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Joe McMurray
Приєднався 12 лис 2011
Reviews of guitar method, technique, and repertoire books, fingerstyle guitar performance videos, guitar related advice.
Guitar Books Review #18: Alex de Grassi Fingerstyle Guitar Method
Is this one of the best or worst method books for acoustic fingerstyle guitar?
You can learn to play music by simultaneously using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books.
The Alex de Grassi Fingerstyle Guitar Method, written by fingerstyle legend Alex de Grassi and produced by Stringletter (the publisher of Acoustic Guitar Magazine), is a method book for learning to play solo fingerstyle guitar. You will learn many of the nuts and bolts that bolster de Grassi’s technique, musicality, and general style. This is an amazing book (a 192 page tome of information!), but it is dense and highly technical.
If you are thinking about investing your time into this book, consider what sub-style of fingerstyle you are interested in. Listen to Alex de Grassi’s playing to see if that is the direction that you want to go in. I personally love his playing - he uses a lot of classical technique, he has incredible control and clarity, he is extremely melodic, expressive, and musical, he tastefully uses some modern percussive techniques and cross string ideas, and he plays music that sounds like a blend of folk, Celtic, and blues. If you want to play like Chet Atkins or Tommy Emmanuel, start with a different book. If you want to play like Andy McKee, Preston Reed, Don Ross, or Mike Dawes, this book has several very applicable chapters and isn’t a bad stepping stone. This is a great book if you want to be a well-rounded and precise player.
De Grassi claims that this book is for beginner through advanced players. The first half of the book certainly contains a lot of “beginner” fingerstyle information, but I highly discourage beginner players from starting with this book as their first foray into fingerstyle guitar. There are more approachable books with easier arrangements and less text. If you are a big Alex de Grassi fan and you’re dead set on going through this book as a beginner, it would be helpful to work with a teacher and/or to supplement it with another more beginner-oriented method book (see my other videos/reviews).
I think that this book is very beneficial to a late beginner or intermediate player who can already smoothly play some solo fingerstyle arrangements. This book will tweak your physical techniques, your tone, and your artistic touch (phrasing, articulation, dynamics, etc.).
Overall, the 2nd half of the book is very “heady” with many advanced concepts that beginners don’t need to bog themselves down with. These concepts include difficult cross-string ideas, reasons to use alternate tunings, complex rhythmic ideas (cross-rhythms), modern percussive techniques, and ways to add depth and dimension to your sound.
The repertoire in the book consists of traditional tunes and the author’s original tunes. There are several full song arrangements, but most of the examples are song fragments. De Grassi breaks down these fragments in great detail in order to demonstrate the topic being discussed in the text.
There is SO much detail in the descriptions. He gets into the nuances of how to physically perform a technique, where to place your fingers, how to control note durations, etc. The text is very dense, and it took me a long, long time to get through it. I recommend listening to each (wonderful) audio example, then reading the text pertaining to that example, and then playing that example. You will likely need to repeat this process multiple times for each example or topic.
The audio recordings are invaluable for hearing the artistic details, ornamentation, and complex rhythms of the examples. I don’t think I’ve ever been so tied to the audio recordings of a method book.
All playing examples are provided in standard notation (treble clef) and tablature.
You could use either a steel string acoustic or nylon string classical guitar to work through this book. You don’t have to fret any bass notes using your thumb over the top (although I like to here and there).
Published in 2012.
My eBook: Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook. Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar.
My music is available on all streaming platforms at open.spotify.com/artist/5dcokTG6C598OhTslHH5uo?si=hrQb7FViSZewDRSgECw9Ew:
Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, "Open Road," on UA-cam here: ua-cam.com/video/uPBh8sZQsT4/v-deo.htmlsi=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C.
Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.
You can learn to play music by simultaneously using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books.
The Alex de Grassi Fingerstyle Guitar Method, written by fingerstyle legend Alex de Grassi and produced by Stringletter (the publisher of Acoustic Guitar Magazine), is a method book for learning to play solo fingerstyle guitar. You will learn many of the nuts and bolts that bolster de Grassi’s technique, musicality, and general style. This is an amazing book (a 192 page tome of information!), but it is dense and highly technical.
If you are thinking about investing your time into this book, consider what sub-style of fingerstyle you are interested in. Listen to Alex de Grassi’s playing to see if that is the direction that you want to go in. I personally love his playing - he uses a lot of classical technique, he has incredible control and clarity, he is extremely melodic, expressive, and musical, he tastefully uses some modern percussive techniques and cross string ideas, and he plays music that sounds like a blend of folk, Celtic, and blues. If you want to play like Chet Atkins or Tommy Emmanuel, start with a different book. If you want to play like Andy McKee, Preston Reed, Don Ross, or Mike Dawes, this book has several very applicable chapters and isn’t a bad stepping stone. This is a great book if you want to be a well-rounded and precise player.
