Although this book looks very simple, do not ignore it. You will need this information to get the most out of all of the following GB Method Books. It is essential for those who want to learn the basic foundation of harmony. It will help you to improve your “chordal” vocabulary and to organize the way you visualize notes, chords and chord families on the guitar fretboard.
TOOL & MASTERY BOOKS
This book is essential for those who want to learn basic and advanced harmony rules. It will help you to better understand the many possibilities of chord substitutions that can be used for simple cadences such as II V I and turnarounds. Also this book goes deep into the world of quartal harmony, block chord ideas and many open string chord possibilities that will help you create your own arrangements for tunes.
This book is essential to understand the concepts in the following GB Method Books. It is extremely important because it contains the George Benson right hand and left-hand technique in detail, GB Basic Blues Approach with many lines and ideas, how to master the major scale, and the “Secret of the 2 Chords” with many lines and examples.
In this book we will help you to understand how to add many types of chromatics and enclosures to your lines. Also, we give you a different and fresh view of how to incorporate the Dorian mode and harmonic minor mode into your playing. (This one in particular is forgotten by the majority of improvisers)
This book will help you to incorporate and understand, in a very easy way, George Benson’s approach to improvising, using scales, considered for many musicians as the “Holly Grail” to improvisation. We will discuss the Melodic Minor scale, Bebop scales, whole tone scale and also the Dominant Diminished scale, which is a huge source for symmetric pattern knowledge. This book is no doubt a fantastic tool to take your playing to another level.
COMPLEMENTARY BOOKS
One of the biggest problems for musicians has been rhythm. So we have decided to create something to help you master it forever. This book will help you not only to start reading music properly (rhythmically) but will help you to internalize and master many of the rhythmic cells that you often hear in classic recordings. The idea is quite simple: if you do not sing it in tempo you cannot play it in tempo.
In this book we will learn how to master many compound meter rhythmic cells and also how to master the double time feel cells, just like Charlie Parker and many other great musicians. Also we will learn about rhythmic displacements and how we can memorize them and also create them from simple rhythmic cells. Apart from this, we have special exercises to help you with complex bars, so you won’t be afraid every time they appear.
“I am glad that I met Peter Farrell because he has been my very good friend for many years and I trust him. There is no man on earth that knows more about my playing than this man, and also I just want you to know, there’s no place out there you’re going to get this type of information with this kind of depth.” George Benson
What Musicians Say
“I come to you with my observations about this monumental work: the George Benson Method Books. I’ve had an opportunity to look some of them over. I find them to be extremely thorough, concise, well laid out and easy to understand. They would be a tremendous asset to anyone who works with them. That includes students, instructors, amateurs and professionals alike. This Method Books will take it’s place in the jazz and improvisational musical educational field and will be one of the most sought after volumes of any that I’ve seen thus far.``
“First of all Peter Farrel is a great musician! Through his influences and aspirations of Brazilian music to the world of pop rock and jazz, he got a consistent baggage to perform in various styles. The combination between the geniality of Benson and the musicality and born talent, coupled with the musical and organizational sense of Peter Farell, we can say that there is no such rich, detailed and formated publication in the world about the musical work of George Benson.”
“I know Peter for a long time. The first time I listened to his playing I knew already I was listening to a great musician. Peter is without a doubt one of the best guitar players at the moment . His relation with the Master George Benson is very long and solid and so I am sure this GEORGE BENSON METHOD is a book that all guitar players should have. I will get one for sure !!``
“I admire Peter Farrell immensely for his incredible technique, sensibility and knowledge of not only American Jazz but Brazilian music and many other influences that are so much present in our music today. And for his help to a lot of guitar players wanting to grow through his classes. Congrats Peter!”
“For years I have been following with great satisfaction the evolution of this amazing Brazilian musician. A unique guitar player, virtuoso of the instrument, and a generous educator; Peter brings a method, developed with George Benson himself, that is an essential for those who want to go deep into this style. Congratulations Peter! Long life to The George Benson Method.”
``I’ve met Peter when he was very young and since then he already demonstrate his genius. Time has passed and he became one of the best guitar players in the whole world. Congratulations for your dedication perseverance. You deserve to be part of this project with Benson!``
“Peter is a great treasure of Brazil and I think he has a great and amazing future as a musician and guitar player.”
“I am very happy and honored to know that my ex student Peter wrote this musical method together with a heritage guitar legend such George Benson. I met him when he was only 17 years old. He used to come from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro just to have some lessons with me. Since then I could realize his talent, musicality and obstinacy to reach his goals in music.”
“When I first met Farrell he was still a child. I am very happy to witness his accomplishments as a musician and his dedication and commitment in developing this project.”
