This beginning guitar method is unique in that it teaches the basics of playing guitar while focusing on the style of folk guitar. Designed to teach students the fundamentals of playing chords and melody on guitar, First Lesson Folk Guitar also provides lessons on correct posture, caring for the guitar, proper right and left-hand technique, and tuning the guitar to its self, a pitch pipe or a piano. Subjects covered include strumming chords, accompaniment patterns, fingerstyle basics, reading standard notation, reading tab, and alternating bass strum patterns. Time tested folk standards with lyrics are included to teach playing fundamentals. Accompanying CD provides students a professional recording of tunes and exercises.
Written for the beginning guitarist who loves the blues, this text will guide any student through the basis of playing guitar by using blues melodies and blues chord progressions. Students will learn open chords, common strumming patterns, power chords, blues scales, and how to read standard notation, and tab. An effective method for writing original blues lyrics is also provided. This text has lessons on correct posture, caring for the guitar, proper right and left-hand technique, and tuning the guitar to its self, a pitch pipe or a piano. The accompanying CD provides students a professional recording of tunes and exercises that should be used as a practice tool.
Our Price $7.95
94304 You Can Teach Yourself Dulcimer by Madeline MacNeil
Madeline MacNeil's performances are characterized by her effortless vocals and impeccable mountain and hammered dulcimer playing. In this book she reveals some of the secrets of her success with the mountain dulcimer. Early on, she reminds the reader that "the dulcimer is not a toy or a stringed kazoo" but a serious, expressive musical instrument capable of "stretching as far as the imagination". She endorses both playing by ear and learning to read standard notation. In easily-understood language she manages to explore some very complex, even esoteric concepts, making this a particularly valuable book for the beginning instrumentalists. You Can Teach Yourself Dulcimer is simply a great fundamental book. Tweleve intensive lessons in 95 pages. Standard notation and tablature. Illustrated with photographs and drawings.
Our Price $10.95
94429BCD You Can Teach Yourself Banjo by Janet Davis
This is the ideal beginner's book, presenting the basics of playing the 5-string banjo is a way that is both fun and produces quick results. Janet Davis takes you on an extensive tour of this instrument's fundamental techniques as well as some intermediate possibilities including rolls, chords, bluegrass banjo techniques, playing up the neck, licks, endings, and other basic information needed to play bluegrass and melodic-style banjo. Thorough performance notes are provided from beginning to end revealing the secrets of this versatile traditional instrument.
Book and CD Price $19.95
DVD Price $14.95
94430BCD You Can Teach Yourself Fiddling by Craig Duncan
With You Can Teach Yourself Fiddling, veteran Mel Bay author, Craig Duncan, has produced an excellent book for the beginning fiddler. Its 36 lessons teach basic techniques through specific exercises and traditional fiddle tunes. From holding the fiddle and bow correctly to playing moderately advanced tunes in double stops, Craig will guide you through each progressive step. Although it is not necessary to be able to read music at the start of this book, the author gradually introduces principles of effective note reading throughout. A unique feature of this book is that the same tune may appear in more than one lesson, increasing in difficulty with each recurrence. Each variation builds on the previous one and assists students in learning how to create their own arrangements. Even with some repetitions of the same tune, you'll find more than 50 popular fiddle tunes in the book's 80 pages. "Check points" and reviews keep you on track from cover to cover. The companion DVD/video covers the first 17 lessons from the book.
Price $19.95
94301DVD You Can Teach Yourself Guitar
taught by William Bay
This is a very popular guitar method. Its success lies in the fact that it is extremely easy to understand and very flexible. It moves at a slow, steady pace and enable you to play chord accompaniments in 7 primary guitar keys! In addition, you will learn to strum blues chords and you will begin to play fingerstyle backgrounds. 90 minute video.
Price $14.95
This is a very popular guitar method. Its success lies in the fact that it is extremely easy to understand and very flexible. It moves at a slow, steady pace and enables you to play chord accompaniments in 7 primary guitar keys! In addition, you will learn to strum blues chords and you will also begin to play fingerstyle backgrounds. A play-along CD is available to supplement this book, and the course is also taught on a DVD.
Beginning 112 Pages
Book $10.95
94331DVD You Can Teach Yourself Mandolin
taught by Dix Bruce
You Can Teach Yourself Mandolin is written as a teach- yourself text with play-along examples and tunes on the companion recording. In the author's words "It is aimed at helping you get started immediately on your way to mandolinhood by giving you the basics of the mandolin and mandolin playing." With this informal, often humerous text, Dix Bruce will guide you step- by-step through the basics of learning this versatile instrument. Learn all about accompanying yourself and others, common chords and useful strums, reading simple melodies, playing a colorful assortment of mandolin folk songs, and more. All musical examples and tunes are written in both standard notation and tablature. Diagrams of all the principal chords used on the mandolin are shown in the Chord Appendix, making this book a particularly useful study aid for the beginning mandolinist. Illustrated with drawings and photographs of vintage instruments.