De Grassi claims that this book is for beginner through advanced players. The first half of the book certainly contains a lot of “beginner” fingerstyle information, but I highly discourage beginner players from starting with this book as their first foray into fingerstyle guitar. There are more approachable books with easier arrangements and less text. If you are a big Alex de Grassi fan and you’re dead set on going through this book as a beginner, it would be helpful to work with a teacher and/or to supplement it with another more beginner-oriented method book (see my other videos/reviews).
I think that this book is very beneficial to a late beginner or intermediate player who can already smoothly play some solo fingerstyle arrangements. This book will tweak your physical techniques, your tone, and your artistic touch (phrasing, articulation, dynamics, etc.).
Overall, the 2nd half of the book is very “heady” with many advanced concepts that beginners don’t need to bog themselves down with. These concepts include difficult cross-string ideas, reasons to use alternate tunings, complex rhythmic ideas (cross-rhythms), modern percussive techniques, and ways to add depth and dimension to your sound.
The repertoire in the book consists of traditional tunes and the author’s original tunes. There are several full song arrangements, but most of the examples are song fragments. De Grassi breaks down these fragments in great detail in order to demonstrate the topic being discussed in the text.
There is SO much detail in the descriptions. He gets into the nuances of how to physically perform a technique, where to place your fingers, how to control note durations, etc. The text is very dense, and it took me a long, long time to get through it. I recommend listening to each (wonderful) audio example, then reading the text pertaining to that example, and then playing that example. You will likely need to repeat this process multiple times for each example or topic.
The audio recordings are invaluable for hearing the artistic details, ornamentation, and complex rhythms of the examples. I don’t think I’ve ever been so tied to the audio recordings of a method book.
All playing examples are provided in standard notation (treble clef) and tablature.
You could use either a steel string acoustic or nylon string classical guitar to work through this book. You don’t have to fret any bass notes using your thumb over the top (although I like to here and there).
Published in 2012.
My eBook: Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook. Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar.
My music is available on all streaming platforms at open.spotify.com/artist/5dcokTG6C598OhTslHH5uo?si=hrQb7FViSZewDRSgECw9Ew:
Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, "Open Road," on UA-cam here: ua-cam.com/video/uPBh8sZQsT4/v-deo.htmlsi=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C.
Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.
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Відео
Guitar Books Topic Talk #3: Repertoire
Переглядів 1733 місяці тому
Quick advice, tips, and tricks for improving at fingerstyle guitar, ukulele, etc. Selecting and maintaining a repertoire of tunes is critically important. Whether you want to casually play for friends/family or you aspire to perform at a local bar/restaurant gig, you should intentionally choose repertoire tunes that suit your desired performance outlet. Once you’ve built a repertoire, maintaini...
Guitar Books Topic Talk #2: Practicing
Переглядів 2174 місяці тому
Quick advice, tips, and tricks for improving at fingerstyle guitar, ukulele, etc. To progress as a musician and achieve your long-term and short-term goals, it is important to practice well. Practicing efficiently and effectively will help you to improve faster with less practice time. This is relevant not only to fingerstyle guitarists and fingerstyle ukulele players, but to all aspiring music...
Guitar Books Topic Talk #1: Musical Goals
Переглядів 2085 місяців тому
Quick advice, tips, and tricks for improving at fingerstyle guitar, ukulele, etc. In order to progress as a musician it is important to have clear long-term and short-term goals. This is relevant not only to fingerstyle guitarists and fingerstyle ukulele players, but to all aspiring musicians regardless of their chosen instrument or genre of music. Figure out what your long-term goals are. Make...
Guitar Books Review #17: Hal Leonard Fingerpicking Guitar
Переглядів 1 тис.5 місяців тому
Is this one of the best or worst method books for acoustic fingerstyle guitar? You can learn to play music by simultaneously using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Hal Leonard’s Fingerpicking Guitar, written by Doug Boduch, is a method book for learning to play solo fingerstyle (or “fingerpicking”) guitar or fingerstyle guitar accompaniment. The book featu...
Guitar Books Review #16: Acoustic Guitar Fingerstyle Method by David Hamburger
Переглядів 8536 місяців тому
Is this one of the best or worst method books for acoustic fingerstyle guitar? You can learn to play music by simultaneously using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. David Hamburger’s The Acoustic Guitar Fingerstyle Method is a method book for learning to play solo fingerstyle (or “fingerpicking”) guitar in the American roots styles (folk, blues, ragtime, ea...
Guitar Books Review #15: Fingerstyle 101 by Dan Thorpe
Переглядів 1 тис.7 місяців тому
Is this one of the best or worst method books for fingerstyle guitar? You can learn to play music by simultaneously using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Dan Thorpe’s Fingerstyle 101 is a method book for learning to play fingerstyle (or “fingerpicking”) guitar. The book is appropriate for absolute beginner fingerstyle players who have some experience with...
