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Mark Dulyanai
May 2, 2008

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"Well, we all just wanna be big rock stars and live in hilltop houses driving 15 cars ... " - Nickelback, "Rockstar"

While it is nice to want, the only real way to achieve a goal is through determination and practice. In a previous life, I played bass and guitar in a rock band and was smacked in the face with the realities of being a musician - long hours of rehearsal time that you have to pay for, the various flavors of ramen noodles and that becoming a rock star is a lot harder than being one.

If you want to become a working musician, the El Dorado County Library has various resources to help you along.

Two recent additions at the South Lake Tahoe Branch Library are "How to Play Blues Guitar" by Richard Johnson and "Guitar Player Repair Guide" by Dan Erlewine.

The Richard Johnson book can teach you everything from the basics of blues guitar to more advanced techniques used by the pros. Examples are in both tablature and musical notation, and include musical instances in the musical vein of legends such as Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Albert Collins, John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker and Mike Bloomfield.

Another excellent resource for both guitar and bass is Erlewine's third edition of the "Guitar Player Repair Guide." This book is a must-have for the working musician or guitar/bass technician and covers everything from the basics (cleaning, restringing) to advanced (repairing a broken neck). Erlewine has seen many technological changes as a luthier/repairman and has sections on innovations like the Buzz Feiten tuning system. The setups of famous players like B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughn also are revealed. A DVD that accompanies the book has lessons on how to evaluate a guitar and how to set your intonation and string installation, as well as printable forms for guitar setup and repair work. If you have a guitar in need of setup or repair, Erlewine's book is a definitive source.

Two books available from the El Dorado Hills Branch of the El Dorado County Library are "Modern Rock Set" published by Mel Bay and "Guitar Secrets" by John Stix.

"Modern Rock Set" is perfect for a band just starting out. It has vocal melodies/ranges, chord symbols for the guitarist, performance tips for the individual songs and instructions for each individual instrument. An audio CD of with full band demonstrations also is included with the book. Songs include "Fly Away" by Lenny Kravitz, "All the Small Things" by Blink-182 and "My Own Worst Enemy" by Lit.

The "Guitar Secrets" book by Stix is a little dated but has enough material to keep both the experienced and novice player busy. A compilation of various "Guitar Secrets" columns from Guitar Magazine, everything from eight-finger technique to modalities are covered by shredders such as Steve Vai, Elliott Randall and Eric Johnson.

There is a wealth of information available to musicians at the El Dorado County Library. To access our online catalog, start at our homepage at www.eldoradolibrary.org/welcome2.htm. There are instructions on how to place a hold on materials at other branches such as El Dorado Hills. If you need assistance, feel free to call us during our operating hours at (530) 573-3185.

- Mark Dulyanai is a Friend of the Library and an assistant at the South Lake Tahoe Branch Library.