beginners classical guitar book

[ceddia]

Yesterday I received Bill May's complete classic guitar book. When looking over it seems a very good book, it starts all the way from the beginning with left hand and right hand studies. He also explains the music notation in a logical sequence. I will use this book along with Bill May's classical beginner guitar solos book to start playing classical guitar studies.
So, if there are any beginners to look for a beginners book; these books seem to fit the bill so far.

Have a nice day.

[Robin]

I love Bill May!!

Is this the book authored by Stanley Yates? I have seen the Bill May book written for Young Beginners also.

Have fun!

Robin

[tbon]

Mel Bay's classical guitar book moves very fast, too fast for a beginner in my opinion (not to be confused with the one by Stanley Yates which is ok, but not specifically written for classical guitar). I am not saying that a beginner could not use it with profit, but more as an additional reading. Even Noad moved too fast for me, so I use Paul Henry's and Delcamp 1 to learn the first position and so far I am happy with my progress.

[Derek Gripper]

I have written a little beginners book which may be of help in preparing you for other books. It will get your fingers moving, your ear in tune, and establish the basic concepts of play melodies and harmonies, as well as the basics of reading (like which way is up.)
It is available free online here:
http://www.derekgripper.co.za/derekgripper/scores.html
Love,
Derek Gripper

[Peter_Mortelmans]

Yesterday I received Bill May's complete classic guitar book. When looking over it seems a very good book, it starts all the way from the beginning with left hand and right hand studies. He also explains the music notation in a logical sequence. I will use this book along with Bill May's classical beginner guitar solos book to start playing classical guitar studies.
So, if there are any beginners to look for a beginners book; these books seem to fit the bill so far.

Have a nice day.

Are you sure it's Bill May and not Mel Bay? I never heard about a book by Bill May (I checked again on amazon just now)
"The Complete Mel Bay Method for classical guitar" is certainly not a bad book, but I like Parkening's method a little more: I like it's structure better, and it has i little bit more explantion about technique.
In fact, there are many good beginner books for classical guitar, all with their strenghts and weaknesses, but most of them better than beginner books for steel string or electric guitar.

[samTN]

Since I'm a self taught, I must have an audio source with my material otherwise I'll be just wasting my time. I use Solo Guitar playing by Noad and First lessons for Guitar by Sagreras. I like Sagrera's very much. I had the chance to look at Parkening's book and I believe it is better suited for the beginner than Noad's.

[ronjazz]

Very few books are useful without a couple of lessons from a qualified teacher. I do recommend the Shearer "Learning The Classic Guitar" above all others,since it really investigates the right hand and trains it very, very well. Volume 1 is designed to be used with volume 2, but I think that Volume 1 could be used with any of the other methods available. Vol. 1 has no music or exercises, just instructions on technique, which may be applies to many different pieces. Shearer explains the nail problems, positioning, muscle groups, etc., etc.

[FrankOliver]

I am taking lessons and my teacher uses Sagreras (beginning with Guitar Lessons Books 1-3). I do happen to have Noad's book, but I rather prefer the method of progression in Sagreras. Hence, poor Noad sits on the shelf.

By the by, I am using Sagreras along with The Student Repertoure Series Volume 1 (Ferrara) and am making significant progress. Note: I am not at all new to guitar playing, but to reading notation in earnest and, I am, essentially, beginning anew with classical guitar. It really is a pleasure.

[kaizengtr]

I'd have to second what 'ronjazz' said about the Shearer method. I've used the Noad book in the past and feel that it probably would be most useful with the guidance of an instructor. Although I think the newer editions of that book come with a CD which I'm sure is a great help (mine is old enough that it was just a book). The Shearer books are laid out very methodically and could be very useful for someone working on teaching themselves. The main concern when teaching yourself is to avoid any physical misconceptions so that you don't develop any bad habits that could cause you pain or injury down the road. A qualified instructor can help you to develop good, sound technique so that you can continue to teach yourself and enjoy the guitar for years to come. The Shearer books actually have a fairly comprehensive section on Repetitive Strain Injury. Something you want to avoid, for sure.

