Chord Workbook for Guitar Volume One : Guitar chords and chord progressions for the guitar

Rating:
Summary: I would have killed to have these in college!
Review: Bruce Arnold is an accomplished jazz guitarist and educator. I reviewed three of his instruction books: 1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist; Chord Workbook for Guitar; and Music Theory Workbook for Guitar.

I also listened to an incredible jazz music album he provided for my listening pleasure. As a player, he is awesome. As a writer of instruction manuals, he is very good for the more advanced student. I compared his books with the Mel Bay series, which I use for my students (and on which I learned). His go into much more depth than those I'm accustomed to. Ideally, I would introduce his material after a couple of months.

I am eager to see some of the other books he has in his series of over thirty instructional manuals. I believe depth is the best term to describe what this educator has to offer. He takes on some of the more difficult aspects for guitarists and digs deeply into the subject material. I would have killed to have manuals like these when I was in college.

Rating:
Summary: Helpful on it's own, but better with an important partner!
Review: Compared to most guitar instruction books for beginners, this one is easily five stars, but against the bar it sets for itself, it's a four star book: well-done and quite helpful, yet flawed enough to be a little irritating.

Three-quarters of the book is basically an encyclopedia of chords, but not in the useless manner of so many "chord dictionaries". Arnold presents chord forms that can be played anywhere along the lowest 2 strings of the guitar. All chords are in their root position. A wonderful surprise is that he includes not only illustrations of the chords but also their notation in written music, so from the beginning, you are exposed to proper notation--whether you use it right away or not is up to you. I have no complaints about the amount of chord forms he includes--often several options for each chord. He has you practice them "cycle five," a good way to learn the chords and the fretboard for 3 of the strings. Arnold includes small essays on how chords are formed, how to read music, and, later, on reharmonization theory, but I don't imagine these essays would neccessarily be clear to every reader. They are better than usual, though.

While there is a mass of information in the book and the suggested exercises are helpful, I do wish he would have included something about the "system" of chord formations. I shouldn't have put that in quotes--there actually is a system to it. If he would have explained some of what is explored in Bill Edwards' (highly recommended) Fretboard Logic, the chord formations would not have a tendency to seem random and overwhelming. I found myself going through the book thinking "ok that's a C form, an E form..." and so on (you'll understand that if you read Edwards' book; furthermore, the Volume 2 of Arnold's Chord Workbook series might be rendered uneccessary, as the inverted chords are merely all or part of the "next" chord form in line. Anyway.) An explicit mention of what notes are represented in each chord form--like if it is the 1, 3, or b7--would have been helpful, too.

Bruce Arnold has authored a rather large series of books that might make you think he's in it for the money. But I think he's sincere, and a good teacher. He's got a website where you can download helpful video and audio files, and even ask him questions! Those are points in his favour, but this book is still lacking. The "Music Theory Workbook" that goes with this is helpful, but not as helpful as combining this with Edwards' Fretboard Logic SE: Vol. 1 and 2. If I hadn't have worked my way through the Edwards book, I would have found this book a little overwhelming--but take note that Fretboard Logic is incomplete without a book like this just as much!

Rating:
Summary: THIS BOOK R O C K S !!!!!!!!!
Review: Hello, I just wanted to pass on my experience with the Chord Workbook. Having struggled through many books and teachers, I've finally "seen the light". In the past, the books I've used either had too little information or too much all seemingly presented in an unclear manner. This book has filled in the gaps in my knowledge of theory and allowed me to achieve the musical goals I've long aspired to. The author obviously knows what he's talking about and the information has been presented in a clear and understandable manner. I am interested in different styles of music but have never been able to quite get a hold of what's happening harmonically but now I feel I have the tools to not only express myself on the instrument at a higher level, but to continue to learn and study to a greater degree. So many thanks to the author, you can't go wrong guitar fans, and as I said...THIS BOOK R O C K S !