Difficulty - Beginning
Duration - 100
Binding Size (inches) - Boxed 5.38 x 7.50
Price $14.95
94698DVD You Can Teach Yourself Blues Harp
taught by Phil Duncan
An innovative video that enables the student to play rhythm chords immediately to create exciting sounds on the harmonica, You Can Teach Yourself Blues Harp is designed to allow the beginning student to gain maximum results in the shortest amount of time. Designed to be used with the book of the same title, this video demonstrates selected examples from the book. Examples are clearly indicated so the student can find the corresponding exercise in the book. The student is guided in developing the ability to hear blues progressions and styles. Upon completion of this method, the student will have developed the ability to handle the demands of the most blues music. Written by a masterful teacher with years of studio, classroom, and workshop experience, if you really want to play blues harp, this is the book and video for you!
Price $14.95
94358DVD You Can Teach Yourself Electric Bass
taught by Mike Hiland
This DVD video, designed to accompany the book of the same title, is full of useful information for the working bass player. In the author's words, "The electric bass is in a very exciting developmental period. No longer does is just provide 'low end support'. Now entire songs are built around the bass line." While this video is very thorough, it is also quite easy to understand. It covers popular bass techniques like slap & pop and hammering.
Difficulty - Beginning
Duration - 58
Binding Size (inches) Boxed 5.38 x 7.50
Price $14.95
94429DVD You Can Teach Yourself Banjo by Janet Davis
In this straightforward, easy to understand video for five-string bluegrass banjo, Janet Davis teaches tuning, how to read tablature, roll patterns, chords, licks, and other basic information needed to play bluegrass and melodic-style banjo. Janet explains the first 22 lessons from the book of the same title and demonstrates examples both slowly and at regular speed. This 60-minute video can be used by itself to learn by ear, or with the tablature found in the companion book. The companion book for this video may be purchased separately.
Note: The DVD teaches through Lesson 22. For the remaining Lessons, the CD must be purchased to hear those licks.
Difficulty - Beginning
Duration - 60
Binding Size (inches) - Boxed 5.38 x 7.50
Our Price $14.95
94699DVD You Can Teach Yourself Blues Guitar taught by Mike Christiansen
This companion video to the book of the same title provides a truly enjoyable in-depth look at the basics of acoustic blues guitar! Learn the blues progression, blues chords, strum patterns, how to accompany a blues song, 6/8 blues, minor blues, power chords, moveable chords, barre chords, the blues scale, turnarounds, fill-ins, the capo, double stops, blues licks, bass line accompaniments, 12/8 blues, blues techniques, how to build and play an improvised solo, and fingerpicking blues. Also included are dozens of blues solos and 9 great new blues songs!
Price $14.95
94302DVD You Can Teach Yourself Piano
by Matt Dennis ; taught by L. Dean Bye
This video accompanies and teaches the book of the same title. No other piano method comes close to matching this course's scope in teaching not only basic music reading skills, but also the essential technique and theory for playing in all contemporary keyboard styles. Central to the philosophy of the You Can Teach Yourself series, this beginner's book is written to give the serious adult student a solid foundation while studying on their own without the advantage of having a private teacher; it will show you all you need to know to get an authoritative start on the instrument, presenting technical and theoretical concepts as needed while offering carefully graded, challenging material to hold your interest. In addition to the incalculable assets of ear training and development of taste in modern harmony, upon completion of this method the student will be fully prepared to handle the demands of modern piano music.
Our Price $14.95
94305-DVD You Can Teach Yourself Rock Guitar
taught by William Bay
In this extended length video, William Bay teaches the essential elements of contemporary rock and blues guitar. Both rock rhythm and rock solo techniques are shown. Solo, power chords, barre chords, licks, improvising, scales and rhythm chord progressions are shown in the keys of E, G, D, A, C, F, and B flat. For each key, solos and studies are contained in various positions on the guitar fingerboard.
Our Price $14.95
94717-DVD You Can Teach Yourself Fiddling
taught by Craig Duncan
This DVD video is designed to complement the first 17 lessons of the You Can Teach Yourself Fiddling text. Covers tuning, holding the fiddle and bow, left-hand position, basic A, D, and G scales, shuffle bowing, slurs, double stops, and many tunes, including "Liza Jane," "Shortening Bread," "Going to Boston," and "Bile Them Cabbage Down." Although this video is complete in itself, the companion book offers more detail and is highly recommended.
Our Price $14.95
94303DVD You Can Teach Yourself Harmonica
Phil Duncan guides the viewer through the solos and techniques found in Mel Bay's popular You Can Teach Yourself Harmonica book. 50 minutes
