The New York Guitar Method Primer
Ensemble Book Two
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
| Q | I've been studying with Single String Studies and it is awesome! I also use the music reading for guitar by David Oakes.
I need to try theory now and have some questions. I have the Fretboard Logic 1 and 2 books and they are great but I think I need to really know more than just where to play the stuff. I need to know why! The formulas are logical but I need to know more about the notes themselves and why it works the way it does. so, I need theory, right? Are your 2 Theory for Guitar books what I need? Do they cover circle of fifths and harmonizing besides chord and scale construction? Is it basic theory or is it pretty much a big complete text of what I should know? I was also think of the Jazz Theory book by Mark Levine and the Edly's Music Theory book which looks like fun to learn and look at in a funny way. What do you think? Would I be complete with your books? I'm a rock guy looking to expand. Your book has helped me so I figure, what the hell? The theory books should be just as great. I also hear that the Jazz theory book is the bible of theory for one wanting a complete understanding of theory. Is your book a pretty complete picture of thoery or should it be supplemented with other texts? Your own or others? |
| A | For theory I would recommend first working out of Music Theory Workbook for Guitar Volume One and Two. After that any theory book you read will pretty much make sense. When you read a theory book by Mark Levine or any author they are assuming you know how to build chords and scales and can quickly apply it to your instrument. If you don't have this ability you will tend not to understand the books, misunderstand the books or be completely lost. This is why the two Workbooks are important because they apply music theory directly to your guitar so you develop an understanding of theory both in your head and in your hands.
To complete the picture you need to develop your ear training skills because your ears will help you decide which parts of music theory apply in different situations. Without this you will only function on a superficial level. The develop of a trained ear in combination with a deep understanding of music theory will take years of work. The two theory books should take anywhere from a couple of months to a year to complete but the ear training could easily take 5 years or more to really get to a point where it is working quickly and naturally. If you are up for this challenge then in addition to the music theory books I would get: Ear Training One Note Complete Fanatic's Guide to Sight Singing and Ear Training Starting in July of this year I will be teaching a summer workshop in New York City see www.nyuguitar.com I would strongly recommend raising your ability to the point that you would be able to attend this workshop because it will really benefit your understanding of music. I would also recommend working out of the books that either prepare you for audition or help you develop your performance skills. Currently there is one book out that is the ensemble book for pre-entrance practice. It is called The New York Guitar Primer Ensemble Book Two. http://www.muse-eek.com/books/nygmPR_ens_2/lower.html This contains a compilation of many of my books and would be an excellent book for improving your sight reading and understanding the application of scales to soloing situations. |
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| Q | About six weeks ago I finally purchased your Ear Training: One Note Complete and Fanatic's Guide to Ear Training. I say finally because the decision was a long time coming, though I'm now convinced it was the right one. During the past month and a half I have managed to progress from absolute beginner on the first level of One Note Beginner to 95 % accuracy on One Note Advanced. The work in the Fanatic's Guide has been a much greater struggle, almost like pulling teeth (initially I could scarcely get myself to sit down with it everyday), though I can feel my mind beginning to take hold of it in fits and starts (I'm currently working on singing do, mi, so, and re against the various key centers).
