The first thing to understand is what this book is not. Niedt does not promise to make you a better guitarist, a famous musician, or even a millionaire (one who has a net worth of one million dollars or more) in his book. What he will do is make you think long and hard about whether you wish make the commitment to become an entrepreneurial musician, and offer lots of good advice on how to begin and grow your business so that you can make a million dollars or more over the course of your career.

Niedt covers a lot of ground, but most of the book can be divided two distinct concepts: entrepreneurial thinking and understanding common business practices. These two concepts are seamlessly woven together throughout with the earlier chapters generally discussing entrepreneurial thinking and later chapters relating more specific information about business practices that apply to musicians.

Throughout the book, the author reflects on his own life as a student, performer, teacher, and businessperson. He also incorporates many anecdotes that illustrate typical challenges that have been overcome successfully by famous musicians and businesspeople throughout history.

“Do you really want to do this? Do you have what it takes?” asks an early chapter. A short survey will help young people who may have big dreams but no realistic idea of what it means to be a musician to put things into perspective. After each survey question, there are reality checks that will encourage the reader to reflect on their attitudes and expectations about a career in music and whether or not they possess the drive and self-discipline to succeed. I find that Niedt strikes just the right balance here. He is careful not to discourage the reader but is very realistic about the sacrifices that must be made in order to make a living playing music.

The first two sections of the book include several essays on topics such as: keeping a positive attitude, setting goals, evaluating oneself, choosing an educational path, how to get along with other people, and more. These chapters are definitely motivational, but also make good business sense for anyone who wants to be self-employed and stay optimistic in the face of adversity. This section also includes two of my favorite chapters: “Talent is Not the Answer” and “You’re a Failure – Congratulations!”

As the book proceeds, more in-depth information about what it takes to be a self-employed musician is explored. Advice is given on virtually all aspects of setting up a business as a sole proprietorship or LLC, recording your own CDs, building a website that will help you sell your music, knowing what to charge for shipping, maintaining a database, understanding tax laws and much more. The chapter on maintaining a database was particularly a good one for me as I am always trying to find a better way to organize my records of students and business contacts electronically.

Most of the business information passed on in the book I already know. I’ve learned it along the way from colleagues, teachers, tax and financial advisers, and friends. Some things I found out through my own research. Almost all of it was learned after college as I struggled to establish myself as a teacher and musician. I can only imagine how much easier my path may have been with a book like this one to guide me.

Douglas Niedt has written a book that every young person aspiring to a career in music should read. I will definitely be recommending it to many of my students and their parents. It paints a very clear and realistic picture of what the career of a professional musician looks like. If you are starting a career in music or know someone who is, this is required reading.

Finally, if you are not a guitarist, you’ll still want to buy the book. Doug may be targeting guitarists with his title, but the book is not about playing the guitar, it’s about being an entrepreneurial musician. All of the information inside is equally applicable to pianists, saxophonists, trombonists, etc. I’m guessing it will take a trombonist a little longer to reach the million-dollar mark, but that’s another story.

Doug has several videos related to his book on YouTube. Here’s a sample:

Working through the 50 Blues Licks course is a bit like a attending wine-tasting with an expert sommelier. Instructor Jeff McErlain’s hand-picked repertoire of phrases challenges you to break out of that good old minor pentatonic box using techniques such as: tremolo picking, double-stops, sixths, octaves, chromaticism, and diminished lines, and more. It includes not only solo ideas, but grooves, turnarounds, and tasty comping ideas. Although there are some slick licks included, these licks are generally not the flashy technique-oriented phrases but richly expressive musical concepts that will lend a sense of depth and sophistication to your playing.

As Jeff demonstrates each lick he takes time calls attention to the specific nuances that really make the music happen. Details on specifically how to bend, slide, or vibrato are not left to chance. I appreciated this attention to detail, especially as it relates to quarter-step bends. I find that those little in-between bends are often difficult for students to dial in, but usually get glossed over by instructional materials. Here, Jeff does a great job of highlighting exactly when they occur and what they should sound like.

Jeff will often relate a bit of history on how a lick has been used over the years. For example, the very first lick is based on Muddy Waters’ “Rollin’ Stone” blues. It’s a groovy riff to be sure, but Jeff reminds us that this riff has been recycled several times to become the basis for “Catfish Blues” and “Voodoo Chile” by Hendrix, “Still Alive and Well” by Johnny Winter, and even a section of “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath. This really gives a sense of the blues as a living music that continues to evolve. I also think it also gives guitarists permission to start creating their own music using the motif as a springboard.

