Product Description: Offering essays by the worldÕs top experts in a full-color, coffee-table quality book, this is the first work to tell the complete story of the classical guitar and its repertoire, players and makers - from its 19th century European roots to modern international interpretations. This handsome softcover volume features lavish photography of classical guitars made by the best luthiers in the world. Additional essays cover use of the classical guitar in pop muisc, different playing and teaching techniques, the collectorsÕ market, and the science of the guitar. It also features profiles of legendary artists such as AndrŽs Segovia, Julian Bream and John Williams, plus a full discography, a glossary, an index, a bibliography, and a guitar measurement chart.
For Guitar Lovers This book is a goldmine for those who want to learn something about the classical guitar and for those who love the instrument.
Although it does discuss some of the great classical guitarists -- Segovia, Williams, Bream, etc. -- it is oriented more toward the great classical guitar builders and has detailed information on the great luthiers of the present and recent past.
A real plus is the selection of superb color photos of a number of gorgeous guitars; the photos make clear that a guitar can be a work of art as much as an instrument of music.
It is a book the lover of the classical guitar will return to repeatedly, just for the pleasure of looking at some unquestionably beautiful works of musical art.
Great classical guitar book This book is what I wanted. Great color photos of classical guitars from many makers. Its a good book for those who love not only the sound but the look of these great instruments. Only wish it were available in a hardback version. Luscious photos !
Pickin' Essentials This book is simply great. The rich, colorful photographs brings the guitars to life. There's plenty of information for the reader without being overwhelmed. Any guitarist would do well to purchase this book at least to have a snapshot of the wonderful world of guitar history.
A nice insight into luthiers, but not all that comprehensive Though I like the book, the highlights are more about the luthiers and not so much on the quality of the guitars they make. The book is layed out in a chronological order, and focuses on just one luthier and guitar per year.. This is confusing, as many luthiers produce guitars across 40,50 even 60 years. So, this approach doesn't really work for me.
The book could have benefited from a comparison of major achievements introduced by each luthier, and focused on broad comparisons of different guitars. It instead focuses on the personalities of the luthiers.
If the reason you want to purchase the book is to help you find a concert guitar, this book will provide a good reference to the major luthiers operating today. However, if you are looking to find distinguishing features about the guitars, you will be hard pressed to do so, as the book provides just a few tidbits of information in that regard.
Not what it claims For people interested in a detailed discussion of different types of guitar it may be just the ticket, but I was looking for something more general. There is precious little information about players, composers, repertoire, etc. This book is for people interested in the construction of guitars and it's not really a "History of the Classical Guitar" as I understand the expression. It's all very well for Amazon to say we can have a refund. What they don't tell you is that you have to post it back to America - and it's a large and heavy book!
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Trevor