My progress has come as a bit of a shock because I've never considered myself to have much of an ear: I have no improvisational ability, can't sing harmony, etc. In fact, I've always felt that what musical strengths I have are largely interpretive. The technical aspects of playing and listening have always intrigued me, but largely been a source of frustration. I took up classical guitar about ten years ago and have always been tied to the page, partly because that's how classical instruction unfortunately tends to proceed, but also because I always felt stranded whenever I tried explore the instrument on my own. A couple years back I resolved to fix this situation but had no clear conception of where to begin. Should I be training my ear, studying the layout of the guitar neck, reviewing music theory, or some combination of these three? I read a lot of discussion boards, bought a few guitar books and some computer software for ear training, though ultimately I was unable to make any of it stick. During this time I ran across your books, but I was put off by the comparatively high cost, and I couldn't understand why the material was parceled out into so many installments. I've since realized that what you are actually offering is a series of correspondence courses. Once I began to look at the expenses as tuition rather than the cost of materials, the scheme made a lot more sense to me, and of course is really quite affordable. Moreover, your ear training method, which views music as a direct analog to foreign language, seems intuitively dead on (though this may be the natural bias of a linguistics major), and I'm beginning to wonder whether I shouldn't look to your guidance in other areas as well. Which finally brings me around to my questions. My goals, which I am content to achieve at any speed (I'm very persistent, as evidenced by the fact that I've spent years aimlessly spinning my wheels) include: (1) Improving my ear to the point that I could do some transcription, arranging, and playing in a group setting. (2) Improving my sight reading, particularly in upper positions. Five years ago I was so poor at reading that I avoided picking up new sheet music. In college I was part of a guitar ensemble, which forced me improve considerably, but I'm still not anywhere near where I'd like to be. (3) Developing an understanding of the fretboard that would allow some basic improvisation. I'm trying to stay realistic about this. I don't ever expect to be fluent on the guitar, but if I could even speak haltingly, it would make me very happy. In various FAQ responses, you recommend the following books for the student wanting a well-rounded program of guitar education: Ear Training (Fanatic's Guide, One Note -> Key Note -> Two Note) Chord Workbook for Guitar Volume One Music Theory Workbook for Guitar Volume One and Two Single String Studies for Guitar Volume One Diatonic Scales (downloadable) I realize that you have a number of other series that I haven't listed, but right now I'm just trying to figure out what constitutes the core of your program. Have I missed anything? I would also like to ask you about Bill Leavitt's books, which you clearly have an intimate familiarity with (judging from another FAQ response). I've worked through the first volume of his Modern Method and a fraction of his second volume. I also have the first book of his Reading Studies. You've remarked that while you're "not totally in love with these books," they do have their place, and that Leavitt's "position playing" technique is worth knowing. Since I have these books, what do you recommend that I do with them? I confess that I find the paucity of instructions very disconcerting, particulary in Reading Studies. Whereas the Modern Method scales boil down to five patterns, Leavitt makes no effort to consolidate patterns in Reading Studies: In each position, each scale appears to have its own (if there's an underlying organization, the author certainly never makes it explicit). |
| A | Your list of books is fine. I usually have people also work out of the Rhythm books starting with Rhythm Primer, Rhythms Volume One and Two. These are the books that Freshman in college studying guitar use along with the other books you mentioned. I should also mention that I am creating a new set of books that are compilations of the Music Theory, Chord, Rhythm, Single String Studies and LINES volume one and two which will come in two forms. One book for the Theory and one for practice which will be called the "ensemble" book. I'm now heading up a summer program for guitarists at NYU and needed books that would fit into this situation. *See below for more info.
That said I guess it's up to you which way you want to go with the books either use the old books which are more comprehensive or use the new books as they come out which will have most but not all of the previous books but will also have additional information. This also depends on whether you want to become a professional guitarist too because the new books are definitely headed in that direction even though the Primer books start a person right from the beginning. As far as the Leavitt books go this new series is meant to work like the Leavitt books covering all aspects of the guitar that a student needs to know to become a professional guitarist. I still think some things like the 5 position scales are worth knowing and the whole concept of the books is worth understanding I just feel my series takes the ball a few if not many more yards toward the goal. Hope your not even more confused at this point. I think the books you have are exactly what you need if you do want to become a professional guitarist and want to get started with the New York Guitar Method then I'd get the Ensemble Primer book two and the New York Guitar Method Volume One and ensemble book when they come out and continue from there. *You can find out detailed information at www.nyuguitar.com This program is for people who want to become professional guitarists. I will supply the text for basic knowledge of the guitar which will be taught in two levels. (more levels as time goes by and more offerings from other guitarists too) The staff of basically the who's who of guitar in NYC will provide ensembles either using my method books or their own concepts. Private lessons and multiple workshops will also be provided. The books consist of two primer books: The overall series is called The New York Guitar Method which will be coming out one at a time in the next 5 months. Here is a brief description: Primer Book One is an expanded 1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist with scales Primer Book Two is a bridge between 1st Steps and the 1st New York Guitar Method book. This book will be covering scales, barre chords, reading, theory and is basically a prep book for entering the Summer Program New York Guitar Method Volume One covers all 22 scales with associated chords and improvisational concepts connected to scales New York Guitar Method Volume Two covers approach notes (chromatic notes) and their use in various styles of music. |
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