using Foundations for Guitar with the Guitar Fretboard Workbook

[Help!I'maRock!]

mark,

i read much of Guitar Fretboard Workbook on the plane to San Francisco. i like the direct approach he takes just as much as Bill Edwards' approach in Fretboard Logic. they tackle the same subject, but in very different ways. and I do think that GFW distills the information better. i'd like to use it with my students. do you have a lesson plan for it along with Foundations? or do you use them in succession?

[Mark Wein]

I usually start the GFW about 2/3s of the way through my book if a student really wants to get their theory down. I don't really have much of a method other than work a section and then find some music to apply it to.

If a student works straight through the book without actually applying any of it in a practical manner they'll lose the information pretty quickly. I'll also combine the various lessons in GFW with my online lessons o the same subject since my lessons usually have musical examples or I'll find a song that utilizes the info that the student is into.

[Help!I'maRock!]

alright then.

i like the guy's approach. i'm gonna work on getting it into the store.

[Mark Wein]

There's a reason I've been pushing the book as much as my own biggrin

Actually I've been such a visible fan of the book that Barrett Tagliarino contacted me last year first to thank me and then to send me a copy of his newest book.

I haven't been as big of a fan of that one though since its pretty much his version of Foundations biggrin

[Help!I'maRock!]

which book is that?

[Mark Wein]

which book is that?


http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Reading-Workbook-Barrett-Tagliarino/dp/0980235308/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232471275&sr=8-2

[Help!I'maRock!]

more about this.

some of the reviews of GFW say that the book jumps around page 24 from pentatonics into diatonics, with little explanation. how have you dealt with this in your lessons?

[Mark Wein]

It goes from major and minor scale construction into pentatonics. Whats nice is that he shows you the parent diatonic scale and then what 2 notes you need to remove to make it the pentatonic scale...I've never had a problem with that....do you have a link to the review?

[Help!I'maRock!]

It goes from major and minor scale construction into pentatonics. Whats nice is that he shows you the parent diatonic scale and then what 2 notes you need to remove to make it the pentatonic scale...I've never had a problem with that....do you have a link to the review?


check the 1 star reviews on amazon.

[Mark Wein]

will do... munch0

[Mark Wein]

Looking at those reviews (I read the 1,2 and 3 star reviews) I am pretty sure those folks didn't read or didn't comprehend what they were reading in each of those chapters very well.

The stuff always made pretty good sense to me and when I get into the studio on Monday I'm going to look through that section but I haven't had any problems in the 4-5 years I've been teaching from the book.

There is one root pattern that is drawn incorrectly in the first half of the book IIRC but their claims that the book is full of errors is untrue.

The problem that they all have with the E# is that they didn't read the section that tells them that they MUST have one of each note name when building a major scale. I'll copy and post the section when I get in on Monday.

I still think that it is one of the best fretboard theory books on the market....

[Help!I'maRock!]

Looking at those reviews (I read the 1,2 and 3 star reviews) I am pretty sure those folks didn't read or didn't comprehend what they were reading in each of those chapters very well.

The stuff always made pretty good sense to me and when I get into the studio on Monday I'm going to look through that section but I haven't had any problems in the 4-5 years I've been teaching from the book.

There is one root pattern that is drawn incorrectly in the first half of the book IIRC but their claims that the book is full of errors is untrue.

The problem that they all have with the E# is that they didn't read the section that tells them that they MUST have one of each note name when building a major scale. I'll copy and post the section when I get in on Monday.

I still think that it is one of the best fretboard theory books on the market....


obviously, they don't understand the E# thing. and its also obvious that they don't have a teacher or even another beginner book to work on that gets them playing. IMO, a book like this is a supplement. it helps you to understand what you're learning from your regular book/dvd/teacher.

this week will be one of much playing of guitar. i gotta get back to Mel Bay, for both bass and guitar. Foundations has taken a back seat, but i gave it to 2 students yesterday and if they actually do the work, i'll be playing out of it again within a month.

[Mark Wein]

One of the perils of self teaching if you are a beginner, - guess.

