Philip Toshio Sudo's Zen Guitar: A Journey to Enlightened Playing

Amazon Kunde: Zen Guitar sollte man nicht nur als Gitarrennerd in die Hand nehmen, eigentlich ist es für alle, die das Wesen einer Leidenschaft erkunden wollen. Essentielle Fragen werden gestellt, die das eigene Handeln sowie das Künstler bzw. Musikerdasein reflektieren. Dieses Buch zeigt einem was wirklich wichtig ist wenn man den Weg eines Künstlers geht, vielleicht auch wenn man den Weg eines Menschen geht: Es geht um Authentizität, Disziplin, Rücksichtsnahme, Fokus und viele weitere spannende Themen.
Ich bin dankbar dieses weise Buch gelesen zu haben - auf Empfehlung meines Lieblingsgitarristen Mark Speer :)

Germany on Apr 15, 2023

Daniele: Un approccio singolare , diverso ,ti porta al confine tra anima e tecnica mi è piaciuto molto

Italy on Oct 08, 2022

Amazon Customer: Architectonic - Across its five primary sections Sudo develops variations on multiple themes each possessing its own uniquenesses and orientation while similarly resonating one with another. I never heard Sudo perform, but I imagine him to have improvised wonderfully - pressing themes hard in different directions but never wandering beyond the point of no return.

And of course as with most wonderfully written works there are two subjects - the nominal one (guitar playing) and the more expansive one (the "Zen philosophy of living".) My own work (numerical analysis) is far afield from Sudo's nominal subject but his comment on page 94 - "Ready, fire, aim" - is true in so my many other disparate contexts. We often hardly know even in what direction the solution lies, but we "fire", assess the goodness of our miss and now aim and repeat, understanding at each iteration a bit more as to where the better solutions lie.

In short, lessons for guitar playing and so very much more...

United States on Apr 10, 2022

Tyler fetherston: Philip Toshio Sudo really created something special in this book. As others have mentioned, you will not find any guitar course material whatsoever. There are no scales, lessons on theory, etc. Instead, Philip teaches you "the way" of Zen philosophy through guitar playing and musicianship. The book is sectioned off in different belt colors, like in martial arts, and as you progress from white to black, and then back to white, each chapter is a lesson in life and how you can relate this lesson to guitar playing. I have found this book so enlightening and eloquently worded that I am astounded it hasn't gotten more attention. This is a book I've read three times over the past few years and it is still a joy to read. This isn't a book you'll want to read from cover to cover in one sitting. I find it most helpful to read one chapter per day (the chapters are on average only 2 pages). This allows you to contemplate the information and let it sink in. Philip includes a phrase or word from Zen philosophy to associate with each chapter and lesson, and centers the information around this word and how you can apply it to your own life to become the strongest version of yourself. This is a...

United States on Sep 27, 2018

Dylan35: "Paths cannot be taught, they can only be taken". So it is with Zen guitar.

My first guitar, as for so many, was a 3/4 size classical, nylon strings, cheap laquered plywood and 2-inch wide fretboard - bought by my mother after months of my 13 year old nagging. She didn't know. She wasn't to know that this guitar was fine if I wanted to learn flamenco, or pick out the notes of 'Greensleeves'...but not really effective if I wanted to become the next Springsteen.

"Anything you set out to make - music, love, a bookshelf, a meal - make as well as you can. To do otherwise is spiritless"

Nonetheless, I persevered, got chord books of Dylan, Bowie and Dire Straits songs and by the time I was 14 I had a pretty good rhythm technique going, knew my major from minors and the odd sus 7...and had the beginning of some lead playing. By then I wanted to make some noise. I wanted to go electric, Newport '65 style. I had a Saturday job (remember those?) in Woolworths (remember that?) and would go to this music shop in my lunch break and look at guitars I couldn't afford. But I saved up, and one day went in and proudly chose a black Les Paul copy (origin unknown, but probably...

