Guitar Mastery Simplified: How Anyone Can Quickly Become a Strumming, Chords, and Lead Guitar Ninja

Howdy from Jackson Hole! Buy this book. Just do it. Don't be dissuaded from it being "Kindle", as Kindle editions now have app support on other platforms than the proprietary "Kindle" reader. The internet has a plethora of guitar instructors. Many offer instruction that gets you to the grade school level of playing a few chords to a few songs. Erich starts you out in kindergarten, progresses to grade school,junior high & high school. He's dead serious about laying foundations that will make Masters and PhD level playing possible if you choose someday. Erich's into martial arts also. Hence the Ninja outfit on the book cover. His Ninja approach to learning guitar emphasizes dedication, fun, economy, and building from basics. This is ultimately the only way in martial arts OR guitar the seemingly impossible becomes so second nature it's truly effortless. All prospective students should know the extreme power of this Kindle book are links to TONS of YouTube videos he's posted. It's like having a face to face lesson at home (arguably better as he has vastly more experience than the local you'll likely end up with). To Erich (& others)... I'm physically unable to do a lot of this book. I've found my tennis elbow is aggravated by some chording. I'll never strengthen my hands to make a G Major painless. Will I quit guitar? Nope. I'm going to Ninja around my shortcomings, and turn them into strengths. For instance... There's a simple easy alternative to the traditional G Major chord requiring only 1 finger fretting, Hitting that simpler, less beautiful chord with a smile and technique elsewhere will divert attention & work magic (& Erich is also a magician). Dig it? His style and progressive steps will make me the best I can. Are you skeptical? Google search a Rolling Stones stalwart: "Keith Richards fingers pictures". You'll see pictures of his hands proving he has very severe osteoarthritis. Those huge knuckles are nonfunctional at this point. They no longer hurt because they've been welded into place. Yet, Keith invents and performs amazing stuff. My personal physical limitations can't compare to his. I'm going to stick with this method and adapt it to my personal style. Happy Trails! to Erich and all!

With the vast assortment of guitar programs promising instant success, Erich reinforces the necessity for practice and preserverence. I'd also thank him from the bottom of my heart for the kindness he's shown my 13 year old son and myself during some challenging health problems. You can never possibly know how proud and happy you've make Ian...and me too. Erich is not only an outstanding writer and musician, he's an outstanding human being. My family can attest to that. I belive Erich is one of those rare individuals that is genuinely devoted to his craft and would not hesitate one second to follow any of his recommendations. March 2018 I've learned the basics, but struggled to understand the theory behind it. That left me pretty much stuck with following along without the ability to embellish and improvise. After reviewing Erich's book, the light bulb went off. I could suddenly actually understand the differences between major scales and minor scales and construct different 7th chords easily. His explanation of pentatonic scales was completely on point. Beginning musicians may not fully recognize the value of this information, but at some point, it is critical if you plan to progress. Erich breaks things down and simplifies these concepts in a way that the majority of instructors typically are unable to get across. I only wish I had taken the time to internalize these important concepts when I was first starting out...I'd be SO much farther along! I'd encourage any beginners to take the time to learn this theory, as well as the basic techniques. Once again, I want to express my gratitude to Erich; I wouldn't have even had my first guitar had it not been for his compassion and generosity. He helped a complete stranger at a particularly difficult time in my life and it is impossible to express just how much it helped to have the pleasure of learning the guitar to focus on. It meant the world to my son and I. Don't know if he reads these reviews, but I just would like him to know that I "paid it forward" to a neighbor boy who wasn't able to afford a guitar. He comes over a few afternoons a week and I've been helping him get started. Can't thank you enough, Erich. Robin and Ian Meredith

