Description
Fingerstyle is an obscure genre. It baffles many guitar buffs since there are hardly any established tutorials. I've been obsessed with this style ever since I heard the likes of Robert Johnson, Doc Waston, Leo Kottke etc.

Having scanned the web I purchased three books -

Beginning Fingerstyle Blues - Arnie Berle (the one in question)
Art of Contemporary Travis Picking - Mark Hanson
Art of Solo Fingerpicking - Mark Hanson

It only makes sense to compare these books since in addition to money, we are investing time. Choosing the right book would save you lot of time, and much exasperation. Beginning Fingerstyle Blues is one of the finest guitar instruction tutorials I've come across. The instruction is lucid and the approach very logical. The book takes you step by step through fingerstyle blues building up your right hand ability (and confidence) to the extent where you can play and sing (oh yes!) the blues with relative ease, only after 12-18 months of dedicated practice. 12 months is a fairly short period as fingerstyle tunes can get rather complicated. I've always been impatient when receiving instructions and tend to skip a section or two so as to reach the end ASAP. But this book kept me engaged throughout as it made me believe that everything was achievable, as long as I tried and didn't deceive myself. I rate it five stars, for the instruction and for keeping me hooked throughout (after all learning should be fun!). Like the others have said it also contains 5 full pieces at the end to add to your repertoire, which clearly is a bonus.

The books by Mark Hanson are equally profound in content and tutoring. Mark's books score a point or two above the rest of the fingerstyle books as he (Mark) gives very clear instruction regarding right hand placement, how many fingers to use, pinky finger placement, whether or not to use thumbpicks/fingerpicks and many other finer points which you will require answers to once you immerse yourself in fingerstyle guitar. There are awfully few competent sources who can give you these answers. You will not find these details in Beginning Fingerstyle Blues. It left me confused initially but thanks to Mark's books I figured the right way out.

Many of you may be confused about which books to buy so that you do NOT regret in 12 months time; after you have put in your best and expect returns. Having owned 8 fingerstyle books and 4 fingerstyle instruction videos, I strongly recommend Beginning Fingerstlye Blues and The Art of Contemporary Travis Picking. If you cannot buy both books for any reason, pick either and buy the other in a year's time. You will not need any video instructions if you have these two books. These two are the very best out there and I don't see any books better than these, in the fingerstyle genre. They both share common grounds such as:

1. Both cater to absolute beginners - you can manage even if you cannot change chords confidently
2. Both focus on Travis Picking (alternate bass with melody) which is quintessential to fingerstyle guitar
3. You will be a fairly advanced fingerstyle player after having successfully completed either book

In my opinion no book is bad. You will get to learn something or the other from every book. But there are very few that are jewels - these two books undoubtedly are. There is a reason both these books have been rated 5 stars; they work wonderfully well and the results they provide are truly fulfilling.

Pages: 96
Year: 1993
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Description
Yes, everyone can finally forget all the other transcriptions of Robert Johnson's recordings. Once and for all, this book gives his work the nuance and attention to detail it deserves, with both (full length) standard notation and tablature utilised in order to properly represent the complexity of Johnson's work. Some may quibble over the suggested tunings and capo placements, but the authors make clear that the different Johnson album releases can vary as much as a whole tone - given speed settings and mastering. This has often caused a degree of confusion in previous Johnson transcription books, compelling transcribers to render Johnson's work in Open G and 'standard' tuning, in order to cover all the bases...

In contrast, these transcriptions are based upon the 1998 CD 'The King of the Delta Blues Singers', which utilises high quality 78s by Johnson (and advanced audio technology) to offer exceptionally high sound clarity. This allows for a degree of accuracy in transcription never before available, and the authors pull out all the stops in an attempt to recreate Johnson on paper. Indeed, some might argue that the songs appear somewhat 'over-transcribed', but these transcriptions eclipse those presented by Woody Mann (whose 'Complete Robert Johnson' - previously the key Johnson songbook - is nothing of the kind). The attention here to precisely detailing muting, tunings, trills with (and without) slide and other Johnson techniques is very impressive. The authors make convincing transcription cases for the use of Open A, Open E and (important) capo placements in a way that will allow any guitar player to reproduce Johnson 'from the record'. There is, however, ONE element missing: up/down strumming notation, which the Mann book includes and, frankly, is an important component of Johnson's technique. But then, as can be seen on Eric Clapton's recent 'Sessions for Robert J.' DVD release, even seasoned players can disagree on Johnson's strumming technique. Was it a variation upon flamenco technique? Did he use a thumbpick on every song? Well - perhaps some secrets were destined to die with poor Bob...

You'll often find yourself thumbing through the transcriptions as you listen to Johnson - a fantastic way of understanding his basic approach to creating music and the forms he appeared most comfortable with. Indeed, I've heard so much more in Johnson's recordings with the aid of this transcription book that his work feels entirely fresh and new - even after years of listening intently to his albums.

Seriously, if you want to learn Johnson, pick this transcription book up. You'll not only better your playing, but develop an exceptionally sophisticated ear for listening to Johnson's recordings. This is THE Johnson resource - make no mistake.

Pages: 200
Year: 1999
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Description
Destined to become a classic, this book is the natural result of not only years of playing jazz guitar but also of the author's long associations with many innovative jazz guitarists. This comprehensive guide is one of the first jazz methods to focus entirely on the blues idiom and its contribution to jazz improvisation. It is designed to help you play authoritatively in a broad spectrum of jazz guitar settings from big band to small combos to a solo context. This book is divided into 4 sections which addresses 12-bar blues progressions, 3-note Freddie Green-type chords, shuffles, swing riff comping, chord scales, linear bebop comping, modal concepts, triads over bass notes and a wealth of chord voicings and inversions. Includes over 110 music examples, 45 complete 12-bar choruses, and a CD with 30 tracks. It also offers a helpful glossary of jazz terminology. Written in standard notation and tablature.

Year: 1997
Pages: 92
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