Ken Perlman Fingerstyle Guitar Gtr [Paperback]

Ken Perlman packs a gig bag-full of fingerstyle guitar into this book. While it definitely targets novice fingerstyle players, it is not a book for those just beginning to play the guitar. Although Perlman introduces tablature, he assumes the player can read standard notation and already has a good knowledge of the fingerboard. Also, because much of fingerstyle is based on movable chord positions, the student should have some facility negotiating between chords.
That said, the book begins by introducing the style of alternating bass and builds increasingly complex melodies and techniques over this basic pattern. The student will learn all the standard left hand techniques (hammer-on and pull-off notes, slides, graced notes, etc.) as well as some development of the right hand. Perlman's approach is to use individual songs to introduce each concept which keeps the learning process musical without being overly didactic. In my view, there are several points that elevate Fingerstyle Guitar above most other instructional books. First, Perlman selects great acoustic guitar music. If you like the simple yet wonderful style of Mississippi John Hurt, it's there within the first few pages. With about 40 songs in all, the blues, roots and Celtic tunes are great fun to play, and much of the credit goes to Perlman's arranging and writing abilities. I also like the way Perlman sets each song up, giving the student some context in regard to the composer, or the song's history. And finally, following each piece, Perlman focuses on specific measures in the song that may be problematic, such as fingering patterns in chord transitions or tricky syncopations.
While Fingerstyle Guitar starts from a very basic level, the pace of skill development is brisk. For example, open tunings are introduced barely half-way through the book. The tunes near the end of the book, such as Joplin's "The Entertainer", are definitely for the capable intermediate guitarist. Therefore, I would also recommend the book to anyone who has previous exposure to fingerstyle.
For the intermediate-to-advance level player, Perlman's Advanced Fingerstyle Guitar is an excellent companion book which follows the same basic format set-out in Fingerstyle Guitar. Centerstream Publications has done a good job in the clear presentation of text and notation for both books. I particularly like the use of archival photographs of musicians that begin each chapter.
Overall, you won't be disappointed with Perlman's approach to Fingerstyle Guitar.

The great thing about this book is that it really shows you how to play fingerstyle guitar. For every exercise and transcription, the author discusses the new technical problems for the piece -- showing you the most efficient way to fret chords, discussing any particulary complicated picking pattern, etc. Songs are presented in tab and in standard notation.

Chapters cover everything from basics to hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, bar chords, celtic and ragtime styles, etc.

Along with Perlman's second book, 'Contemporary Fingerstyle Guitar', makes a great introduction to playing fingerstyle.

I'm writing partly to refute a review which said there are no markings to tell how fast or slow to play the songs. All of the material in this book is written both in tab and standard notation. The tab is the type of hybrid tab where the duration of notes is shown, eg a whole note has a square around it. Another complaint from the same reviewer is that it is not classical technique and advocates fretting the sixth string with your thumb. That comment is true for what it's worth; if you want classical technique get another book. The thumb around the back definitely makes much of this material easier to play, and this is good material.

My own assessment is that this is a good teaching book for fingerstyle. Ken Perlman uses really good material (especially Mississippi John Hurt and Rev. Gary Davis songs) to introduce standard fingerstyle techniques. The songs and exercises are well graded and the book is very thorough.

As far as the level goes, at the very beginning of the process of teaching myself fingerstyle, I found this book difficult to start with. I bought this book at the same time as I bought Mark Hanson's "Contemporary Travis Picking" and found Hanson's book easier at first, as it taught in smaller steps. Someone with more dexterity might not need the small steps, but I sure did. After a while I found Perlman's book accessible and I've enjoyed it since.

One minor complaint I have that keeps me from giving it 5 stars is that it doesn't have a CD of the songs. Another small thing is that the arrangements of the songs are short and don't include the an intro, all verses, and lyrics. I know it's a method book not a songbook, but it left me wanting full arrangements of some songs.