The Complete Guide to Playing Blues Guitar Book Two - Melodic Phrasing: Lead Guitar Melodic Phrasing (Learn How to Play Blues Guitar) Paperback – February 13, 2014

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.

Joseph's books are fantastic. I bought this book along with the first volume in the series (on rhythm guitar) and I can't put them down. They certainly each stand on their own, but taken together, they can really advance your overall playing.I appreciate that his books contain tablature and standard music notation. I can read the rhythmic value of notes, but I can't read which note I'm playing, so I use the tab for that. The combination allows me to be able to see what string/fret to play and how long to play it.Before this book, my playing was a combination of mindless pentatonic scale runs with a handful of memorized licks. This book helped me to establish motifs that gave my playing a more unified feel. It makes more sense now.I happily recommend anything that Joseph writes. Can't wait for Book 3!

This book provides a holistic view on blues solo guitar playing.Some systematic ideas about pauses, variations, slides/vibrato could save a lot of time for the guys who want to be better as guitarplayers. It would be a killer if I read this book 15 years ago. So, good present for your friends who started their playing and confused after they learned scales

I like this book. It's a departure from so many books that teach you to play specific songs. Instead of teaching you to build one thing, it teaches you to use the tools you need to build things from scratch. The explanations are simple enough to understand, and folksy enough to be entertaining.

This book contains many examples, presented in a progressive and methodical manner. Being able to listen to the recorded examples provides insight to the phrasing and subtleties of the lines. Also included are helpful exercises in bending and vibrato. Overall, this book is a very pleasant and engaging exercise in blues lead guitar. Heartily recommended.

Great book for beginners

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.

This is the fourth book I have from Joseph Alexander. I have been looking at the rest of them and will have them soon. I'm satisfied with the the material, the way he presents it and the audio examples that are free from his website. There are examples in this book that I thought were too simple at first glance, but when he starts them on different beats, uses rest to let them breath and starts expanding the lines it not as simple as I thought to do them right. There is a lot more information here starting with the alternating Rhythms, licks for question and answer, all 5 pentatonic boxes with licks, phrasing ideals (bends, Vibrato, picking attack).