1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist Volume One: Chords and Chord Progressions for the Guitar

Rating:
Summary: Would have killed to have these in college...
Review: ... Reviewed by: Bob Spear

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: not 1st steps at all, maybe 2nd steps
Review: Book is titled 1st steps for a beginning guitarist.

I simply disagree. As a total beginner last year, I was frustrated with the book. There are 10 chord progressions, each with 3 levels (of difficulty) and you can download midi files as well as an mp3 file for each of these chord progressions from the website of the book ... As a beginner, I found the progressions to be too difficult to play. It was impossible to keepo up with the required speed with which the mp3 files play at. I was hoping that the book would get me through the initial hump of the learning process and instead it led to frustration. After taking a guitar class, however, I found the book to be very useful, I was able to appreciate the progressions and was able to play along. In short, my first comment about the book is that it is not for the absolute beginner who just purchased their guitar and have started plucking away for the first time.

I have some additional reservations about the book. The 10 progressions (which occupy a total of 10 pages in the 52 page book) are really what the beginner is paying for. The rest is about root positions and the theory of chords and how to generate them etc. I as a beginner was certainly not interested in it. This info seems to be there for the sake of completeness and i found it to be fluff/filler.

The web page that is a guide to the book is not that easy to navigate although it will not take more than 10 minutes for you to find the midi files that go woth the progressions. Nevertheless, I would have appreciated a CD that came with the book instead of having to navigate to find the files to download.

LAstly the first couple chord proggressions just go with G, D, A, and Am chords. There is no E or Em chord for example which is one of the staples of beginners that are easy to play. After the first 2 progressions, you encounter bar chords such as the F, B, B-flat chords. These surely are not for the beginner and i am once again surprised at the title of the book.

All in all the midi and mp3 files that go with the book add to its value and the book is not that expensive so i would still recommend it. However keep in mind that what you are paying for are really 10 pages worth of material from the whole book, and that the accompanying sound files do not come with the book; need to download them.

Rating:
Summary: How serious are you about learning to play guitar?
Review: First, I would like to point out that this book is but a small part of a VERY thorough collection of educational material for guitar from Mr. Arnold. Each of his books targets particular aspects of guitar and often music in general. The books are part of a complete system by which you can communicate with Mr. Arnold. He actually answers e-mail that you send him and responds with VERY thorough and understandable answers. This "Beginning..." book has a good introduction to chord progressions, technique, and virtually everything you need to get started. I can not recommend this book highly enough. It is NOT a "quick fix" method by which you learn patterns on the fretboard and never even know what notes you are playing. It is not really targeted for any particular music genre, so I think it is appropriate for anyone that is serious about truly learning to play guitar. You begin to learn theory, sight reading, technique, and he will probably encourage you to begin ear training as well (another one of his books). His books are augmented with videos and additional information available on his web site. You can get access to the site by buying any one of his books.

The chord progressions are basic and easy to learn. Yes, it will take some time to learn them, if you are 100% new to guitar, but it is worth it. Each progression is played at three levels and the notation helps you to begin to understand rhythm as well. THIS BOOK COVERS ALL THE BASES FOR THE BEGINNER! E-mail Mr. Arnold if you have questions and he will fill in any ambiguity.

I would like to repeat that although you could just learn your basics from this book, without any of his other workbooks and such, I think that once you get started, you will be hooked. Bruce Arnold knows how to teach music and knows how to convey information in his books, web site, and with personal e-mail. This book is part of a total system (books, workbooks, website, e-mail) that Mr. Arnold can customize for you (by suggesting the appropriate books) that will allow you to take your guitar knowledge as far as you want to go, whether you want to go pro or primarily just play for fun, such as myself.

I think that this is the best method of learning. You have the luxury of learning at your own pace with plenty of reference material AND you have e-mail access to the author of the books if you get stuck on something. It is the best of both worlds of lessons and learning on your own. I have not found anything else quite like it, particularly with the quality of information that Mr. Arnold provides.

