Total Guitar - Hardcover

It isn't often that a book with "total" in its title delivers, but this is one of the exceptions. Burrows is a prolific writer on all things guitar (e.g., K.I.S.S. Guide to Playing Guitar), and his latest covers everything. Part 1, on playing, contains 20 lessons, each introducing new ideas and techniques and fully illustrated with color photos. Chords, scales, timing, and rhythm are a few of the topic covered. In Part 2, there is a complete chord dictionary with notation and fingering charts. Part 3 discusses amplifying the guitar (whether acoustic or electric) and, finally, recording and performing. Sprinkled throughout the text are brief biographical portraits of great players with details of their equipment and a discography of their key recordings. This is an absolutely first-rate production, with glossy paper stock, full-color photos and illustrations throughout, and a quality binding. In all, a lot of book for the price; highly recommended for public libraries.
Eric C. Shoaf, Brown Univ. Lib., Providence
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.