William Bay and Mike Christiansen have collaborated to produce an outstanding comprehensive guitar method addressing all styles of both flatpicking and fingerstyle technique. Guitar teachers, take note: Mastering the Guitar series is the ideal method for the beginning student who has yet formed a stylistic preference, or for the intermediate player limited to one particular style who wishes to expand his horizons and improve his technique. An impressive extended length online audio recording with more than 160 tracks is offered with both books 1A and 1B. Each written example in the books is carefully cross-referenced to its corresponding audio sample on the recording by means of an audio track number printed above each piece. The student is encouraged to learn to read standard notation and tablature as both systems are used throughout this 3-volume series. The "Technique Studies" book provides supplementary, more challenging pieces including chord studies in various keys as well as a few pieces in dropped-D tuning. Together, these three books comprise a powerful learning tool for Mastering the Guitar in a contemporary idiom.

 Allegretto       Fernando Sor 
 Andante       Ferdinando Carulli 
 Andante       Ferdinando Carulli 
 Andantino       Dionisio Aguado 
 Andantino       Mauro Giuliani 
 Awakening        
 Benny's Flat        
 Bourree       Robert De Visee 
 Breaking Away        
 Card Tricks        
 El Castillo        
 Emily's Waltz        
 First Snow        
 Gentle Kiss        
 Golden Fields        
 Just In Time        
 Long Time        
 Minuet In D       Robert De Visee 
 Mirage        
 Moderato       Ferdinando Carulli 
 On The Run        
 Oscar's Shuffle        
 Picasso        
 Prelude In B Flat       Francesco Molino 
 Recovery        
 Reflections Of New Hampshire        
 Returning Home        
 Secrets        
 Sneakin' Around        
 Song For Kathy        
 The Mysterious Canyon        
 Walking Guitar        
 Waltz       Ferdinando Carulli