Nice cat! Really!! I've been playing off and on since I was 14 (I'm old now). I've had two Strats (with the twin reverb tubes and solids), and some acoustics (spent 23 years in the military) so the equipment can get a bit beat up (been all over the world). I took some time off about 2 years but I am going to get back into it again with a thought of helping another younger person who has a good voice and sings semi-professionally. She wants to learn (the ole `get-fiddle') and I guess I need a challenge and so I plan to help her. I'm going to introduce her to a Taylor GS Mini (with the thought that this will be good for her). I have also been pouring over the internet material looking for a `place' from which to help me pull the many past years of knowledge/experience out of my head in some manner of order and to get it into her head...again in a manner in which she can `get' to it when she needs it. "GuitarSage" is the answer!! I liked your presentation and material the most--there is fun, humor, and yet a direction with a goal. Most of the other webs I visited seemed too impersonal and too mechanical. I want to instill in her that the guitar is FUN. And if there is going to be much pain then there is something we are doing wrong. Easy and fun are (of course) not the same; but I most certainly do not want her to become discouraged. I LIKE YOUR METHOD--I know that I will also learn something too. If I might ask for some specifics: Would you provide (you have already in some places) the cord boxes and such for a few CURRENT and easy songs and some not so easy each time you pop out another E-book (sort of like a: this-is-where-you-practice-what-you've-learned-by-playing-real-songs addition). As we all know; the new person just wants to play something (anything current) as it helps them gain confidence. I have on order a Schecter Blackjack SLS C-1 FR-S (sustainiac-pickup) and I plan to pump it through three Roland Micro Cube RX (battery and AC) micro amps. It is a KICK... I've done this before with an older Blackjack (but with older and weaker Micros). It's fun to scare the squirrels out of the trees in the deepest and darkest woods! I also am considering an Ibanez "S Prestige" and some bigger amps. This is going to be much more fun than a Harley (for a mid-life crisis)...tee hee.

Very good book for beginners, and self-taught folks with noticeable gaps in their guitar/music skills/knowledge, especially given the copious video links the author gives to supplement the information. I would also say it tends to favor younger readers with its language choices (nothing vulgar) and large type, but that may be entirely subjective on my part. It read easily and quickly, so be careful not to move on until you really "get" what you've just read. I liked it most for creating a path the "self-taught" can follow that creates some confidence and actual ability in the reader. There are some good exercises tucked away, and some little nuggets that might clear up music theory hang-ups as well. For less than the price of a lesson I'd say this book is well worth the money you will invest, though it will not be the last book of its kind you will buy. Beginners will find plenty here to keep them occupied, and growing, for a long time.

Usually, students want to start their guitar training by playing a simple song and working up from there. Back in the day, I tried that, too. I got frustrated, and put it away for many years. A few years ago, I took lessons from a very accomplished classical guitarist. Most of his students were in Junior High or High school, and his method may have worked well for that age group, but I am over 60 years old now. My frustration in the past was that I had no finger strength, little flexibility, and small hands. This course starts with basics like posture, anatomy of the guitar and the usual basics, like tuning, etc., but quickly moves to dexterity drills and other exercises to increase strength and reach -- the things needed to play any style of music on the guitar. I have been practicing the exercises, and already feel like I am further along than I was with the expensive lessons. He also started with 3 basics of left hand mechanics: use finger TIPS to fret, fret just behind the fret, and keep some room between the neck and the palm of the left hand. Using those three tips, I have already improved. I skimmed over the rest of the book because it quickly gets into material I am not ready for. I want the music theory, chord progressions and it is all there when I am ready for it. There is depth to this material, so I will be using it for quite a while. This is an excellent book, with lots of encouragement from the author for the student. He has solid advice for everything except what to do about my small hands! I recommend this book for beginning to intermediate guitar students. There is a lot of material for advanced students, but I don't feel qualified to express an opinion on that material at this time. I purchased the Kindle version, which has lots of links to other resources,

