Guitar Party
“Guitar Party” is a beginner’s guitar book which introduces the pupil to both the melodic and the harmonic side of the guitar, from Day One. It is in fact literally a book with two sides, since most of the pieces consist of a melody (left hand page, in stave notation) and a chordal accompaniment (right hand page, in tablature).
Both sides are carefully progressed and kept in tandem with each other. Chord forms and patterns are chosen to create the maximum musical and tonal effect while placing the minimum of strain on the fingers.
The guitar can be a very challenging instrument, but part of its charm is that it can make beautiful sounds when played in a very simple way. This book invites pupils to spend some time in this gentle sound world, and the motto is “Experience, Enjoy, Explore, Experiment”.
“Guitar Party” could be used by any first-year guitar pupil or group. All the music can be played on a variety of guitars, and is suitable for fingerstyle playing, plectrum playing or any mixture of the two.
For a quick learner with an enquiring mind, it could make an ideal standalone tutor book for the first couple of terms – a sort of “taster menu” before deciding what kind of guitarist you would like to become. New notes and chords are introduced in a logical progressive way, and any new musical concepts and terms are explained as they arise, as you would expect in any tutor book.
Because of its inclusive and invitational nature, the book quite deliberately avoids going into detail on technique, and it is very much left up to the teacher and pupil to decide which techniques to explore and in which order. So “Guitar Party” would also be a compatible supplement for a wide range of established guitar tutor books which focus more on particular playing styles.
Finally, since almost all the pieces consist of a melody and an accompaniment, I hope this will be a useful go-to book for junior guitar ensembles.
Enjoy … and let me know how you get on …