Building a Reference Library, Pt. I - General Knowledge Books

One of the things I have always found helpful as a guitar teacher was having a reference library to pull lesson material from. This could include anything from something you would like to teach a student (such as finger-tapping) or just general knowledge you would like to impart (like guitar history). I feel spoiled because years ago when I was building a reference library many music stores used to have a healthy stock of books on various topics from music theory to song books. Today when I go into music stores the stock is rather limited to basic method books and an abundance of tablature song books. 

Since the Internet took over the world I have been disappointed numerous times with a book purchase because I haven’t been able to go through the book a bit before I purchase it. If you’re lucky there are a few pages posted to see what the book is about. Needless to say, I enjoyed thumbing through books prior to purchasing them to get a feel for whether they would help me as a player and teacher; over the years I have amassed a sizable reference library. 

Over the next few posts I am going to discuss some books that I have found extremely helpful which I have referred back to time and time again. It may be old school when everything today is a click away, but a book itself may go more in-depth on a topic you had only a passing interest in, offer insight into a new topic or lead you into a totally new direction. An old friend once said, “If you buy a book and get one new piece of information out of it, then it was worth the money.” 

The books listed below are all purpose general knowledge books – let’s take a look! BTW, if you have some reference books you’ve used and can recommend please feel free to chime in. 

The Guitar Handbook 

by Ralph Denyer

This book has several sections and some of things discussed include: 1) Guitar Innovators: short biographies of well-known and lesser known players. 2) Acoustic Guitars: discusses the anatomy of the instrument and how they are constructed. 3) Electric Guitars: reviews hollow and solid body guitars, pick-ups and instruments by Fender & Gibson. 4) Playing the Guitar: tuning, right & left hand technique, theory, rhythm charts, scales, harmonics, modulation and chord substitution. 5) Guitar Maintenance and Customizing: setting the action, fret care, guitar care, simple repairs and strings. 6) Performance Technology: guitar amplifiers, microphones, mixing consoles, working on-stage and sound processing. 7) Chord Dictionary: the chords are laid out in a “per key” basis with multiple fingers for various chords. 

The Harvard Brief Dictionary of Music

A dictionary of music is one of those reference books that should be in every musician’s library. The book contains everything from musical periods, notation, tempo markings in all languages one may come across, descriptions of musical forms as well as theoretical concepts. 

The New Complete Guitarist 

by Richard Chapman

A wonderful book which uses visuals to a great extent to help the reader understand various guitar & music related topics. There are three main sections to the book: 1) The Guitar – which has a timeline of instruments and discusses all types of guitars. 2) Playing the Guitar – covering topics such as playing position, alternate picking, playing the blues, the modal system, melody over chords, transposing chords and chord scale relationships. 3) Sound and Amplification - which discusses such topics as combo amps, rack mounted systems and specific amplifiers like the Vox AC30. 

The Illustrated Directory of Guitars

Edited by Ray Bonds

A wonderful book covering guitar history from the pre-twentieth century guitars to “modern” instruments made by Paul Reed Smith and Emmett Chapman. All variations of guitars are talked about: classical, flamenco, steel string, resonator, archtops, solid body, etc. The book is a whopping 480 pages with pictures and profiles of various makers.

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Hi Folks, 

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have decided to try something new at The Guitar Teaching Blog - affiliate marketing. You will now find links to various products pertaining directly to the monthly topic and which you might find helpful in your own teaching or playing. As always I hope you find the information useful! 

12 Bar Blues - Walking Bass Line

In previous posts I have discussed different ways to introduce the 12 Bar Blues to students. This month I wanted to talk about using a walking bass line to accompany another guitarist or musician when playing a 12 Bar Blues. Walking bass lines are generally associated with our bass playing brethren, but guitarists can also effectively use them. In its most simplistic form a walking bass outlines (or arpeggiates) the notes of a chord using a quarter note rhythm.

There are many complications when introducing a new concept like a walking bass line to students, such as should the teacher discuss: What it is, Where it comes from, How to change keys or How to develop it; my M.O. (modus operandi) is that students are on a “need to know basis.” Don’t feel the need to burden the student with a great deal of information about what they are doing just get them playing, technical and theoretical information can be slowly introduced during subsequent lessons.

Below is an example of a basic Walking Bass in A with fingerings. I have included accompanying chords not only for the teacher to play along, but also so the student can see how the chords fit with the bass line. Moreover, the teacher and student should swap parts as the student becomes proficient playing both parts individually.

Open Position Power Chords, Pt.IV - 12 Bar Blues

In the last few posts I discussed open position power chords and the various ways that they can be utilized in lessons. These simple chords can be played using only one finger and are a gateway to playing the basic blues/rock patterns. 

Last month open position power chords were taken to the next level by incorporating a shuffle rhythm. This month we’ll plug those chords and rhythm into a basic 12 Bar Blues pattern. Students can continue to use a continuous down strum for the shuffle rhythm in order to facilitate the ease of playing.

Open Position Power Chords, Pt. III – Shuffle Rhythms

In the June and August posts open position power chords were introduced and then utilized in a 12 bar blues pattern using a quarter note strum pattern. This month we’ll take this concept to the next level by introducing a shuffle rhythm that can be played using each of the three open position power chords. 

