Play Guitar with AC/DC Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I had been waiting for an AC/DC play along for so long, that when this one became available, I ordered it immediately.
Personally, maybe because I am not in a band yet, I think play alongs are lots of fun. We can jam with our favourite band in our bedrooms and still learn the guitar much more easily, due to the CD and tab combination. I also like to use the backing trackings without the guitar lead to train an improvise my own solos.
This book covers eight famous AC/DC songs, with a full demo first and then a second version of the same track minus the lead guitar. I play along with both versions. I use the first one to follow the lead guitar and get my playing tempo right. I start to play with the second one when I think I am already good enough.
If you give yourself enough time and practice, you can slowly reproduce every bend, vibrato, etc... It's a matter of rewinding the CD and working on it until you are really close. This is a very valuable learning tool in my opinion.
The songs chosen are some of their most famous. You will find "Highway to Hell", "Whole Lotta Rosie", "You Shook me all night long" and "Back in black" among others.
The recordings sound very nice and there is a part at the beginning of the book with tips to reproduce the classical tones for each song. This is a very nice touch too.
All in all, this is an extremely nice play-along, with a great theme(AC/DC) and a CD that has really nice recorded versions. For AC/DC fans this is really, really fun. I am glad I bought this book.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Play Guitar with AC/DC

Two specially recorded ‘sound-a-like' backing tracks of each song. The first, with guitar showing how it should sound, and a backing for vocals. The second, backing track without guitar to play along with your guitar. Both versions are without vocals and have instrumental cues so you can sing along. Plus matching music book featuring both guitar tabulature and standard notation of each song with chord symbols and complete lyrics. Includes: Back in Black, Highway to Hell, You Shook Me All Night Long and more.

Get 32% OFF

Buy cheap Play Guitar with AC/DC now.

Mel Bay Classic Chicago Blues Harp #2 Level 3 (Blues Harmonica Lesson Series) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I have bought beginning harmonica books and watch harp players on you tube for the last 3 years. One of the instructors on you tube recommended Dave's website and he had all of his books online to review. He even has short audio files to listen to before you make a decision to buy. I recommend all of his books. It is like having a music instructor. If you wants to know all of the ins and outs of reading music, learning rhythm, and all of the playing techniques these books are for you. Keep in mind that Dave has 3 levels, so you will need to buy all of his series to progress. Amazon did a great job, they shipped quicker than advertised, they got the order right, and I will buy from them in the future.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Mel Bay Classic Chicago Blues Harp #2 Level 3 (Blues Harmonica Lesson Series)

Classic Chicago Blues Harp #2 follows book/CD #1 and is a progressive lesson book that walks you step-by-step from the intermediate stages of playing the harmonica to the very advanced. This lesson book is the main backbone to the Harmonica Masterclass Lesson Series. Classic Chicago Blues Harp takes the major techniques used by professional artists and teaches it to you. Each chapter finishes in a chapter review test to help you in understanding the main points covered in each chapter. The D major diatonic harmonica is primarily used in this book, the other keys are A and C.

Get 22% OFF

Buy cheap Mel Bay Classic Chicago Blues Harp #2 Level 3 (Blues Harmonica Lesson Series) now.

Sweet Simplicity: Jacques Pepin's Fruit Desserts Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Jacques has done it again! Each fruit has its own chapter with descriptions of varities of each fruit, ripeness tests, many color pictures of the finished results along with the uncomplicated recipes.
Fresh fruit season is beginning, so the big decision is where to start. There are great sounding recipes for all seasons, plus preparation time and nutritional analysis for all of them.
Jacques' PBS shows are always special as are his cookbooks. Keep them coming. A great read!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sweet Simplicity: Jacques Pepin's Fruit Desserts

Buy cheap Sweet Simplicity: Jacques Pepin's Fruit Desserts now.

Ultimate Guitar Blues Play-Along (Guitar Trax) (Ultimate Play-Along Series) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The book includes a CD with demonstration solos. On each track the solo drops out and the background continues so the user can play lead. Really good background tracks in a variety of blues styles. Though the book includes complete tabs and notation, the solos are fairly advanced. Actually duplicating them is for reasonably experienced players, though others can pick up some of the licks.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Ultimate Guitar Blues Play-Along (Guitar Trax) (Ultimate Play-Along Series)

The Ultimate Play-Along series puts the aspiring guitarist with some of the finest musicians in the world. This edition includes 12 burning blues play-along trax, a live rhythm section, demo solos by monster guitarists, complete rhythm charts, and solo transcriptions with tab.

