Gui-target practice: Guitar Resources (part 1)

Thursday 14 May 2009

Guitar Resources (part 1)

I'm often asked about this. Within the mass of printed matter on the subject of guitar playing, which are the best books? This list is subject to change because new books are being produced all the time, but for now, this is my current list of suggestions for the best all-round guitar/ theory/ general musicianship books (or series):

Elementary Training for Musicians - Paul Hindemith
Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns - Nicolas Slonimski
The Advancing Guitarist - Mick Goodrick
For Guitar Players Only - Tommy Tedesco
Modern Method for Guitar (parts 1,2&3) - William Leavett
Music Reading for Guitar (The Complete Method) - David Oakes
Musicianship and Sight Reading for Guitarists - Oliver Hunt
Creative Guitar (parts 1&2) - Guthrie Govan
Modern Reading Text in 44 - Louis Bellson
Chord Chemistry - Ted Greene
Modern Chord Progressions - Ted Greene

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Welcome to the Contemporary Guitar Performance Workshop

If you want to do something, you may as well do it properly. To do something properly, you need the right information and when you have the right information, you need the right guidance as to how this information may be applied. With the right information you're in the best place to start, and it is only from this truth that real, high quality progress can be made. Where all of this may seem simple and straightforward, like anything which seems too good to be true, it often is. When it comes to any creative endevour, there is an additional challenge which complicates all of this greatly. What if there are many truths? What if there is a whole world of truth to explore? Some of it seemingly contradictory! Where one persons perception of 'good music' and another persons perception can be radically different, how do we manage, quantify, and work with this truth? Exploring this situation and consistently questioning it is a large part of what this project is about. This is the reason that a permanently evolving collection of ideas and updates for a community of progressive thinking guitar players exists within this blog. This is why this project is not, and never will be 'finished'. It lives and breathes as music itself lives and breathes. If you want to develop your skills as a guitarist and musician, the truth is that there are no "guitar secrets", no "quick fix solutions", and no "shortcuts to great playing" despite some of the claims made by some adverts that you may have seen online for some guitar tuition courses. Like anything worthwhile, it takes time, dedication, discipline, and practice, but the rewards for your efforts will outweigh the commitment that you will need to make if you have the right information and the right guidance. Welcome to the real thing, welcome to the Contemporary Guitar Performance Workshop.