Guitar Books Review #14: Christmas Repertoire for Solo Fingerstyle Guitar
Переглядів 3778 місяців тому
Christmas repertoire books featuring solo fingerstyle guitar arrangements are great for the holiday season! Whether you simply want to get into the Christmas spirit or you need to perform Christmas tunes at your gigs, there are a number of great Christmas repertoire books. In this review I will look at three books that I really enjoy: Hal Leonard’s “Fingerpicking Yuletide,” Mark Phillips’ “Chri...
Guitar Books Review #13: Fingerstyle Guitar by Ken Perlman
Переглядів 1,1 тис.9 місяців тому
Is this one of the best or worst method books for fingerstyle guitar? You can learn to play music by simultaneously using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Ken Perlman’s Fingerstyle Guitar is a method book for learning to play solo fingerstyle guitar in the folk, blues, fiddle tune, Celtic, and ragtime styles. The book becomes progressively more difficult -...
Guitar Books Review #12: The New Art of Ragtime Guitar by Richard Saslow
Переглядів 1,6 тис.10 місяців тому
Is this one of the best or worst method books for fingerstyle guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Richard S. Saslow’s "The New Art of Ragtime Guitar" is a fun, well-graduated repertoire analysis book for learning to play the fingerpicking guitar style known as ragtime guitar. It is aimed at intermediate and advanced f...
Joe McMurray - Open Road - Lowden Guitars
Переглядів 29510 місяців тому
First single from Joe McMurray's upcoming fingerstyle guitar album, "Pins on the Map" (January 2024) "Open Road" available on all platforms October 20, 2023 Recorded on a Lowden O-50 guitar with a cedar top and Madagascar rosewood back and sides. Guitar Tabs available at www.joemcmurray.com "Open Road" is a solo fingerstyle guitar tune overflowing with the energy and excitement of a fresh adven...
Guitar Books Review #11: Fingerstyle Blues by Miggs Rivera
Переглядів 1,1 тис.11 місяців тому
Is this one of the best or worst method books for fingerstyle blues guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Miggs Rivera’s Fingerstyle Blues is an inspiring, well-graduated method book for learning to play fingerstyle blues. It is aimed at intermediate and advanced fingerstyle players. Each chapter ultimately provides a f...
Guitar Books Review #10: 100 Most Popular Songs for Fingerpicking Guitar by Hal Leonard
Переглядів 3,9 тис.Рік тому
Is this one of the best or worst repertoire books for fingerstyle guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Hal Leonard’s 100 Most Popular Songs for Fingerpicking Guitar is a repertoire book filled with solo fingerstyle guitar arrangements of popular songs from mostly the 1960s through present day. Genres covered include cl...
Guitar Books Review #9: Complete Country Blues Guitar Book by Stefan Grossman
Переглядів 1,4 тис.Рік тому
Is this one of the best or worst repertoire books for fingerstyle blues guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Stefan Grossman’s Complete Country Blues Guitar Book is a repertoire book of various substyles of fingerstyle blues (general old time country blues, Delta blues, ragtime blues, Texas blues, and bottleneck blues)...
Guitar Books Review #8: Fingerstyle Blues Guitar by Joseph Alexander
Переглядів 3,4 тис.Рік тому
Is this one of the best or worst method books for fingerstyle blues guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Joseph Alexander’s Fingerstyle Blues Guitar (published by Fundamental Changes) is an excellent book for learning the fundamentals of fingerstyle blues guitar with either a monotonic or alternating bass. While this b...
Guitar Books Review #7: Fingerpicking Beatles
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Guitar Books Review #7: Fingerpicking Beatles
Guitar Books Review #6, Fingerstyle Guitar from Scratch by Bruce Emery
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Guitar Books Review #6, Fingerstyle Guitar from Scratch by Bruce Emery
Guitar Books Review #5: The Gigging Guitarist by Michael Wood
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Guitar Books Review #5: The Gigging Guitarist by Michael Wood
Guitar Books Review #4: The Art of Solo Fingerpicking by Mark Hanson
Переглядів 3,5 тис.Рік тому
Guitar Books Review #4: The Art of Solo Fingerpicking by Mark Hanson
Guitar Books Review #3: Complete Chet Atkins Guitar Method
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Guitar Books Review #3: Complete Chet Atkins Guitar Method
Guitar Books Review #2, Hal Leonard Fingerstyle Method
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Guitar Books Review #2, Hal Leonard Fingerstyle Method
Guitar Books Review #1: Alfred Beginning Fingerstyle Guitar Method
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Guitar Books Review #1: Alfred Beginning Fingerstyle Guitar Method
Joe McMurray - Under the Monkeypod - Kala Ukuleles
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Joe McMurray - Under the Monkeypod - Kala Ukuleles
Joe McMurray - First Smile - Lowden Guitars
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Joe McMurray - First Smile - Lowden Guitars
Joe McMurray - Live Music for Honolulu
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Joe McMurray - Live Music for Honolulu
Joe McMurray: Live Jazz for Private Events and Weddings
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Joe McMurray: Live Jazz for Private Events and Weddings
Such an incredibly thorough review. Thanks! Am getting this.