Get 33% OFF

Buy cheap Ultimate Guitar Blues Play-Along (Guitar Trax) (Ultimate Play-Along Series) now.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing Bass Guitar Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)David Hodge states in the introduction to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing Bass Guitar that he wants to help his readers think like bassists. That seems like a rather lofty goal, but it's one that I think he achieves.
Having recently joined my church band as the bass player despite having no prior experience with the instrument (though I do have a couple of years of steady progress on electric and acoustic guitar,) I was glad to see that this book has a different presentation style than the typical bass method book. It is much more discussion oriented, which gives it a unique teaching value that I found very helpful for self-study. (I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced copy of the book many weeks ago, which is why I can write this review now even as the book first begins to officially ship.)
The first thing I noticed when I received my copy is how much text there is. Other bass books I purchased dive quickly into reading notation and playing one note, one string at a time, graduating up to scales and basic melody lines with very little explanatory text. Hodge takes a different route, that of mentor, guiding you through the how and why of every topic he presents, from finger placement during a riff to creating your own bass lines. Hodge writes in an easy-to-understand, down-to-earth manner, and it's almost like having an experienced teacher there with you.
There is enough music theory to help you understand the basics of scales, chords and arpeggios, but not so much that you feel bogged down. Importantly, all of Hodge's discussion on theory leads to practical application in the subsequent chapters. I was pleased to note that he explains but does not over-emphasize scale playing, but instead seems to focus on riffs and bass lines built using the chord tones that derive from scales. This is a more musical and interesting approach than you tend to find in other books (though a good foundation in the major scale won't hurt, in my opinion).
Then there are the "jam along" songs. These are the meat and potatoes of Hodge's presentation, and the reason I think this book exceeds where others may fall a bit short. At the most basic level, you can use these songs (really they are a framework for building a song) and the provided example riffs to practice your techniques and timing. From there, you can use the same songs as a springboard for improvisation, by coming up with your own riffs using the earlier lessons. When I was taking guitar lessons my teacher used a similar technique - he called it "structured improvisation" - and I found it to be an excellent way to learn to think about what I was playing.
Hodge also provides insight into real-world issues bass players may face, such as the scarcity of tablature or even sheet music for bass, and the many types of written music that a bass player might have to deal with - from the bass clef in piano sheet music to crude lyric sheets with guitar chords hopefully scrawled above the verses.
There are a handful of typos or misplaced examples in the book, but Hodge intends to post a web page with corrections (how's that for service?!) Furthermore, he is regularly available at the GuitarNoise web forum for anyone with questions.
I do have a couple of complaints, both concerning the accompanying CD. First, I would have preferred that each example in the book have its own track on the CD, though I'm told it's not technically possible to put that many tracks on a single disc (there are well over 150 examples!) As it is, there are instances where several examples are necessarily lumped into the same CD track, making it difficult to quickly jump to a particular example. One has to queue up the example using the CD player's fast-forward or rewind button. Related to this, the track numbers containing the examples are referenced only in an appendix, not in the main body of the book. In my opinion they should have been noted next to the example in the text.
Second, at least on my copy of the CD, the recorded volume of the bass seems somewhat low relative to Hodge's voice. I have to turn up my stereo's volume to hear the bass clearly, but then the spoken introduction to each example gets a tad loud. Again, these are very minor issues, neither of which detracts from the excellent material in the book.
I am really pleased with what I've learned from this book in a fairly short time period, and intend to keep working with it even as I incorporate other books into my studies. I would definitely recommend it to anyone thinking about getting into bass. And don't forget to order it through the Guitar Noise site (it will take you back to Amazon) - this adds no cost to you, and it may help keep the site functioning smoothly so Mr. Hodge can answer your questions online.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing Bass Guitar

Bass guitar basics—Audio CD included!Whether readers have just picked up the bass or are learning to improve their technique, this book provides a strong foundation in reading music, purchasing the right equipment, and care and maintenance of the bass guitar. A CD of original music helps budding bass players practice their skills.• Includes an original CD featuring examples and practice music for a wide range of styles—blues, rhythm and blues, country, hip-hop, rock, swing, jazz, Latin, reggae, and more• Written by the managing editor and senior columnist at GuitarNoise.com, one of the web's most popular and highly regarded instruction sites

Get 32% OFF

Buy cheap The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing Bass Guitar now.