If you want to really learn, BUY THIS BOOK. If you just want to strum chords to folks songs for kids, get the e-Media CDROM and go through it (It puts me to sleep.) If you want quick fixes and don't care to understand what you are playing, this will not provide what you are looking for. If you just want to be able to "shread" through pentatonic scales at blazing speeds on your guitar to impress your friends (never actually understanding what you are doing or why), this is not your book. You will need to be serious about learning about music and about the guitar to get through any of this series of books, including this one. These books are for people that want to understand what they are playing so that each new song is not like starting over in your learning process. With a solid foundation, each new song is learned in a fraction of the time it would take if you don't understand anything but where to put each finger for a few chords.

I would also suggest that you purchase (in the near future) a songbook of "Easy Guitar" songs (or something similar) to start working on as well as this book or any beginning method book. This book provides the foundation, but you will want something else to work with at the same time that provides some songs that you have fun learning. Mr. Arnold will probably also recommend that you be sure to spend some time just having fun playing your guitar as well as practicing from the book or doing theory study. You have to continue to enjoy PLAYING as well as learning. That was key for me to maintain my interest.

All I can say is: If you want to learn from a pro, BUY THE BOOK! You won't regret it. Just plan to put a little time into it. As with anything worth doing, it takes time to learn to do it properly. This book will begin your journey.



Rating:
Summary: Good book with a different approach
Review: Hi Amazon:

I'm a college graduate and recently decided to finally (!) take up guitar.
I was a little hesitant to get this book because of the warnings I had read
of it being filled with typographical and grammatical errors. But at the
same time, according to it's description it addressed my concerns as a
beginner in ways that made sense to me.

After purchasing it, I really have to say that I have not noticed any typos
that adversely affected my learning at all. (I did notice a period that had
a space between it and the last word of the sentence.) Basically the book
was well written and covered the subjects I needed to know, like how to
physically hold and play the guitar, how to read rhythms so I can learn
different strum patterns, how to play chords correctly, and a good amount
of music theory, so I can build on what I do. I think I'm progressing
nicely, and most importantly, I'm enjoying it,(the book uses some of my
favorite songs like Knocking on Heavens Door, All Along the Watch Tower,
Layla, Sultans of Swing).

I really get a lot out of the publisher's website. It's got videos and high
resolution photos of all kinds of stuff so I don't feel I am missing
anything to get me started. (I particularly found the video on how to change
strings on an acoustic guitar helpful) It's almost like having a teacher
right there all the time, since any time I have a question, I can find the
answer either in the book or on the site.

I also want to say that these aren't just books-- they're a whole support
system, that extends onto the web. I've never experienced this kind of
"two-pronged" approach--but it really works and you're really missing out if
you don't take advantage of these extra features. I think this is a great
way to learn.

Sincerely,

B. Rossi

Rating:
Summary: Exactly what I needed to start out
Review: I bought a guitar about year ago because I found myself playing "air guitar." Everyone who loves the sound of guitar has done it! :) I didn't know where to begin, and lessons were too expensive. This book was a breath of fresh air for how to learn the basics of the guitar. The only thing that was killing me was that I had experience playing the alto saxophone and reading music previously. Once I was able to play chords and scales fairly well, I had trouble focusing on the exercises, because I just wanted to dive right into my favorite songs. If you have never played a musical instrument before, this is a great place to start. Like any other skill, you need to be patient and take plenty of time to practice. The beginning is the toughest, but the learning curve is fairly steep once you learn control. I love music, and this book is a great beginning to learn how to make it.

Rating:
Summary: Stuff I actually want to learn
Review: I bought eMedia Guitar Method, Vol 1 and 1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist. For myself I greatly prefer 1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist. I thought eMedia was way over priced for what it offered. I guess if you are really struggling with the guitar, can't even finger a C chord after a few weeks of practice and like songs like Michael Rows a Boat Ashore eMedia would be perfect. 99% of the songs they teach I would never care to play. The Chord finder was cool but no songs for most of the chords in the chord finder so I was unsure how to use them. On the other hand I thought 1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist was great. I should point out that you really should have a DSL or cable connection to the internet for this book. It comes with nothing but the publisher's website and it has 100's of videos, mp3 and midifiles for the information in the book. I've ordered a few of Mr. Arnold's books and I should also point out that he's an author that targets a student that really wants to play well and maybe form a band. His education style is more like one musician to another budding musician rather than giving you stuff that is corny or uninteresting. He also interacts with you via email if you have questions. So I guess what I'm saying is eMedia is fine if you really just want to accompany children or actually like campfire songs on the other hand if you want to learn stuff you wouldn't mind playing with your friends or in a band then I'd go for the 1st Steps.

