Rock Guitar for Dummies

Rating:
Summary: Very useful reference, lacks a bit in the lessons...
Review: Being VERY new to the guitar, I found this book to be a very useful reference. However, I think if you are starting from scratch it may be more useful to start with Guitar for Dummies. The author assumes you have at least a bit of knowledge about the very basics of music theory that are more completely covered there. Also, this is NOT a method book. While it covers a lot of useful ground, it's not exactly chock full of extended lessons. Instead, the author tends to touch on a subject and provide a short example before moving on. On the plus side, there are lots of tips and tricks that I haven't seen in method books and they can be very helpful if you are learning without a teacher. Likewise, it's full of useful information about the mechanics of your guitar, amps, effects, maintenance, etc. The CD is also a great bonus as it's really nice (and sometimes surprising) to hear what it is you're supposed to be playing. I think it would go hand in hand with a good method book (perhaps Chris Lopez's First Stage book?).

Rating:
Summary: Not for beginners
Review: I am 13 but I thought I could still handle this book, considering I have beed playing for half a year now, but this book is very bad. All the info is piled together, rushed and confusing. I though for dummies meant for dummies. Do not buy this book. WASTE.

Rating:
Summary: Agree, not for dummies
Review: I want to second the comment "This book skips over subjects with very shallow explanations". P. 71: "A two-note power chord contains the root on the bottom and the fifth degree on top". What does "root" and "fifth degree" mean? I don't know. And the book never explains. But you have to know to understand the following explanation for positioning fingers on all power chords. I'm a dummy - please explain these terms!! So, I am stopped dead on p. 71. But I learned lots of things about the amp before I stopped. At least I can talk about the amp, even though I cannot play the guitar.

Rating:
Summary: Agree, not for dummies
Review: I want to second the comment "This book skips over subjects with very shallow explanations". P. 71: "A two-note power chord contains the root on the bottom and the fifth degree on top". What does "root" and "fifth degree" mean? I don't know. And the book never explains. But you have to know to understand the following explanation for positioning fingers on all power chords. I'm a dummy - please explain these terms!! So, I am stopped dead on p. 71. But I learned lots of things about the amp before I stopped. At least I can talk about the amp, even though I cannot play the guitar.

Rating:
Summary: Rock Guitar Rookies
Review: If you are just starting out, this book will be very helpfull to you. It covers basic progressions, and some different rythms, each one is only about 14 seconds though, so you'll have to extend them yourself. If you are interested in learning lead, this book covers just about all you'll need to be in a rock band. So buy this book, and you'll be all set.

Rating:
Summary: a waste of money
Review: If you have the savvy to hop onto Amazon and see this review, you have the savvy to Google all the information you could get from this. Plenty of websites offer all this information and more. And all this information? Well, let's just say it isn't so great for people who may not actually be dummies in other areas of their lives. Simple stuff for simple minds.

Rating:
Summary: Very misleading in my opinion.
Review: In my opinion, the title and description are very misleading. This book skips over subjects with very shallow explanations, and contrary to the "for dummies" this is not a book for beginners. It may help if you are already taking lessons, strictly as a reference, but this book will not teach you to play, since it leaves out some very vital explanations and details. They go on too much about some things that aren't important, and not enough about things that are. I give it a thumbs down.

Rating:
Summary: Very misleading in my opinion.
Review: In my opinion, the title and description are very misleading. This book skips over subjects with very shallow explanations, and contrary to the "for dummies" this is not a book for beginners. It may help if you are already taking lessons, strictly as a reference, but this book will not teach you to play, since it leaves out some very vital explanations and details. They go on too much about some things that aren't important, and not enough about things that are. I give it a thumbs down.

Rating:
Summary: Not for beginners
Review: Well, not really dummies, but the very beginner. When you're putting your rig together to get a certain sound and want to know what's out there. The type of guitars, amps, all the pedals. It reviews the sounds that many great past and present players have and what they use to get it. It cuts down on a lot of guess work and the waste of money in buying pedals you don't need or gear you end up never using. It gives many short riff's to give you a taste of the many differnt styles and how to play them. Granted this is not a teach all or tell all book. The hard work is up to you. It's give a great illustration of the pentatonic scale, explaining how it links in the first 12 frets, and if you've been doing any work at all you know that the fret board basically starts over at the 12th fret only an octave higher. Anyway, if you already have your rig, and have knowledge of today's gear and bands, then this book isn't for your.

Rating:
Summary: Just what it says, for the dummies!
Review: Well, not really dummies, but the very beginner. When you're putting your rig together to get a certain sound and want to know what's out there. The type of guitars, amps, all the pedals. It reviews the sounds that many great past and present players have and what they use to get it. It cuts down on a lot of guess work and the waste of money in buying pedals you don't need or gear you end up never using. It gives many short riff's to give you a taste of the many differnt styles and how to play them. Granted this is not a teach all or tell all book. The hard work is up to you. It's give a great illustration of the pentatonic scale, explaining how it links in the first 12 frets, and if you've been doing any work at all you know that the fret board basically starts over at the 12th fret only an octave higher. Anyway, if you already have your rig, and have knowledge of today's gear and bands, then this book isn't for your.