both my hands. Highly recommended as a First Step for those of us just getting started on this cool instrument.
Amazing amount of information.......2004-02-27
I found this book to be well written and got the feeling that the author is seriously dedicated to teaching. I was a little concerned because I knew of Mr. Arnold from his CDs and wasn't sure if a player would also be a good teacher or could write a good book. I was pretty overwhelmed by the amount of information available in the book and on the publisher's website. This isn't a famous guitar player trying to cash in on his playing status to make money. I was particularly impressed by the amount of videos and MP3 files that are available. I first thought why didn't they just give me a DVD or a CD with this book. I'm not positive but I don't even think you could fit the amount of videos and MP3's on one CD or DVD. I found it interesting that the book doesn't really go into to learning scales but the website gives you fingerings for a hugh amount of scales with videos showing you how to play the scales and comments on the right way to learn the scales, Overall I'd say this book is for the folks out there that are serious weekend guitar players. By serious I mean someone who wants to know what they are doing on the guitar not just learn a bunch of fingerings and hope for the best. I got a couple of the other best sellers along with this book and although some of them claimed to an easy method I didn't find it any easier than this book. They all contained about the same information except this book then goes way beyond the other books I bought. For instance I found everything is clearly laid out with nice big chord diagrams with the added bonus of where these notes would be on a music staff. The other books didn't have information on where the notes of the chords are on a staff. All the books seem to contain the same chords basically the "open" and "barre" position chords. I really appreciated all the comments throughout the 1st Steps book on which chords where hard so that I knew to be patient. The real kicker was the videos showing Mr Arnold playing each chord and explaining what problems you may encounter along with how to mute the strings so you wouldn't have to worry so much about how you are strumming the chord. Seems like a small amount of information but it really helped me learn the chords quicker. There are many many tips like this along the way in this book and in the videos that really helped me improve and/or understand why I was having problems. I would recommend this book without hesitation.
Great Stuff.......2004-02-19
I'm a person returning to the guitar after a 10 year break. Remembered some stuff but really wanted to start from the beginning again. I've been working with this book for a few weeks now and have to report that the book in combination with the on-line stuff is fantastic. The Publisher's Website contains multiple videos covering the information in the book and many other topics. For instance there are videos on how to memorizing chords and substitute chord progressions for the progressions found in the book. The Hendrix one is killer. There are videos on such things as the CAGED system and other common misconceptions which I found very informative and made me see some of my misconceptions about the best way to learn. Overall I think this is a very easy method to learn from. I found the videos in particular to be very quick study and something I could play over and over until I mastered the information. I find Mr. Arnold's teaching style to be quite thorough and it's obvious from the videos that he enjoys teaching. Oh yeh, the videos of every chord showing alternate fingers and all the problems that students have was a real eye opener. OK so I could go on and on but you get the picture this is a cool book so check it out!
Customer Reviews:
An amazing and important book!.......2007-08-21
This book is a fantastic resource for those teaching music to very young children. The songs/chants contained in the book are fun, beautiful, and whimsical. Most importantly, the repertoire is authentic, not the contrived and often sub-par music so often offered to kids today. An added bonus, if you choose to use it, is the schedule of lessons. This is one of the first books that is not only based on what research says about how children really learn music, but that gives "real world" application for the classroom. I encourage every music teacher to have this in their library!
Feierabend is a leading expert in this field..........2007-07-08
I disagree with the previous reviewer. What may seem "boring" to you as an adult is completely appropriate and enjoyable for children the age that this curriculum is meant to be used with. Infants and toddlers thrive on repetition, and THAT IS HOW THEY LEARN. In fact, research has found that the average school-age child needs 6-8 hearings of a song in order to sing it accurately; a younger child, therefore, would need even more hearings to absorb the information, and Feierabend takes this into account. If you have children this age of your own, you would know that they LOVE to hear the same songs and stories over and over. The curriculum is not meant to entertain adults; it is meant to develop young children's growing musical aptitude. Also, a great thing about this curriculum is that nearly all the songs are traditional folksongs and rhymes - it is a curriculum that helps parents and children become reaquainted with the rich musical heritage of our country that many of us have lost as many parents unfortunately no longer sing to their children anymore. If you want entertainment, by all means use Kindermusik or another less "boring" curriculum, but it will not have the musical depth and will not be as educationally sound. Feierabend has done a great amount of research in the field of early childhood music to figure out how children learn music, and his curriculae are drawn up to reflect his years of research and experience working with children; some of the other curriculae are more flashy and more appealing to adults, but they don't necessarily have as much research to show that their methods help children to actually learn and become more musical.
The only reason I am giving this book 4 stars is that you have to buy some of the supplementary song books to get a more complete listing of songs so you can pick and choose the ones you like. What is given in the book is a great foundation and a helpful outline for planning lessons, and you can basically use your own song choices to fit into each lesson catetory.
It is also very helpful to take Feierabend's First Steps in Music course, where the curriculum and how to implement it is explained in more detail - but, if you want to teach any of the other curriculae you are required to take their training to use their materials, and this is not true of Feierabend. So... another advantage over Kindermusik!
Boring!.......2007-05-14
When you're competing with masters of the infant music market like Kindermusik, don't waste your time with this book! The only thing that helped was the curriculum schedule. I replaced his songs with ones I thought better suited to today's high-tech, high-demand classes, and this way I didn't have to think about how to rotate songs for good expsure vs. "over-done".
