A Modern Method for Guitar - Volumes 1, 2, 3 Complete
by William Leavitt
List Price:
Our Price: $19.00
You Save: $15.95 (46%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: William LeavittEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1999-12-01
ISBN: 0876390114
Number of pages: 424
Publisher: Berklee Press Publications
Book Reviews of A Modern Method for Guitar - Volumes 1, 2, 3 Complete
Book Review: Shortest, most direct path to becoming a virtuoso guitarist.
Summary: 5 Stars
Having been a classically-trained violinist and a professionally-trained drummer, I'd been looking for a guitar method equivalent in effectiveness to the hard-core methods almost universally found in orchestral and concert-band music but rarely found in "pop" instruments such as guitar, bass guitar, and drums.
This is it! This method is complete, comprehensive, and the most efficient way to become a virtuoso guitarist starting from scratch. You WILL be a sight-reader capable of reading several bars ahead of where you are actually playing if you truly follow this method. You WILL have your visual, auditory, and kinesthetic faculties tied firmly together: see the note (visual), hear the note in your mind (auditory digital), play the note (kinesthetic), and hear the note out loud (auditory tonal)--all instantaneously.
But the key is that you must follow this method as it is meant to be followed, and that is very, very difficult to do for a beginner. First of all, consider private instruction a requirement to use this text. Most people wouldn't expect to be able to pick up a textbook on a foreign language and work their way through it without instruction--the same goes for this text. Yes, you can start it as a beginner, but no, you cannot start it without help. Choose an instructor who shows you proper technique, especially using the most efficient movements possible so that over time, you can play prestissimo with ease and do not develop bad habits or repetitive stress disorders.
Second, your instructor must also be a coach, someone who encourages you to stick to guitar even through the "boring" first few months of learning to read and sight-read guitar music. If we all learned this stuff at the same time we were learning our ABCs, then we wouldn't be so easily discouraged when we encounter it. The problem is, most people have already learned to take reading and writing their native language for granted by the time they attempt to learn music, and it ends up being just as demoralizing as learning a second language from the ground up. Hence, people turn to more encouraging guitar methods that trade stronger sight reading for faster results.
There are several reviews that attack this as not being a beginner text. It *is* a beginner text, just not for beginners who want rapid or instant gratification or who want to be self-taught or who expect a guitar method to include general music theory*. In other words, this is for beginners who are willing to spend the money for professional instruction and put in the practice time to eventually become virtuoso guitarists. Years later, a guitarist who put in the time in the Berklee method will have an inherent and unsurmountable advantage over other guitarists; this means more recording sessions, more gigs, easier songwriting, etc. I've met such guitarists--they are the ones the producers call time and time again for their breadth and depth of knowledge.
Do yourself a favor and avoid taking shortcuts. You might feel better using some other method, but this method will make you play better.
---
* Your professional instruction will almost certainly require that you purchase the Master Theory books to learn general music theory, including how to read notation, in tandem with your learning this or any guitar method. If not, perhaps you should consider another instructor or at least ask why you aren't being taught general music theory.
Summary of A Modern Method for Guitar - Volumes 1, 2, 3 Complete
Now guitarists can have all three volumes of this classic guitar method in one convenient book! Created by popular demand, this new edition of the method used as the basic text for the renowned Berklee College of Music guitar program is a complete compilation of the original Volumes 1, 2, and 3. Innovative solos, duets and exercises progressively teach melody, harmony and rhythm. Perfect for the serious guitar student and instructor alike.Theory, Composition & Performance Books
- Books > Subjects > Arts & Photography > Music
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Theory, Composition & Performance Books
Musical Growth and Developmentby Dorothy T. McDonald, Gene M. Simons
Schirmer Books; Published: 1988-12; Audio Cassette; Book
Price in other shops:
History of American Music Educationby Michael L. Mark, Charles L. Gary
Schirmer Books; Published: 1992-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $129.60
Measurement and Evaluation of Musical Experiencesby David J. Boyle, Rudolf E. Radocy
Schirmer Books; Published: 1987-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $403.92
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge: American Patron of Musicby Cyrilla Barr
Schirmer; Published: 1998-06-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $82.00
Price in other shops:
ALL ROOTS LEAD TO ROCK: Legends of Early Rock `n' Roll. A Bear Family Readerby Colin, editor Escott
Schirmer Books; Published: 1999; Hardcover; Book
Complete Idiot's Guide to Songwritingby Joel Hirschhom, Joel Hirschhorn
Alpha; Published: 2001-04-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.35
Price in other shops:
Collins Need to Know? Bass Guitar: From Basics to Bassistby Paul Scott
HarperCollins UK; Published: 2008-07-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.29
Price in other shops:
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brainby Oliver Sacks
Knopf Publishing Group; Published: 2008; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.98
Jazz Anecdotesby Bill Crow
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 1990-05-17; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $24.18
How to Train Singers/ Book and Tapeby Larra Browning Henderson
Parker; Published: 1991-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $29.95
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Mickey Baker's Complete Course in Jazz Guitar: Book 1 (Ashley Publications)by Mickey Baker
Ashley Mark; Ashley Publications Inc./Lewis Music Publishing Co.; Published: 1996-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.32
Price in other shops:
The Real Book: Sixth Editionby Hal Leonard Corporation
Hal Leonard; Hal Leonard Corporation; Published: 2004-09-01; Plastic Comb; Book
Best price: $19.77
Price in other shops:
Music Reading for Guitar (The Complete Method)Hal Leonard; Musicians Institute Press; Published: 1998-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.30
Price in other shops:
Guitar Fretboard WorkbookMusicians Institute Press; Published: 2003-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.00
Price in other shops:
Advanced Reading Studies for Guitar: Guitar Technique (Advanced Reading: Guitar)by William Leavitt
Berklee Press Publications; Berklee Press Publications; Published: 1986-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.15
Price in other shops:
Classical Studies for Pick-Style Guitar - Volume 1: Develop Technical Proficiency with Innovative Solos and DuetsBerklee Press; Berklee Press Publications; Published: 1986-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops:
Guitar Aerobics: A 52-Week, One-lick-per-day Workout Program for Developing, Improving and Maintaining Guitar Techniqueby Troy Nelson
HAL LEONARD CORPORATION; Published: 2007-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.12
Price in other shops:
The Advancing Guitaristby Mick Goodrick
Hal Leonard; Hal Leonard Corporation; Published: 1987-11-01; Sheet music; Book
Best price: $11.72
Price in other shops:
Melodic Rhythms for Guitarby William Leavitt
Berklee Press Publications; Guitar Method; Published: 1986-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops:
Reading Studies for Guitarby William Leavitt, Leavitt
Hal Leonard; Berklee Press Publications; Published: 1979-06-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.00
Price in other shops: