Just got my copy

[SteveWoodward]

Just received my copy of the book. Overall looks great, lots of good info. I was a little surprised to find that tablature is used very little, and learning to read music is promoted. I know it's a good idea for all of us to know the basics of reading music, but would like to have seen all notation in both formats. But that's not to knock the book at all, if anything it knocks me as a musician!

I look forward to your next book Mark. Thanks!

[Mark Wein]

Just received my copy of the book. Overall looks great, lots of good info. I was a little surprised to find that tablature is used very little, and learning to read music is promoted. I know it's a good idea for all of us to know the basics of reading music, but would like to have seen all notation in both formats. But that's not to knock the book at all, if anything it knocks me as a musician!

I look forward to your next book Mark. Thanks!


Cool!

One of my "high horses" is that guitarists should learn to read music (even just a little) just like everyone else who plays a musical instrument. I don't think that players who don't read are any less a musician than players who do read are but for the average guy the time spent learning to read speeds the whole process along greatly.

There are places in the book where the only practical way to get an idea across is with tab and I use it in those places but for the most part I try to get the student knowing the fretboard and aware of the "time" through the notation.

In earlier revisions of the book I found that students would default to just reading the tab and much of what I was trying to teach was getting lost due to this so I decided to strip as much of the tab as I could from the book and keep it easy enough for someone to work through on their own....hopefully this isn't a discouragement to potential students but after "play testing" the various versions of the book in my studio from 2004 to this year I settled on this method...


I am excited to hear how you do with the book. Its kind of like I had a child and sent it out into the world this year...I've taught from the book and the other instructors in my studio have taught from the book so I am confident in the method but I am anxious to hear how the typical "learn at home" guy does with it.

If you have any questions or problems with the material please feel free to ask them here...I will also be shooting a couple of supplementary video lessons that will hopefully make the sections on Time and Rhythm easier to conceptualize and give the "learn at home" guys a little help in the more difficult bits.

I have a bit of book 2 already written but it will be at least a year or so before it makes it out into the world...

Thanks for the kind words (and the purchase ;D)

Mark

[SteveWoodward]

Thanks Mark. I will apply myself and learn to read at least the basics, I'm sure it'll be helpful. Again, the problem is me. I use guitar for relaxation, I work in a high tech stressful field. So when I get home I like to pour a glass of wine and "veg", which sometimes makes for poor practice sessions. Which also explains the plateau that I've been on. But I've been getting better at structuring my practice....

My plateau is this: I can play rhythm fine, can play a fair number of songs. I'm so-so at lead, and have been doing exercises and learning scales to try and get over that hump. It's just taking soooo long....but all I can do is keep at it. Scales for me right now are just patterns and I really have not learned to apply them very well. Your minor pentatonic lesson has an "expanded" scale that has started to open my eyes a little.

Thanks again Mark.

[Mark Wein]

Thanks Mark. I will apply myself and learn to read at least the basics, I'm sure it'll be helpful. Again, the problem is me. I use guitar for relaxation, I work in a high tech stressful field. So when I get home I like to pour a glass of wine and "veg", which sometimes makes for poor practice sessions. Which also explains the plateau that I've been on. But I've been getting better at structuring my practice....

My plateau is this: I can play rhythm fine, can play a fair number of songs. I'm so-so at lead, and have been doing exercises and learning scales to try and get over that hump. It's just taking soooo long....but all I can do is keep at it. Scales for me right now are just patterns and I really have not learned to apply them very well. Your minor pentatonic lesson has an "expanded" scale that has started to open my eyes a little.

Thanks again Mark.




Do you have anyone you can jam with? Sometimes you can practice all you want and work out of books all you want and not get anywhere. Actually having to put together a few songs to play with another live human being sometimes just gets you over the hump..makes thing more fun or gives you something new and more interesting to work on. I find that if I don't have any gigs for an extended period of time I start losing much of my recent progress with the instrument, and I stop growing.

In our studio we have tons of performance classes and that is how I get my students playing better faster...

Here is a link to some of what we do here...maybe you can look for a place local to you that could give you a similar outlet to just use some of what you've been working on:

http://premierschoolofmusic.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61&Itemid=70

[SteveWoodward]

You're absolutely right, one problem is I hardly ever play with anyone else. I've looked around in my area and haven't found anyone to jam with, the few people I know in bands (including my brother) are all way above my skill level and I feel like I would just be in the way. They have offered to let me in on practice sessions, I figure once I am somewhat comfortable with one or two songs of theirs maybe I'll try it. Due to all the alone time I'm a shy player, don't even like trying out guitars in the store....

