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By Instrumentation
Books on Music
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Accessories
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 enlarge | Author: Ralph Denyer
Publisher: Knopf
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy New: $17.35
You Save: $8.60 (33%)
New (36) Used (18) Collectible (1) from $6.25
Avg. Customer Rating:  75 reviews
Sales Rank: 28343
Media: Paperback
Edition: Rev Sub
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.1
Dimensions (in): 11 x 8.5 x 0.6
ISBN: 0679742751
Dewey Decimal Number: 787.8719
UPC: 029156960907
EAN: 9780679742753
ASIN: 0679742751
Publication Date: October 20, 1992
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Excellent book February 21, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book is written in a style that is pleasant to read and easy to understand. I haven't read it completely yet, but so far so good. I've learned a lot of useful things.
There're some books you buy and they just sit on the shelf collecting dust like "The Jazz Theory Book" which I just couldn't get into because it was too heavy and overwhelming for my music education or rather lack of it. I'm not saying it's a bad book but just that you need to be ready for it.
Now this Guitar Handbook right here, it doesn't expect you to have a particular level of musical education. All you need is to enjoy playing guitar and have the desire to improve your playing. You sort of pick it up and read it and learn new things when you have the time. Or when you want to know something you go through this book and likely to find it. Author explains things adequately and concisely.
It starts with some history about the guitarists we all know and love, but it's not about things like what so and so likes to eat for breakfast.. but rather useful things such as where the artist is coming from (musically) citing their inspirations, playing styles and types of guitars they've used. This is useful info, because it gives you ideas about your own styles and musical directions.
After that there is a section on what makes up the guitar, its parts and their functions. Also very useful for several reasons such as knowing the guitar you already own, maybe changing certain things to improve the sound. As well as giving you an idea of what to go for on your next guitar.
Then goes the section on playing the guitar. This is the main part of the book and it tells you How to play the instrument. It explains the notes, various chords, their relationship. All this with nice diagrams and pictures of how to press the strings etc. You then learn about the actual notes on the staff, time signatures and all the technical things associated with that business. Then you learn The scales, major/minor/etc. It gets even more technical after that.
Then there's a section on guitar electronics/effects/amps etc. Also introduces the reader to microphones, recording, mixing. Nice overview.
The book ends with a Chord Dictionary (diagram of a chord with finger positions)
Some of the portions of this book are clearly designed to be studied like the part where you learn to actually play the guitar, and understand how the notes and chords work. Yet other portions are more for reference purposes, such as where the guitar's physical design and electronics are explained.
This book has proven useful to me and I enjoy reading it -- so 5 stars!
Another book I recommend is "The Mixing Engineer's Handbook". Although it has nothing to do with guitar-playing, it's also a great book and a must, if you are going to record.
 Yep, Its good January 27, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Its all in there. Not spoonfeeding, youve got to be really engaged and have a pretty good idea about music before it makes much sense. A great one to own as a reference, get something more frothy from the library from time to time, and keep this on the shelf as a reference.
Great Guide for Beginners October 2, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I've just recently taken up the guitar, and the first beginner's guide I invested in was this one. I'm glad I did. It's a wealth of information on everything from how the guitar gets made to why it makes the sounds it makes to how to pick out a good one to, of course, the basics of how to play. From the best woods for acoustics to tuning to tablature to how strings differ to advanced techniques, you'll find it all here. And there was even a good deal of information tailored specifically to me as a lefty, which isn't easy to find. Recommended.
An outstanding book to gain a firm grasp of the fundamentals July 17, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book can take someone who has never studied the guitar, or someone who has, to new heights, simply because it has chords, chord theory, history of guitars and influential players, information on styles. It is a wealth of information and is a joy to read as well.
 If you like this one June 20, 2006
0 out of 23 found this review helpful
If you like this book, please check iPlayMusic products. They are great and easy to follow.
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