United Kingdom on Mar 16, 2016

Blew1: I bought this book after having read it whilst it was loaned to me by my guitar tutor. He suggested I give it a go to help me understand and appreciate a more simple and effective approach to lead work. Being a bit of a metal-head and fan of fast and technical guitar riffs, I had hit a bit of a rut as I found I couldn't really keep up with the bands I aspired to imitate for improvising over chord progressions of my own / the teachers'. This book has really helped me learn that one note, used at the correct time, in the right way for the needed amount of time can ring truer and better within a song's structure than a million undecipherable shred sweeps.
I have to say this is probably my go to guitar book, to read, it's basically a philosophy book for playing guitar (as the title suggests), and you learn about Zen on the way. Its as much as confidence booster and a 'feel good' read as it is anything else, and really helps you enjoy plating your instrument no matter your ability level. The chapters are short, sharp, concise and to the point and are very memorable as a result. Hopefully, its message will help you unlock your musical 'voice' its certainly helped me no end.

United Kingdom on May 11, 2015

kggf: To start, although this book comes across as a guitar-only book at first glance, musicians of any instrument can benefit from this title. The book does assume that the reader is a guitar player, but it really does not delve into any guitar-specific content other than "pick up your guitar, tune, and play." Replace any instance of the word "guitar" with your own instrument, and you'll be all set.

Zen Guitar is one of a handful of books regarding the intersection of music and spirituality that have come to my attention in recent years. As a music student who is sometimes in need of a refresher amidst the chaos of my curriculum, books that tackle the "why?" aspect of music-making - books that seek to expose the truth behind why we do what we do as musicians - have been of interest to me. To this end, Zen Guitar does not disappoint. The book contains no technical exercises, chord charts, or arpeggios, simply because it is not that type of book. Rather, this is more of an analysis of the type of mindset one must cultivate to become more in tune with their inner voice. Nearly everything the author says is backed up in supplemental anecdotes/quotes that come from various well-known...

United States on Oct 02, 2013

this little pig: On ordering I was slightly wary of this book being a bit 'new age' but I took the chance and I'm really happy that I have it to dip into when the mood takes. As other reviewers point out it is not a typical music tutoring book and so will not be to every taste. As someone who is quite into music from an improvising perspective I found all the nuggets of advice helpful in providing a less formal approach and mindset. This is the real key (ouch!) to the book in that it offers 'Ways' in how to think about the sound that you produce and the processes that go into music making per se. It borrows ideas from other Zen practices which most of us have come across in some shape or form. Applying these to guitar playing (or any instrument for that matter) is quite a neat idea, especially if you're hacked off with books promoting the Lydian Flat 7 in all 15 keys which is what tends to be out there. A companion book I've come across via Amazon is

Free Play: Power of Improvisation in Life and the Arts by Stephen Nachmanovitch

but only if, like me. you've become allergic to the Lydian Flat 7 in all 15 keys!

United Kingdom on Mar 31, 2010

Dan Amrich: Philip Toshio Sudo is not Mel Bay--if you buy Zen Guitar looking for scales and chord charts, then yes, you will be disappointed. But the book's concept--the "path of Zen Guitar"--is not how to play, but _how_ to play and, depending on your interpretation, _why_. It's about motivation and fulfillment, not technique.
What the book does--or did for me, at any rate--is help you evaluate why you play guitar in the first place and gives you some food for thought as you go about achieving your guitar goals. I am a sloppy, self-taught player, I have no experience with Zen teachings, and I'm not big on books that offer fun new dogma--but I found the book's focus on the spiritual and emotional aspects of creating music on a guitar as well as the musician's unique and personal relationship with the instrument both fascinating and extremely valuable. I feel I'm a better player now, practicing with sharper goals and better intentions; the book's advice has helped both broaden my outlook and focus my efforts. At no time does Zen Guitar neglect the importance of practice; it is, in fact, at the heart of the book (its First Point Of Focus: "Don't ask, practice"). Many of its concepts are...

United States on Dec 11, 1998