But I'll be your right, that would definitely help.

Wish I was closer than 3,000 miles away from your studio, that's for sure!

Thanks.

[Mark Wein]

The thing to remember about being shy or self conscious about your playing is that no one sounds good the first few times they play with other people. That is one of the biggest things that I have to pound into our students heads here in our studio is that it will take at the very least a couple of times before you are comfortable enough playing with other musicians - or in front of other people, period. At least you are able to do it with a group of people who know where you are at playing-wise.

Trying a Craigslist ad might not be a bad idea...just be very specific about your abilities and goals.

Where are you located? I'm originally from New York :)

[SteveWoodward]

Yeah, never thought of craigslist, good idea.

This past weekend I played in front of a small crowd at a party. It was impromptu, there was a woman there with a great singing voice and she has always wanted to do Landslide by Fleetwood Mac. That's one song that I've been able to play quite well on the acoustic (the 1997 The Dance version). So I humbly offered, and we banged it out. I screwed up in 2 or 3 spots, which infuriated me since it was a song I know very well and can normally play no problem. It was knowing that all eyes were upon me that got me flustered. But after that we did a cool rendition of Dust in the Wind, and I actually sailed through that just fine.

I'm out at the very western edge of NJ, right next to the Delaware Water Gap and the Poconos of PA. If you have to live in NJ it's still pretty nice, still lots of farms around, etc. Where in NY were you?

Enjoying all of this, your lessons, your book etc. Thanks Mark!

[Mark Wein]

Yeah, never thought of craigslist, good idea.

This past weekend I played in front of a small crowd at a party. It was impromptu, there was a woman there with a great singing voice and she has always wanted to do Landslide by Fleetwood Mac. That's one song that I've been able to play quite well on the acoustic (the 1997 The Dance version). So I humbly offered, and we banged it out. I screwed up in 2 or 3 spots, which infuriated me since it was a song I know very well and can normally play no problem. It was knowing that all eyes were upon me that got me flustered. But after that we did a cool rendition of Dust in the Wind, and I actually sailed through that just fine.

The more you do the easier it gets. The other thing you've got to remember is that once a mistake is made it can't be undone...getting upset or obsessing on the mistake will just lead to more mistakes further on down the road. I used to fall into that trap pretty easily when I was younger... ;D



I'm out at the very western edge of NJ, right next to the Delaware Water Gap and the Poconos of PA. If you have to live in NJ it's still pretty nice, still lots of farms around, etc. Where in NY were you?





We were from Brooklyn and then Long Island....I still have a sister in Queens and one in East Northport...

I do have a webcam student somewhere in southern New Jersey...I wonder how far he is from you....

[SteveWoodward]

I'm way up Northern NJ, probably too far away from your student in southern NJ.

I like the city, and have spent a lot of time out on LI. But I think I would trade it for SoCal, just need to find a programming job out there (and affordable housing!).

Will keep trying to play out here and there to build confidence. I leave a guitar in the office and play here and there during lunch, etc. I think it's a good first start...

[Mark Wein]

Probably...I think my student is about 2 hours south of New York city.

I would love to trade SoCal for New York but my wifes family is here and I have a career I can't replicate very easily someplace else...

The office guitar is always a good thing, I think. It gets you little snippets of practice time you wouldn't ordinarily get.

[SteveWoodward]

Having the guitar in the office does work out well, it's good to have a guitar playing boss!

[warren0728]

ordered my copy from lulu on friday, june 27 and it shipped today (monday the 29th)! that's pretty fast!! :o

now let's see how fast the usps gets it to me!!

ww

[Mark Wein]

ordered my copy from lulu on friday, june 27 and it shipped today (monday the 29th)! that's pretty fast!! :o

now let's see how fast the usps gets it to me!!

ww


Awesome! You'll have to let me know how fast it gets to you...

[warren0728]

Awesome! You'll have to let me know how fast it gets to you...

i definitely will!

ww

[warren0728]

got my copy today....probably would have gotten it sooner except for the holiday!

print quality is very good....i think mine was shipped from jacksonville, fl so i think they are farming out the printing to different printers in different areas.

nice job mark.....can't wait to get started!

ww