The Complete Guide to Playing Blues Guitar - Book Two: Lead Guitar Melodic Phrasing (Play Blues Guitar 2)

I have given Joseph Alexander another 5-star review for this one. Like all the other books from this author that I have bought, he proceeds in a practical manner, providing just the proper amount of theory that can be internalized by the beginner to blues guitar by way of daily practice. I think Mr. Alexander has developed an ingenious program: his books constitute a sort of curriculum for guitar-- a road map for autodidacts who might otherwise be overwhelmed by the thousands of other books on guitar that, while doubtlessly useful, seldom provide a progressive and holistic method. While this book is useful, in and of itself, I strongly suggest buying the other two (or the compendium). The books, as the author admits, do not focus on technique instruction. Wisely, they aim to explain "why" certain things work, rather than how; and as I mention above, the "why" is developed progressively and in a logical manner, with a focus (in this case) on the use of minor pentatonics. Nevertheless, there is plenty to practice, and the book's exercises provide the opportunity to learn the rudiments of the blues, to reinforce theoretical concepts, and to encourage technical exploration. All of this is aided by the available audio files, which demonstrate each and every example.

Very well organized. Book and audio allows me to learn at my own pace. Only recommendation would be to have guitar in clean mode for better clarity. More preferable than learning from individuals on you tube.

Joseph's books are fantastic. I bought this book along with the first volume in the series (on rhythm guitar) and I can't put them down. They certainly each stand on their own, but taken together, they can really advance your overall playing. I appreciate that his books contain tablature and standard music notation. I can read the rhythmic value of notes, but I can't read which note I'm playing, so I use the tab for that. The combination allows me to be able to see what string/fret to play and how long to play it. Before this book, my playing was a combination of mindless pentatonic scale runs with a handful of memorized licks. This book helped me to establish motifs that gave my playing a more unified feel. It makes more sense now. I happily recommend anything that Joseph writes. Can't wait for Book 3!

I like this book. It's a departure from so many books that teach you to play specific songs. Instead of teaching you to build one thing, it teaches you to use the tools you need to build things from scratch. The explanations are simple enough to understand, and folksy enough to be entertaining.

This book provides a holistic view on blues solo guitar playing. Some systematic ideas about pauses, variations, slides/vibrato could save a lot of time for the guys who want to be better as guitarplayers. It would be a killer if I read this book 15 years ago. So, good present for your friends who started their playing and confused after they learned scales

This is the fourth book I have from Joseph Alexander. I have been looking at the rest of them and will have them soon. I'm satisfied with the the material, the way he presents it and the audio examples that are free from his website. There are examples in this book that I thought were too simple at first glance, but when he starts them on different beats, uses rest to let them breath and starts expanding the lines it not as simple as I thought to do them right. There is a lot more information here starting with the alternating Rhythms, licks for question and answer, all 5 pentatonic boxes with licks, phrasing ideals (bends, Vibrato, picking attack).

I have a library of blues books. First, because I was raised with the Blues and consider myself a life-long student. Second, because I love to play the blues and always think that I can learn something more. The COMPLETE Guide is a big statement. Don't let it fool you - this is about as good as I've ever seen or read of the hundreds and hundreds that I've been though. Audio files, ability to download or get in paperback. Clear, real world explanations. I can't recommend this book highly enough.

Ultimately, guitarists (not to mention all musicians!) have to teach themselves their instrument. What a good teacher can do is give you a format, an outline to lead you down the road. Joe's method is easy to follow and his audio files really reinforce what he's trying to show the student. He is certainly shining a bright light to me to show me the way on my journey. I'm really thankful for his efforts and appreciative for his clarity and work. Buy them all, people! They're a tremendous bargain.......Personally, I'm starting to see and feel my instrument. Imagine that time and place when you look at your fretboard and you see things that you didn't see before......WOW! Keep 'em coming, Joe!!

Ich hatte bereits die erste Reihe des Buches. Allerdings habe ich die Fortsetzung nun in der Originalsprache erworben, da die deutsche Fassung in der ersten Reihe einige Übersetzungsfehler hatte. Diese sind nicht unbedingt entscheidend, aber dennoch störend. Daher ein Tipp an alle: Am besten die Originalfassung in englischer Sprache erwerben, falls möglich. Nun zum Buch: Inhaltlich genau das was ich gebraucht habe. Einen Leitfaden für Bluessolos mit guten Hinweisen und Tipps. Die einzelnen Lektionen kann man auch dank der verfügbaren Audiospuren zu jeder Einheit gut nachvollziehen. Vom Verlauf und der Struktur ist das Buch auch gut aufgebaut. Allerdings ist dieses Buch eher was für fortgeschrittene Anfänger, oder intermediate Spieler etwas (die zwischen Anfänger und Fortgeschritten) liegen. Blutige Anfänger könnten sicherlich auch einsteigen, allerdings wäre es frustrierend und ich bezweifle, dass es zum Lernerfolg beitragen würde.

This is my second book, i bought the guide to rhythm last year and this one recently. Must say one thing first, these are extremely well structured books and make it easy for even a novice for me to understand. The videos and audio tracks are also very nice. Soon intend to get the third book in this series

Buon libro e ben spiegato

I've now purchased 4 books by Joseph Alexander and his team and can confidently say that they are the best guitar learning guides I've had. Easy to understand and laid out in a progressive fashion so you don't feel like you've missed something and jumped too far ahead. I'll be purchasing more books from this author - keep up the excellent work!!

Ici, l'auteur aborde essentiellement le phrasé, ce qui est plutôt rare à ma connaissance et fait une partie de l'intérêt du livre. Il permet de mieux identifier certaines subtilités, notamment rythmiques. Les nombreux exercices sont vraiment progressifs. Les fichiers son (facilement téléchargeables) sont également à la hauteur. Facile à suivre même pour un non anglophone à mon avis. Et puis vu le prix de la version kindle...