The Liberty Guitar Method: An Exciting Breakthrough In Beginning Guitar

Absolutely the way to go if you aren't willing or able to devote long hours of study and practice to becoming a proficient guitar player! I am an advanced intermediate (30+ years) player, and am always willing to explorer new ways to make music. This method is an efficient and achievable way to play many popular and traditional songs using a partial capo. It is like shorthand for the fretboard, and will increase your playing enjoyment exponentially in proportion to the minimal time you devote to it. No additional musical knowledge or training necessary, other than familiarity with a guitar. Clearly explained and illustrated by Harvey Reid, who has been playing and providing guitar insights for over 40 years. Well worth the small cost, it is a self-contained and effective system.

"Liberty tuning" comes about by placing either a three or four string capo (respectively called Version 1 and Version 2) on the inner strings of the guitar. By so doing, you can play certain chords using only two fingers. So, when using Version 2 (four inner string capo) you can play the I chord on strings 3 & 4, the IV chord on strings 2 & 3, and the V chord on strings 4 & 5.While this is pretty cool, it is of no real use in learning to actually play a guitar. I suppose it would be an adequate system for a very young, say 5 year old, learner to learn strumming. However, it is not of much use otherwise.Now, I suspect you are thinking, "what is wrong with another system?" Well, if this book actually presented a system to use the Liberty Tuning, you would have a point. But it doesn't.It has a few songs in which the lyrics are written with the chord use should use over certain words. Usually, the I, IV or V chord. There is no substantial discussion of how to strum these songs - other than being told to try different things until something sounds good. Even at that, the chords are not particularly interesting or pleasing since, for instance, the I chord has the tonic on three strings so it overwhelms the chords. So, you have to try strumming only a few strings to get a decent sound, though monotonous."How about playing melody?", you ask. Well, there is absolutely no instruction in how to do so. This "method" book is basically a list of elementary two-finger chords to strum."How about playing in different keys for variety?" you ask. Well, not obviously possible. When a song is in a different key; you are instructed to place a full capo below the partial capo to change the key. So, if you play through this book short list of songs; you will have to adjust the capos to different strings for each new song.In summary, I think the "Liberty tuning" could be promising; however, there is no real instruction on its capability in this book - other than the "cool" but limited fact that you can use a few two-finger chords for strumming: chords which are not related to the same chords in standard tuning so I was left with the question as to why I should waste time with this effectively "empty" system.My ultimate answer was that I should not and, so, I do not think you should either.

Harvey Reid has long been one of my favorite folk or fingerstyle guitarists and folk singers. He is a true master of all kinds of stringed instruments like the guitar, banjo, 12-string, even the autoharp. I've seen him in concert twice and first bought a CD of his in the mid 80's. Now this Liberty thing is a cool system for quickly altering the guitar with a capo (well a special partial capo on only 3 strings) and teaching someone to be able to play the guitar with only two fretting fingers. I don't know if it's obvious or not but this is just a vastly easier way to play chords then having to use 3 or 4 fingers that most chords require. So you're thinking this could be very limiting, as most other re-tunings turn out to be, but Reid has recorded a few very accomplished albums showing plenty of sophisticated fingerstyle playing in various keys all on the same Liberty tuning. Essentially all the chords you would ever really need to play in most keys can be played with only the two fingers.Obviously, the Liberty chord fingerings are completely different from standard chords and notation, which is what you really need the book for - Reid has worked out all the chords. So if you want to play the guitar in the standard way eventually, you will have to re-learn everything. I don't think that should put anyone off, as that's true of any simpler instrument, like if you start on a ukulele, all the chords are completely different from a guitar. You can play just about anything having chords as long as you have a Liberty chord table. But Mr Reid also as written a number of books with songs and tunes that work well with the system. I would probably say it's well worth it to buy a book or two along with the capo when getting into the system.The other cool thing is that kids don't have to reach as far up the neck of the guitar - all fingering is done after the capo at the 4th fret so its easy to reach. So use a regular old guitar and you don't have to buy a special small kid's guitar that they will never want to play when they outgrow it.If you're curious - here's HOW TO TUNE A GUITAR TO THE LIBERTY TUNING: As stated, you need one of Mr. Reid's partial capos that cleverly barre off 3 and only 3 strings. Starting with the standard tuning EADGBE, first just re-tune the B string up to C. Then put the partial capo on the neck at the 4th fret, across the D, G, B (now C) strings.And no, any regular capo that I've ever seen will not work, as you are barring off strings in the center and leaving the low and high strings alone.Actually I guess there is an alternate Liberty tuning, and other tunings, that barre off 4 strings or something, and these Flip 34 capos can be flipped over to barre off 4 strings. The world of partial capos is deeper than just the Liberty method, but that's a whole other story.