Good luck.

[adeb]

As another beginner, I can also relate my experience with the Noad book.

Negatives: It really does need the input of a teacher, definitely in the early stages.

Positives: Once you reach chapter 7 (at least in the very old edition I own), the first solo piece ("Spanish study") becomes available, followed in by Malaguena and the first five study pieces. For me, these pieces absolutely kick-started a more rapid progression as they are musically interesting and therefore, for me, highly addictive!

I'm still working through this book, along with other materials provided by my teacher, and still enjoying the study pieces as they are encountered.

[Derek Gripper]

the book I mentioned earlier in this thread is now located here: http://www.derekgripper.com/montessori-guitar-workbook/

It introduces the basics of playing melodies in the treble strings, treble string harmonic accompaniments as an introduction to chord playing, playing melodies with bass accompaniment and the playing of chords with right hand patterns. It uses adapations of the conventional guitar repertoire along with children's songs and a few traditional folk melodies (such as Swedish and German). You can work through it very easily without much previous knowledge of the guitar. I would be most interested to hear from anyone who has tried it. I have used this approach to teach many beginners from 3-60.

Here is the new link:
http://www.derekgripper.com/montessori-guitar-workbook/

Yours,
Derek Gripper

[Phonky]

Hi,
I like the book "Classical Guitar for Dummies". It´s a stupid title and first I thought it must be crap, but it´s serious book for beginners. Not too difficult and not too easy. I think it´s better for self studying than the Mel bay book.

Greetings

[Peter_Mortelmans]

Hi,
I like the book "Classical Guitar for Dummies". It´s a stupid title and first I thought it must be crap, but it´s serious book for beginners. Not too difficult and not too easy. I think it´s better for self studying than the Mel bay book.

Greetings

You should have followed your first thought
Seriously. I looked at it of 10 seconds in a book shop and put it back. Like all the "for dummies books", it has way too much text. As I remember, it teaches all the basic techniques, but lacks easy exercises (slowly progressing in difficulty).

[Robin]

I have written a little beginners book which may be of help in preparing you for other books. It will get your fingers moving, your ear in tune, and establish the basic concepts of play melodies and harmonies, as well as the basics of reading (like which way is up.)
It is available free online here:
http://www.derekgripper.co.za/derekgripper/scores.html
Love,
Derek Gripper

Hi Derek,

I really like how you have used an almost "pre-reading" strategy in organizing your method. You introduce concepts and skills step by step and don't give the student more information than what is needed for the current concept. I'd like to ask you: at some point do you introduce music notation? If so, when and how?

I teach beginners of all ages-including alot of young children. In some cases, I find that introducing music notation at the same time as the physical, rhythmic and musical skills becomes a barrier to learning. Most piano methods (even those written for adults) use a pre-reading approach to teaching beginning concepts and playing skills. If students have had experience with reading music prior to beginning guitar, it usually isn't as much of an issue. I think the guitar presents more challenges in that what is happening on the music staff is not reflective of what the student does on the guitar. This can cause confusion in establishing the connection between written notation and the physical/mental act of playing the notated music on the guitar.

Thanks for sharing the link to your method!

Robin

[TebotPiws]

Having looked and tried a few method books, Noad's 'Solo Guitar playing 1' is in a league of it's own. It's popular and well respected for a reason. A perfect companion (especially if you don't have a teacher) is William Kanengiser's DVD, 'Effortless Classical Guitar,' which is an excellent presentation on left and right hand techniques. To supplement Noad's method, look no further than, http://www.classicalguitarschool.net/en/. The resource is freely available and graded if you consult the 'methodology' list. What I like about this is that you can choose pieces to fit with Noad's book, meaning that you can significantly bulk up a lesson by adding pieces from the mentioned website.