When a guitarist releases a book in a literal forest of guitar books (Amazon, pun intended), does it make a sound?
Well, in the case of Adam Levy and Ethan Sherman’s new book, I just found out about it recently… and immediately read it cover to cover.
Do I deserve some kind of award for that?
No, but Adam and Ethan certainly do!
What they have done is take Adam’s popular YouTube series Guitar Tips and transformed it into a 208-page book. The book is elegantly divided into three sections:
- Part I: TIPS
- Part II: CHALLENGES
- Part III: REFLECTIONS
The premise is that the TIPS section is for immediately applicable ideas.
CHALLENGES gives more long term suggestions for practice and musical development.
REFLECTIONS is the more conceptual, look at the big picture philosophical take on guitar and music.
All in all the book has so much good stuff for the curious guitarist. I particularly enjoyed the fact that the book has purposely kept notated musical examples to a minimum. The way certain parts are explained individually by each author is also insightful and gives a beautiful clear collaborative feel to the text.
The language is conversational and intelligent. This is a book from people who love guitar & learning about the guitar and music… for people who would resonant with that.
Think of Mick Goodrick’s The Advancing Guitarist, Philip Toshio Sudo’s Zen Guitar, Wayne Krantz’s An Improviser’s OS or Bryan Baker’s Principles of Music — those are the kinds of books that are in the same realm as this book.
I loved the music suggestions and related book recommendations in the different sections too. This book is going to end up making me read more books… which is not a bad thing.
Kudos to both Adam and Ethan for producing something useful and interesting for the guitar community. I can picture this becoming an important text for many in the years to come.
In conclusion, if you identify as a guitar geek, guitar nerd, guitar adventurer, or a guitar lover… get this book, start reading it and applying it. Your guitar will thank you.
Pros: Lots of great practice ideas, thoughts and concepts. Real world stuff from musicians with a creative outlook.
Cons: You might get overwhelmed by what to try first!
TLDR: If you’re a guitarist who has enjoyed Mick Goodrick’s The Advancing Guitarist, Philip Toshio Sudo’s Zen Guitar, Wayne Krantz’s An Improviser’s OS or Bryan Baker’s Principles of Music… this is the book you should get next. This is a book in the tradition of these great text for creative exploring guitar players.
Get your copy here: https://stringtheoriesbook.com/
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