songs books equipment

Jon Dedman Guitar Lessons

Recommended Equipment and Books

This page is still being updated and will be as I find more stuff I like! In terms of buying an acoustic guitar especially - I would always try these out in a shop first before buying. The same goes for electrics and amplifiers really, as there is always an elemt of personal choice. I shall be adding my guide as to what to look for when buying an acoustic guitar soon, with what makes I like.

you can hear a preview or purchase individual mp3s of songs which I have taught in lessons here.

This items are all equipment and books which I personally use and recommend. NB you are not buying from me here but from people on Amazon (except for transcribe which is from the lovely people at Seventh String).

This is the webcam I recommend for online lessons through skype

If you want to get into transcribing (and it is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your playing). then this program is a great help. It is also useful as most of the material i cover in the lesson I can send to you in this format. The great this about this is that you can see how the rhythm looks and also hear how it sounds as Guitar Pro will play it back for you. you can also use it for other guitar tab on the internet!

A good quality budget guitar for beginners

If you want a cheap way to get into recording your own songs then these Boss Micro BRs are great. Not only do they allow you to record multiple tracks, mix them and master them to a CD. But It is also a great practice tool. You can play your guitar through it at the same time as an mp3 and hear the results through headphones. You can also loop portions of the song and slow it down! it aslo has a guitar tuner, rhythm loops and multiple effects!

If you want to gig professionally with an acoustic guitar and/or vocalist. Then this is the ultimate amp. You can plug both guitar and microphone into this amp simultaneously and balance the sound. Get beautiful warm acoustic tomes from this Amp and it will fill a large room with ease!

If you are interested in learning about the inner working of music then this is a great book to use for learning about theory. It takes one element at a time and has good exercises throughout.

Another great theory book, which puts things accross in a fun and simpple to understand way. It takes you all the way from what is a note to full on orchestral arrangement!

This book provides a good introduction to fingerstyle blues. In the style of Robert Johnson etc.

I have personally found this software incredibly helpful in my own playing and practice. I recommend it to all my students. It allows you to slow down any mp3 stored on your computer without changing the pitch. You are also able to select parts of a song for it to play in a continuous loop (no more finger strain on that rewind button). The most simple application of this is in your practice where you can play along with a song at a slower than usual speed, then gradually increase the speed until you can play the whole thing. Beyond this you can use it to figure out the notes and chords for songs yourself. This process, known as transcribing is incredibly useful in developing your abilities on the guitar and is worth starting as soon as you know your basic chords. I will post some more information about using this programme and transcribing soon. Until then, if you want some guidance, then drop me a line or ask me in a lesson. It is available for a months free trial or just £25 to buy it - A Bargain!

If you are just starting out or want a good quality budget electric guitar package
This comes with amp, tuner, picks, DVD, Guitar!

These are excellent professional quality guitar leads, that despite thier small size are extremley reliable and last a long time. I used to buy cheap and ended up with a box of useless cables!

These picks are great for strumming - you will need at least 10 of these!

These Picks are great for lead guitar. The indentation means you hold the pick in exactly the right place, and it also stops it slipping aroung - really good!

This is the budget tuner and metronome that I recommend to all my students as it is fairly strurdy and makes a reassuring "beep" when you are in Tune.

This book is all about learning and ways to achieve your goals. It is an excellent an inspirational book. It is a great confidence builder and also tells you how to achieve a great performance.

This is an excellent and inspiring book +CD about rapid learning of any subject. It is not specifically to do with music or the guitar but Its applications are far reaching. I use lots of ideas from this book in my teaching. If you are interested in the psychology of learning in general and for yourself then this is an excellent publication.

There are two (maybe three actually) elements to learning to sight read - this book teaches you how to read syncopated rhythms. There is no instruction as such in the book; It is just pages and pages of different rhythms. The Idea is that you put a metronome on, tap your foot, and clap the rhythms.