Rating:
Summary: Just what the doctor ordered!!!!
Review: I bought this book and the Music Theory workbook for Guitar Volume One.

The chord workbook gave me a short tutorial on music theory followed by

tons of chord forms and then some chord progressions. There was also

another theory section to explain how the chord progressions were built so

I could create my own. This was exactly the kind of book I wanted. I'm a

weekend practicer and I know I probably won't ever become a full time

musician but I do want some real ability to play my guitar. Everything in

the book was explained really clearly. Some of it is very hard,

especially some of the chord progressions, but the ones I've worked out so

far are very cool and its exciting to finally understand how some of my

favorite songs are composed. In the book the author writes that he started

out without any instruction when he was young and how in some respects it

was good for him but it also hurt his ability. I feel the same way,

because at a certain point I wasn't getting anywhere and I knew I needed to

improve. I took a few lessons and my teacher taught me a few scales and

how to play some of the rock stuff I liked. That was great for a while but

I really felt there must be more to it. This book filled in at least part

of the puzzle for me. I'm glad I got the Music Theory Workbook and the

Chord Workbook together. It's a lot of work but I feel I'm getting to know

chords and my guitar a lot better, and like they say, no pain, no gain. I

haven't contacted the FAQ page on the publisher's site yet, but it's great

to know that if I have a question, I can get it answered, which makes me

feel like the author must really care about teaching. For me this is just

what the doctor ordered.

Rating:
Summary: buy this book
Review: I find this to be the most efficient guitar "chord" workbook in its class. After years of struggling with similar books, finally, someone has written a book that not only prepares students to play music in the real word, but allows them to apply what they learn to their "own thing".

Rating:
Summary: ITs what you need to know
Review: I have been a student of Bruce's for about a year and I have worked with just about all of his books. They had everything that I was looking for to impove my playing and over all understanding of music. His approach is clear to the point and derived from years of teaching and studying with todays most serious musicians. If you have ever wondered what the guys at Berklee or Manhattan school are learning........this is it. I am a graduate of Syracuse University and I assure you that I have learned more in one year through these books than I did at all four at SU. Its just plain out good stuff.

Rating:
Summary: No Need to Hunt for Another Chord Book
Review: I purchased both the Chord Workbook for Guitar Volume 1 and 2. I am at the University of Alaska learning guitar (beginning my second semester), and I was looking for additional instruction. These books are full of clear, easy to understand chord diagrams. Volume 1, in addition to being full of chord diagrams, touches on much needed basics of music theory and chord construction. It is very helpful. I am thankful to have Mr. Arnold's books at my side. Also, I want to mention that I emailed Mr. Arnold with some questions about rhythm, time, notation, scales, and just some things I needed help on. He guided me to the right places and answered all my questions with great detail and encouragement. I was very impressed with his care and thoughtful response. You won't be disappointed putting your trust in the knowledge he has to share about guitars!

Rating:
Summary: Great for beginners and intermediates alike
Review: Ive been playing guitar for two years now, with no lessons but flexible fingers and a love of music. I recently (like a week ago) purchased this book and found it immediately helpful. One of the better routes a beginner should take to becoming a good guitarist is learning the basic chords that most songs imploy. This book does that using "cycle 5" which is an ingenius way to teach chords. I've learned tons of ways to play all 12 chromatic notes in 3 days! The progressions of chords at the end of the book are great also, they help you to get a feel for what notes work with what notes etc... I had no musical "insight" before this book (probably like most of you out there) but this book really walks you through the basics of music on the guitar. Be patience and practice, practice, practice! For more info check just out Mr. Arnold's websites: "muse-eek.com & arnoldjazz.com" peace!

Rating:
Summary: Great Chord Progressions
Review: Well I knew most of these chords already but the chord progression and reharmonization section really brought everything together for me. I'm now starting to create my own progressions and they sound hip. Thanks for a great tool!!