Man, everything you’re playing here sounds great. Plus that guitar sounds amazing. Just wondering, is this book series orientated towards folk or classical.
Thank you!! I do love my Lowden... Recorded my 2nd and 3rd albums with it and the sound is noticeably better than on my first album. This book is definitely geared more towards folk and "fingerstyle" rather than "classical." Which are you more interested in?
@@JoeMcMurrayMusic Duly noted. On the book front, since I am learning to read and already play a little (with a pick) I went ahead and bought two books - one classical and one folk. The Aaron Shearer Classic Guitar technique which is beginner level I believe + a collection of intermediate songs in notation called "Fingerstyle Guitar Songs: Hal Leonard Guitar Method Supplement". The second is likely to be a challenge but hopefully UA-cam will help with technique. Will fiddle around and see what works.
Only worry is whether The Hal Leonard will have fingerings or not.
Shucks. Just checked the displayed pages of the finger style book on Amazon and I see there are no markings for fingering. I might have bitten off more than I can chew. Any advice? Can one wing it with a little help from UA-cam.
@@accentontheoff If you are interested, spending time studying classical guitar will seriously help your "fingerstyle" playing. Learning to improve your tone, to choose the most efficient fingerings, etc. I actually have the Aaron Shearer book to see if I want to use it as a teaching aid, but haven't had the chance to go through it yet. So the only "fingerstyle" book you own is the Hal Leonard supplement? I'd really suggest getting one of the methods that I've reviewed on my channel, as that will help you to play those supplemental songs much more than browsing on UA-cam for tips! Or work with a teacher!
Great review! I have this book but the ebook version. It has video demonstrations of Alex playing the examples. It's great!
Thanks! My version may be a bit older so I didn't realize that there were now video demonstrations! Thanks for letting me know (along with informing anyone else watching/reading)! Do you agree with my breakdown? Anything else you think people should know about the book?
@@JoeMcMurrayMusic Yes, I completely agree with your review. I am a late beginner I guess, but I like knowing the fundamentals with great detail. The approach of this book matches exactly the way I approach everything as I tend to be perfectionist. I have spent a lot of time muting the strings to avoid opens strings when they sound too dissonant. I went back to the beginning of my classical guitar books and relearn how to play the guitar controlling note duration. I am very happy wit the result, specially controlling the bass line note duration. It is like a fingerstyle guitar "Bible", but as you said, not for everyone. I recommend the version with videos.
Another great book review. I guess I’m drawn in to your channel by having a history of buying music I would love to learn but never have the time for it. I have so much now that I have to selectively choose only my very favorite pieces. Your channel has more value than you know, but I agree with the other comment that you could get more traction if you bait the audience. However, I totally respect your opinion that it is disingenuous and that might come through if you force it. It also could take off and tempt you away into content creation instead of doing something that you love more. Anyway, thanks Joe.
Thanks for commenting and your kind words! You and I are in the same boat - I do NOT have time to learn and play all that I want, so I have tried to focus my efforts and let some things go. I'm glad that my channel has helped you to spend your practice time moving in the right direction efficiently and productively! I'm contemplating the clickbait titles, but I don't expect to make a living off of UA-cam. I'm most interested in promoting fingerstyle guitar and being part of the community. We'll see what happens!
Hey Joe!!!! Great review. I actually did a gig with Alex many years back - glad to see you on YT!
Adam! Thanks for checking it out! Some day when I get through my guitar books (and uke books too), I'd like to review some video lessons/online classes and yours will be at the top of my list! I learned so much from your videos back before we met ~2018 or 2019. Hope all is well!
Also, where was the gig with Alex?
Great review and invaluable information as always. Thank you so much. I guess this website doesn't promote any videos without a title like "don't do this fingerstyle mistake" or something like that.
Thanks! This book was a big project to work through, so happy to share my experience with it. Are you saying that you do or don't want my channel to put out some quick tips?
@@JoeMcMurrayMusic I’d like to watch your quick tips videos. I am 100% sure they will have great content. It’s just that click bait titles or thumbnails get more attention and higher views regardless of the quality of the content. People will love your videos if you could get their attention.
I have posted 3 "Topic Talks" (so far) in which I try to give some useful, quick advice in under 10 minutes. I'm not really drawn to creating clickbait titles because it feels so cheesy... But I do wish more people would watch, so maybe I need to compromise a little.
Golden retriever gets 5 stars.
I see that you have one too! She's a great companion for practice and most other things!
