Adapted Excerpt from Guitar For Dummies®, 3rd Edition:
The question isn't "Do you wanna play guitar?". It's "Why wouldn't you
want to play guitar?". Most beginners need some expertly advice,
but when you buy a book, you buy one that asks you to practice the
guitar in the same way that you would practice the piano. First, you
learn where the notes fall on the staff; then you learn about the length
of time that you're supposed to hold the notes; then you move on to
practicing scales; and the big payoff is to practice song after
unrecognizable song that you probably don't care about playing anyway.
If you're looking for that kind of ho-hum guitar book, you won't find it
here!
The truth is that many great guitarists don't know how to read music,
and many who can read music learned to do so after they learned to play
the guiar. Repeat after us: You don't need to read music to play the
guitar. Chant this mantra until you believe it.
Quick tips:
- Look at the photos. Just form your hands the way we show you in the
photos
- Read guitar tablature. Tab goes a long way toward enabling you to play
music without reading music.
- View
videos on Dummies.com and listen to audio tracks from the
DVD in the back of the book. More than 50 short videos enable you to see
how key selected techniques are executed. Listen to all the songs and
exercises in the book performed on nearly 100 audio tracks.
- Look at the music staff as you improve. The music for all the
exercises and songs appears above the tab. So you get the best of both
worlds: You can associate the music notation with the sound you're
making after you already know how to make the sound.
Many would-be guitarists never really get into playing because they have
the wrong guitar. Or maybe the strings are too difficult to push down. Guitar
For Dummies doesn't assume that you already have the right
guitar--or even any guitar at all. You'll find everything you need to
know (from a buyer's guide to buying strategies, to guitars and
accessories for particular styles) to match yourself with the guitar and
equipment that fit your needs and budget.
A serious guitar is a serious investment, and, as with any other serious
investment, you need to maintain it. The book provides the information
you need to correctly store, maintain, and care for your six-string,
including how to change strings and what little extras to keep stashed
away in your guitar case.
In short, Guitar For Dummies, 3rd Edition, delivers
everything the beginning to intermediate guitarist needs--from buying a
guitar to tuning the guitar, to playing the guitar, to caring for the
guitar.
You'll also love the 'Part of Tens' in the back of the book, which lists
ten guitarists you should know (Django Reinhardt, Chet Atkins, B.B.
King, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Page, Hendrix, and more); the ten greatest
guitar songs of all time ("Crossroads" by Cream, "Eruption" by Van
Halen, "Texas Flood" by Stevie Ray Vaughan, among others).
Also, check out the Cheat
Sheet on Dummies.com for common guitar chords and essential
tools and accessories.
Adrienne Fontaine
afontain@wiley.com
201-748-5626