The course is available in several software and DVD formats. If you spend any time at all with a computer, the software format is definitely the way to go. It’s a nice package that goes way beyond what traditional instructional DVD’s can offer, but if you haven’t purchased a TrueFire course before it may take a bit of exploration to uncover all of the available features. In addition to the watching video, the “interactive video lesson player” interface gives you access to the backing tracks that Jeff uses to demonstrate each lick, music and tablature in PDF and Power Tab format for each lick, a tuner and metronome, and access to TrueFire’s online forum and jambox. Prices for the course range from $19.00 to $34.00 depending on you choice of format and delivery.

My only criticisms are not deal-breakers and mostly reflect my personal preferences. I do wish that the licks were indexed by style or key so that I could locate specific types of licks quickly. I would also have preferred to have all of the music available in a singe PDF booklet rather than having to call up each lick individually via the interface. I also found the presentation of the printed music to be a bit weak. I would have expected the use of Sibelius or Finale rather than the freeware Power Tab Editor for engraving. I also would have liked to see more footage of Jeff just playing. If that won’t encourage you to practice, nothing will! To make my point, here’s a look at Jeff performing at NGW’s 2009 McLean VA campus:

The course is a blast to work through and certainly serves as a great “rut-buster” for guitarists who are looking to take their blues playing to new places. Just choose any one of the 50 licks that interests you and then begin working on incorporating it into your playing. You can come for more back anytime. If you install the software version you don’t even have to take a DVD out of the case, just click on the icon and you’ll be riffing in seconds. Jeff does an inspiring job of demonstrating the licks and explaining their origins as well as breaking everything down into easy-to-understand concepts. I completely enjoyed working with the material and learning a few new tricks. I’ll definitely be recommending this course to many of my students, and you should check it out too.

Note to non-guitarists: This will make a fantastic holiday gift for the guitar player in your life!

Visit www.truefire.com to learn more about 50 Blues Licks You Must Know or check out Jeff’s YouTube channel to enjoy more of his music.

View my disclosure statement.

The DVD lasts just under two hours and Adam spends between 20 to 30 minutes teaching each arrangement. The video begins with a short introductory segment in which Adam encourages guitarists not to be intimidated or frustrated with the complex material presented in the video. He then briefly talks about what he calls “learning how to learn” and describes four specific stages of the learning process that students will encounter while working through the pieces. Adam adds that he continues to practice these pieces often and that he too is still fine tuning his performances!

The remainder of the video takes a no-nonsense approach. Each of the four songs is shown being performed in it’s entirety and is then deconstructed and analyzed in the following segment. During the instruction segments the video consistently shows a close up of Adam’s left hand and an smaller inset of his right hand so guitarists can closely study either hand. Adam is comfortable in front of the camera and is obviously used to breaking down information into short, easily understood phrases. There is enough detail given to the specialized guitar techniques used that you can’t misinterpret how to recreate them. Once enough explanation has been given, short sections of the tune are demonstrated at a slow enough tempo that intermediate-level players should be able to start playing along with only a little practice. Adam ends most instructional segments with some performance notes and often points out places where he has slightly changed elements of the original songs in order to make them groove harder and sound more at home on the guitar. Below is a short trailer for the DVD.

The 30-page booklet that accompanies the DVD contains very detailed scores in standard notation and tablature. Left-hand fingerings are included for every note and occasional right-hand fingerings are indicated as well. Often there are notes from Adam in the music suggesting alternate fingerings or describing guitar techniques that printed notation can’t clearly show. My only gripe about the booklet is that it’s a bit small. The booklet is made from standard 8.5 x 11 paper folded in half like a church bulletin. It’s certainly not any worse than what is included with most instructional DVDs but I may take the booklet to Kinko’s and enlarge each page to make it easier on my 39-year-old eyes.

Although the arrangements are quite complex and will take even an experienced player some time to master, I’m sure anyone wanting to better understand how to arrange for solo fingerstyle guitar would benefit from watching the DVD. Adam either directly or indirectly addresses a myriad of concepts and techniques that guitarists use when creating solo arrangements. Some of these include: choosing a key signature, isolating melody and bass lines, understanding syncopation, cross-string scales, right-hand-slaps, hammer-ons form nowhere, hinge barres, and more.

I totally enjoyed watching and working with this DVD. Adam’s friendly vibe and attention to detail ensure that any guitarist willing to spend time practicing the material will be able to master the four songs presented.

Visit www.adamrafferty.com to find out more about Adam or check out his YouTube channel to enjoy more of his music.

My last book review was Jazz Guitar Etudes by saxophonist Greg Fishman and now I have a review of LJI Functional Jazz Guitar by Ed Byrne who is a trombonist. Ed has performed and recorded with most of the jazz world’s leading musicians and is a trombonist, composer/arranger, and educator who has served on the faculties of Berklee College, Baruch College, University of the Arts, Greenfield Community College, and the University of Rhode Island. Many of his pupils have gone onto high-profile careers: Kenny Werner, Abe Laboriel, Chip Jackson, Freddie Bryant, Mark Elf, Papo Vasquez, and Gary Dial have all studed with Ed.

