Fingerstyle Guitar

This instructional method is pretty dated, but unlike most of the books this beginning self-taught fingerstylist has bought, this is more than a beginning song book with some instruction. Mr. Perlman has surrounded each song with excellent background and technique. The author has chosen each song as a building block for a true fingerstyle course.No book is really complete by itself, and this book works well used with Tommy Flint's method book, even if the sequence doesn't sync completely. Yet, I'm really glad I bought this book.Mr. Perlman's photographs and text are unlike those found in the Flint, or even the highly rated Harmon books, and give the best technique hints I've found in all my books. (I've got to note the thumb over bass notes in the F and Dm fingerings work for me--even though they are pretty unique)This book moves along at a pretty fast clip--at least so far as I have gotten through the first half--- and I'd recommend some other books for true guitar beginners. But when one's ready for fingerstyle--perhaps after a few months of plectrum playing--this book shines.I'd give the book 4 stars, but if purchased along with the companion DVD-- it's truly a full-fledged course--and together the products earn a full 5 stars. Thank you Ken Perlman.

I'm writing partly to refute a review which said there are no markings to tell how fast or slow to play the songs. All of the material in this book is written both in tab and standard notation. The tab is the type of hybrid tab where the duration of notes is shown, eg a whole note has a square around it. Another complaint from the same reviewer is that it is not classical technique and advocates fretting the sixth string with your thumb. That comment is true for what it's worth; if you want classical technique get another book. The thumb around the back definitely makes much of this material easier to play, and this is good material.My own assessment is that this is a good teaching book for fingerstyle. Ken Perlman uses really good material (especially Mississippi John Hurt and Rev. Gary Davis songs) to introduce standard fingerstyle techniques. The songs and exercises are well graded and the book is very thorough.As far as the level goes, at the very beginning of the process of teaching myself fingerstyle, I found this book difficult to start with. I bought this book at the same time as I bought Mark Hanson's "Contemporary Travis Picking" and found Hanson's book easier at first, as it taught in smaller steps. Someone with more dexterity might not need the small steps, but I sure did. After a while I found Perlman's book accessible and I've enjoyed it since.One minor complaint I have that keeps me from giving it 5 stars is that it doesn't have a CD of the songs. Another small thing is that the arrangements of the songs are short and don't include the an intro, all verses, and lyrics. I know it's a method book not a songbook, but it left me wanting full arrangements of some songs.

This is a well-designed book by someone with a good sense of how to teach a complex subject in a manageable way. It gave me my start, back in the days before YouTube. Bought this one for my niece.

I began fingerstyle with Zeppelin's "Babe I'm gonna Leave You" - learning from a tab, and picked up this book on a friend's rec. It is outstanding, there are a handful of great tabs provided that sound great and are fun to play (ie, "Freight Train"), while learning the basics. A bunch of Mississippi John Hurt tabs are in there, and after 4-6 months anyone should be able to play 'Candyman' with expertise. If you like fingerstyle and don't know Hurt, get his 'Best of' Live at Oberlin on vanguard. Anyway, an outstanding book for any willing player.

its hard to tell fret # 2 from 3 from 5 due to font style and size

This book is perfect for me. It has easy to understand detailed explanations. It features real songs and practice exercises in both tab and music annotations. I have worked through the first chapters and am very happy with my selection.

Great book easy to follow along with. I have only been playing for a couple of years and so I find myself struggling for instruction that is not to easy, yet does not just fly over my head. After just a few weeks of dilegence, i find that my finger independance has dramatically improved!

I would recommend this to anyone wanting to learn finger-style. Everything is laid out well and explained in depth.There are lots of tunes in different styles and they are ordered from easiest to most difficult for each genre that is explored.

This is a lovely book for those looking to develop their fingerstyle. It covers the basics well, has a good selection of music and the author comes across as pleasantly human.