I have had a lot of progress on my guitar journey and at the start I had goals but not anymore. Now I just enjoy plucking those strings. I don't see myself as a musicians and don't want to head in that direction. Maybe that is what makes the difference. --- Since I started 1st March 2023 with acoustic guitar, I have composed my own stuff, as I didn't find even one single teacher interesting, as it was all about playing other peoples compositions. --- In this sense I skip the "musician" and call myself an artist and composer instead. ------- The biggest problem have, is actually to find a proper teacher, which actually could help me, despite having no goals. ----- It's somewhat bizarre, but I happily keep plucking those strings and have both joy and good progress. Can't really complain 🤣😂 However, I do think music teachers more than often are stuck within a small box, from where they are supposed to help people play music and not be creativity killers. --- Well, just my take on things. Maybe time to reinvent both the approach and especially the theory. ---- Western music have 12 tones and those are just shuffled around. Very poor compared to music from India and other countries and cultures.
I'm glad you are enjoying your playing and composing! Sounds like you are a naturally creative person. Many of us don't have that natural ability or inclination to create something completely new without some sort of framework. Learning music theory, other songs, technique, etc. can give us a starting point and creative direction. For instance, I don't teach scales for the sake of playing scales, but 1) so that a student learns a group of notes that create a new sound or mood (i.e. the Lydian scale creates a cool dreamy mood; the Mixolydian and major and minor blues scales create a bluesy sound) that they can use to experiment or compose, and 2) to develop finger dexterity (you need your fingers to be able to physically execute the sounds you hear in your head). If you are satisfied with your compositions and the sound of your playing, then you are probably doing what's right for you. If you want a teacher who will teach you more about composition, find one who has written compositions that you admire.
@@JoeMcMurrayMusic - Thanks a lot for your reply!. --- One who have written composition I admire.... hmmm...... Erik Satie, J.S Bach, Ravel....... yeah, you know....they are all long gone. ----- I will not say I am satisfied with my compositions and the sound I play. But from what I can, it is excellent. Things get more and more advanced as I go along. I also make my own backing tracks for practice and did already after first month. ------ I do still miss a person, that somewhat have the ability to point me in interesting directions. -------- I have already spend around $2000 USD on teachers, which have been a complete waste. ------ What I am teaching myself is technique, finger dexterity as you mention and the like. I already have a pretty good foundation in theory. --- I didn't choose the usual chords to start with, like A, D, C, G and E. ----- I went for sounds I like, Am, Dm, E, Em, C, C7, D7, A7. DMaj9 and so on, and from there listened to which chords sound good together. I quickly stopped using the usual progression as I felt them extremely boring. ---- Couple of days ago I wanted to go further with different rhythm, so stumbled on Bossa Nova. Very simple and easy and got inspiration and today I made a backing track and already done some practice using finger picking style together with it. Works wonderful. ----- Also when I play the very simple I can do atm, other people actually find it soothing and nice sounding. So it's not only me who can hear it's valid ok - good music. Nothing special but also nothing that make people cringe. ------- I still miss a teacher who would dare to take the challenge and not try to persuade me to play other peoples composition.... 🤣😂🤣 Also I am not interested in a composer as a teacher. I can already do that. ---- What I am looking for is a teacher who can basically help me speed up what I am already doing. Without having to play all these beginner pieces that are usually presented. --- so maybe a teacher who teach techniques is what I am really looking for......correct me or guide me in right direction. Also takes a teacher who can see the potential of a student. See through the layers. I guess only few such teachers exist. --------- About scales as example. I started with scales also, as that's what teachers teach. But what is the point learning scales if not able to make a melody out of the notes in a scale?!. ---- Also staying within the same key and time signature is boring. So composing from theory is pointless, unless wanting to sound like millions of others.
@@JoeMcMurrayMusic --------- I want to thank you again. Because it actually made me reflect much deeper into what I am really looking for in a teacher. ----- Your reply might have been much more valuable than it might seem at first. ----- You might actually be a blessing after all! thnx a lot! ❤🙏
You're doing a great job. I played rock/ jazz professionally years ago. Life got in the way. Now I'm working on classical and finger style.
Sounds like we have had a very similar musical path. It is SO satisfying to play a solo classical or fingerstyle arrangement of a tune, and Christmas tunes often work especially well.
Found you from your review on Amazon. Will check out your book seems like it might be good based on your detailed reviews.
Thanks for your comment! If you have some experience playing fingerstyle, then my book will deepen your understanding of how to approach fingerstyle tunes, interpret/modify arrangements, create your own arrangements, etc. Even just the first chapter should clear up a lot of the mystery behind playing in this style.
Hey Joe,this books actually used to come with 2 cds,now it comes with a download of the 2 cds.I'm not sure how yours did'nt have either.Anyway great review.
Chris- Thanks for bringing this to my attention! That is an embarrassing oversight. Yes, this book comes with online audio access for each of the tunes in this book.
Nice to hear ukulele pronounced properly: ooh/koo/lay/lay
I did live in Hawaii for a few years, so I got used to pronouncing it like the islanders! However, many people on the mainland look at me funny when I pronounce it correctly...
@@JoeMcMurrayMusic, ignorance and lack of education abound. Up here in Canuckland they look at me funny when I call fries, cheese curds, and gravy pootsin instead of pooteen (as I understand, it means whore in French)
@@KaptainCanuck lol, just keep educating people!
