About this item
Learn to: Select the right classical guitar for you Develop correct hand position and posture Tune your guitar Play along with exercises and pieces on the audio CD The fun and easy way to start playing classical guitar! Want to be a classical guitarist, but never had a lesson No problem - this hands-on guide teaches you all the fundamental techniques you need to play scales, melodies, and full-length pieces in the classical style. You get plenty of practice exercises to stretch your skills, selections from the classical repertoire, and a bonus audio CD that helps you play along with the music pieces from the book! Get acquainted with your guitar - familiarize yourself with the unique make-up and parts of a classical guitar Start making some music - play melodies on individual strings, move on to arpeggios, and get your fingers in shape with scales Ramp up your technique - play barres, slurs, and trills; handle harmonics; master right-hand tremolo; and venture up the neck to play in the higher positions Build your classical repertoire - from Renaissance and Baroque to Classical, Romantic, and Modern, play pieces from the major eras in classical music Practice makes perfect - improve your performance with expert guidance through each exercise and piece in the book Open the book and find: Tips and techniques for playing beautiful pieces How to read music notation and tablature Basic finger and thumb strokes Right- and left-hand techniques Musical examples, charts, and photos Music pieces from the guitar greats The best ways to care for your guitar A step-by-step tutorial on changing your strings Bonus CD Includes More than 140 recorded performances of the exercises and pieces featured in the book Pieces performed using a count-off, allowing you to play along in time with the music Tuning notes to help you tune up your guitar.
About the Author
Mark Phillips is an author, guitarist, arranger, editor, and publisher with more than 40 years in the music publishing field. He earned his bachelor's degree in music theory from Case Western Reserve University, where he received the Carolyn Neff Award for scholastic excellence, and his master's degree in music theory from Northwestern University, where he was elected to Pi Kappa Lambda, the most prestigious U.S. honor society for college and university music students. While working toward a doctorate in music theory at Northwestern, Phillips taught classes in theory, ear-training, sight-singing, counterpoint, and guitar. During the 1970s and early '80s, Phillips was Director of Popular Music at Warner Bros. Publications, where he edited and arranged the songbooks of such artists as Neil Young, James Taylor, the Eagles, and Led Zeppelin. From 1985 to 2013 he was Director of Music and Director of Publications at Cherry Lane Music, where he edited or arranged the songbooks of such artists as John Denver, Van Halen, Guns N' Roses, and Metallica, and served as Music Editor of the magazines Guitar and Guitar One. Phillips is the author of several books on musical subjects, including Guitar for Dummies, Metallica Riff by Riff, Sight-Sing Any Melody Instantly, and Sight-Read Any Rhythm Instantly. In his non-musical life, Phillips is the author/publisher of a series of "fun" high school textbooks, including The Wizard of Oz Vocabulary Builder, The Pinocchio Intermediate Vocabulary Builder, Tarzan and Jane's Guide to Grammar, and Conversations in Early American History: 1492-1837.Phillips' own publishing company, A. J. Cornell Publications, was named in honor of, and publishes selected works by two favorite early 20th century authors, A. J. Cronin and Cornell Woolrich. A. J. Cornell Publications also publishes numerous Kindle editions of books on a variety of subjects, including history, biography, literature, mythology, science, and mathematics.For the reference value of his numerous publications, Phillips is profiled in Who's Who in America.
