Q. Is the Guitarist’s Link to Sight Reading a good book for beginners?
A. 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. A more direct title would have been, “How to Read Music - for Guitarists”. 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 would be a good beginner book then?
A. Until now, I never had a good answer for that. But we’ve just completed Guitar 1 – Start Out Jammin’ Series. I believe it to be the absolute best beginner book on the market. It comes with a dvd, and it’s only $14.95.
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.
Q. What if I’m only interested in classical guitar?
A. We don’t currently have a book for classical.
Q. What’s the age recommendation for Guitar 1 – Start Out Jammin’?
A. The upper end of the age range has no limit. To look at the cover, you may think it’s a kid book, but it’s really intended for any age adult as well. 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. There is some light theory thrown in, but it’s presented as something you can take or leave.
We’re calling 10 the youngest. It could go lower, and it may need to be higher. 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. Is there a difference between the Easy Classic Rock Licks dvd and the Book/DVD called “Classic Rock Rudiments - Lead Guitar”?
A. Yes. We have actually discontinued the ‘Licks’ dvd, and are replacing it with the Book/DVD, Classic Rock Rudiments - Lead Guitar. I had decided to change the name from licks, because this is a little bit more of a method approach, rather than a collection of licks. In the book we made some huge refinements as well.
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. We were looking for something that wouldn’t blend in with all the other books. Something memorable too. It could be a little misleading, since 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 just not extremely advanced, so in the minds of some it may seem to be an incorrect name. But it’s not.
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.
