Speed Mechanics For Lead Guitar

Rating:
Summary: The perfect book to improvise
Review: This book allows to develop your own style to play guitar of precise and clean way, but the speed depends on your hours with the guitar. I recommend the Christopher Parkening Method for Classic Guitar, both books allows you to improve your force and ability. It is necessary to mention that these books are not for learning music theory, but they are good to enjoy and explote your own playing style, after some months you will be improvising with your own licks. Now I understand what guys like Yngwie does when they are playing, instead of only reproduce their music. Troy's book is one of the best, his book fills to you of inspiration (I only hope to have free time to get to study it)



Rating:
Summary: one of the best guitar lesson books ever written
Review: This book changed my guitar-playing life.
Unlike most other guitar books, this one isn't about licks or how to play your favourite songs.
The book goes deeper than that -- to the fundamental elements of playing.
Speed Mechanics is definitely geared for the metal player, but the skills learned, such as good alternate picking, are applicable to ANY style of music. I've found my blues playing to be lightyears better than it was before I started.
Troy has figured out the most important elements of good lead guitar playing, and created exercises that develop those skills.
One warning though -- this is probably not for the beginning player. I'd recommend it for someone who has the basics already under control, but might be frustrated with their lead playing.
The book really depends on the use of a metronome, and it requires a lot of patience. I've realized that great skills come from hours and hours of practice. If you are willing to put in the time, this book is for you.

Rating:
Summary: A real drill and skill book for aspiring lead players
Review: This book is a nicely constructed easy to hard exercise book with companion CD that allows you to hear how exercises should sound when played. You can't ask for anything more straightforward than this approach. The rest is up to your own resolve to keep practicing. -Bc

Rating:
Summary: Hard work
Review: This book is about fundamentally improving your playing through hard work. This is not about "impress your friends in three days". It is not even about "impress your friends in 100 days". This book is about hard work and analyzing your lead playing.

For example this book provides more than ten different exercises for improving alternate picking while shifting strings. There are an even greater number of exercises devoted to things like
- Helping your little finger
- Using Hammer ons and pull offs to improve speed
- Playing sequences of notes in bursts
There are quite a few more concepts in the 196 exercises this book has.

A lot of the practice licks are in the Aeolian mode - which is great for metal players. I imagine you could just change the mode to suit the style you like, and still benefit from the exercises. However this will be a problem for people working on styles like the Blues.

Other disadvantages:
- I do wish troy stetina had included some licks from players like Steve Ray Vaughan or Mike Bloomfield to round out the vocabulary you gain through practice. Randy Rhoads seems to be Troy's favorite player.
- Part 3 of the book - which is the section really devoted to soloing versus practicing, could have used some more depth.
- This book absolutely skips over the importance of chords in playing lead.

You really have to spend hundreds or thousands of hours on practice to gain much from this book. Though beginner and beginner-intermediate players could benefit from this book, it may be an inefficient use of your time. This book should only be used to strengthen one aspect of your playing - and should not be used as you sole guitar practice book. That being said - this is definitely a great book by a teacher who really knows his stuff.

Rating:
Summary: Good for starting
Review: This book is good for what it was written for, that is teaching someone how to become technically proficient at playing guitar. If you are just starting to learn to shred, pick this book up. But if you are already a shredder you should stay away, it hardly offers anything new. The section at the end on rhythm is pretty cool, but it is not worth the price of the book. All in all, this would be a good place to learn, if you are just getting started on shreding.

Rating:
Summary: Move at lightning speed
Review: This book is one of the best ones I own. Troy takes you through a whole load of exercises to improve your finger agility and strength.
Also included are six solos increasing in difficulty as you go through the book.

The best part is where he provides insights on how to develop your own exercises and what sort of picking techniques you need to concentrate on to get that additional speed.

I would prefer an instructional video to a book, but this is one case where I have to make an exception.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome book
Review: This book will teach you how to practice efficiently and effectively, it's jam packed with exercises on how to improve every aspect of your playing. It includes a CD to let you hear how the things are supposed to sounds like. GET THIS BOOK!

Rating:
Summary: Speed Mechanics by Troy Stetina
Review: This has got to be the best speed technique book out there. This is a book that you will use forever. Not only does this book teach speed, but it teaches other important things such as, making songs. Buy it.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This is a great book for speed and dexterity and just plain cool licks. It's starts you off with a basic chromatic walk down and works you up to killer licks and songs like "Flight of the Bumblebee". It also teaches you how to keep time properly by giving you basic excercises to practice with a metronome. I highly recommend this book I haven't even gotten half way through it and it's helped me a considerable amount.

Rating:
Summary: Great book to develop your fingers
Review: This is a great book on developping speed and coordination on the guitar. I had only been using it for a week when I noticed some of my old practice material became much easier to play and new material came under my fingers much quicker.