Functional Jazz Guitar (FJG) states in it’s preface that it “does not attempt be ground breaking.” Instead the text focuses on having the student play through the basic cadences and blues forms in every key. This is the quintessential material of jazz harmony that, once internalized, will allow the student to “be able to play real jazz with others.”

The examples in the book are what I’d call real “meat and potatoes” material: simple, powerful tools that sound great and are foundational rather than trying to be clever. Students working with the book are guided through dozens of exercises that demonstrate the use of embellished guide-tone lines and various comping patterns including major and minor ii v i and blues cadences in all 12 keys. Learning all of the material within and FJG and applying it to standard tunes would give the guitar student a mastery of their instrument and the solid foundation of harmonic understanding necessary for jazz playing and creative improvisation. The book includes 18 files in MP3 and Finale format to practicing along with. Vist Ed’s website to view sample pages and sound files.

FJG also has several pages of advice, observations, and reflections from Ed on topics such as ear-training, transcription, sight-singing, reading lead-sheets and more. Although the strength of the of the book is in its’ musical examples, these comments by the author add even more value by suggesting further uses and activities for the included examples.

As you can probably tell, I really like this book and I’m also a big fan of Ed’s Linear Jazz Improvisation Method books which would be a natural next step for students who have mastered the basic concepts in FJG. The only misgiving that I have about the book is that it is entirely in standard notation and I fear that the lack of tablature may scare off intermediate-level guitarists who don’t read well – just the demographic that needs this book. Since the goal is to master the included material in every key and across the entire range of the instrument, the use of standard notation leaves students open to explore all range and fingering options for themselves. Guitarists, if you need to work on your reading FJG is the perfect book to struggle through. Most examples are not too difficult and and you’ll be a better reader to boot!

So, what’s up with all of these books that are targeted toward guitarists but not written by one? I can’t say if this is the start of a new trend, but I think that many music educators have recognized that there is a huge marketplace full of egghead guitarists and that we do like to buy instructional books and videos. Is it a problem that the instruction is coming from a non-guitarist? In the case of jazz and jazz improvisation, I’d have to say no. Because jazz is a language spoken by all instrumentalists, any musician that can speak the language has something to teach you. Also, because a non-guitarist may not be familiar with all of the technical aspects of the instrument they can help you to focus on the Big Picture. So, instead of worrying about the particulars of fingerings and picking techniques they can help you make sure you’re in tune, in time, swinging, making the changes, and providing adequate support for the rest of the ensemble. This is what LJI Functional Jazz Guitar is all about!

If you’ve used this book – or any of Ed Byrne’s books on improvisation – please leave your comments below.

Jazz Guitar Etudes is the first of two books I’m going to be reviewing that is NOT written by a guitarist. It turns out that Jazz Guitar Etudes was originally written by Chicago-based saxophonist Greg Fishman as a collection of saxophone etudes that has recently been adapted for guitar. Fortunately for us guitarists, Fishman did not simply transpose his sax studies for C instruments and leave it at that. Instead, he brought a guitarist on board. The guitar edition relies heavily on contributions from guitarist Mike Allemana who provides guitar tablature and relevant ideas of fingering and articulation options. The book also contains detailed notes from both Fishman and Allemana on how intermediate, advanced, and professional level students can use the etudes to further their improvisational skills.

Beyond these few pages of text the book gets right down to business with 12 etudes based on a variety of familiar chord progressions including blues, rhythm changes, and the changes to standard tunes such as “Alone Together”, “Body and Soul”, and “Have You Met Miss Jones”. The melodic lines in each etude are fantastic examples of classic bebop phrasing. Fishman makes the etudes thematic to a point, but doesn’t go so far as to make them sound like sound like tunes so much as really well-constructed solos that are hip and fun without ever straying from the underlying harmonies. There was obviously enough thought put into each etude that you could do an analysis of the material identifying common elements in bebop phrasing. However, just playing through the etudes will provide guitar players with a lot of great ideas to add to their vocabulary.

Once players get the etudes under their fingers they can play along with the included CD. Probably the most useful tracks to play along with are the tenor sax tracks. Playing along with Greg on the sax is a really fun and satisfying experience that will challenge your timing, tone, and articulation. Guitarists who are working to get that horn-style phrasing into their playing will especially benefit from this feature and this is the only book on the market that offers this option.

Below are videos of guitarist Mike Allemana demonstrating this feature with the etudes “Halsted Street” and “State Street”:

I really enjoyed working with this book and I hope that Greg Fishman will eventually make some of his other books available for guitarists as well. I think his books Jazz Saxophone Duets and Jazz Phrasing for Beginners would also translate particularly well for guitarists.