Published Books
Business Management For the Working Musician A Step-by-Step Guide for Making Money Making Music
This book will teach artists to market their skills as a musician. It will also instruct students on interpersonal skills, preparing a portfolio, booking performances, preparation and analyzing contracts, and negotiating skills to determine a monetary value for a musician’s work. Students will learn how to manage their business while creating a multi-faceted career. Careers include musician, entertainer, engineer, arranger, producer, instructor, publisher, author, manager, and booking agent.
This book will also help you to assess your skills and potential to decide what careers to pursue. This book will explore money making opportunities via multiple occupations in the music industry and prepare you to seek out job opportunities as well as realize the benefits of being an entrepreneur.
Improvising Solos for Guitar
This book presents step-by-step instruction on how to build an improvised guitar solo in four stages: Motive, Development, Climax, and Closing Gesture. The book also includes five types of solos: swing, funk, ballad, blues, and Latin. These last five solos are in the form of songs to give players a more realistic sense of how improvisation works. Written in standard notation and tablature with chords grids.
Walking Bass Solos
This book teaches guitarists how to play chords and bass lines simultaneously while providing insight to bass line construction. Includes exercises to enhance the playing of chord changes and bass lines, plus bass solos that illustrate specific styles including walking blues, jazz swing, and bossa nova. Exercises include: Constructing Walking Bass Solos Root – 5th; Root – 5th – Leading Tone; What Is a ii-V-I Chord Progression?; The Major Walk; Root – 5th and Octave; Slow Blues Line; 12-Bar Blues Progression No. 1; 12-Bar Blues Progression No. 2; 12-Bar Blues Progression No. 3; Putting It All Together; and New Bossa. 40 pages Written in notation and tablature.
Running Bass Solos
This book is intended to take the student that has studied and worked with “Walking Bass Solos” to the next level. It includes exercises that are designed to supply the student with the tools necessary for executing faster, more exciting and challenging bass lines in conjunction with chord progressions that will build chord changing speed. The bass lines are written from a bass player’s perspective which means, that the bass lines are more indicative of what the actual bass guitarist might play in a similar situation, musically speaking. Therefore, they are more challenging in rhythm and technique than the typical walking bass line. Since some of the bass lines in this book will utilize eighth and sixteenth notes, the title of this book was changed from “Walking Bass Solos Volume Two” to “Running Bass Solos.”
Chord Melody Solos
The exercises and tunes in this book involve playing the chords and the melody of a song simultaneously. This book outlines six basic steps for playing guitar effectively in the chord melody style. Chord reference diagrams in major, minor, and dominant categories are provided to expand your harmonic palette. The book’s exercises will acquaint you with this popular style and assist you in developing the requisite techniques. Written in standard notation and tablature.
Chord Melody Solo Compositions
This book is a collection of original compositions by the author. The songs are written by a guitarist for the guitar. Some of the song styles include: The Samba, the Bossa Nova Ballad, Funk and Swing. The songs in this book involve playing the chords and the melody of a song simultaneously. This book outlines six basic steps for playing guitar effectively in the chord melody style. This book is written in standard notation and tablature as well as John’s own “Lawrence Method” which is a unique and innovative way of transcribing music that makes this book even more comprehensible and easy to follow. Song titles include: “Home” “So This Is Paradise”, “Never Go Back”, “The Morning After”, “To Be As One” and more…
Stevie Wonder Chord Melody Solos
This book has captured the genius of Stevie Wonder and put it into collection of some of his most memorable works and transformed them into beautiful and exciting solo guitar arrangements. The songs in this book involve playing the chords and the melody of a song simultaneously. This book outlines six basic steps for playing guitar effectively in the chord melody style. This book is written in standard notation and tablature as well as John’s own “Lawrence Method” which is a unique and innovative way of transcribing music that makes this book even more comprehensible and easy to follow. Some of the songs included in this book are: “Overjoyed”, “I Wish”, “Knocks Me Off My Feet”, Rocket Love”, “Don’t You Worry Bout’ A Thing” and more…
Classic R&B Chord Melody Solos [Volume One]
This book has taken some of the best and most popular R&B songs that have ever been released and transformed them into beautiful and exciting solo guitar arrangements. The songs in this book involve playing the chords and the melody of a song simultaneously. This book outlines six basic steps for playing guitar effectively in the chord melody style. This book is written in standard notation and tablature as well as John’s own “Lawrence Method” which is a unique and innovative way of transcribing music that makes this book even more comprehensible and easy to follow. Some of the songs included in this book are: “After The Love Is Gone”, “Always And Forever”, “If You Don’t Know Me By Now”, “Betcha By Golly Wow” and more…
Classic R&B Chord Melody Solos [Volume Two]
