Q. Is the Guitarist’s Link to Sight Reading a good book for beginners?
A. The very best book for a beginning guitarst is “Guitar 1 – Start Out Jammin’!” The G-Link is not intended for beginners. I would say that you could start it a year into your playing, or six months if you have an instructor. That’s a general statement, though. Everyone’s different. The whole idea with the G-Link is you play already, but don’t read. The same would go for the Drummer’s Link to Sight Reading, and the Bassist’s Link to Sight Reading. They are all intended as a ‘how to’ for learning to read music, rather than to get started playing.
Q. What if I had taken lessons and been reading from day one? Would I benefit from the Guitarist’s Link to Sight Reading?
A. Possibly. If you had only learned to read in the open position, then you could likely benefit by leaning the 5th position. The G-Link is almost entirely in the 5th position, which I believe really ties the guitar to the staff in a cool way, since it is more central to the notes on the staff. It may also be of value because it focuses on the macro aspects of the chart, rather than just the micro aspects of the notation within a measure. A large part of working with charts is becoming comfortable with the ‘traffic signs’ as I refer to them in the book. Plus a refresher course is always nice.
Q. What if I’m only interested in classical guitar?
A. We don’t currently have a book for classical. If you are a beginner, you can use a classical guitar to do all of the exercises in Guitar 1 – Start out Jammin’!. They just won’t be classical exercises, they will be more pop and rock. The same goes for “The Guitarist’s Link to Sight Reading”. You can use a classical guitar, but there is no fingerstyle. It is all done with a pick. There are some classical-esque pieces, but overall it’s more pop, blues and rock based. If you were considering our “Classic Rock Rudiments for Lead Guitar”, that is obviously not classical. Ideally you’d want to use an electric or steel string for it. There are a few string bends, which are mainly for electric.
Q. What’s the age recommendation for Guitar 1 – Start Out Jammin’?
A. The upper end of the age range has no limit. There is nothing particularly ‘kid’ about the songs. They are of contemporary styles that resemble a lot of the music on various radio stations. They are intended to be fun for any age.
We’re calling 10 the youngest. It could go lower. A lot depends on the ability to commit and focus. You also need to make sure you have a guitar that can be played by the person that’s trying to play it. You don’t want the neck too bulky, and you want the strings to be close enough to the neck that they can be pressed down easy enough (good ‘action’). And of course it has to tune up well.
Q. What is Classic Rock Rudiments for Lead Guitar?
A. Originally it was a DVD called Classic Rock Licks, but I did some revamping and made it a book/dvd.
If you already strum chords well, and want to get into some lead playing, Classic Rock Rudiments For Lead Guitar is for you. My intention was to give you the basics, ie. hammerons, pulloffs, slides, bends, etc, and help you to put them into phrases. I put a lot of emphasis on phrasing. I also did something in the book that I haven’t seen elsewhere, and that is to give you multiple endings for the same phrase. When you practice the lines, you decide how you will end them. I find this to be a great way to get you on your way to improvising, since making the smaller melodic decisions leads to being able to make the larger decisions that lead to improvising. Eveyone will be copying this concept in the next couple of years, but in the meantime, it is something unique.
Q. Why did you name your first book “The Guitarist’s Link to Sight Reading”?
A. It is a book that teaches guitarists how to read and write standard notation. To many, SIGHT READING is kind of a revered term, often only used to describe the most educated players. But sight reading simply means playing something the first time you see it. In the G-Link, once you get past the first four exercises, you get to first batch of songs. I use this book with students, and when they turn to the first song “Avocados”, they sight read it. Yes it’s a relatively simple song, and yes there may be mistakes. But our goal in this book is playing what you see, without any pre-analysis. It’s not highly advanced, so some have criticized the name. But they are confused. Advanced has nothing to do with whether it is sight reading.
Q. Will you later add a “Keyboardist’s Link to Sight Reading”?
A. Currently we are nearing completion on Keyboard 1 – Start Out Jammin’. That will be our first keyboard book to date.
The majority of keyboard players were taught how to read by the staff. They have an entirely different problem than the typical guitarist, bassist or drummer.
In each of the Bassist’s, Drummer’s and Guitarist’s Links to Sight Reading I had to individualize the experience for the peculiarities of that instrument. If I were to apply the same type of individualizing to keyboards, the title would need to change. I’m actually devising, in my mind, exactly what it is that keyboard players in general need. And when I do, there will be a book. But it won’t be about how to read notation, since, by and large, they aren’t hurting in that area. It will more likely be the opposite.