Thanks for the review I'm gonna take a chance on this
Thanks for your comment! Once you spend some time with the book, please update us on what you think of it.
Hey so I got the book but maybe I'm looking for a better easier finger picking book, do you recommend one of your personal books are they beginner intermediate friendly songs??
@@SK-er3yd Hey - are you a beginner fingerstyle player? Do you have any prior experience playing other guitar styles? My book, "Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar," focuses on arranging Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, and it starts out at about a late-beginner fingerstyle level. You may want to consider Bruce Emery's "Fingerstyle Guitar from Scratch." Alfred Publishing's "Beginning Fingerstyle Guitar" is a good place to start as well.
This seems to be wonderful Could you just open one page of your book with the type of notation of a song (traditional notes, tablature… chords indicated…. It’s the only thing which miss me to buy the book On the site all the samples have an example Thank you 😊
Hey - I can't seem to share a picture through a UA-cam comment. Email me at joemcmurrayguitar@gmail.com and I will send you a picture of a couple pages. The book always provides standard notation, TAB, chord names above the music (no tiny chord diagrams), and minimal right and left hand fingering (there is more right hand fingering towards the beginning of the book).
I like the tune. You get a good sound from your ukulele.
Thanks! My Kala has a great tone, but my mic setup also helps. If you're interested, I recorded two more uke tracks on my recent album, "Pins on the Map." open.spotify.com/album/2r6FaA4RO709sKXRiTVIcf?si=eIEPT6_7TQyA-sF2IoHSvA. Check out "Homesick for Honolulu" and "Breakfast Bodega."
@@JoeMcMurrayMusic I have a subscription to Spotify. I listen to your album.
Great insights here Joe thx !
Thanks Jeremiah! It was great to see you at the Artisan Guitar Show!!
The best tip I ever got from Chet’s book was and is, Try to place your fretting fingers directly behind the fretwire. I found that is how to keep from getting lost and with practice you just fly across the fretboard.
Great advice! Definitely helps for getting better tone.
Fretwire. The fret is the space of the fretboard between the fretwires. Colloquial usually = WRONG!!
Are these complete transcriptions of the songs.
Hey - in general each arrangement provides one full form of the song, although there are at least a few shorter ones (12 bar blues, etc.) that go through the form twice. A lot of these end up being 20-30 seconds in length as written. However, if you were to arrange one of your own choruses/forms, then you could play the main melody (the book's arrangement), your arrangement, and then end with the main melody again. Alternatively, you could take an improvisation chorus in the middle. Finally, you could play and sing many of these tunes (so you would extend them with the multiple verses, instrumental breaks, etc.). Hope that helps!
Standard Notation too? Or only tablature?
The Complete Chet Atkins Guitar Method is both standard notation and tablature
Great video, thanks for sharing these reviews with us!
I'm glad they have been helpful! More in the pipeline.
Terrific playing, Joe. Gotta say, that Lowden's a hell of guitar. You and Pierre Bensusan!
Thank you! Randomly, I was just down in the Florida Keys and saw "Bensusan" on a sign on Highway 1 in Islamorada. I looked it up and it turned out that Pierre was performing at a park there, so I was able to watch and meet him last Friday evening! He is incredible at improvising in the middle of his pieces!
Hey this is great advice Joe! I love playing my guitar, so it never feels like “practice “. However, I find myself spending time going over what I already know and never really growing. Thanks, I think this would be a good format to add to your book reviews!
@@danielmontiel4561 This is great! I would recommend narrowing your short term repertoire goals - play through multiple songs and then pick one song to add to your repertoire now. You can learn the others later, but try to memorize and master one for now. I would not spend the time working on sight reading (standard notation) unless you want to play classical or jazz music or you want to play in an ensemble (or local theater?) or something like that. If you are most interested in traditional American music and blues, then you can learn that through tabs, by ear, through videos, etc. Hamburger's book is great, but check out the traditional-style tunes in the back of the Alfred book as well. Choosing a specific fingerstyle style is useful, but there is a lot of crossover - alternating bass lines (Travis style) and arpeggation are used in all types of music. You can focus in on one as a long term goal, but you don't have to shut the others out. Also, think about whether you'd like to play out, on the porch, for relaxation/meditation, etc. Then your short term goals can more specifically lead you towards those long term goals. I hope my long-winded answer helps!
Great advice! Please make more videos if it’s possible.
Hey thanks! I'll absolutely make more videos!
I was wondering if you were reading standard notation or tabs while you were playing.
Although I practice reading standard notation every day in my classical studies, for these book review video performances I honestly read from the TAB. HOWEVER, in books like this that provide both treble clef and TAB, they rarely have the rhythms notated in the TAB, so I read those rhythms from the treble clef while I'm initially learning a piece. I wish they would notate the rhythms in the TAB because it is easy to do with notation software...
@@JoeMcMurrayMusic Thanks.Good info.
