Mickey Baker's Complete Course in Jazz Guitar: Book 1 (Ashley Publications)

Will definitely take you to the next level. Get ready for a work out.

Almost every pro guitarist, and a lot of amateur ones, know the Mickey Baker books. A number of jazzers and rockers started out with them- Pete Townsend has said that he learned his chords from Mickey. This was the only specifically jazz oriented guitar method available back in the 50s when Mickey wrote it, and it's been in print pretty much continuously since then. That by itself should should tell you a lot. A lot of guitarists looking for a good jazz self-study course have looked at this book, and wondered if there was really much to be learned from few simple chord exercises and a few dozen riffs. Sure, there were a lot of good chords to be learned from it, but beyond that...?Actually, there is a tremendous amount of information to be found in this book, but only if you follow Mickey's directions. He doesn't give you a lot of why- just "do this until you have it down." But if you do that, you'll find yourself internalizing a lot of important rules and skills that other teachers spell out. Those hokey sounding chord progressions that Mickey wants you to memorize and transpose to other keys are actually teaching you all the standard jazz substitutions. Mickey does spell out some of these rules in the second half of the book, but if you've done your homework you'll find that it's much easier to apply these rules to soloing if you've actually internalized them than if he had just told you that you could use a Lydian or Aeolian sub for a dominant chord in a 12 bar blues.The second half of this book is all about learning to solo, and a lot of non-readers have looked at it, and been put off by the lack of tab. But you don't need reading skills beyond that absolute minimum to use this book. Mickey has provided all the fingerings below the staff for each exercise. It may be a little unfamiliar at first, but by the time you finish this book- and it'll take a year to really do it right- you'll find that you have some pretty good reading skills, too.Even though it was written back in the 1950s, the riffs and chords Mickey teaches sound just as hip today. Some guitarists will quibble with some of Mickey's choices, or his chord names, but it's more a matter of opinion than a fault in the book. For example, a lot of contemporary guitarists would play something like Bm7-Bb7-Am7... rather than Mickey's straight descending m7ths (Bm7-Bbm7-Am7..) today, but that's something the student will learn just by listening to guitarists today.In short, if you have some basic guitar skills- you know a few dozen chords, and you can strum along- and you're confused by all the different jazz guitar books out there- this is the one you should start with. If you follow his directions, practice every exercise until you've memorized it, and written out and practiced all the transpositions, too, by the time you finish the book you'll be able to comp and put together a simple solo over most any jazz tune.[n.b.- this edition is the original book as printed in the 1950s. There's another edition with a blue cover that was edited and re-typeset in the 70s, but that edition contained a number of errors that were introduced in the editing. This is the one you want.]

A time tested classic

This book gets you out of the rut of memorizing chords, reading tabs (which you shouldn't anyway if you really want to learn), and cycling thru what you already know. The chord groupings, and the exercises that put those to use, are invaluable for guitarists who want to learn accompaniment (esp. to standards) in all the keys. Not a book on music theory but rather a practical course of study and practice. Learning his chord forms can be difficult--and several can be made more simply--but that preliminary work is well worth the time.That being said, the major drawback to the book is the author's failure to explain anything. Students don't need to be coddled, but they do need to be helped to understand what they're being asked to do! For example, the author in lesson 4 says you are to transpose the material in the previous lesson into different keys. When you look back at the previous lesson, unless you are already well versed in music theory, you won't understand either the layout of the previous lesson or what is being asked in the new lesson. Each example in the previous lesson begins in "G" and ends in "Gma7." What is this supposed to tell us about the key of the example?I imagine this book is great when used by the student along with a good teacher. On its own, it is difficult to follow and, as some reviewers have noted, discouraging.

This book deserves 5 stars, the author does a great job starting you with the basics such as harmony (including chord exercises to improve technique) and then moving along teaching you must know information for a gigging jazz guitarist like builiding intros, scale runs, jazz blues and rhythm changes standard chord progressions as well as more advanced chord progressions for blues and rhythm changes. I have both books by Joe pass Guitar Styles and Book 1 by mickey baker and both are extremely loaded with information that cannot be easily absorbed in months maybe years. One thing that i really appreciate about Baker is that he gives you the information in a no non-sense kind of way and is strict on how you advance through the material, he advises the reader not to move on until you have completely absorbed transposition, chord changes, etc. this is great because in professional situations you need to have this knowledge second hand and ready to use in an instant. This book can be easily discouraging because you have to know how to use it, how to apply it, and how to teach it to yourself. Thankfully i am a Jazz Studies B.M and these harmonic concepts aren't so difficult to grasp because i have had music theory shoved down my throat (not forcefully but willingly). So if you decide to purchase this book have no concern it has a wealth of material and covers just about all that is essential for every jazz guitarist and if your music theory is rusty or basic definitely get a supplement to this book it will help you overall. Nobody said learning jazz guitar and Jazz in general was going to be really easy!!!On a side note i would have preferred if the author covered more on improvisation but i think he did the right thing by starting the reader on Harmony and chord exercises first because guitarists are expected to know rhythm and harmony just as well as piano players which is why i think a thorough understanding of harmony will make modes and improvisation a lot easier. Practice this stuff slow and dont get frustrated.

I have started reading the book, I am just at the beginning pages and I already know its worth it, very good book, recommended by Robben Ford himself.

es bueno, sirve muy bien como apoyo de otros materiales didactos de jazz, hace falta el contenido de audio para poder seguir bien las lecciones

El contenido del libro es excelente, sin duda. Lo que me gustaría sugerir es que tuvieran más cuidado en el manejo de los artículos. Considero que un producto que en su descripción dice: "Nuevo", además de no haber sido usado no está roto. El mío está roto de la portada, primera y segunda páginas y era un regalo que iba a hacer. No sería mala idea poner en la descripción del producto: "Nuevo, pero roto" o "Nuevo, con posibilidad de que le llegue viejo". Gracias.

Very thorough, and well-structured. Does not lend itself to "dipping into". When it says 'course', it means it. Begin at Page 1 and do not move on until Pg1 is mastered etc. So, serious stuff, and good value at this price point. Excellent for chord voicing, which is as far as I have got.

Great book, fast delivery