Rating:
Summary: 1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist, Volume One
Review: I bought my twelve year old son an electric guitar for the holidays. It was a big expense for us, but our son is a very serious young man, and promised he'd practice and teach himself to play. So we all got together around the computer and decided to get "First Steps for a Beginning Guitarist" because it sounded the most like an "interactive" product. I
have to say that it is! My son got a little confused a few days into studying the book, and since an e-mail address is given to contact the author, he wrote in a question. Within one day he had his answer, and was back to happily practicing again. I'm very impressed, and recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Decent book, but could be much better.
Review: I bought this book with the intention of using it as a method book for my beginning students, assuming that it lived up to my expectations. It didn't. My first problem with this book is the huge amount of grammatical errors in it. This is unprofessional and is not something I would use for lessons for that very reason. Secondly, half of the book is taken up with rather difficult theory, which is beyond the level of understanding needed for the basic chord progressions introduced in the book. It isn't explained in enough detail either. Last but not least, I got pretty sick of seeing Mr. Arnold plugging his other products throughout the book. The book is already too short. There is no need to take up what little space there is with this type of thing.

Rating:
Summary: This book is amazing
Review: I found this book to be amazing in all it has to offer. There are easy to understand explanations of music theory, rhythm, proper playing technique for a beginner, and (as I got into it) some really nice chord progressions. To top it off there is web support from the author. I asked a couple a questions and got an in-depth response in two days from Mr. Arnold. Mr. Arnold's response made me feel as if he cares about me like I am a student of his. He said in his e-mail "many times it only takes one misunderstanding to throw off the whole process of learning, and this is why web support is so crucial in learning correctly." He wasn't talking down to me but answering my questions and being helpful. He pointed me to the publisher's website, which offers a member's area were you can download a lot of free stuff. I particularly found the free book "how to change the strings on an acoustic steel string guitar" to be very helpful. It was 10 pages long with pictures of every step in changing a string. I picked up a couple of good tips along the way, and realized I was doing some things totally backward! The fact that there are pictures and videos really clears things up. I also found the audio files from the web to be very cool; they are all in midi files or mp3's so it was easy to play them with my browser, and there were even links to other free programs to play the files. Overall from my browsing other beginning guitar methods in my local music store and also on the web, this book is in a class of its own.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing amount of information
Review: I found this book to be well written and got the feeling that the author is seriously dedicated to teaching. I was a little concerned because I knew of Mr. Arnold from his CDs and wasn't sure if a player would also be a good teacher or could write a good book. I was pretty overwhelmed by the amount of information available in the book and on the publisher's website. This isn't a famous guitar player trying to cash in on his playing status to make money. I was particularly impressed by the amount of videos and MP3 files that are available. I first thought why didn't they just give me a DVD or a CD with this book. I'm not positive but I don't even think you could fit the amount of videos and MP3's on one CD or DVD. I found it interesting that the book doesn't really go into to learning scales but the website gives you fingerings for a hugh amount of scales with videos showing you how to play the scales and comments on the right way to learn the scales, Overall I'd say this book is for the folks out there that are serious weekend guitar players. By serious I mean someone who wants to know what they are doing on the guitar not just learn a bunch of fingerings and hope for the best. I got a couple of the other best sellers along with this book and although some of them claimed to an easy method I didn't find it any easier than this book. They all contained about the same information except this book then goes way beyond the other books I bought. For instance I found everything is clearly laid out with nice big chord diagrams with the added bonus of where these notes would be on a music staff. The other books didn't have information on where the notes of the chords are on a staff. All the books seem to contain the same chords basically the "open" and "barre" position chords. I really appreciated all the comments throughout the 1st Steps book on which chords where hard so that I knew to be patient. The real kicker was the videos showing Mr Arnold playing each chord and explaining what problems you may encounter along with how to mute the strings so you wouldn't have to worry so much about how you are strumming the chord. Seems like a small amount of information but it really helped me learn the chords quicker. There are many many tips like this along the way in this book and in the videos that really helped me improve and/or understand why I was having problems. I would recommend this book without hesitation.