[weedar]

I've been looking at Amazon.com and other places, trying to decide
which Grateful Dead book I should get first. The Anthologies (I and II)
look great, but I'm a total newbie so can anyone suggest which book(s)
to get?

[violanojblues]

Save your money. I think this website is more comprehensive than any published book could ever be as far as chords and/or tabs are concerned. This site rocks!

[ebick]

Again, at the risk of alienating another poster........

I appreciate the accolades, but as it says at the bottom of each page, these are my interpretations and not meant to replace any commercially released product.

The folks that have released said products are aware of and are tolerant of this site. They might become less tolerant of it, however, if folks are openly disuading others from their products.

[violanojblues]

Please accept my apology for my last post about purchasing books. It was not my intent to take away from the profit of any commercial publications. I don't want to get anyone in trouble or have this site shut down. That thought hadn't even crossed my mind, I'll be more considerate in the future.

[ebick]

No sweat.

[Deadgrass]

I have purchased the Dead Anthology book (vol 1) prior to ever finding this site. I like it, and it gives you a very basic understanding of dead songs. This also is an awesome site, each is unique in its own way. The book is like a cd you would buy in the store, and this site is like a new bootleg. Sometimes I like to listen to the original, and sometimes I like to listen to the bootleg. They are both great, and I would personally like to thank the people who put in the time for both, together I have learned how to play the guitar.



I just wanna play----jg

[Deadgrass]

oh yay, only you can make that decision

[LazyLightnin]

the deads music is free to trade, but not the guitar tabs? is this true?

Lazy

[Yesterdays gone home]

A great book I'd suggest to anyone would be Shady Grove, Acoustic Guitar Solos By Jerry Garcia. Written by Dix Bruce who has written many a great guitar book.

The Garcia/Grisman Album Shady Grove is an acousitc classic, all old cover songs of folk and shanty classics. But it really shows off Jerry's acoustic chops and his great ability to play simple songs but in a complex way bringing them to life. This book transcribes everything he plays in both tab form and sheet music. With all the lyrics too. There are a couple of songs that he plays Banjo on that album, well those have been transcribed too to play on guitar.

If you have the album Shady Grove then get this book and play along, if you don't then get both, you will need both to play along.

This is a great book and it really shows off just what a complex and advanced acoustic player Jerry was.

http://www.deaddisc.com/books/Shady_Gro ... _Solos.htm

[weedar]

Thanks for the suggestion. I got Easy Guitar Anthology for
Christmas and it has really helped me improve. But I think
your suggestion might be more up my alley, I just have to
get the CD first.

[saint421]

i think the main thing to remember is that with any book you buy or website you visit, take it all with a grain of salt. learn what you can from all types of media and then make it your own/see what works best for you. as i've found out, this website tends to be more on the correct side of things than a few books i've seen, but i agree with ebick, (thanks for the site btw). listen to the song in your head, play along with it on your cd, you'll be able to tell pretty quick if what you're reading is or isn't what the boys are playing in your ears. as far as figuring out the changes if they're wrong, this forum is a great place to start.

[weedar]

My only problem at the time is that I'm a complete beginner
when it comes to guitar-playing, so I need a lot more
experience until I'm able to "fix" errors in books or sites.

And since I'm also using a classical guitar and not an
electrical one it complicates things.

[Dougd]

The Jerry Garcia band anthology gives you alot of jerry stuff that isn't on any sites. I've enjoyed this one. It's not always about fixing stuff that's wrong but about playing it the way it sounds best to you. also, sometimes the publications have things in different keys or whatnot. i/e simple twist of fate on this site is dylan's version, where in the Garcia anthology, it is Jerry's version which he plays in a different key (adding great emotion to the song). I think as long as you are playing music that you love, you are on the right track. also, makes me happy to hear that other beginner players are playing grateful dead. gives me hope for the future of music!