Customer Reviews

Guitar Fretboard Workbook: A Complete System for Understanding the Fretboard For Acoustic or Electric Guitar

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have read countless testimonials about guitar books that guarantee results I never was able to achieve. This book actually delivered for me, and it has done so in a big way. My ambition, which previously eluded me entirely, has been to become fluent on the fretboard--to be able to improvise, follow changes, structure complex chords on the fly and the like. I tried so long in vain I decided I must just lack the necessary ability.

This book changed all that for me. I am doing things now I only dreamed of before. I don't know how the author figured it out, but he has come up with a way to communicate an understanding of music and the fretboard to both your head and, probably more important, your hands. Simple things like combining diagram exercises and playing, reinforced by having you speak the information out loud, really work to imprint the material on your fingers. The book walks you one step at a time, fairly painlessly, from simple to very complex. This thing is a gold mine. No kidding.

If you are a guitarist, beginner or advanced, this book will take your playing to another level. In addition to being easy to read (with a little humor thrown in), it may reinvent the way you think about the fretboard. If you are a guitar teacher, it will be an invaluable tool for your students. I've been playing for 16 years, and this book helped get me off the plateau I've been on for a long time. I plan on buying more of this guy's books.

This is one of the best books I've ever read for guitar. I have always had trouble finding my way around the fretbaord, but after working with this book I have no trouble at all. There are so many helpful tips and exercises that you can't help but become ultra fluent on guitar. And unlike most books, the material in this book is presented in a manner that is easy to understand. It's all connected perfectly, instead of YOU having to piece things together. I would recomend this book to anyone.

A very good book. I did not need to go far in the book to begin learning. It is a thin little book but not one you will go though easily. It is a workbook that requires attention and will probably take me a year to go through. I have been playing guitar for about 20 years and I regret not thinking of looking for such a book earlier.

This is a great book. I think it start out on a basic enough level for any beginning guitarist and then builds up. I've been playing guitar for 6 months now and this book really helped me unlock a few things that I was getting jammed up in my head over. Of course, the key to getting better at anything is practice. I like how the book gets you to do the exercises on paper and then you play them on your guitar. This really helped my commit it to memory.

If your looking for a book to help you gain better knowledge of the fretboard, and are willing to do a little studying and practicing, this book is for you.

I have been purchasing guitar 'theory' books for years.
There is a lot of hit-and-miss with these books, mainly
because they rarely live up the their description or
hype.
This book is just the opposite. I will be recommending
it 100% to all my guitar students who want to further
their 'fretboard' knowledge. The information is so well
presented and easy to follow & absolutely delivers in
a rather painless manner...'concepts' and patterns in a
concise & simple hands on manner.
I have many musician friends 'beginners to pro's' who
have peaked at my book, as I am carrying it with me,
and without exception, everyone who has glanced
through it, can understand its well presented material.
Love it, recommend, do not hesitate to purchase this
book as it will clarify where so many book flounder &
confuse.

I have been using this book with my students since Barrett started putting together the opening chapters. I first used it with my advanced students, those who already had some experience with the 5 patterns of major scales. Immediately they returned saying that it helped them understand the scales and visualize the fretboard more easily.

Having my students walk in with diagrams of scales and intervals for me to check has been an incredible reversal of roles. Normally I would draw diagrams for them to study and play. Going over a chapter and sending them home to complete and play the exercises gets the student involved in a way that the normal draw, demonstrate, "see ya' next week" cycle never really reaches. It gives the student an opportunity to take home and digest the information that was normally only available during the lesson.

Teaching people to operate a guitar and teaching music on a guitar are almost completely different tasks. I found the first six chapters to be very helpful when initiating beginner and intermediate students into the world beyond the 3rd fret and power chords. There is something in this book for nearly anyone interested in knowing how to play the guitar.

If you are an instructor you will find the comprehensive, organized approach very thorough and focused. If you are self-studying the instrument or a student seeking more than just another tabbed-out solo this is a book you can keep coming back to throughout your journey. I highly recommend it.

Billy Burke

It's not for the beginner, but once students have some experience playing open chords, simple melodies, simple scales shapes and some tab, it's the next logical solution --- get them to learn the neck of the guitar and see how the moveable shapes are connected. It gives information and worksheets together in one package, but students will most likely need to go through this with a teacher.

It covers: naming notes in all positions up the neck; whole and half steps on single strings and across strings; octave patterns across strings; major, minor, and pentatonic scales patterns; intervals and compound intervals on the neck; arpeggios (includes extensions) patterns; other common chords, scales and modes. It's all useful stuff to players.

Warning - Getting through this material takes time and thought. Students who just wanna learn the next tab riff from Guitar Hero will never have the patience to do this (and consequently never improve much). A serious student will appreciate learning this... and once you get it, it's for life!

I'm self-taught as a guitarist, but have extensive training on bass (acoustic and electric), woodwinds, and piano. As a result, I'm always looking for outstanding study material for both myself and my guitar students. This is the first book I've found that I'll be recommending to all of them! While I respectfully disagree with one of the other reviewers who describes music theory as "useless", I have observed that learning and applying it can be a real challenge (hence, the rise of "tab"). Guitar Fretboard Workbook succeeds in relaying an enormous amount of practical music theory while sidestepping the use of traditional music notation. The workbook format is a real plus, as it allows the student to practice and apply the information given for any particular topic, right in the book itself. Working through GFW has been a pleasant surprise for me and, once again, I'd recommend it very highly.

I just wanted to say that this book WORKS; it has changed the way I envision and use the fretboard and has allowed my playing to be taken to the next level. Beginners to intermediate players especially would benefit as it makes sure that you get the basics right the first time; the workbook emphasizes understanding over mindless memorization. I skipped steps when I started playing (trying to run before I can crawl) and this workbook really gave me the opportunity to revisit things I never really took the time to learn and understand.