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Simon & Schuster

Zen Guitar

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Format: Paperback, Illustrated


Description

Unleash the song of your soul with Zen Guitar, a contemplative handbook that draws on ancient Eastern wisdom and applies it to music and performance. Each of us carries a song inside us, the song that makes us human. Zen Guitar provides the key to unlocking this song—a series of life lessons presented through the metaphor of music. Philip Sudo offers his own experiences with music to enable us to rediscover the harmony in each of our lives and open ourselves to Zen awareness uniquely suited to the Western Mind. Through fifty- eight lessons that provide focus and a guide, the reader is led through to Zen awareness. This harmony is further illuminated through quotes from sources ranging from Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix to Miles Davis. From those who have never strummed a guitar to the more experienced, Zen Guitar shows how the path of music offers fulfillment in all aspects of life—a winning idea and an instant classic. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster; Revised ed. edition (March 24, 1998)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 208 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 068483877X


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 79


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.3 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.52 x 7.5 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #92,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #17 in Music Appreciation (Books) #80 in Zen Spirituality #150 in Guitars (Books)


#17 in Music Appreciation (Books):


#80 in Zen Spirituality:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Solid Text on Music and Spirituality
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 musicians of all instruments and idioms, including such contrasting musical acts as George Harrison and Miles Davis. It is, by all counts, a good starter text for books of its kind. I gave it only four stars because I thought it could offer some more specific examples on how to cultivate the type of mindset that the book speaks of; anyone who has experience practicing meditation or mindfulness exercises will see exactly what the author is trying to go for here, as what he is promoting is essentially a meditative, focused & full state when you make music - he leaves us on our own when it comes to finding this state. Some of us may already naturally embody some of the traits Sudo describes in the book, but to abide by all of them without much direct guidance is a quest indeed. A really great book in a similar vein to this one is Victor Wooten's The Music Lesson, which also deals with philosophical concepts relating to the connection between ourselves and Music - in his instance, through an extended allegory. Because I read Wooten's book first and practiced meditation for a number of months prior to reading this title, I didn't feel like I read anything particularly groundbreaking; but, I will definitely keep it around as a handy reference. I think some of the connections between the author's native Japanese culture and our own are valuable, and there's a nifty glossary of specifically Zen-Guitar terms in the back. So in closing, a great book to devour if this is the first of its kind you've encountered; if not, a good book to have in your collection for reference as needed. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2013 by kggf
    • Architectonic
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... ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2022 by Amazon Customer
    • This book changed my life
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 book you'll keep around for a very long time, I promise. My favorite book. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2018 by Tyler fetherston
    • If you're open, you'll learn how--and why--to play guitar.
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 direct from Zen teachings and beliefs, but the book neither preaches nor drags. Zen Guitar is a difficult book to describe, but I didn't find it difficult to comprehend--and I was able to apply its wisdoms to my playing immediately. As long as you *want* to explore the spiritual aspect of playing guitar, the book can be an invaluable tool. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 1998 by Dan Amrich

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