Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15100 in Books
• Published on: 1986-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 66 pages

Customer Reviews

A superbly sequenced and effective tutor
I have recently reviewed several tutor or reference books for guitarists. One of these was also by Mark Hanson and it impressed me greatly. This book is no different. It is carefully sequenced and sensibly leads you through increasingly (but carefully carefully devised) exercises and practise tasks.

The associated CD is equally good with clearly explained instructions so that once you have grasped a task, you can easily work from the CD without needing to simultaneously try to read or study the book.

My only slight niggle with the CD is that some sections are introduced with a lot of narration before the exercise itself. It would have been better to split such tracks so that you could use 'repeat' to focus on just the music rather than having to keep listening to the introduction. But that's a small concern and isn't worth deducting a star.

After some basic and very clear introductory explanations about right hand positions, tuning etc., the main section themes in the book are as follows. (I have paraphrased them to save space):

(1) Picking patterns (outside in - inside out - pinch - descending arpeggio)
(2) Ring finger variations
(3) Introductory melody playing
(4) Necessities of good accompaniment playing (bass patterns, six string playing, slurs, two chords per measure, simultaneous finger notes, rhythmic variations)
(5) Solo style preview.
(6) Five appendices of useful information and resource references. (People to hear, Contemporary Travis picking songs, Glossary, Tablature guide, Chord chart and information).

The author makes it plain that people who use this book are assumed to have some basic knowledge of chords and an awareness of basic music vocabulary (although two of the appendices cover both of these areas). He also makes it plain that experience of fingerpicking is not necessary. It does help if the reader has an understanding of either music notation or guitar tablature.

As for the main purpose of this excellent book, it is easier to quote Mark Hanson's own words. It covers his own preferred "..teaching method for a very popular fingerpicking style for guitar commonly known as 'alternating bass' or 'Travis picking'. It is a typically American style of playing ....."

The emphasis is certainly upon accompaniment, but there are also moves towards melody playing so that both main aspects of fingerpicking are covered. (Melody playing is developed more fully in a separate book by Mark Hanson - 'The art of solo fingerpicking')

All-in-all this is an excellent tutor and is, in my opinion, hard to beat for anyone who wants to quickly gain an insight into the basics of fingerpicking - and who then wants to move forwards through a carefully devised set of interesting tasks, skills and challenges.

Excellent educational tool
Hanson is a uniquely gifted teacher who doesn't condescend to the beginning guitarist and doesn't quickly lose the beginner like Kieth Wyatt. Step by step he takes you through difficult arrangements, so that with some practice you have some beautifully original tunes under your belt. He quickly disposes with standard open chords and opens up the neck of the guitar to exploration and discovery to a range of sounds. He doesn't go into theory which is either an advantage or a disadvantage depending on how you look at it. Personally, I would like to know some of the musical theory and couldn't think of a better tutor than Mark. I'm slowly acculmulating all his books. If you are going to buy a guitar book, let it be a Mark Hanson book!

Extremely pleased.
If you've bought book after book hoping to get to that "next level", without satisfaction, then this is the book you've been looking for. For those of you who've played chords and always wanted to fingerpick but have had your eyes glaze over by lines of sheet music. I had played only chords for 8 years and within 5 minutes of starting this book/CD I was fingerpicking! Furthermore, it was easy! The "lightbulb" in my brain was turned on and my understanding of picking in general was illuminated. This may be the best money you'll ever pay to learn Travis picking.