I've been learning from Erich for a few years, beginning with YouTube videos that I stumbled upon and eventually through Udemy courses that I purchased. I bought this book somewhere in between, and have gone back to it as reference when I've found myself stuck on some concept or technique. What I've found to be consistent across all media is that Erich is as passionate about teaching the guitar as he is about playing it. Judging by his comprehrensive skillset (which he doesn't flaunt) and his collection of guitars and equipment, I'd say it's safe to say he's pretty passionate about playing. If i had to point out his best attribute as a teacher, I would have to say it's his painstaking effort to talk to and not through you. This is significant when you consider he's spending hours talking into a camera. It's easier to understand what I'm talking about if you watch for yourself. I know this review is supposed to be about the book and not his videos. I'm merely using the comparison to say that his personality comes through in the book. That's a good thing. I'd suggest you ignore the DIY look of the product itself and give heed to the content. After all, when have you cared that a guy is shooting a YouTube video from his kitchen if he's talking about something you're interested in? This book is well worth the read for anyone serious about putting their excuses to rest for good, and committing to learning guitar. Enjoy the journey!

This is a great book for a beginner and intermediate player. I enjoyed it, but as a long time player, didn't really gain anything new. I don't consider myself a 'guitarist', but I've been playing a long time professionally (I really should be far better by now). For that reason, I read a lot of guitar books to get better and gain new insights to up my playing. This was a fun read, and contains good valuable info, but not for me. A good value for others though.

Eric Andreas is a very excellent and personable guitar teacher. What I really like about him, is he cuts through a lot of the protocol and formalisms that other teachers seem to be so stuck on. He then tells you what is really necessary in order to accomplish your goals, and that allows you to efficiently get to where you want to go. However, make no mistake, Eric has a solid theory background and can easily ramp it up to whatever level necessary, but, without overdoing it. As a result, this is what you see in the book you are now considering. The other advantage to using Eric's vast amount of material, is that it is so varied; That is, from songs to theory to technique it all seems to be there. And, I really feel that Eric truly cares about beginning guitarists and wants as many of them to not only succeed but stay with the instrument. I see him do this in two ways: First, and foremost through encouragement and motivation; secondly, through instilling work ethic and emphasizing how important that truly is. You can tell, that this is a person that does have a lot of experience with many different students. His videos in turn, are a distillation of this formula which makes them very effective. The best recommendation that I can give, is the ones that I give to my family, friends and people I care about: I just say, "Get this and don't ask any questions!" The only reservations that I've ever had, is that at times, I feel somewhat intellectually intimidated by his cat!

This is a book only for beginners. I had been playing guitar for 1 year and when i got this book I was totally disappointed to see the contents. Most of the contents I already knew before. Don't buy it if are playing guitar for quite some time.

Erich Andreas has compiled a great book for multiple levels of guitar learners. Easy to understand, great motivational part and a lot of insight into guitar playing and the art of making music is provided in this book. To even improve the outcome of working through it, one can access Erichs' free content on youtube or join his Online courses (unstoppable guitar system) Non-native english speakers should definitely not be discouraged to give it a try by the fact that it's written in English!

Muy buen producto.

Cela fait des années que j'essaye d'apprendre vainement la guitare par manque de motivation peut être, mais surtout par manque de finance, les cours de guitare sont plutôt chers. Un jour je suis tombée par hasard sur les vidéos de Erich Andreas sur youtube et j'ai adoré! Alors d'accord il faut pouvoir comprendre l'anglais mais ça vaut vraiment le coup. J'ai beaucoup appris grâce à lui. Donc quand il a annoncé qu'il sortait un autre ebook j'étais impatiente. Cet ebook est vraiment génial, facile à comprendre, avec plein d'astuces et avec de la théorie pour avoir un bon niveau de guitare. Après comme il le dit, ce n'est pas le talent naturel qui compte vraiment, c'est le nombre d'heures que quelqu'un consacre à l'instrument. Je recommande vivement!!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And in english, I've been following Erich Andreas's videos for a while and couldn't wait to put my hands on this ebook the moment he announced its released. It's great, explains in a very understandable ways how to get better at playing guitar and how to stay motivated. Thanks to him, I've definitely improved and I'm telling all of my friends to get this book as well.

Terrific guitar book to help you with theory, dexterity, strumming etc highly recommend