 The shuffle rhythm is played using eighth notes – however for ease of execution students should be using down strokes. The rhythm and pattern are the same no matter which chord the player is using, what does change is the string. 

Next month we’ll add the next step in utilizing power chords and shuffle rhythm.

Open Position Power Chords, Pt. II – 12 Bar Blues

In the June post students were introduced to open position power chords. This month we’ll be plugging those chords into a standard 12 bar blues that students can utilize them.

There is no need to get fancy right away as a straight ahead quarter note rhythm will suffice until students are comfortable with the progression. Using a 12 bar blues for open power chords is a great way to start jamming with students – solo as they lay down the rhythm or add a second rhythm part on top. Next month we’ll take these open power chords to the next level!

A Journey to Guitarland with Maestro Armadillo

This month I wanted to fill you in on a new children’s book that hit the shelves recently which was written by my friend and colleague Thomas Amoriello Jr. The book is entitled “A Journey to Guitarland with Maestro Armadillo" and is a wonderful introduction to the guitar for youngsters, especially those who like music. 

Inside the book readers are transported to a wondrous place called Guitarland where everything from homes to cars can be shaped like guitars! Their tour guide of Guitarland is Maestro Armadillo - a flying V toting, rock ‘n’roll t-shirt wearing armadillo. The book is not only entertaining, but educational as children learn about the parts of the guitar and how the it works. It is also beautifully illustrated with water color artwork by street artist James J. Kelewae. 

Finally, the book has a “who’s who” of the guitar world lending their name to endorse the book – Brian May, Jennifer Batten, Steve Hackett and Michael “Kidd Funkadelic” Hampton. If you’re looking for a children’s book to get your little ones into the guitar or even read to young students pick up a copy of "A Journey to Guitarland with Maestro Armadillo!"

Open Position Power Chords, pt. I

The words “power chord” can really pique the interest of a student if they have yet to learn about them as the name itself implies something pretty fantastic. Power chords are quite simply two or three chords using a root/5th combination played on the bass strings to create a heavier sound and are notated as a “5” chord (ex. A5, G5) These chords have been used in some fashion in all sorts of styles from Freddie Green’s “four to the bar” big band playing to Tony Iommi’s thunderous riffs in Black Sabbath.

One of the things that make power chords so wonderful is the ease in which a student can learn and implement them. Moreover, the easiest way to introduce them is by playing them in open position. The trickiest part for newbies when it comes to playing power chords is only strumming two strings. I recommend that when getting used to them students only apply down strums – they can get more complicated later and integrate alternate strumming patterns.

In the August I’ll be discussing how to apply the open position power chord.

Cowboy Chord Songs, pt.V - The Final Touch

In the series of posts Cowboy Chord Songs, I have discussed slowly building rhythm patterns to help students more effectively change chords smoothly. This final installment applies the “actual rhythm” students would use when playing the song which uses eighth and half notes. 

Of course, students should continue working with a metronome to ensure rhythms are played in proper time. Next month we’ll be onto something new!

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Cowboy Chord Songs, pt. IV – More Rhythm

In previous posts of Cowboy/Open Chord Songs I spoke about applying whole and half note rhythms to the chord changes of a song to develop smooth chord changes. This month we’ll apply quarter rhythms using down strokes (indicated by the arrows) to help quicken changes.

Students should continue working with a metronome to ensure rhythms are played in proper time. Next month I’ll continue on the topic of how to teach Cowboy Chord songs.

Cowboy Chord Songs, pt. III – New Rhythms

In the two previous posts I have discussed Cowboy/Open Chord songs and my approach to teaching them. Last month I spoke about applying whole note rhythms in order to allow the student ample time to change from chord to chord. Moreover, whole note rhythms would help the student establish a longer sense of pulse. 

This month the student will be applying half note rhythms to quicken their strumming pattern. Once again students will using only down strokes as indicated by the arrows on beats 1 and 3, as well as continuing to work with a metronome to ensure rhythms are played in proper time. 

Next month I’ll continue on the topic of how to teach Cowboy Chord songs.

Jennifer Batten Interview

Here's the latest article I co-authored for TEMPO magazine, an interview with Jennifer Batten; former axe slinger for Michael Jackson and member of Jeff Beck's band. I had the good fortune of attending her seminar Self Empowerment for the Modern Musician this past summer at Sam Ash Music. Ms. Batten had some wonderful information which she imparted to those in attendance and was kind enough to let us interview her for this article.. enjoy!

Cowboy Chord Songs, pt. II – Adding the Rhythm

Last month I posted about Cowboy/Open Chord songs and forming chord shapes to help smooth transitions. As an example, I chose the song Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door which uses only four chords: G, D, Am, C.

In this second installment students will begin strumming the chords in whole note rhythms/every four beats keeping the beat as slow as needed in order to switch chords “in-time”. This may be a good opportunity to introduce playing with a metronome so students become accustomed to playing with an established beat. Additionally, strumming should be limited to simple down strokes (as depicted by the arrows in the diagram below). 

By using whole note rhythms the player has plenty of time to think about the next chord change and transition to it in time. Furthermore, players will be forced to count, get a sense of where the downbeat is and feel a longer "phrase". 

Next month I’ll continue on the topic of how to teach Cowboy/Open Chord songs - til' then.