FAQ

1) Does the book explain how to play in different (all) Keys?

Yes, there is a chart specifically for this and the book goes into quite a bit of detail, including exercises that provide the best way to practice changing Keys with students doing it for the first time.

​

2) I'm a beginner, is this book for me?

For most beginners, no. It does not cover the most basic things like, how to hold your pick, how to strum, finger/hand placement, etc. There is a chapter in the beginning however, that covers the most common beginner chords, how to pick through a scale properly, etc. so that all students are familiar with these type things due to their importance in later stages of development as well. But if a beginner is absolutely positive they want to learn the things covered (again, look at the TOC), then I'd say it is possible to use the book but you'd want to supplement it with some beginner information which can certainly be found online. It is called Serious Guitar for a reason : )

​

3) Can I use this book with my guitar teacher?

Depends on the teacher. You may want to let your teacher borrow the book to be sure they are familiar with its concepts. It's always good to get an informed opinion on how you're doing but not all teachers will be familiar with all subjects covered. If they have at least some familiarity then I'd say, yes; it probably couldn't hurt and may help. Many teachers purchase multiple copies in order to use this book with their students. Several musician/guitar schools use Serious Guitar as their theory curriculum and, as I've been told, because of it's unique and thorough way of covering scale-patterns along the neck and for other reasons too.

​

4) Will I be able to play Jazz studying from Serious Guitar?

Yes. You will end up understanding all musical genres because Serious Guitar explains how chord progressions work. (All types of music are based on chord progressions.) It dives deep into all the chord and scale concepts you'll need to play along-side the best musicians out there, no matter what style(s) you want to play.

​

5) Does it go over chord-melody playing?

No. To do that subject justice would take a whole other book. If you can find a copy I highly recommend Howard Morgan's, "Concepts."

​

6) Can I find your book on Amazon or from a publisher?

No, only through this site. There are a couple of reasons why: When I first wrote the book I got two offers from major publishers. After meetings with them and running the numbers, it became clear that they make all the money. And after looking at selling through Amazon, it became clear that they make almost all of the money. Way too much time and effort went into creating this book to give the largest portion of profit to someone else just to get a little prestige by going with a well-known publisher. So I self-published. My printing costs are much higher but I feel a lot better... and I am sort of a control freak.

A related side note: I used to write an instructional column, "Sessions" for Guitar Player magazine on a freelance basis. I stopped doing it after a while because the editors there, and at most magazines, love to do their job; edit, edit, edit. Many times an editor would change the best parts of a very information-filled column, watering it down to almost nothing just so they could put their "stamp" on it.

One thing both music publishers wanted to do was split my book into two or three books. Why? Not because it would better serve students, but because they would make more money. Major publishers do not usually have a students' best interest in mind. I do. Self-publishing allows me to do everything my way. The overall look, its length, every word, every font, the cover and even the binding is exactly what I want; no concessions, no contracts and best...no lawyers. Like I said, I'm a control freak. : )

​

7) Does Serious Guitar show me ways to improve my technique?

It does cover how to pick through a scale properly to develop speed and accuracy using a hybrid of alternate picking. With a metronome using increasingly faster tempos this alone will do a lot to improve your technique. It does not go into more detail with technique because the focus of the book is in fully understanding scales, chords, progressions and how to use these creatively in all songs. Technique (your feel and agility on the instrument) comes mostly from doing "mechanical" type exercises. These would vary from student to student depending on what they are trying to sound/feel like so it really doesn't make sense to include those exercises in a book like Serious Guitar. The information in Serious Guitar applies to guitar players of all styles.

​

8) Why should I pay $45 for your book when there are lots of guitar teachers teaching online for free?

A fair enough question. First, there are unfortunately some absolutely terrible "teachers" online that do a terrible job and many students may not realize this until they've wasted a lot of time practicing whatever it is they have a student practicing. But there are some good teachers too. The problem is (and it's a big one) there is very little continuity from lesson to lesson. Even though someone may do a decent job explaining a specific idea, that idea usually has nothing to do with the idea/lesson before or after it. They are usually random subjects and because of that, most students will have nowhere to "put" that information in their normal daily playing. There might be an idea here or there that can be used but nothing that is really meaningful. Nothing that "ties everything together" and presents all information in a step-by-step fashion from the beginning... all in one place. This is what Serious Guitar excels at. It's exactly like getting years of the highest-quality, weekly private lessons, in which each student can take things at their own pace — all for the cost of a single private lesson.

​

The most advanced musicians on the planet (for the most part, good Jazz players) understand what I'll call, "the bigger picture." (The way chord and scale ideas are related and thought about; how they fit together and are applied to their instrument in creative ways.) For intermediate-level students, the previously mentioned random subjects taught online aren't much of a help in understanding this bigger picture. An analogy may help: Think of a picture puzzle with lots of little pieces. The more pieces you fit together, the more the larger picture comes into view. Learning about music theory and relating it to guitar playing is no different. For easiest comprehension, these pieces (some are theory related, some are related to seeing a topic on the neck) need to be studied individually, then put together in an order that makes sense. This is exactly what Serious Guitar does. And honestly, nothing beats an old-fashioned portable book that can be taken anywhere, especially with this type material because you'll have all the supporting charts, neck-diagrams and notated examples with tablature that can easily be put in front of you at any time. Serious Guitar even has a high-quality spiral binding that allows the book to stay open to any page. So, in short, I have yet to hear a good player who learned it all online.

​

Lastly, if a student doesn't think it's worth the cost there is a 100% money back guarantee.

​