( 5 reviews )
-
Posted: Dec 6 2008
I just want to contradict the negative review that says the solos are missing. I think the reviewer only listened to part of the CD. Tracks 1-8 are backing tracks with lead guitar and vocals cut out so you can 'jam with', as the title suggests. So, of course the solo is missing. I previewed Black Magic Woman, and the entire song is tabbed out, except that all three verses share the same tab. (No big deal) If you don't have a CD of the song you are working on, tracks 9-16 have a version with lead guitar included.(Solo and all!) It is decent, but it isn't Carlos. Also, you don't have to be able to read rhythms as another reviewer suggests. You don't have to know the difference between a quarter note and an eigth note. Put a sound card in your computer that allows you to record smaller chunks of the song with a time scaling feature. Time scaling lets me slow down a difficult section without altering the pitch. Now you just listen, play along, and speed it up a little at a time as you work it up to speed. You don't have to read the rhythm because you will hear it and feel it. Hope this helps. I'd say this is a great value and a fun way to practice.
-
( 4 of 4 found this review helpful ) Posted: May 12 2007
The CD & book are very good to play along with, also the chords & notes are right in the book, only one thing they dont tell you, they are not the entire songs. Europa, Black Magic Woman, etc are all cut short & dont play through the guitar solos, so there are several minutes cut out of each song, so its not the entire song. If you dont care about the solos its fine, but this says its a jam, to me soloing is the best part of the jam & they are all cut out
-
( 4 of 4 found this review helpful ) Posted: Mar 26 2004
If you like Santana music and have decent guitar skills, you will appreciate this book. First of all, a recommendation that applies to all the books with sheet music and tablature: the reader/player should be able to read AT LEAST the rhythmic info on the paper in order to take more advantage of the product. That is, one should understand when it is a quarter or eighth or sixteenth note, if it is on the down or up beat, when it is staccato or not. You can use the tablature for getting the "note", but try to be disciplined on the rhythmic front. And play slowly,with a metronome, before jumping to the performance tempo of the jam tracks. Believe me, it adds so much to your rhythmic performance. At least for me, certain passages are rhythmically challenging so for the time being I am inserting licks that I control while trying to keep the "key notes" of the solo there. Hey, that is a good exercise in improvisation!I have not "jammed" with the CD yet but I've been playing the licks with special concern to timing. My opinion is that almost anyone will benefit from this book at multiple levels: the book might serve as a beautiful introduction to the syncopated cha cha rhythm by playing "Oye como va". It also offers busy rhythm comping with "Evil Ways" and "Persuasion". And for the soloists, of course a guitar student will be able to appreciate the soulful, bluesy phrasing of Santana ("BlackMagic Woman", "Europa")and hopefully become able to add some of Santana's magic to his or her own style. Finally, kudos for the authors for having included "The Healer", an overlooked gem of Santana (the intro is as good an exercise in playing both with a pick and the fingers as any other).There is one thing that I miss: I think the author could have included an intro on the book highlghying a few of the "trademark" Santana licks and techniques so you can practive in a more structured way instead of jumping directly into the tracks. Also, more rhythmic information for comping (e.g. the author mensions the "bossa nova feel" of BlackMagic Woman but does not show it on paper) would be welcome. But hey, I am very pleased with the purchase and I intend to buy more books of the "jam with" series.