Book Description
Getting started on the guitar has been made easier than ever! The "Pre-Stage" Guitar Book begins with the very basics about learning how to play a guitar, such as, how to tune the guitar, the note names on the guitar neck fingerboard and how they relate to the musical staff (i.e., the notes you find in sheet music and song books). It then moves on to illustrations of the most commonly played "open" guitar chords, that is, the chords you will be using for as long as you play a guitar.
All the chords are illustrated in bold and easy to understand illustrations, these chords are followed by a uniquely designed chord combination chart that will enable you to mix these chords to form various chord combinations of your own choice without having to guess which chords go with which chords.
The "Pre-Stage" Guitar Book then shows you how to transpose chord combinations to suit your voice by way of a very simple and easy to understand method. This totally new approach will have you making progress in learning how to play guitar right away!
After you have completed all the information contained in this guitar book, you may wish to move on to enhance your guitar playing abilities to The "First Stage" Guitar Book - Learn How to Play Guitar Easily & Quickly! or The "Guitar Book"- For Those Who Have Just Landed on The Planet Earth!, both of these guitar books contain the same guitar learning information, the only difference is that you have a choice of which book cover you would prefer. Practice and patience are the keys to successfully learning how to play the guitar!!
Customer Reviews:
Too little info spread across 48 page.......2002-01-20
Although this book has some helpful information, the author spreads too little useful information over many pages.
The book starts out with the usual how to hold/tune/strum your guitar and a fret chart. It doesn't "Get Going" (to use the author's term) until page 14A. Here we finally find the usual C-A-G-E-D-Em-Am charts. All in open form. F-G7-Cmaj7 and Fmaj7 are added later. The approach is in a logical sequence; however, there is very little quality information above and beyond labeling those chords that are moveable (they can be transposed anywhere on the neck using the same finger positions), and some very simple progressions.
We get some additional chord charts starting on page 29; however again the information is so spread out that, for the rest of the book, the author takes a four chord diagrams per page approach.
Quick synopsis: The author has a nice approach that's useful for a beginning guitarist; however, he could and should have packed A LOT more useful information into a 48 page book.
Is this book really for First Timers?.......2001-06-02
I really had trouble following this book. I have never played Guitar before and I was utterly confused over what this guy was trying to teach me. If you have no experiance in playing the Guitar then i would suggest looking elsewhere.
A great way to get started on the guitar............1999-09-29
This guitar book is very clear and to the point with bold and easy to understand illustrations. It provides the easiest way to play guitar chords and how to form chord progressions from them. It includes plenty to learn about playing the guitar for anyone making that first go at it.
Average customer rating:
|
First Book of Tocattas and Partitas for Organ or Cembalo (Kalmus Edition)
Manufacturer: Alfred Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
 General
| Classical
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Piano
| Instruments & Performers
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0769242391 |
Average customer rating:
- One of the better texts for music fundamentals...
- Excellent approach
|
Music First: Spiral
Gary C. White
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Companies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Instruction & Study
| Theory, Composition & Performance
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Theory
| Theory, Composition & Performance
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Entertainment
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0072823283 |
Book Description
Music isn't something students just learn about by reading or sitting in lecture--they also have to able to compose it, play it, and listen to it with a trained ear. Music First! takes a hands-on approach to learning the fundamentals of music theory and basic composition.
Customer Reviews:
One of the better texts for music fundamentals..........2007-05-22
I've tried a few texts for teaching music fundamentals to non-music majors and this is one of the better books. I really like that the book starts with the keyboard as a visual representation of music theory. The book could use updated music excerpts/examples. Also- the fact that students tear out workbook pages renders the book invalid for buyback programs. A separate workbook would be a much better option for college use.
Excellent approach.......2005-10-28
Gary White takes a different approach to learning the study of music, one which should serve as a model for other books of this type. Much more focus is pute on interaction and music-making (i.e., active, rather than passive learning). This can be used independently of a classroom experience, though it is intended for that situation, and works better when there is a teacher to clarify notational issues.
Books:
- The Heavenly Man: The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun
- The Jazz Image: Masters of Jazz Photography
- The Jungle Book: A Pop-Up Adventure (Classic Collectible Pop-Ups)
- The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)
- The Mozart-Da Ponte Operas: An Annotated Bibliography (Music Reference Collection)
- The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (20 Volume Set
- The Oil Painting Course You've Always Wanted: Guided Lessons for Beginners and Experienced Artists
- The Phantom of the Opera - piano vocal Selections
- The Practical Encyclopedia of Rocks & Minerals: How to Find, Identify, Collect and Maintain the World's best Specimens, with over 1000 Photographs and Artworks
- The Rite of Spring in Full Score
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Business: Its Legal, Ethical, and Global Environment
- The Great Book of Guns: An Illustrated History of Military, Sporting, and Antique Firearms
- Standard of Care: A Novel
- Prairie Dog Empire: A Saga of the Shortgrass Prairie
- The Address Directory of Celebrities in Entertainment, Sports, Business & Politics, Second Editi
- The Places In Between
- The Safari Companion: A Guide to Watching African Mammals Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, and
- Walden: 150th Anniversary Illustrated Edition of the American Classic
- Performance Measurement and Control Systems for Implementing Strategy Text and Cases
- Canadian Insurance Claims Directory 2000
The "First Stage" Guitar Chord Chart - Learn How To Play The Most Commonly Played Guitar Chords
The Next Stage Guitar Book - Learn How to Play Scale Patterns & Tabs Easily & Quickly
How to Play Guitar: Everything You Need to Know to Play the Guitar (How to Play)
The Ultimate Guitar Songbook
Teach Yourself to Play Guitar (Book & Enhanced CD)
