William Leavitt – Berklee Workshop – A Modern Method for Guitar Vol.1(2006)

William Leavitt-Berklee Workshop – A modern method for guitar vol.1(2006)  A Modern Method for Guitar by William Leavitt, is one  of the world’s most popular guitar methods. It is the basic text for  Berklee College of Music’s guitar program. It has stood the test of time  and earned a vast and loyal following of dedicated guitar students and  instructors for over 40 years.This DVD-ROM version of this proven method is the most comprehensive  guitar method DVD-ROM on the market. The instruction on this DVD-ROM is  equivalent to a year’s worth of guitar lessons at Berklee College of  Music! You will be guided through 14 complete lessons with Larry Baione,  Chair of Berklee’s Guitar Department.BIOLarry Baione has been Chair of the Berklee College of  Music Guitar Department since 1990 and a faculty member since 1974. He  studied with William Leavitt while Leavitt was developing the Modern  Method for Guitar, and also studied with Bucky Pizzarelli, Jim Hall, and  other legendary players. Baione has taught students using this method  for thirty years.Review from Amazon:Levitt’s ‘Modern Method’ has been the foundation stone upon which many  great guitarists have built their careers and reputations. It’s pretty  much beyond criticism for many players, but it’s worth noting some  observations: 1) It’s not recommended if all you want is to learn how to strum a few chords 2) If you simply want to read TAB and chord charts, this is not the book for you 3) This will not help you perfect your string bending, hammer ons, pull offs, fingerpicking or even sweep picking So, why the five stars? Because it’s essentially boot camp for guitar.  Spend a year with the book (and the accompanying DVD) and you will come  away with a good basic understanding of how music works and how to apply  that understanding to the guitar. You’ll also be on the way to be able  to sight-reading ‘the dots’. Plus, in the process you will improve;  playing slowly, carefully and methodically to the unstinting beat of a  metronome can reveal many weaknesses in technique. The DVD is hugely useful, too. Not only does it demonstrate the  exercises well, but Larry Baione adds a human touch that the text is  sometimes missing. In short, if you want to take guitar seriously, there’s no better starting place than William Levitt’s books.