World Famous Comics: Guitar Soloing: The Contemporary Guide to Improvisation
Guitar Soloing: The Contemporary Guide to Improvisation
From: Musicians Institute Press Publisher: Musicians Institute Press Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Musicians Institute Press Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 160 Publication Date: January 01, 1998
Product Description: A comprehensive source for mastering the art of single note, melodic improvisation. The CD includes over 30 tracks for demonstration and play-along. The topics covered include: scales, modes, arpeggios, technique and visualization exercises; rock, blues, jazz, and other styles; and sequences, phrases, and licks.
Helped Me This book helped me understand soloing after struggling for a while to understand it. It probably isn't suitable for a total beginner, but if you've been playing rhythm and want to get better at lead, I would recommend you at least take a look through this book.
GARBAGE!!! This book and cd arent worth the paper its printed on. I bought this book and immediately came home and popped it in my cd player. To my horror the progressions it supplies for you to solo over are date, non-spectacular and boring. They were all done the a drum machine, a generic keyboard and a sequencer. Its actually painful to listen to. With all the amazing technology out there you would think that a school with such a great reputation would put out products of quality. Next, the example soloing techniques are more of the same flat, boring and non-spectacular. I am actually annoyed I wasted my money on such a crappy book. DONT BUY THIS!
Buy something else.No, Im serious. One of the problems I had with this book was the length of the segments within each chapter.Its either rediculously short or long and, to get right down to it, boring.It becomes more of a homework assignment then an enjoyable lesson.Ive actually learned more by looking up basic theory online because I can look up and reference any "blank" spots Im having trouble with.This book, by itself, might leave you a bit confused.
Very early on it mentions triad arpeggios of the I,IV, and V chords.But I didnt get taught what these were in the book.Or maybe I was when they said what patterns were based of off what chords, but Im honestly not sure, because it doesnt clearly say anything like "btw these chords ARE the I IV and V chords mentioned throughout the book".During the mentioned segment where they compare patterns to the chords, they move the patterns down a few frets, so while still based/shaped around the chord pattern, Im left wondering why the patterns got moved and the root notes changed, instead of showing me a direct connection between the patterns. Also early on, it shows me a moveable pattern, but the root note is the second note in the pattern.Im left wondering why this is, as it also is not explained.
The chapters tend to shuffle back and forth between topics. It goes from major, to major arpegios, to major pentatonics, then to minor, minor pentatonics, then to some more arpeggios,......It does seem like a good idea to keep the minors and the majors together, but the other topics keep coming in and out and ruining the flow, because a few chapters later Im going to have to remember all my major patterns when I just got done breaking down minor scales into pentatonics and arpeggios and seqeunces and by this point im just mad thinking about it. Its the small things like this that make the book frustrating.You might say"But hey, maybe they think you have a basic understanding before tackling this here book.Maybe you Should know what the I IV and V chords are, buddy". Sorry, but no.Why is the first chapter diving into the bottom of the pit basics then?It goes from alternate picking and simple chromatic exercises into badly explained arpeggios, followed by more simplistic picking patterns to learn as a chapter lesson, and then the chapter usually ends in some type of solo lick that you(sometimes) arent fully aware of the reasoning behind.
The book does come with a companion cd, with tracks from the chapters to learn.I really hope you like bluesy and jazzy guitars.Its another problem I had that made the book even more boring.I do understand learning more then a specific style is good for development, but I felt this didnt hit home with me at all, and I wasnt hearing ANYTHING that I was interested in hearing.
I want you to keep in mind that Im basing this review on past and present experiences with it.I bought this years ago, and havent picked it up in years due to my bad memories of it.I recently gave it a second chance. I advise you to not give it a first.I cant say Ive tried any other books of this nature to date, but I will say that clearly there has to be something better then this.Ill give it two stars because you can learn something from this, but its too dull, frustrating, and badly arranged to make it worth anything higher.
Experienced Guitar Player says BUY this BOOK So... I've got tons and tons of tabs for the guitar... I can play all sorts of music from Led Zeppelin to Zappa to SAntana to Yngwie to Lamb of God to NIrvana to Bach (WTF?)... just giving you a basis for my experience... I WISH I BOUGHT THIS BOOK 10 YEARS AGO... no joke.
I never took a lesson, so I always felt that I missed something... This book confirms my suspicion! So much I didn't know... Such a fool..
But the book isn't overwhelming AT ALL (until you start to get to the end of the book)... most of it shows you how to play along to blues/rock/pop. Its not like other scale books where you see the same scale 4 frets up (but it does help you understand root notes and lots of Theory).. I love theory.
The book is written by the Musicians Institute, the best music college in America. I think they know what they are doing when it comes to teaching music... I also bought the Guitar fret board Workout from MI, but it had too much busy work in it for me.. (too much writing, but I would still recommend the book)). I just want to play well, and I want to be able to improvise over ANYTHING... now, because of THIS book my playing has taken leaps and bounds (for technicality/improvisional/style and harmony)... Thanks Larry H. Parker... I mean MI.
This is a great book... BUT!!! This book is awesome! I reccomend that you buy MI Guitar Fretboard Workbook first. Start with that and then move to guitar soloing. I have been playing guitar a long time and own a lot of books and DVDs. You can't go wrong. All the best.
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