This book continues where Classic R&B Chord Melody Solos Volume One leaves off by taking more of the best and most popular R&B songs that have ever been released and transformed them into beautiful and exciting solo guitar arrangements. The songs in this book involve playing the chords and the melody of a song simultaneously. This book outlines six basic steps for playing guitar effectively in the chord melody style. This book is written in standard notation and tablature as well as John’s own “Lawrence Method” which is a unique and innovative way of transcribing music that makes this book even more comprehensible and easy to follow. Some of the songs included in this book are: “Going Out Of My Head”, “Didn’t I Blow Your Mind”, “Let’s Do It Again”, “Love Won’t Let Me Wait”, “That’s The Way Of The World” and more…
Mel Bay's Master Anthology of Jazz Guitar Solos
Mel Bay’s Master Anthology of Jazz Guitar Solos presents a generous collection of 67 challenging pieces designed to enhance the repertoire of the intermediate to advanced jazz guitarist. Many of the world’s finest jazz guitarists of the latter half of the 20th century are represented, including John E. Lawrence, John Abercrombie, Cal Collins, Mickey Baker, Jim Ferguson, Sal Salvador, Buddy Fite, Jerry Hahn, Rick Haydon, Sid Jacobs, Bucky Pizzarelli, Charles Chapman and many others. The selections include both new pieces and some of the best previously published pieces from the latter half of the 20th century. Standard notation and tablature are offered for most pieces (a few are notation only), along with a biographical sketch of the performer. A set of 3 companion stereo CD’s is included, making this an ideal sourcebook for serious students and professionals alike. Join with Mel Bay Publications, Inc. in celebrating the new millennium with music
Jazz Standards Chord Melody Solos [Volume I]
This book is a collection of timeless Jazz solo guitar arrangements that include musical styles such as Swing, Latin, Ballads and Bebop. The songs in this book involve playing the chords and the melody of a song simultaneously. This book outlines six basic steps for playing guitar effectively in the chord melody style. This book is written in standard notation and tablature as well as John’s own “Lawrence Method” which is a unique and innovative way of transcribing music that makes this book even more comprehensible and easy to follow. Some of the songs included in this book are: “Black Orpheus” “Bluesette” “Cherokee” “Four” and more…
Jazz Standards Chord Melody Solos [Volume II]
This book is a collection of timeless Jazz solo guitar arrangements that include musical styles such as Swing, Latin, Ballads and Bebop. The songs in this book involve playing the chords and the melody of a song simultaneously. This book outlines six basic steps for playing guitar effectively in the chord melody style. This book is written in standard notation and tablature as well as John’s own “Lawrence Method” which is a unique and innovative way of transcribing music that makes this book even more comprehensible and easy to follow. Some of the songs included in this book are: “When Sunny Gets Blue”, “Misty”, Wave”, “There Will Never Be Another You”, Moon River” and more…
Motown Chord Melody Solos [Volume One]
This book has taken some of the best and most popular songs that have ever been released on the Motown record label and transformed them into beautiful and exciting solo guitar arrangements. The songs in this book involve playing the chords and the melody of a song simultaneously. This book outlines six basic steps for playing guitar effectively in the chord melody style. This book is written in standard notation and tablature as well as John’s own “Lawrence Method” which is a unique and innovative way of transcribing music that makes this book even more comprehensible and easy to follow. Some of the songs included in this book are: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, “My Girl”, “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing”, “Ooh Baby Baby”, “Baby I Need Your Loving” and more…
Motown Chord Melody Solos [Volume Two]
This book continues where Motown Chord Melody Solos Volume One leaves off by taking more of the best and most popular songs that have ever been released on the Motown record label and transformed them into beautiful and exciting solo guitar arrangements. The songs in this book involve playing the chords and the melody of a song simultaneously. This book outlines six basic steps for playing guitar effectively in the chord melody style. This book is written in standard notation and tablature as well as John’s own “Lawrence Method” which is a unique and innovative way of transcribing music that makes this book even more comprehensible and easy to follow. Some of the songs included in this book are: “My Cherie Amore”, “My Guy”, “Just My Imagination, Standing In The Shadows Of Love, Isn’t She Lovely and more…
Christmas Chord Melody Solos [Volume One]
This book is a collection of timeless Christmas favorites transformed into Jazz renditions beautiful and exciting solo guitar arrangements. The songs in this book involve playing the chords and the melody of a song simultaneously. This book outlines six basic steps for playing guitar effectively in the chord melody style. This book is written in standard notation and tablature as well as John’s own “Lawrence Method” which is a unique and innovative way of transcribing music that makes this book even more comprehensible and easy to follow. Some of the songs included in this book are: “Jingle Bells”, “What Child Is This”, White Christmas”,” God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and more…
Christmas Chord Melody Solos [Volume Two]
This book is a collection of timeless Christmas favorites transformed into Jazz renditions of beautiful and exciting solo guitar arrangements. The songs in this book involve playing the chords and the melody of a song simultaneously. This book outlines six basic steps for playing guitar effectively in the chord melody style. This book is written in standard notation and tablature as well as John’s own “Lawrence Method” which is a unique and innovative way of transcribing music that makes this book even more comprehensible and easy to follow. Some of the songs included in this book are: “Winter Wonderland”, “The Chipmunk Christmas”, and “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts)”, “Christmas Time Is Here”, Do You Hear What I Hear” and more…