Book Review: Total Scales Techniques And Applications by Mark John Sternal

In my review of Guitar DVD: Total Scales Techniques And Applications I made mention that there was a book and a CD that I did not have and so could not review. Well, consider this part two of that review as I now have the Book and the CD.

The Book

The nuts-and-bolts focus of the 166-page, 58 chapter Total Scales Techniques And Applications will be on the first 14 chapters, organized into a systematic approach covering the need-to-know techniques and applications, before the book breaks down into various keys and scales.

What is unique about this series is that you learn one scale that encompasses all of the modes. First you learn the natural scale for each position, then you learn how to make music using the natural scale; next you get an in-depth breakdown of each mode; and finally you get tablature for every scale from every culture that can be played on the guitar.

Indeed, Chapters 15 through 58 mean scales, scales, and more scales. Up till this point, everything has been focused on the natural scale. From here on out you will learn about every kind of scale that you can think of.

The CD

The CD is the audio supplement of the book and is the place that you can hear exactly what you are supposed to practice. In this CD you can hear each lesson and exercise and an explanation of how to correctly perform the exercise.

Okay, in music the fundamental building block of anything is the scale. Total Scales Techniques And Applications is about scales. To learn these things can sometimes be tedious, trying, and frankly downright boring. But, if your goal is to be good, be accomplished, and perhaps be great, you have to learn them. While this set up does not make them any more fun, it does present them clearly and in an easy-to-understand manner.

The first five chapters are really fundamentals that you need to master to move on. Once you get those down, you will learn how to start making music out of your notes. Chapters six and seven teach you how to put heart into your playing. Chapters eight through fourteen give you the tools to give your music soul. The rest of the chapters give you an in-depth understanding that you can take your playing to whole new levels.

The premise of this book and this package as a whole is to weed out what is unnecessary for you to learn how to play the guitar and reinforce what is essential. As described above, you learn in a thought out, organized manner. The lessons are meant to be fun, but they still require work and practice on your part. Each lesson is built on the idea to give you confidence to move on to the next one. This way you can gain the expertise to understand and move toward mastering the guitar.

Total Scales Techniques And Applications, then, is a well thought out and well crafted set of training materials. The instructor is well versed in his knowledge and playing ability. The lessons are targeted and informative. I think that if you want to learn how to play guitar or improve your existing skills, then Total Scales Techniques And Applications may be one of the fastest ways to get there.