Advanced Fingerstyle Guitar

I was a professional guitarist for years but never good at fingerstyle. I really like this book for a few reasons. The songs are traditional and show a bit of the history of fingerstyle guitar in the selections. I don't want to learn a pop or rock song arranged for fingerpicking - I wanted the real stuff and this book delivers. Think about the songs Ry Cooder and Chet Atkins probably learned as kids and you'll get a feel for the music selections here. Good stuff to stretch your imagination and your chops.Some have commented on the few mistakes in the tab and that doesn't bother me. You get a CD and the music notation is there too.If something doesn't sound right then listen and adjust. Ken went to a great deal of trouble to make the tab very informational and I think it works well.There is one review here that just blasts the author horribly because this person feels this material is not advanced enough for him. Something like that is always a matter of interpretation. These are educational books, not repertoire material for Doyle Dykes or Paco de Lucia!You do need to have some experience with fingerstyle guitar before jumping into this book though but you'll be rewarded with some excellent selections and history on the songs. Having the CD is always a huge bonus because there is always the "feel" of a song that cannot be acquired from just reading it on paper.I work on songs from this book almost every night and will enjoy the book for months to come. There are not many book plus CD combinations that are this good for guitar period, much less fingerstyle guitar. Five stars from me all the way.

Professional, difficult, and daunting! Good luck. Shawn

I normally don't post reviews, but I think this book warrants one. As a warning.If you are actually looking for advanced techniques you will be sorely disappointed. There is nothing advanced about this book. I just skimmed through the book so far and the most entertaining thing I learned is that two consecutive hammer-ons require "considerable fretting-hand control" (hahaaa).Similarly, Chapter 3 - titled "Techniques" - reviews some rudimentary techniques like alternating bass lines, hammer ons (those seem to be the author's nemesis), triplets (not really a technique), and "efficient fingering" (sadly, just on the guitar).The songs are simplistic and uninspiring. I started from the back and could play the last 5 song almost fluently, I didn't bother to try out the rest. 90% of the songs are in straightforward eighth notes, the most complicated rhythm-wise is a series of triplets.I am working on a Andy Mckee songbook and I had hoped this book would offer some pointers or exercises to get my technique up to speed, but according to this book I am a guitar god apparently.It would have been a good book if it was presented as what it is - a pretty good transition into intermediate guitar. But saying that it "serves as a clear and detailed guide to the technical expertise and theoretical knowledge required to bridge the gap to the advanced level" is simply a lie. Either this author is trying to scam buyers or someone seriously needs to introduce him to the internetz - although this will probably shatter all his dreams and hopes of ever being an "advanced" guitarist.I give it two stars for some pretty solid introduction to music theory fundamentals.

I have several of Ken’s books on Fingerstyle guitar. I think his methods are very effective and Ken makes himself very accessible if you need additional help.

Serious finger style. Other books are very basic. This one dives into the real thing. Perlman is a great teacher.

This is overall an excellent book. The collection of tunes is varied, and often quite challenging - definitely not a beginner's book - yet fun. There is a lot of background information for each tune, and a description of the various techniques involved in each piece. Every once in a while there is an error in the tab, but I'm mostly reading the standard notation. Sometimes the suggested fingerings are a bit awkward, so I find my own, and keep a pen handy to make notes where I think fingering should be different. The CD that accompanies the book is very handy for getting a feel for how the arrangements sound. Anyway, I'm happy I bought it and it's definitely improving my fingerstyle playing.

Best fingerpicking book overall Great tips and technical advice

Got this book remaindered somewhere, around when I stopped playing. 20 years later, it was great to find it when picking up the guitar again. Some great tunes, tasty arrangements, and very thoughtful notes. I have one of Perlman's banjo books too (the one w/ his settings of Sugar in the Gourd and Billy in the Lowground), which is similarly well done, and follow his column in Banjo Newlsletter. Like Bill Keith, Ken does a great job of helping everyone see how the music works. Thanks, Ken!

Excellent book for strengthening technique and learning new styles of playing, I wouldn't recommend for a beginner