I was looking for a place to find some of the melodies of Mozart arranged for guitar. I found just what I was looking for. Here are arrangements of some of my favorite Mozart that are accessible to the intermediate guitarist, namely me. The arrangements are presented in both musical notation and in tab form and there is an included CD containing performances of most of the arrangements. The arrangements are challenging but then that is what I was looking for, too. I might have picked a few different pieces for inclusion but overall I am quite satisfied with my purchase.

The Title should be 27 progressive solos for Classical Guitar, May 7, 2007
by Michael Goh "MGS" (Malaysia) - See all my reviews

I enjoyed this book and the CD. It's good. However I feel short-changed because it's only 27 progressive solos and not 39. You have to get the remaining 12 solos in Book II.

Dear Mr. Ben Bolt, it would be great if your publisher did not misguide buyers with such a title.

I still give it a 5 star rating regardless....

Beautiful Selections, August 1, 2006
by Stuart D. Cooper (Lawrence, Kansas) - See all my reviews

The selections are great. I absolutely enjoy this book, but I wish that I had never purchased it. Tablature makes this accessible to the most novice player, but establishes bad practices that are extremely difficult to break. Even though it is harder and slower, I recommend a good note speller and a series which does not use tab.

Great teaching, April 22, 2005
By L. Azpurua (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review relates to the Book 2 of the same author. Its amazing that Ben Bolt is the only classical guitarist who offers this kind of product meaning classic themes on a progressive order with tablature to the public and not only that, the book is masterly ordered to improve with every lesson or piece your technical expertise step by step magically. It seems that the author knows exactly what are the techniques in each lesson that help you reach a level that the next one is a little more challenging with the consequence that when you finish the book you have a very profound technical knowledge of playing guitar. Great Book recommended for the intermediate guitar player that want to master at record speed the classical guitar. Probably after finishing, the book 2 I recommend to perfect your guitar playing knowledge is just to get a great teacher and give public concerts. Thanks Bolt and I am waiting book 3...

Thirty-Nine Progressive Solos for Classical Guitar , February 10, 2005
by Felix Marin (Germany) - See all my reviews

I bought this book and have learned almost all the songs in it. The recordings on the CD sound very nice. The song selections are excellent. They are a little more up beat and lively then many other solo classical guitar I have bought. Classical guitarist sometimes play the most boring songs but Ben Bolt's selection is superb.

Great! June 15, 2003
By krexel (California) - See all my reviews

This book is full of great songs, and they are simple to play in terms of basic fingering. The hard part is the mastering of the speed of many of these songs, which takes several years of serious practice and study. This is why the book is great because these songs sound good at slower speeds and so you can enjoy them at a novice level. At the same time, you can use them to develop skills in speed and grace by repeated practice.
I strongly suggest getting the issue of this book that has the CD of the songs, played by Ben Bolt, included. It will help you realize how you should sound playing them after several years of practice. All the while, as I said, they sound nice at the novice level too.

Beginners review on this book - EXCELLENT!, November 9, 2002
by Jennie H Westenhaver (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

I had learned about 4 or 5 chords for the guitar but wanted to learn to play real classical guitar. I bought this book and a guitar without any knowledge of reading music or playing. Moreover, about half an hour after starting with this book I could pick out the first song. Within weeks, I had learned 6 fantastic classical guitar songs!
The book progresses perfectly for a beginner and each song brings a new challenge that is easy to master. The music is SO EASY to read using the tablature notation. It is a must have if you are learning on your own.
I recommend this book to anyone who has wanted to learn to play the classical guitar but has been frustrated by hard lessons or overly advanced teachers. Or just scared of the daunting challenge of learning what seems to be a difficult instrument.

Great Entry Level Book, June 7, 2002
Reviewer: A reader
This is the first book I used, a few years ago, when I switched from rock to classical guitar. The pieces are nicely arranged, and fun to play. Whether your a guitarist interested in playing classical or an absolute beginner, this is a good book to start with.

Useful, 'user friendly', and important., March 6, 2007
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Ben Bolt's GETTING INTO CLASSIC GUITAR pairs and book and cd combo to provide an overview of the fundamentals for those who have some basic guitar experience but want to get their feet wet in classic guitar styles. The black and white photos help illustrate technique and options in playing. Personal, professional, and academic music libraries strong in how-to references and home guitar players seeking an easy manual on classic guitar will find GETTING INTO CLASSIC GUITAR both useful, 'user friendly', and important.