What’s the best fingerstyle book for a 12 year old girl who is highly motivated to learn fingerstyle?
Thanks for your comment! Does your 12 year old already have musical experience or training? That would make a big difference. My knee jerk reaction is that your 12 year old should take private lessons (in person, video lessons, etc.) and the teacher could help her work through one of these books. I've taught many children in that age range and they generally aren't as motivated to actually read the text and fingerings, etc. so they don't stay on course, they develop bad habits, and they lose motivation. Nobody needs lessons forever, but a period of guidance can get you moving in the right direction and make an incredible difference in the long run. However, if your 12 y/o is exceptional and wants to actually spend the time working through a book, then let me know what kind of music she wants to learn (within the umbrella of fingerstyle guitar) - does she want to play fingerstyle arrangements of modern popular music? Does she want to play fingerstyle blues, ragtime, folk, or Celtic tunes? Is she into modern percussive players like Andy McKee or Mike Dawes? Or is she drawn to classical guitar? There are different books that focus on these different sub-styles.
@@JoeMcMurrayMusic thanks for the response! I’m actually an elementary music teacher and a fingerstyle guitarist. I have taught her the ukulele and she’s pretty competent with rhythmic strumming and some basic uke fingerstyle. I’m looking for a great method book for her that I can do with her. This will be her first introduction to guitar. Everything we’ve done so far has been by ear. No written music learning.
@@churchhymnsandpsalms This book has great arrangements of popular repertoire and has some approachable examples, but it just doesn't have that many examples overall. The Alfred Beginning Fingerstyle Method has more practice examples and detailed content and is probably my favorite to teach with in general, but it may not be as appealing to a young student.
@churchhymnsandpsalms I continued thinking about this through the afternoon... Another book to consider is "Fingerstyle Guitar From Scratch" by Bruce Emery (Episode 6) - this book has a very gradual progression that might be really good for a 12 y/o. Lots and lots of practice examples that explore lots of arpeggiation/picking patterns! It's mostly focused on accompaniment, but the author also published a book called "Travis Style Guitar from Scratch" that I'm looking at purchasing as a teaching aid. Also, as a supplement, I love the solo arrangements in Michael Wood's "The Gigging Guitarist (Episode 5). The arrangements sound great and most are very playable for ~late beginners and onwards. These are all Celtic and Appalachian tunes. I haven't been through it, but the author also has a book of hymns and spirituals (from your UA-cam name, this might interest you!).
@@JoeMcMurrayMusic thank you so much! I have Wood’s hymns! They’re fantastic!
Hey great review as per usual. I'm definitely gonna check this book. I'd like one of these days for you to review learn and master fingerstyle guitar by Steve krenz . I know it comes along with DVD or the other way around 😂. Anyways it'll be great to hear your thoughts on it.
Hey thanks so much for your comment and suggestion! I just looked into the Steve Krenz book/DVDs - I need to hold off on it until I see a less expensive used set ($120 is the cheapest I can currently find). Or if the author/publisher wanted to send me one then I'd be happy to review it! For what it's worth, it looks like the Steve Krenz book/DVDs are about learning guitar in general and not specifically fingerstyle guitar.
Based on your review, Joe, I bought this book, and it arrived today! Very excited. Interested in playing piedmont blues, which some say is synonymous with ragtime, which is the root, I think, of Travis picking. This book looks perfect. Thank you man!
Glad you picked this one up! Super fun book. And yes, the Travis Picking in this book will prepare you for the Piedmont Blues (Blind Blake, etc.) that also uses the same alternating bass patterns.
Which book is best for learn arranging fingerstyle
Really helpful, Joe. Loved that you played so many excerps of the music contained in the book. Gave me a very clear idea of what it's all about. Thanks for the review.
Thanks Anne! This book in particular has so many playing examples - mostly in the Travis (alternating bass) style. Very different and effective teaching approach as well - they teach one key signature at a time.
Thank you for taking the trouble to review so many books to help us find the right one. I have been playing electric guitar for some time but have been stuck for a while. I've recently fallen in love with fingerstyle and I'm looking forward to starting with a book to teach myself fingers, and it helps so much that you review the books for us and even demonstrate some of the songs for us.
You're welcome - I'm glad the reviews are helpful! It gives me a great excuse to continue buying and working through so many books! If you are just starting the transition to fingerstyle from electric, I wouldn't recommend starting with this book from Mark Hanson. He has some others that are more approachable at the beginning. There are a bunch of great beginner fingerstyle method books that I've reviewed (see Reviews #1, 2, 3, 6, 15, and 16).
Thank you for the detailed review, I really appreciate it. It's hard to choose, all books seem to have some pros and cons (as always) and not all of them are easily accessible here in Austria (Europe). I'm currently torn between Alfred (#1 video) and Hal Leonard (#2 video) because they are available and according to your reviews they should be very good...although Alfred is almost twice as expensive. Some say that according to Hal Leonard most of the songs are not complete, but are just small examples. What do you think about it? Is it a problem or is this okay for practice?