Banjo For Dummies Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)A little personal background: I've been playing the 5-string banjo since 1979. Started with Scruggs-style Bluegrass, dabbled with Melodics, discovered the joy of Clawhammer (and antique banjos) and then found my `calling' in Classic style (1870-1920). Lately I've been playing a lot of the very earliest ("Minstrel") style. Yes, I also play some Tenor...
I bought this book because I'm an inveterate banjo-tutor collector; part of this is because I just love all things banjo and part is that I've always wanted to find the "perfect" banjo tutor.
I've been reading thru it for a week now, playing some of the examples, etc. (esp. the Minstrel and Classic stuff, as that's what I've been playing mostly of late). I'm very impressed!
I guess I can't really say what I expected of this book. I've had a couple of the computer related ones over the years and, quite frankly, they didn't help me out much. A lot of that was pure 'lack of interest' in the subject matter (boss sez, you gotta learn Mickysoft XXXX but we're not going to really use it...). Of course, there's the negative cachet of "For Dummies"...even though I qualify when it comes to the computer.
Still, I expect great things from great banjoists and the track record is a tough one to live up to. Tony T. has all those great banjo books out there, Sonny O. builds awesome banjos, Bill K. makes them tuner things, Alan M. teaches college for gawd sakes. What will poor Bill E. come up with?
I can tell you in quite succinct terms: he's come up with a great book. The really scary part is that he's come up with a great book that deals with 5-string playing across the board...Minstrel, Classic, Clawhammer, Scruggs, Melodic, Single-string...its all there, clearly and cleanly discussed, excellent examples and well thought out progressions from simple to complex...and there's a CD included that is jam-packed with slowly and clearly played examples.
To cap that, he covers choosing a banjo (and then upgrading later on), setting it up, buying strings, bridges, tuners. travelling with a banjo, etc, etc,...all up to date, web links included. How cool is that?
No, it ain't the alpha/omega of banjo books and it doesn't cover everything you ever wanted to know about XXX style. However, it provides an awesome introduction into the world of the 5-string banjo.
Quirks: interestingly, he has chosen to interlace the clawhammer and three-finger basic instruction. It was disconcerting at first for me to be playing thru the CH tab for "Red River Valley" and then look at the next page where it starts again...to find out it is bluegrass tab (after I'd tried to CH it). Well, that's really my fault for not READING along and just grabbing tab out of the book. Once I had figured that out, I found it really interesting to play the two versions back to back. Makes you think about how the styles are laid around the same framework.
Another quirk (for the OFs like myself) is that the tab is quite small. This is not to say that I couldn't read it with my glasses on...just that I'm getting to where I appreciate large print more and more...
Outstanding things (the whole book qualifies, but these are just things that jumped out at me): page 88. What a great picture of how to bend your fingerpicks! The chapter on networking is worth the price of admission all by itself. The 'gear guide' is awesome...and who ever thought of teaching somebody how to use an electronic tuner? It is one of the first questions that I get from beginners...
Great work Bill! I think this one will be a huge success. I know I will be using it as a teaching aide for years to come.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Banjo For Dummies


A complete guide to the world of the five-string banjo written for both beginners and more experienced players.
Packed with over 120 how-to photos and 130 musical examples.
94 track CD included - hear and play along with every exercise and song.
The only book to offer instruction in clawhammer, bluegrass, melodic, single-string, minstrel and classic styles.

From Earl Scruggs’ driving bluegrass picking to the genre-busting jazz fusion of Béla Fleck and the multi-million selling movie soundtrack O Brother Where Are Thou?, the five-string banjo can be heard just about everywhere in American music these days.
Banjo For Dummies is the most complete guide to the five-string banjo ever written. It covers everything you need to get into the banjo: including how to choose, tune and care for your instrument, developing a good playing posture, fretting your first chords and getting comfortable with the left and right hand picking patterns used for clawhammer and bluegrass playing techniques. You’ll then add the left hand, spicing up your playing with slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and chokes for an authentic five-string banjo sound.
From there, you’ll move on the play 19th century minstrel style, early 20th century classic style as well as try your hand at more advanced examples of bluegrass style. An in-depth chapter on bluegrass music explores Scruggs licks and techniques as well as melodic and single-string styles, with song examples. Also included is a banjo buyer’s guide, a section on music theory as applied to bluegrass and old-time music, an accessories guide (advice on cases, picks, straps, metronomes, computer aids and much more), information on how to find a good teacher, banjo camp or festival, chord charts, bios of twelve influential players, practice tips and much, much more!
Banjo For Dummies is accessible and fun to read and it’s easy to locate just what you’re interested in playing. Included are 20 songs including several new compositions written by the author just for this book, including Reno Rag (single-string style), "Winston’s Jig” (Irish three-finger), and "Everyday Breakdown” (Scruggs style). All musical examples are played slowly on the accompanying CD, many with guitar and mandolin accompaniment.
Bill Evans is one of the world’s most celebrated banjo players and teachers. He has taught thousands of people to play the five-string banjo in private lessons and group workshops literally all over the world. In addition to leading the Bill Evans String Summit, Bill has performed with Dry Branch Fire Squad, David Grisman, Peter Rowan, Tony Trischka and many others and he hosts his own acclaimed banjo camp, the NashCamp Fall Banjo Retreat in the Nashville area. As an American music historian, he has taught at San Francisco State University, the University Virginia and Duke University. He has written a popular instructional column for Banjo Newsletter magazine for the last fifteen years and hosts three popular instructional DVDs for AcuTab Publications. To learn more about Bill, visit his homepage at www.nativeandfine.com.

Get 34% OFF

Buy cheap Banjo For Dummies now.