Creative Guitar 1: Cutting - Edge Techniques | Rock Guitar Lesson Book with CD | Guitar Method for Improvisation and Music Theory | Pentatonic Patterns Arpeggios and Backing Tracks Guide

by Guthrie Govan

(Music Sales America). This series of three books aim to provide frustrated rock guitarists with new directions to explore their art. Armed with the accompanying CD, featuring detailed examples of pentatonic patterns, minor arpeggios and backing tracks, you will be able to do much more than simply learn solos and licks note for note. This book also contains a thorough explanation of music theory.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[gekko100 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the most meaningful praise I can give for this excellent book is to say that it's a book I wish I could somehow transport back in time and put on the shelf of my early teenage self. Alas, my learning materials at the time were limited to the (fairly awful) Ernie Ball 3-chord books; the odd issue of Guitar World / Guitar For The Practicing Musician; Ralph Denyer's respectable, but hardly pedagogical, Guitar Handbook; plus whatever materials I could scrounge from my best mate -- who was doing the smart thing and actually taking lessons, and was kind enough to share the goodies.

Speaking of lessons, Guthrie Govan comes across as an extremely humble, down-to-earth character -- the kind of guy who would be an inspirational teacher. His style is very conversational, and he dispenses many nuggets of wisdom and guitar lore without ever giving the impression that he's coming from some inaccessible higher-plane of understanding. This is quite remarkable, since even a casual listen to his guitar playing (starting with the practice tracks on the CD included with the book) reveals that he IS in fact on such a higher-plane.

I've marked this one as "read" since I've finished reading it from cover-to-cover, but the exercises and ideas will be on my "currently-practising" list for a long time to come.

[Michail Almyros · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book but not for beginners. The book is packed with advice and suggestions that I wish I knew when i was younger but as a self taught guitar player I was struggling with some of the chapters and I couldn't follow them.

In general it helped me learn a lot on understanding some of the theory and how to treat my hands and calluses, Scale positions, Arpeggio shapes and modes. I also got a better understanding of some of the theory and why we see certain things in a score.

I am definitely getting the second book as well but I have to revise this book a few times.

[Milad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guthrie is the yoda of guitarists. Not only he teaches the theory and all that jazz (no pun intended) on a practical level, he also shows the philosophy behind it.

[Deepak Yadav · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is good for beginners

[Jordan Ferreira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterpiece. Guthrie Govan is not only a musical genius but also an unusually gifted teacher.

[Danny fardell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview on theory, with quality advice on how & what to practice. One to keep coming back to 👍

[Ricardo Luengo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book i needed to read when i was a begginer in guitar, but even now, years later, i made a different. Part 2 is a must after read!

[Jay Lamm · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's rare that you find a guitarist not only great at their craft but equally as capable as an instructor. As a guitarist, I've run across many instructional home videos and books about how to elevate guitar playing skills. Many of these are penned by accomplished guitarists and their name alone is supposed to push the credibility of the product. However, just because there is an amazing guitarist doesn't mean they know their stuff.

Guthrie Govan not only knows how to play the guitar, not only does he know his music theory, but he knows how to relay this information in an understandable way.

This book is structured in a way that any new guitarist can hit the ground running. If you're a seasoned guitarist you can also get into this book to further understand chord language, music theory, and other technical information that will help you become competitive in the saturated market of flashy guitarists.

Yes, it's important that you become competent on the neck of your guitar. But it's also important to know how to speak to other musicians. Guthrie Govan is one of the best teachers I've come across in the field of music instruction. The Creative Guitar 1 & 2 will help guitarists (and bass players) learn the tools they need to know to become not only first class players but first class musicians.

[Marcel Monpatron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a book just for beginners, it's a volume dripping with Guthrie Govan's knowledge of each and detail of the act of playing the instrument, his humour and infectious enthusiasm for music and guitar playing tangible during the whole read.

Definitively worth a check.

You know what? In fact, if I get my hands on a time travel device, I'm bringing this book to my younger self.

[Sam Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best guitar books I have ever went through. I continually revise this book. Guthrie is an excellent educator, guitar player and inspiration.

[Sanjeev Rao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like anything Guthrie, this book is terrific. Covers a breadth of topics in a super concise, clear manner. It's a great read for anybody attempting to understand theory/guitar playing. The only thing you'll wish after having finished is to have gotten hold of it right in your beginner days.

[Spiros · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent beginner's book