Improvisation for Classical, Fingerstyle and Jazz Guitar

Pros:. Interesting topics and ideas presented. For developing theory, useful chapters on scales and modes. Offers great resources on further listening and reading, and is quite insightful about other relevant musical subjects. Good guidelines for the practicing of modesCons:. Too wordy. I find this to be an exhausting read.. Some musical examples I don't find useful. They also use lots of open strings, which is something I was hoping to move away from doing. The section of rhythmic development was also not very compelling.. It feels like it has less to do with improvisation, and more to do with jazz analysis with classical playing techniquesAll in all, this book wasn't a game changer for me. It could sit on the shelf next to Zen Guitar and other books on general creativity. With this I was hoping to find some physical solutions to improvised solo playing, but it felt like it missed that by being too generalised.

I find this book an excellent companion in developing skills in improvisation.It is brimming with a variety of learning materials,ideas and practical worked examples.There is something for everyone here whether you are just starting out or are a seasoned practitioner looking for new insights.The material is organised in digestible topics and is presented with the care and understanding of an experienced tutor.It is not a sequential learning programme. The chapters/topics stand on their own and can be dipped in and out of according to one's needs or interests at the time.I found particularly helpful the Appendix explaining the CAGED system as a practical way of seeing the relationship between keys, scales, chords and arpeggios across the fingerboard and the fact that all musical examples were given in TAB as well as Standard Notation.

Recently bought this book a few weeks ago, and i don’t usually jazz based books (although I have one or two good ones). I’m really glad I did because there’s loads to go at here, and plenty to study and keep you going for a long time. A book for players that want to take study seriously and get into more detail, but much here also for those just starting approaching theory, scales, arpeggios, chords etc. Good examples and discussions to get you into a topicals well. I’m getting into the section on chordal scales - something that goes into much more detail than I’d properly thought through before - and yet another way to visualise the fretboard - which is great for improvisation in any style. Recommended.

Finally, a book designed to help the guitarist overcome the hurdles and pitfalls on the road to successful improvised playing. Not only a focused resource, but also a broad and intuitive volume which provides strategies and techniques to assist players in overcoming the 'walls' encountered when learning improvisation. Whilst there are many books out there that purport to turn players into serious improvisors, this publication provides a no nonesense, hands on, and above all practical approach to improvised playing. This book is further useful to all improvisors: jazz, classical or fingerstyle. In a nutshell, this is the 'desert island' book for the modern improvising guitar player.

I useful addition to any keen or professional musician.It offers a great insight into every area of the named styles.Good for Jazz style improvisationwould recommend also excellent for reference

If you are interested in becoming a musician, not just a guitar player, then this book is a must. An in- depth look at improvisation across the three styles that will enable you to develop your own guitar "voice", expressing your individual feeling through music. There are many publications that teach you how to play other peoples songs, but this will bring out the artist in you.

I just recieved this book today and began reading and playing through the excercises. The knowledge this book contains is incredible, i have purchased many books of this type but non contain such great detail on caged shapes and other fascinating aspects of fingerstyle guitar. This book would be great for beginners aswell as the concepts develop throughout the book. Therefore meaning advanced and beginner players can both gain a lot from it.Definitely a must buy for any guitarist delving into this type of playing!!