Zen Guitar

Has anyone ever heard of a book called "Zen Guitar". It is pretty niffty book. Kind of out there, but it makes for some interesting reading. If anyone has or wants to know more about reply to this :-D!

I've never heard of it, but it does sond interesting. Is it kind of like Vai's Alien Love Secrets articles?

yeah, I'm familiar w/it. Unfortunately the guy who wrote it doesn't have much musical talent to back it up with (POV), but it has inspired some people.

Yea I know the guy who wrote it doesn't have too much musical talent, but some guy is coming out with a part two of it, and he knows some stuff. Basicall, the book is about "playing your song." It was all like "when you make a mistake you didn't make one because you accident create magic and don't let anyone know you made a mistake just make it sound like you wanted to play the note" Stuff like that. That wasn't word for word just a summary of a chapter. The book makes for some interesting reading, and if you got few bucks to spare it pretty kool to see a zen view of guitar..find inner peace with music stuff :)

Yeah, It's all about reaching that state of Nirvana where you can just let go of everything you know and let the music just pass through your body without being over conscious or analytical of what your playing. Pretty simuliar to stream of conscious excercises that writers do.

This is all fine for advanced players...but for beginners or middle of the road players this book could offer an excuse for not learning the proper elements that will take them to the next level. All in all, the book is very interpretive, and could proove to be good or bad depending on the player, where they are musically, and their interpretation of the importance of "zen" vrs. their continuing knowledge of technique and theory.

Yeah I Agree with you.

thats how music should be played

I guess I could call myself a zen guitarist then, thats badass

your right...that's how music should be played, but there's is a process you go through to get to that point. It's like being in a race, and that state of nirvana being the finish line. Now if you cheat, and try to take a short cut, it will definitely show up in your playing...which is how I felt about the author of that books playing. If all novice musicians followed the Zen Guitar ritual there would be nothing but EMO bands and free form jazz quartets roaming the earth.

Maybe, but at the same time there wouldn't be much rap-metal, would there :)

We need more free-roaming jazz quartets. And emo chicks. Emo guys tend to be whinny pvssies, but emo chicks are awesome.

i dunno I didn't get the same from the book. He even said don't take short cuts..anyway, it just pretty cool to read.