A Modern Method For Guitar was written by American jazz guitarist and arranger Wlliam Leavitt (October 4, 1926 – November 4, 1990) and is the basic text used by the Berklee College of Music.
Berklee guitar students such as John Abercrombie, Bruce Cockburn, Al DiMeola,Kevin Eubanks, Bill Frisell, Emily Remler, John Scofield, Steve Vai, and Mark Whitfield would probably all be familiar with the books.
My Background For This Review
My own background is that I’m mainly a self taught player (with a few lessons here and there) who learned songs by ear (and tab for those tricky bits) therefore I have never needed to read.
About 4 months ago I started classical guitar lessons and got thrown in at Trinity grade 6. My playing ability is fine for that but what is really holding me back is my sight reading.
By using the A Modern Method For Guitar series my sight reading has definitely improved a mile however this series does so much more than teach sight reading so read on and uncover what these books have to offer.
A Modern Method For Guitar Book Order
What most people don’t know is that there are 5 books in the series (not including the reading studies and advanced reading studies Berklee books).
In order these books are;
A Modern Method For Guitar Volume 1
A Modern Method For Guitar Volume 2
A Modern Method For Guitar Volume 3
This review will focus on the Modern Method series while another post will focus on the Basic Guitar Phase Books.
You should also know that you can now buy A Modern Method For Guitar volumes 1 – 3 in one book which is very handy.
What I Like About A Modern Method Of Guitar
Mr Leavitt has written a great series of books and he has put them together so that you are learning more than you think that you are learning at any particular time.
Each volume comes with single note studies, solo pieces, duets, scales, chord diagrams, theory and great tips to help you improve your playing.
There is no tabs in these books. You will learn to read music in simple steps using the C major scale at the start of Volume 1. This is certainly no harm as my 9 year old son can now open a basic piano book and play the treble clef just by reading it.
There is so much beautiful music out there which is only accessible if you can read so at least try to get some handle on it…….even if you are a shredder!!
I like the way that the book is laid out. In particular I like the way that you learn ‘Berklee’ scale fingerings and you then manipulate these scale fingerings to get other scales.
For example by simply flattening the 3rd of each major finger you are playing the melodic minor scale. How easy is that ?
What I Don’t Like About A Modern Method For Guitar
There’s not much that I don’t like about this series however you will probably want to get some extra study material whether it be extra reading material that relates to your level or song books such as The Real Book.
Sometimes when you are not really in the mood to practise A Modern Method can seem a little dry so it’s good to alternate these books with another book or two.
What Each Book Covers
Volume 1
As expected volume 1 starts of with baby steps using the C major scale in the first position however you soon progresses to playing in different keys such as G (only 1 sharp) and F (only 1 flat).
On page 60 you are introduced to position playing which takes you to the 4th position by the end of the book. By this time you will also have played in several new keys.
As mentioned previously there are plenty of single note studies, chord studies,scales and theory etc to keep you entertained.
Volume 2
Volume 2 retains the same format as volume 1 with duets, single note studies and chord studies. Harmonically this book advances on volume 1 as well and starts study of the melodic minor scale.
Different rhythms such as rock style ballads, jazz waltz and bossa nova are introduced as well as fundamentals such as appoggiatura, mordents and glissando etc.
Towards the end of the book chord-relationships are discussed and frankly this is one of the most important aspects n music for musicians to understand. Sure you can probably wail over a diatonic chord progression using one scale but if you play the chords properly your music will sound so much better.
To gauge the level of volume 2 Trinity has included the Solo in D on page 116 as a grade 6 piece in their plectrum guitar program.
Volume 3
Volume 3 is advanced and covers duets and exercises using the melodic minor, harmonic minor and diminished scales. This stuff will really test your ear as some of it is quite out there if you are used to diatonic harmony.
The construction and melodization of chords is discussed and there are some really cool rhythm techniques such as the rhumba, mambo, bolero and 5/4 swing.
As usual there are also speed studies, arpeggios and single string studies to keep you on your toes.
Who This Is For
Volume 1 is a fun guitar book and is suitable for those wishing to learn about guitar music, how to read music, and much more. The duets are fun and sound nice.
Volume 2 is for the intermediate guitar player who wants to delve into music a bit deeper and who wants to start exploring more advanced concepts.
Volume 3 is a roll up your sleeves book as it is in-depth with newer concepts.
The 3 volumes flow seamlessly into one another and I’d recommend the books for all guitarists no matter what your goals as these books will help you become a well rounded musician.
Have you used any of the A Modern Method For Guitar Books? Let us know what you think of them in the comments below.