Teachers - what books do you use for teaching?

[rotren]

What book(s) do you use for teaching? I teach mostly beginners and a few more beginner/intermediate players. I'm looking for book suggestions for working with these students over time. I just don't have enough time to write out original teaching material for every lesson.

[stevel]

Originally Posted by rotren

What book(s) do you use for teaching? I teach mostly beginners and a few more beginner/intermediate players. I'm looking for book suggestions for working with these students over time. I just don't have enough time to write out original teaching material for every lesson.

I liked the Fast Track series by Hal Leonard - does notes, tab, diagrams, all in a "more hip" style than the old fashioned HL and Mel Bay "Method" books.

Once I got them playing, I usually went to "repertoire" books - those giant Tab White Pages type books were good because there were usually enough of a variety of songs that they'd be familiar with at least some percentage of them, and then there'd be varying enough levels to get them "riffy" songs, "strummy" "power chord" songs, etc. etc.

Steve

[sdhupelia]

The last teacher I seriously stuck with for awhile was more focused on technique and hands, and wasn't as versed on core music and fretboard theory and scales/modes/etc (which was good, because I walked in saying "I need to play tighter and be able to play a lot more songs off of tab than I seem to be able to pull off currently), and it worked out great.

His main focus was alternate picking, sweep picking and legato techniques, along with tightening up my strumming hand dexterity for muting and strumming/posture/etc. We would work through various printed patterns and scale exercises, and I found out later they were photocopies from some old Yngwie instructional books, and they were PHENOMENAL. The exercises weren't too different to what you see in more recent "lead technique" types of books, but if you have any students complaining about speed/dexterity/etc., I vouch for those old Yngwie books.

[buddastrat]

First, I wouldn't recommend Yngwie anything for beginners and even many intermediates. and second, I wouldn't recommend any Yngwie books for anyone, at least from what I've seen all publications from Guitar Player to Cherry Lane have been horribly wrong. To learn his stuff, you need to study his unique style which has little to do with how "shredders" approach things.

I second the Fast Track series for students. But you want to keep their interest by teaching them songs/progressions they like. So writing it out is still a necessity unless you can copy stuff or have a printer handy.

By writing it out write in front of them, and having them notate it they learn and relearn. I don't just sit and lecture or show, I try and get them interacting and notating too.

[Bryan T]

Originally Posted by stevel

Once I got them playing, I usually went to "repertoire" books - those giant Tab White Pages type books were good because there were usually enough of a variety of songs that they'd be familiar with at least some percentage of them, and then there'd be varying enough levels to get them "riffy" songs, "strummy" "power chord" songs, etc. etc.

Steve

I give those as Christmas presents to my younger students. Lots of variety and I can find examples in them that apply to the things we are discussing.

I also generate a lot of my own materials, particularly for the basics of music theory. I find that it works best to build theory with the student, as they get a deeper understanding of the underlying fundamentals. If they can't teach it back to me, then they haven't learned it.

For repertoire, I will pull from my own sheet music library or encourage the student to start building their own. Our library system has a pretty impressive selection of music, too.

[derekd]

I use the method the guy I studied with wrote, which is pretty well organized. www.masterguitar.com I have students buy the music they want to cover. Guitar Hero books by Hal Leonard have a nice variety of easy and intermediate level tunes, and they include the solos.

From there, it depends on what style they want to cover. There are so many good resources out there to choose from. However, nothing beats teaching them how to cop material from their heros imo.

[arthur rotfeld]

The Guitar For The Young Beginner is a great recent find for me, perfect for the 7-10 set, if you are taking that type of student. Outstanding for teaching the first three strings in a well-paced way (most other books rush through the first few strings...too quick for the young ones.)


http://fjhmusic.com/guitar/ybg.htm

[Clifford-D]

The best books for me in lessons are reference books not method books. Every student is different and I respond differently to each.

Good reference books;
Sheets of Sound -Zucker
Jazzology - The Encyclopedia of Jazz Theory
Voice Leading for the 21st Century - Goodrick
Guitar Technique - Gambale

These are good for me the teacher, gives me tons of creative ideas for simplifying
abstract concepts.

Teaching for me is to zone in on the center of a students musical interests at that moment they are in the studio. Given the opportunity, the student will direct the teacher into their interests.
And a good teacher will recognise any confusion or loss of interest and be creative about it.

[Sadhaka]

A Modern Method for Guitar by William Leavitt

Whatever other repertoire the student is interested in, or that I might recommend for specific ideas or technical requirements.

[Elektrik_SIxx]

Some of the replies are unbelievable. Did anyone read the OP's post?
He's teaching mostly beginners and guys recommend Yngwie, Sheets of Sound and all kinds of jazz theory nonsense.
Cant you read?

That being said, I'd also recommend the FastTrack series and will still recommend the HL Guitar Method for the beginners and as they move up, depending on their tastes, I'll go with books by Troy Stetina (rock), John Ganapes (Blues) or Mark Hansen (Fingerstyle)
The HL Guitar Hero and Guitar for the Young Beginner suggestions seem very good. I will have to check those out myself.

[arthur rotfeld]

Originally Posted by Elektrik_SIxx

FastTrack series and will still recommend the HL Guitar Method.

These are both good. The HL Method is probably the best book for the 12 and up crowd. IMO better than the similar books from Mel Bay and Alfred......

[Elektrik_SIxx]

Originally Posted by arthur rotfeld

These are both good. The HL Method is probably the best book for the 12 and up crowd. IMO better than the similar books from Mel Bay and Alfred......

I also have the Mel Bay Modern Method vol 1 but it is boooring. I only use it for supplemental reading exercises. the HL is the winner definitely, for variety and technique/ reading.

[Calaban]

Good ideas in this thread. I will have to pick up some of these books.

ElektriK SIxx...I think the idea is not to teach beginners Yngwie or jazz theory "nonsense" as you call it, but to use those books as sources of material which can be boiled down to it's simplest form for beginners. A valid and useful approach imo.

As an experienced teacher I have to agree with Clifford-D:

"Teaching for me is to zone in on the center of a students musical interests at that moment they are in the studio. Given the opportunity, the student will direct the teacher into their interests.
And a good teacher will recognise any confusion or loss of interest and be creative about it."


For this reason it is useful to have lots of different material on hand to draw from, and then break it down into it's basic components for beginners.

Nobody is talking about teaching the Coltrane matrix to beginners.

[arthur rotfeld]

If you want supplemental stuff, particularly for the younger ones. That FJH publishes a level 1 performance book. 32 pp of songs that use the top three strings. Can be a godsend.

Anyone who has taught the HL method knows that "World Beat" can be a major stumling block.....the FJH has tons of material at that level.

[Biff Cooper]

Originally Posted by Elektrik_SIxx

Some of the replies are unbelievable. Did anyone read the OP's post?
He's teaching mostly beginners and guys recommend Yngwie, Sheets of Sound and all kinds of jazz theory nonsense.
Cant you read?

That being said, I'd also recommend the FastTrack series and will still recommend the HL Guitar Method for the beginners and as they move up, depending on their tastes, I'll go with books by Troy Stetina (rock), John Ganapes (Blues) or Mark Hansen (Fingerstyle)
The HL Guitar Hero and Guitar for the Young Beginner suggestions seem very good. I will have to check those out myself.

Ya Yngwie and Jazz theory is kinda a joke to teach youngsters with. haha all they wanna play is green day anyway. I would suggest reading a Proper Playing and practicing books. Then just get the kids/or adults to a point where you can teach them how to play what they want. Most just want to be able to say that they can riff out at least one song......stairway.