@@Georg89 I like the Alfred book better for most students. Hal Leonard has some snippets and some full arrangements of famous tunes, which is really nice. The Alfred book has some great original tunes that flow with the info being presented and better overall content.
@@JoeMcMurrayMusic Thank you for this further information. Based on this, I'm going to pick up the Alfred book (or maybe the Chet Atkins method; the examples you played from it were really nice) and maybe someday a songbook that just has full arrangements of famous songs, just for motivation.
@@Georg89 That's a great idea. For repertoire, maybe pick up one of Hal Leonard's "Fingerpicking" series ( 100 Most Popular Songs for Fingerpicking Guitar, Fingerpicking Beatles, Fingerpicking Campfire, etc.). Other options out there for fingerstyle blues, ragtime, or Celtic repertoire.
I discovered Dan Thorpe's book after having given up the guitar for 10 years and deciding that I wanted to return to it and focus on fingerstyle. As an intermediate player, I went through it in about 6 months and it was excellent. I think Joe misses the mark when he talks about the book consisting of "a lot of text" in which the author offers "tips and advice." More accurately, Dan emphasizes the importance of technique in guitar playing and devotes considerable time to explaining the elements of proper technique. This is invaluable for a player at any level. (Before I quit, I developed tendonitis around my thumb and a chronic problem with my picking index finger, all because of bad technique. I won't have the same problems anymore.) The 10 patterns are interesting, and they provide a solid foundation for moving on to more advanced or specialized books. (I'm now going through Hanson's The Art of Contemporary Travis Picking, for example.) Overall, Dan is a superb teacher and I recommend his book to anyone wanting to take up fingerstyle guitar.
Can't disagree with you there, Joe. I'm enjoying your reviews!@@JoeMcMurrayMusic
I always enjoy your reviews and playing Joe.
Thank you! Let me know if you have any recordings of yourself and I'll check them out!
Thanks for rewiving this book so thoroughly. Looks a lot of fun to play 😊
Re-wiving?! lol, you're welcome! These are really fun folk, blues, rag tunes to play!
@@JoeMcMurrayMusic lol I meant reviewing 😂. Yeah this one will be with me at due time (making progress with Alfred at the moment)
@@danielmontiel4561 You'll get a lot out of those two books!
Thank you I really appreciate your review, I enjoy your videos
Hey thanks! What are you currently working on musically?
Thanks for creating and posting. This kind of presentation is rare - it provides an opportunity for guitarists to actually hear the pieces in a book, performed by a skilled musician. Also, the review itself is well-informed and balanced.
Thanks so much for the kind words! Let me know if there are any books that you'd like for me to review in the future. Good luck with everything!
Im just getting into fingerstyling . Your reviews are very helpful. I could tell you're a person working hard on your music. Keep up the good work and great reviews 👍🏽
@@JoeMcMurrayMusic 😆yeah I have been playing for about 15 yrs. I play mostly at church . I'm getting into finger style because I think (and I'm seeing) that it's fundamental for my growth as a guitarist. I can relate to what you said. I rarely want to play anything but finger style theses days . 😆
Great playing and review
@@JoeMcMurrayMusic not right now… I’m already surrounded by books that I’m working on. :)
@@JoeMcMurrayMusic it’s all fun and games until you have to move.
So which book WOULD you recommend for beginning fingerstyle guitar?
Finally Athena shows up
Athena made the video better
Great channel Joe! I don’t know if you have ever purchased Brian Gore’s “Fingerstyle Guitar- Lessons in Technique and Creativity”. I found it a great read, with a few fabulous tunes one could add to their repertoire. Definitely more on the modern fingerstyle side for those in your audience into that kind of thing.
Great playing Joe and review of the book.. think I will buy one
I will acquire this book. Thanks for the review.
Love how the dog just teleports in at 9:41
I love watching these videos. Not manny channels like this at all so thank you so much for taking the time to do this! I’ve already bought and started diving into a few of them. Keep the videos and reviews coming! 🤙🏻
Thanks so much for watching and commenting! I love that these reviews give me an excuse to keep buying more books... Let me know if you ever have more questions/direction.
Thank’s a lot for this great review i like this super style do you know the great french guitar player Marcel Dady ? he was a fan and a friend of chet atkin’s and very well known in the Us , he was a really great guitar player
Hey - thanks for the listening recommendation! I just pulled Marcel Dadi up on Spotify and I love his playing! Will listen through his catalog.
Many thanks from the UK for taking time to do these videos. It is very difficult, without going into a music store, to judge how suitable a tuition book is. Your videos are so useful to decide which may be best. Have ordered 3 books as a result - Alfred, Hal Leonard and Chet Atkins fingerstyle books. Thanks!
I really enjoy your videos, Happy holidays and keep up the good work!
Thanks so much! Hope you had a great holiday season as well!
Dude! Great Idea! U Rock!!