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The Guitar Player's Guide to Developing Speed, Accuracy, and Tone (by Brad Davis and Dan Miller) is a 150 page book, with 157 audio tracks, that will show you how to develop speed, accuracy, volume, tone, note clarity, and fluidity for the acoustic guitar. Most books teach you the notes to songs, this book teaches you how to make each note that you play in those songs sound clear and distinct with rich tone and how you can bring all of those notes together in a smooth and fluid flow at any tempo.
The first section of this book explores all of the details of right and left hand mechanics and technique and helps you analyze your mechanics so that you can play the guitar in the most efficient and effective manner. Then this book presents an extensive series of step-by-step exercises to help you develop all of the "meat and potatoes" pick style guitar techniques, to include: rhythm strums, down stokes, alternate picking, rhythm pick pattern (RPP), picking against the grain, forward and reverse roll crosspicking, forward-reverse crosspicking, harmonized scales, string skipping techniques, floating, playing drone strings, skip string crosspicking, rest strokes, sweep picking, and double-down-up picking.
The material is presented in a series of six "phases," each building on the techniques and exercises that are presented in earlier phases. The step-by-step approach will insure that your pick style acoustic guitar technique is fully developed. If you are looking to improve your speed, accuracy, tone, volume, note clarity, and fluidity, this is the book for you. Players at all levels can benefit greatly from the material presented in this book.
Flatpicking Guitar Magazine editor, and co-author, Dan Miller says, "I am very excited about this book. Brad Davis and I have worked very hard to insure that The Guitar Player's Guide to Developing Speed, Accuracy & Tone is a very complete program of study. I'll tell you, this program works! In the past year and a half I have written and published seven volumes of the Flatpicking Essentials course and I've received a lot of great feedback from the flatpickers who are working with that material (Thanks!). But I'll have to say that I personally learned more in terms of taking my own guitar playing abilities to the next level with this new book than I have with any book I've ever written or worked with in the past. I really believe in this program that Brad Davis has designed."
"This program really helped me improve every aspect of my guitar playing. After working with this material I can now play faster and louder and I have better tone and note clarity. I feel my playing is much smoother and more fluid as well. And this book is great because no matter what your current level, you can learn a lot from working with these exercises. Brad Davis has been playing professionally for over 30 years and these are the exercises that he uses to warm up for performances and studio sessions. They will work for anybody."
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Section One: Suggestions for the Right Hand and Left Hand
Right Hand Mechanics
Relaxation and Body Position
Holding the Pick
Pick Grip
Pick Extension
The Pick
Pick Depth
Right Hand Position
Floating
Posting
Gliding
Right Hand Position and Tone
Right Hand Arc
Right Hand Attack
Pick Angle
The Rest Stroke Versus The Swing Stroke
Pick Depth
Moving The Pick Through The Strings
The Strings
Pick Articulation
Pushing and Pulling the Pick
Left Hand Mechanics
Left Hand Relaxation
Thumb Position
Finger Position and Placement
Economy of Motion
Consistent Hand Placement
Coordinating the Rigtht & Left Hands
Start Slow to Go Fast
The Magic of 60 Beats Per Minute
Practicing with Awareness
Subdividing the Beat
A Word About Learning From Tab
Awareness of Your Ability Level
Section Two - Phase 1: Strums, Downstrokes and Alternating Strokes
The Practice Routine
Phase 1 Skills
Loosen Up With Rhythm
Rhythm Practice
The Downstroke
Downstroke Practice
Alternating Pick Direction and Eighth Note Practice
Alternating Pick Direction
Alternating Pick Direction Exercises (1 through 6)
Muted String Exercises
Phase 1 Muted String Practice Routine
Phase 2: More Alternate Picking, the Rhythm Pick Pattern and Picking Across the Grain
Alternate Picking Exercises (7 through 17)
Arkansas Traveler
The Rhythm Pick Pattern (RPP)
Lonesome Road Blues
Nine Pound Hammer
Moving From Rhythm to Lead
Home Sweet Home Examples (1 through 4)
Nine Pound Hammer with Relaxed RPP
RPP Muted String Exercises (1 to 5)
Picking Against the Grain
Against the Grain Picking Exercises (1 through 8)
Against the Grain Muted String Exercises
Phase 2 Practice Routine
Phase 3: Crosspicking
The Forward Roll
Squaring Up Time
Crosspicking Exercise 1
Squaring Up Time Examples (1 through 4)
Boil the Cabbage Down
Home Sweet Home
Beaumont Rag Patterns
The Reverse Roll
Reverse Roll Exercise
Home Sweet Home Crosspicking Muted String Exercises (1 through 5)
Phase 3 Practice Routine
Crosspicking Summary
Harmonized Scales on Adjacent Strings
Harmonized Scale Exercises (1 through 4)
Blackberry Blossom Exercise
Phase 4: String Skipping
Floating
Floating Example 1
Floating Exercises (1 through 3)
Temperence Reel
Billy In the Lowground
Cherokee Shuffle
Drone Strings
Drone String Exercises (1 and 2)
Blackberry Blossom
Whiskey Before Breakfast
Harmonized Scales on Non-Adjacent Strings
Harmonized Scale Exercises (1 through 9)
String Skip Crosspicking
String Skip Crosspicking Exercise 1
Arkansas Traveler
String Skip Muted String Exercises (1 through 14)
Phase 4 Practice Routine
String Skipping Summary
Moving Up-The-Neck
Up The Neck Exercises (1 through 4)
Blackberry Blossom
Phase 5: The Rest Stroke
Rest Stroke Exercises (1 through 8)
G-Runs (1 through 6)
Lonesome Road Blues
Rest Stroke Exercises (9 through 14)
Down-Down-Up Crosspicking
Rest Stroke Muted String Exercises (1 through 7)
Phase 5 Practice Routine
Rest Stroke Summary
Sweep Picking
Sweep Picking Muted String Exercises
Sweep Picking Exercises (1 through 3)
The Crab Walk Exercise
Phase 6: The Double Down Up Technique (DDU)
Double Down Up Exercises (1 through 13)
DDU Exercise 14 Steps
Double Down Up Exercises (14 through 19)
Salt Creek Example
Black Mountain Rag
The Road Ahead
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