Book review: _Guitar Zero_ by Gary Marcus
Jul. 7th, 2013 11:16 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kestrell_Guitar zero : The new musician and the science of learning_ Gary F. Marcus (2012)
I loved this book, and I will be keeping it in the reread pile, because it is full of useful information for the would-be guitar player of any age. It is also suitable for the general reader, gently introducing some of the more technical terms used in both neuroscience and music theory, but never becoming bogged down with jargon. It's real strength, however, is that it provides a strong dose of encouragement for any adult who has thought of learning to play a musical instrument but felt overwhelmed by what seems to be the steep learning curve.
In the name of full disclosure, I should mention that I took years of classical guitar instruction when I was a kid and into my high school years. I thought I had forgotten most of what I knew, but it turns out that a lot of the basics--the names of strings and the notes on the frets, for instance--seem to be getting refreshed rather than entirely relearned. Marcus, for instance, spends a lot of prose describing a concept which he found very confusing, namely, the fact that notes and chords can move around the frets of the guitar, as in moving from the first position to the second position, so being familiar with the piano didn't help him as much as he thought it would. On the other hand, I found that every time he referred to concepts using numbers, such as a perfect fifth, or an iv chord, I immediately began to get lost, because the whole numbers aspect of musical theory puts me in a muddle.
Marcus, however, is not merely an aspiring guitar player, but a university professor and researcher in the area of neuroscience. He is a great explainer, and he keeps his explanations focused on answering the basic questions: how do adults learn differently from children? what sort of learning method is best? does one even need a teacher? how much is mastery a matter of talent versus practice? and how many hours of practice does it take to become a proficient--but not professional level--guitar player?
These last two questions proved to be pretty interesting, as Marcus addressed Gladwell's "10,000 hours" theory, as some people may become adept musicians with only a couple thousand hours of practice, while other players may practice for ten thousand hours and never get much beyond beginner level. And just because some people become great players doesn't mean that they are equally talented at other aspects of musicianship, such as composing original music.
Marcus addresses a number of other subjects throughout the book and provides superb quotes from the many, many professional guitar players he has interviewed over the years, and he also touches upon such topics as what makes a good teacher and what affect is technology--including the popularity of games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band--having upon music. The end matter includes a glossary of terms and a bibliography.
All in all, this is a really enjoyable book. I would even suggest it as a good beach book, as the prose style is casual and conversational, making it easy to put down and pick up. The intermediate and advanced musicians may not find so much that is new and useful, although the notes and bibliography sections provide piles of resources for anyone interested in learning about music and cognition. I would also suggest that if one is thinking of teaching guitar to beginners, this would make a great resource. Note: I scanned the paper version, so if any of my visually impaired friends would like to read it, leave a comment with your e-mail addy.
I loved this book, and I will be keeping it in the reread pile, because it is full of useful information for the would-be guitar player of any age. It is also suitable for the general reader, gently introducing some of the more technical terms used in both neuroscience and music theory, but never becoming bogged down with jargon. It's real strength, however, is that it provides a strong dose of encouragement for any adult who has thought of learning to play a musical instrument but felt overwhelmed by what seems to be the steep learning curve.
In the name of full disclosure, I should mention that I took years of classical guitar instruction when I was a kid and into my high school years. I thought I had forgotten most of what I knew, but it turns out that a lot of the basics--the names of strings and the notes on the frets, for instance--seem to be getting refreshed rather than entirely relearned. Marcus, for instance, spends a lot of prose describing a concept which he found very confusing, namely, the fact that notes and chords can move around the frets of the guitar, as in moving from the first position to the second position, so being familiar with the piano didn't help him as much as he thought it would. On the other hand, I found that every time he referred to concepts using numbers, such as a perfect fifth, or an iv chord, I immediately began to get lost, because the whole numbers aspect of musical theory puts me in a muddle.
Marcus, however, is not merely an aspiring guitar player, but a university professor and researcher in the area of neuroscience. He is a great explainer, and he keeps his explanations focused on answering the basic questions: how do adults learn differently from children? what sort of learning method is best? does one even need a teacher? how much is mastery a matter of talent versus practice? and how many hours of practice does it take to become a proficient--but not professional level--guitar player?
These last two questions proved to be pretty interesting, as Marcus addressed Gladwell's "10,000 hours" theory, as some people may become adept musicians with only a couple thousand hours of practice, while other players may practice for ten thousand hours and never get much beyond beginner level. And just because some people become great players doesn't mean that they are equally talented at other aspects of musicianship, such as composing original music.
Marcus addresses a number of other subjects throughout the book and provides superb quotes from the many, many professional guitar players he has interviewed over the years, and he also touches upon such topics as what makes a good teacher and what affect is technology--including the popularity of games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band--having upon music. The end matter includes a glossary of terms and a bibliography.
All in all, this is a really enjoyable book. I would even suggest it as a good beach book, as the prose style is casual and conversational, making it easy to put down and pick up. The intermediate and advanced musicians may not find so much that is new and useful, although the notes and bibliography sections provide piles of resources for anyone interested in learning about music and cognition. I would also suggest that if one is thinking of teaching guitar to beginners, this would make a great resource. Note: I scanned the paper version, so if any of my visually impaired friends would like to read it, leave a comment with your e-mail addy.
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Date: 2013-07-07 03:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-07-07 06:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-07-07 08:53 pm (UTC)Some sources say one should clean up before you put your guitar away -- wipe the strings with a silk/chamois rag after playing (remove finger oil? remove moisture?) but I always lost the rag.
There's a nifty gadget called a "string winder." It's a plastic crank which fits over the tuner peg, and dramatically speeds up the time required to go from slack string to boing. Especially helpful if one has creaky wrists or shoulders (as well as stringing in your lap).
That efficient chording position is key! I principally played rhythm guitar, so each new tune I learned was another chance to figure out the straightest path. From E minor to B flat to D seventh ... good times. That was one plus for teaching myself: my chord fingering was not always standard, but definitely comfortable. The major A chord is usually shown with a three-string bar on the index, but that wasn't happening. I used the first three fingers, one to a string, with my index in the middle on the D string. (Sadly, I don't know the note names, as I play by ear.)
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Date: 2013-07-07 09:05 pm (UTC)Oh, and don't I just love Justin for those alternative to barre chord fingerings! Those weren't really happening for me either, but my teachers always said it would if I just practiced more.
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Date: 2013-07-07 09:26 pm (UTC)As I was putting a hold on Marcus' book at the library, I noticed that he published another book on the same topic in the same month _Guitar zero : the science of becoming musical at any age_
You reviewed 594203172; this one is 0143122789.
I don't know how the contents compare, but this guy may have figured out a way to maximize sales.