Rating: 
Summary: Creative Beauty, Power & Intelligence
Review: An unusual talent whose voice reverberates with a rare combination of knowledge and feeling. We now have a better idea about what's actually possible in the realm of the stringed instrument. Simply a musician more people need to know exists. It's truthful simplicity.
Rating:
Summary: Book Full of Worth!
Review: I feel bad having to contest what others may have written in criticism of this book, but it really is misleading to say that this book is aimed at a low level. It is neither a waste of time or money.
John presents ideas in this book that many guitarists, young and old, may have never explored before. In many places he abandons the typical format of "how-to-play guitar" method books in favor of exercises that demand the student to be creative, expressive, and individual. I find this very refreshing, and necessary, in today's state of music education.
If approached with an open mind, many of these deceivingly "simple" exercises can become very deep.
There are also great exercises dealing with counterpoint, three-note structures, ear training, scale studies, etc.... These are all presented in John's own way and with a good sense of humor.
Like most worthwhile music books, what you will get out of it depends on how much you put into it. I would recommend this to guitarists who are in search of fresh ideas, but who also have self-discipline and an interest in making things their own. you can really take this stuff to the roof if you want to.
The idea that this is aimed at a low level, or doesn't contain enough hard work, is just plain wrong.
Rating:
Summary: A great book for the serious musician.
Review: I have been very fortunate to be a student of Jon Damian in Berklee. He opened up possibilities and approaches to studying the guitar, which proved revealing and very inspirational to me. Now I studied with Jon myself, I can clearly see in which ways he influenced the many major (jazz) fusion guitarists that once studied with him. I'm not going to mention the names of the famous players who studied with Jon: if you want to know them, they're mentioned in his book. Jon doesn't really care about that honor anyway... he only cares about the music.
"The Guitarist's Guide To Composing and Improvising" totally reflects Jon's adventurous, imaginative teaching style and advanced musical ideas. In a light-hearted yet thoughtful way, the book teaches about the aspects of composition and improvisation on the guitar, starting from the premise that improvisation is actually "composing in the moment". Jon calls this "comprovisation". This leads to many very interesting, advanced musical ideas like for example "contrapuntal improvising". I can understand that more conservative players or musicians with a less open-minded attitude can't look beyond the light-hearted approach, and thus miss the overall point and message the material in "The Guitarist's Guide To Composing and Improvising" contains. Too bad for these musicians: mastering the guitar does indeed require a healthy dose of brains, attitude, imagination and insight. Somebody who turns down this book, obviously doesn't understand the material it covers, and is not ready for this book yet. After all, the serious student guitarist soon finds out that the ideas in the book might seem simple at first, but really mastering the ideas presented and being able to incorporate them in your playing, is a totally different ball game. Only through an ongoing process of years of dedicated practice will one get to master the material in this book. "The Guitarist's Guide To Composing and Improvising" is geared towards musicians of all levels (also the very advanced) who want to tap into advanced compositional and improvisational tools on the guitar. Being a student on the guitar for over 10 years now, "The Guitarist's Guide To Composing and Improvising" contains a wealth of material that is still going to keep me busy for years to come. I therefore strongly recommend this book to every musician/guitarist who is serious about his/her art.
Rating:
Summary: A must have for the improvising guitarist
Review: I have played the guitar professionally for over 25 years and have found Jon Damian's book to be very comprehensive and an excellent resource for developing student's improvisational skills regardless of playing style. I would recommend this book to anyone from beginner to advanced.
Rating:
Summary: As Good As It Gets!!!!! BUY IT!
Review: I really don't know which book the 1 star-reviewer read, definitely not Jon Damian's book!
This is the best guitar instructional book - and on music in general - since Mick Goodrick's "Advancing Guitarist".
It also addresses beginners, but intermediate and even advanced players will find a wealth of information in this wonderfully written book. This is a lifetime's achievement, it will revitalize your creativity, I promise.
It certainly is nothing for scale-nerds, it is a book for the "thinking guitarist" or, as Mr. Damian says in the subtitle, "The Curious Guitarist". So, go get this one, you can easily spend the rest of your life with it.
Rating:
Summary: This Is A Great Book!
Review: I'm happy to have found a book that helps me on guitar. The CD is fun to work with. The reading is fun to read too. There's stuff in it that inspires my imagination to do new things with my guitar.
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Summary: The Book to Buy...
Review: I'm lucky to have studied with Jon in the early 90s when I attended Berklee. In short, I'm still learning from the materials and ideas he transmitted in our lessons. This book has all those ideas and more. It's an incredible wealth of information.Buy the book and save yourself lots of money OR quit your job, move to Boston, enroll in Berklee (it's like joining a priesthood of a 1000 frustrated guitar players), try to become a jazz-snob (growing a goatee will help), and maybe if you're lucky, you'll get one half-hour a week with Jon each semester. (He's one of the most sought-after teachers at Berklee.) BE WARNED: This book is not for beginners, it's only for serious players and those that really really want to learn how to play well. If that's you, then this book is an excellent guide. -- gabriel perry
... PS - The CD that comes with his book is great. The examples are very musical and inspired. So much so, that I contacted Jon (his email addy is in the book) and bought his "Dedications: Faces and Places" CD.
Rating:
Summary: Jon is a Genius
Review: I've always been a bit intimidated by improvising. If you don't know how to do it, it's difficult to figure out. Learning scales, chords and arpeggios give you something to practice, but the real question is how to make music. In this book, John Damian provides a blueprint for the exploration of melody and harmony. I've only owned the book for a couple of weeks, yet already new possibilites have been revealed. Any serious guitarist must own this book.
Rating:
Summary: A sound approach
Review: I've always been a bit intimidated by improvising. If you don't know how to do it, it's difficult to figure out. Learning scales, chords and arpeggios give you something to practice, but the real question is how to make music. In this book, John Damian provides a blueprint for the exploration of melody and harmony. I've only owned the book for a couple of weeks, yet already new possibilites have been revealed. Any serious guitarist must own this book.
Rating:
Summary: FABULOUS BOOK!
Review: I've found this to be one of the best books I've ever purchased on the topic of playing guitar. It will be helpful to any musican who is tired of endless chord/scale approach's, and who really wants to explore in detail the art and craft of making music. I've worked with the exercises everyday, and the payoff has been immediate. Each exercise betrays a deep insight into the subtle aspects of music, and each exercise also provides a jumping off point for my own exploration of the guitar. I would definitly recommend this book to anyone wishing to investigate music with curiosity and imagination. Thanks to Mr. Damian for this book!
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