what book?

degameth90 · #1 10-23-2010, 06:04 PM

Hi everyone,

I am brand new to classical guitar and am looking into getting a book or two to start with. I have very little background in theory and sheet music. Also, I can not afford lessons right now and do not want that to keep me from learning. My question is, after looking at all the instruction books and not being able to decide, which will be best for a person brand new to playing?

bluesbassdad · #2 10-23-2010, 07:15 PM

I've looked at fewer than a dozen classical guitar method books, and I've never gotten past the beginner stage.

That said, I'll suggest that if you absolutely, positively cannot arrange to take at least a few lessons, then the Frederick Noad series is a good place to start.

http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Playing...883236&sr=8-41

Noad first came to prominence decades ago, when he did a series for TV. It was a big success. That series is available from his heirs' website transcribed to DVD , but it's pricey. I had it on VHS tape; I found it helpful.

http://www.noad.com/dvdversion.htm

I would recommend a reasonably priced video if I had any knowledge of what's currently available.

There's really no substitute for feedback from an experienced teacher, but at least a video presentation eliminates the fog of interpretation that's inherent to written text and still photos.

Foster · #3 10-24-2010, 12:17 AM

I've used Noad's 3-book series, "The First Book of the Guitar" for many years when instructing beginning classical students. It's fairly self-explanatory, making it useful for teaching yourself without the aid of a teacher. Each of the three volumes ends with 6 compositions utilizing the techniques covered in the volume. A good idea is to memorize each of these compositions before moving on to the next volume, and take some time refining your technique.

After you finish the series, you should be set well for moving on into some good intermediate material, and from there on into whatever stuff you want to play. I often use the 21 studies of Fernando Sor after bringing a student through the Noad trilogy, but you can follow your own muse at that point.

Philly5834 · #4 10-24-2010, 04:43 PM

Ditto on the Noad books. They are excellent.

jkwrpc · #5 10-25-2010, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philly5834

Ditto on the Noad books. They are excellent.

I also am a huge fan of the Noad books. They have a lot more explanation regarding the lessons and are worth having. A close second but for for different reasons is the series by Charles Duncan A Modern Approach to Classical Guitar. The Duncan series strength is in the logical progession, the way more complex fingering are introduced and some generally enjoyable music. He also has some song books that compliment the instruction.

msr13 · #6 10-25-2010, 06:11 PM

And, surprise, surprise, another big Noad fan.

However, when you are ready for some repertoire, this is my favorite book. It is out of print, but you might be able to find a copy through Abe Books, or somewhere. The amazon options are outrageous. It is a level 2 book by Lawrence Ferrara, and it is just great.

http://www.amazon.com/Student-Repert...8052789&sr=1-1

Ruston · #7 10-27-2010, 03:07 PM

I have the Noad and Parkening books and have been working through them simultaneously. Both are good, slightly different in approach which I find to be a good thing as a learner.

degameth90 · #8 10-29-2010, 12:45 AM

thank you to everyone who gave me some info/insight. I'm sorry to make this thread and your answers pointless now, as I have chosen to pick up steel string instead of nylon. Hopefully this thread will be useful to someone else looking for the same advice.

thanks again,

- Alex

flagstaffcharli · #9 10-29-2010, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by degameth90

thank you to everyone who gave me some info/insight. I'm sorry to make this thread and your answers pointless now, as I have chosen to pick up steel string instead of nylon. Hopefully this thread will be useful to someone else looking for the same advice.

thanks again,

- Alex

The Noad book is still useful. There is no reason you can't play some of that music and apply some of the technique to steel string guitar. I'd also recommend Mel Bay's Classic Guitar Method. I use that for my steel string playing right now because it has a lot of graded pieces for me to read through.

Cheers!

Tommy · #10 10-30-2010, 11:40 AM

Well, there's no doubt that the Noad books are popular! The one thing I never liked about Noad was his tendency to omit or change difficult parts of classical works to make them easier for students, like leaving off little runs that take extra-attentive practice in order to help the student play the piece.
Personally, I like the Shearer books. They offer lots of instruction in the ancillary aspects of guitar playing as you go along. And I especially liked his take on left-hand fingering and how to anticipate upcoming changes and select little-used finger choices to facilitate sensible fingering. It's made me ever-aware of efficiency in fingering. That's often the first thing I think about in approaching something new, and I give the credit to the Shearer books. Especially the first.
Note: I am not discussing the "new" Shearer books but the old ones. I have no experience with the new ones he did. I understand he and another player wrote all of the studies and pieces in them, and that there isn't even one piece or study by 17th and 18th century guitarists. Thanks anyway!
T/