I like the idea of using it as a "workbook" and filling it out with real musical examples.using any of these books with a good teacher keeps you from heading too far off course, too.

I have so much music to learn in the next two weeks(while we are trying to move) that its not even funny...

[Help!I'maRock!]

One of the perils of self teaching if you are a beginner, - guess.

I like the idea of using it as a "workbook" and filling it out with real musical examples.using any of these books with a good teacher keeps you from heading too far off course, too.

I have so much music to learn in the next two weeks(while we are trying to move) that its not even funny...


this is why you need to publicize your book better. as i said, i sold two yesterday and the third will sell by next Saturday if it doesn't this week.

basically, you need to work out a distribution deal with a major publisher so that we can get it into the store at a Hal Leonard like discount. otherwise, i'm not sure how many copies you're really going to be able to sell.

[Mark Wein]

I'm not sure how to go about getting a distribution deal. There are so many beginning books out there that I figured the best way to get it rolling was to build an audience online and get some other teachers using it with their students...posibly have a few books out as a "system" before I really tried to get a real publishing deal.

At this point every book I sell through lulu or in theb store makes me 8 times the royalty I would have with a standard publishing deal and amazon makes 3-4 times the standard rate. I'm hoping that grass roots audience building will put me in a better position and allow me to make decent money off my work before I sign my life away...

If I had more noteriety to build off of in the first place it would be easy but I am starting from "nobody". LA is full of guys trying to sell their instructional products and getting nowhere (like the bass teacher in my studio) so I figured I would try an end run first. He has a 2 year head start on me and has connections but I'm currently ahead :-)

[Help!I'maRock!]

I'm not sure how to go about getting a distribution deal. There are so many beginning books out there that I figured the best way to get it rolling was to build an audience online and get some other teachers using it with their students...posibly have a few books out as a "system" before I really tried to get a real publishing deal.

At this point every book I sell through lulu or in theb store makes me 8 times the royalty I would have with a standard publishing deal and amazon makes 3-4 times the standard rate. I'm hoping that grass roots audience building will put me in a better position and allow me to make decent money off my work before I sign my life away...

If I had more noteriety to build off of in the first place it would be easy but I am starting from "nobody". LA is full of guys trying to sell their instructional products and getting nowhere (like the bass teacher in my studio) so I figured I would try an end run first. He has a 2 year head start on me and has connections but I'm currently ahead :-)


yesterday i had an argument where i was told that we use the Mel Bay and Hal Leonard books because parents don't want to spend more than $6 to $10 on instructional materials. this makes no sense. they're paying $100 a month, an extra $10 on a book their kid is actually going to use isn't gonna make a difference.

if i have to make my point by telling parents to get books off of Amazon, i will. the underlying issue is cheapness, but i know i can sell it.

[Mark Wein]

That makes no sense whatsoever. If you aren't grinding people to buy something every week they have no problem spending $20 on a book that is used with their lessons. Especially if it is a method book and notba tab book of songs.

If I suggest a book to work out of my students trust me enough just to get it...I would think your store owner would get that by now you have a built in audience for the specific products that you use with your students.

In my place probably 80 percent of the meager sheet music is stuff that I know the teachers use with their students. The joel rothman drum book we use is $25 and our trumpet teacher is asking for some horrifically expensive book that he'll use with his students...

[Help!I'maRock!]

That makes no sense whatsoever. If you aren't grinding people to buy something every week they have no problem spending $20 on a book that is used with their lessons. Especially if it is a method book and notba tab book of songs.

If I suggest a book to work out of my students trust me enough just to get it...I would think your store owner would get that by now you have a built in audience for the specific products that you use with your students.

In my place probably 80 percent of the meager sheet music is stuff that I know the teachers use with their students. The joel rothman drum book we use is $25 and our trumpet teacher is asking for some horrifically expensive book that he'll use with his students...


put simply, he doesn't want to lay out the money. so in principle, he's all for me getting new stuff in. but in reality, if it costs money then its not worth it. such is the usual problem i run up against.

even more bizarre is that the one thing he really liked from NAMM were those round picks. he'll order those, but not a better book to teach out of.

:facepalm: