PRODUCT REVIEW

Classical Guitar Tutors
by Shannon Wright aged 15 yrs.

Learning to play the guitar can be an absolute pleasure or a minefield.

The best way to start is to find the right beginner book for you; but how do you go about finding it?

As a 15 year old player, I have been given the opportunity to review 2 tutorial books for beginners.

These are my observations

Guitar Academy.

The first book I looked at was called 'Guitar Academy'.
At first glance it seemed quite thick for a beginner's volume however, the book was extremely detailed without being too 'wordy' and the illustrations were simple and effective.

The cover was bright and looked professional which attracted me. It included a straightforward contents and introduction which established the book and what is covered inside. The book also contains a section in which it explains clearly how the guitar is held and where the fingers should be placed. Basically it tells us a little bit about the technique of the guitar and has pictures to demonstrate with precise descriptions.

Images within the book often, are related to what is on the page, for instance if the piece is a waltz there may be a picture of two people dancing. This could give the player more of a feel for the music.

There is a CD that comes with the book which allows you to hear some of the pieces and also gives you the opportunity to play along with the CD.

In some parts of the book there are reminders of technique and where a piece contains a new practice point an explanation is given.

The book has humour and sometimes uses slang words such as 'yo' and 'cool' which young beginners may be interested in. There is a wide range of melodies within the book which gradually become more challenging towards the end, and also many of the pieces are familiar which makes them easier to learn as you already know or have an idea of what the piece sounds like. To further my point the pieces at the beginning give you appropriate timing and fingering, but progressively reduce as the pieces get harder.

When turning to the last pages you will find some more information about studying methods i.e. flash cards where it gives you some examples and also a homework diary which I find quite useful to get practise organised. Finally, when looking at the back cover, it presents you with an understandable but formal and vivid description of what the book contains and exemplifies a picture to convince you that the book is professional and of high-quality.


Guitarist's Way.

Moving on to the second book I looked at, I observed that it is very different to 'Guitar Academy'. This book is called 'The Guitarist's Way'.

Just glimpsing at the front cover, I instantly got the sense that it was made for a young person. The font of the text looks a little less neat and the pictures are very simple and childlike. When looking through the introduction, I see that there are simple illustrations and straightforward sentences which are easily explicable.

The pictures are often related to what is on the page and also are quite humorous so makes the book more entertaining and interesting to study.

The pieces are simple, tuneful and memorable. You are given the suitable timing and fingering, then as the pieces get gradually more complicated these are removed.

When something new is added into the music, there is a clear explanation and sometimes an illustration to further the description.

Moving on to read the end pages of the book, there is information about tuning and there is a note finder which would definitely be helpful for a young beginner, as it gives more simple information about the technique of the guitar.

Finally, turning to the back cover this provides us with some knowledge of other 'The Guitarist's way' books and explains briefly what these books contain.

In comparison to 'The Guitarist's Way' book, 'Guitar Academy' seems more professional, as the pictures are more subtle, but still effective and the language appears to be more formal however, very clear and comprehensible. Although the 1st book is around double the price of the 2nd, it does contain a lot more information, whereas 'The Guitarist's Way' has a number of different volumes four in total.

On the other hand, everything depends on your preference, as having a thicker book may be daunting or you might be excited about the challenge, but that is your decision.

In spite of this the two books also are similar in some ways. The 1st book has pictures, simple explanations about technique and fingering, the pieces are all very memorable and easy to pick up, the music gradually gets more challenging and the timing and appropriate fingering are taken away towards the end of the book. This all relates to the 2nd, as all of this is included within it. The books are colourful and bright, interesting and fun to study and are both good quality books to use to start a beginner off.

In conclusion, I feel that 'Guitar Academy' would be an excellent choice for an adult beginner. The language is slightly more proper and the illustrations seem somewhat more complex. However, 'The Guitarist's Way' book would be exceptionally good for the younger beginners, because the language is more familiar to children and simpler, consequently making it more understandable for them. Also, the diagrams are more childlike which would add to the interest of the book. To sum up my findings, I feel that choosing the right starting point to suit you is essential, so I hope that providing you with some of my personal views will help in your search to find an appropriate beginner's guide to assist you in your musical journey.

Shannon Wright.

Title.	Contents.	Price.
Guitar Academy.	Well written and well presented. New information is clearly introduced however generally aimed at the slightly older student. Now available in two books which is designed to keep the initial expense of purchasing to a minimum.	£10.99
Guitarist's Way.	Nicely printed with easy to read instructions. Musical and technical progression is well thought out. Written for students of all ages and would be especially attractive to the younger player. Series of 4 books covering the techniques one would require.	£5.25