Johnny Smith Approach to Guitar book anyone?

[nomelite]

This book is always cited more due to the problems of being written in treble and bass clef than the information given (specially around chords) , so I don't know if this book is really recommended or not. Any insights? thank you.

[jeffstritt]

Being written in treble and bass clef, isn't much of a big deal. It just takes a little longer to figure everything out. I think that if a cello player can read treble, bass, alto, and tenor clef, I can handle at least 2!

The problem that I have with the book is that it starts off with beginner stuff and move up pretty slowly. It takes a while to get to the good stuff. The reason that I don't like that, is because for folks that are already advanced players, if we are reading basic chord shapes we have been playing for years, I think a lot of us will find that it is hard to keep focused on the material.

Having said that, there is a lot of great stuff towards the end of the book. Johnny Smith is a monster player and really one of the all time greats on the instrument regardless of genre.

[monk]

I agree with Jeff. Some real goodies in that book.

The material in the book is what he taught in his seminars. I met a fellow some years back who had attended and taped Smith's seminar in Colorado Springs. The things I heard on the tapes are exactly what's in the book. The book is essentially a look into the musical mind of Johnny Smith. The arpeggios and scale studies alone are worth the price of the book.

For me, working with two clefs made me slow down and really think about what I was playing.

Regards,
monk

[brad4d8]

I've used this off and on for years, mostly as a reference for certain chords and their usage. No problem with the two clefs as I learned to read for piano when I was about six years old.
Brad

[fumblefingers]

i think the book is great, but the bass clef part boggles the mind.

who does that? not the classical composers going back centuries, not modern composers or songwriters or transcribers. nobody.

but its not a reason to avoid the book.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Originally Posted by fumblefingers

i think the book is great, but the bass clef part boggles the mind.

who does that? not the classical composers going back centuries, not modern composers or songwriters or transcribers. nobody.

Maybe to encourage us to read piano music?

[jeffstritt]

When Johnny Smith worked in the NBC orchestra, he often was given parts that weren't specifically written out for guitar. Many times this included just the score, or piano music. Think about the world of music this opens up for you as far as piano scores are concerned. It really is a smart way of doing things.

[nomelite]

Thank you all for your comments. Anyway I'll check it out since it's a through study about chords.

[jeffstritt]

I think that you will enjoy it. Johnny is one of the all time greats.