The Complete Guide to Playing Blues Guitar - Book Two: Lead Guitar Melodic Phrasing (Play Blues Guitar 2) Kindle Edition

This is a great book. I am an intermediate player who has primarily played Acoustic guitar. The book teaches you not just a series of "Licks" that you can memorize and emulate but also teaches and encourages you to create your own licks. It teaches you how to approach solos, not just how to memorize and monkey what someone else has done so that you can sound exactly like a million other guitar players. I have seen a number of method books and really like this one because it teaches you practical, usable skills right from the start. The music is written in notation as well as tab and there are audio examples which are important because sometimes it is just hard to get the exact feel from the written music. You can also enlarge the graphics so that you cans see them well. I really love Joseph Alexander's books because they teach real world practical skills that you can use immediately. Using his 3 book blues series helped me go from being a blues player who could play solos based on the blues scale in one position to being a real player who could get up and down the neck. This is an excellent book for anyone exploring blues guitar. It is also great that you can buy them in kindle format for this great price and read them on your PC or tablet. There are so many bad method books out there. I have been really pleased to find someone who does method books right. I now own 6 of his books and feel that it has been money well spent.

I've been purchasing guitar lessons, books, tapes, videos since the 80's and came across some really great stuff...and this book is among the best! I absolutely love it! He doesn't just give you blues licks to learn...he shows you step by step how to create your own. I can play many hard rock, metal blues solos that I learn from MP3s but I felt my own improvising was lacking. This and book 3 was exactly what I needed! Approaching solos from a rhythmic perspective alone is worth more than the $5 for the Kindle version. Not only is it effective, it's all achievable. No shredding or virtuosity needed. This is the first book I'd recommend to anyone wanting to learn how to play guitar solos.

I am not a beginner as I have been playing rhythm guitars for 20 + years. However, this is my 3rd attempt at learning scales, blues and lead. Majority of this was info I already knew but I did take away some key things to remember I continue to work on my chops. Only suggestion I can make would be to somehow link the written samples to the mp3 audio so one can read and listen to the examples in real time instead of searching for the correct example. Other then that, I am looking forward into diving into the 3rd edition of this series.

I have given Joseph Alexander another 5-star review for this one. Like all the other books from this author that I have bought, he proceeds in a practical manner, providing just the proper amount of theory that can be internalized by the beginner to blues guitar by way of daily practice.I think Mr. Alexander has developed an ingenious program: his books constitute a sort of curriculum for guitar-- a road map for autodidacts who might otherwise be overwhelmed by the thousands of other books on guitar that, while doubtlessly useful, seldom provide a progressive and holistic method. While this book is useful, in and of itself, I strongly suggest buying the other two (or the compendium).The books, as the author admits, do not focus on technique instruction. Wisely, they aim to explain "why" certain things work, rather than how; and as I mention above, the "why" is developed progressively and in a logical manner, with a focus (in this case) on the use of minor pentatonics. Nevertheless, there is plenty to practice, and the book's exercises provide the opportunity to learn the rudiments of the blues, to reinforce theoretical concepts, and to encourage technical exploration. All of this is aided by the available audio files, which demonstrate each and every example.

an imformative guide to learning skills and playing tech on guitar. There is something in there for every skill level even if you don't satisfaction from all the lessons you are bound to pick up a few tips and instruction from quite a few things in the book.I am still following the book but will certainly be ordering another in the series.

I own may books on playing the blues. Almost all of them show you the same basics, chords, pentatonic scales, some bends and vibrato. This is the only book I have found that actually teaches phrasing. How to apply the notes of a scale in a meaningful way rather than just playing notes in a scale. Extremely helpful. Would recommend to anyone aspiring blues guitarist looking to move beyond just playing scales and fumbling around the fretboard trying to sound bluesy.

I have gone through book one and two now. I didn't really realize how effective they had been until I was jamming to some blues backing tracks on YouTube and got a compliment at home. After hearing me play from another room, my wife told me she she didn't know I was playing, she thought I was listening to professional musicians! This series has helped things come together for me. I can't wait to see what book three has in store.

I own multiple books from this author as I find his style to be straight to the point. Just enough theory to make it a learning experience beyond simply memorizing patterns. This is the third book in his blues series and does a good job building upon the preceding texts by taking basic form into the realm of making real music. I highly recommend this book and his books in general. Only negative is that I wish it were spiral bound.

I have 4 of Mr Alexanders books. Book 2 follows on from book 1 in the sens of approach and learning style, but also stands alone in terms of content so is perfectly useful if you are comfortable with your rhythm playing but want to work on soloing. Many books focus either just on licks, or just on theory and either can be difficult to take away and use as well as a bit dull.The approach in these books is a good balance of theory and usability so is more productive, at least I find them that way. The Blues you can Use series is very popular for that reason but I found them a bit locked into one style, so although good they could also be a bit dated. These books are a great alternative and especially if you have younger or more modern players who still love the blues or blues rock, then I would suggest these over others.

I found the book to be useful to myself and to anybody who is into the blues its not to complicated but gives you enough to get different feel of blues rhythms under your fingers and like most things gives you a wake up call that sometimes you have to go back to basics, which we neglect because of all the other music that takes up all our time, a definite worth getting the 3 of them as they compliment one after the other.The complete guide to playing Blues guitar Book 1,2,3 thumbs up from me personally for the price and the material.

Well put together, with good examples of the techniques and with the usual good quality audio examples. Requires application and work on the part of the reader/player but well worth the money.

Yet another great book, 2nd one in his Blues series. Having purchased several of the other titles now, I just don't think you can go wrong, with each book being real value for money, especially in the Kindle format.As a intermediate player on that never ending road of learning, I've found the Blues series full of practical quidance with the theory to back it up. Combine this will all the audio example tracks to freely download, means a really rounded package.May be if you've played for years you'll quickly progress through the simpler stuff. For me personally the two books combined will keep me happily busy for quite some time. Can't wait to see what the 3rd in the series covers ....... but now I'm getting ahead of myself.

If you want to understand and create rather than regurgitate licks, this is great. Rhythmic placement, tonal expression... Just a great book.