Mel Bay Modern Guitar Method, Grade 2

I am teaching myself guitar using the book Mel Bay Modern Guitar Method Complete Edition. The complete edition is 679 pages long and includes the book in electronic format and downloadable music files of all musical pieces and exercises. The complete edition can be purchased in two parts or each grade individually.

The complete method contains seven grades of increasing difficulty. This month I began working on Grade 2. Grade 2 is 88 pages long and is increasingly challenging. Grade 2 begins with a deep review of the scales of C major, A minor, G major, and E minor. Grade 2 continues with the new keys of F major, D minor, D major, and B minor. The book continues its gentle instruction in music theory, and it contains many exercises for building speed and dexterity on the guitar.

I am practicing 30-60 minutes per day, six days per week, on average. I switch back and forth between an acoustic guitar (my Taylor GTe) and an electric guitar (my PRS SE CE 24 Standard Stoptail Satin).

I have downloaded the audio files, and I play along with them in my practice sessions. The C scales and picking studies are played on the audio files at about 160 bpm, a speed I cannot play at. Later scales and picking studies are played at 120 bpm, a speed I can sometimes accomplish with lots of practice.

This is the table of contents for Grade 2.

• Notes on the first string
• Scale of C major (two octaves)
• A rhythm review
• Key of C review (étude and nine picking studies)
• Five C major tunes
• Key of A minor review (twelve picking studies)
• Eight A minor tunes
• Key of G review (eight picking studies)
• Four G major tunes
• Triplets
• Six G major tunes
• Key of E minor review (four picking studies)
• Eight E minor tunes
• The Key of F (scale, daily study, thirteen picking studies, chords)
• Music terms (e.g., sforzando, ad lidibitum, etc.)
• Five F major tunes
• Intervals
• A daily study in F
• Six F major tunes
• The Key of D minor (scales, étude, eleven picking studies, chords)
• Finger gymnastics
• Six D minor tunes
• The notes on the second string
• An exercise in thirds (in C)
• Four D minor tunes
• The major chord
• Thirds in the key of F
• Nine tunes in F or D minor
• The key of D major (second position, scale, exercise, chords, fourteen picking studies)
• Three tunes in D major
• The D scale in two octaves (scale, exercise)
• Nine D major tunes, including playing in the second position
• Thirds in the key of D
• Two D major tunes
• Sixteenth notes
• A speed study in D (second position)
• Five tunes in D major
• The key of B minor (scales, étude, four picking studies, chords)
• Seven tunes in B minor
• The technical names of the chords (tonic, subdominant, dominant seventh)
• Six-eight time
• Eleven 6/8 picking studies in B minor
• Four tunes in B minor
• Minuet (guitar duet in C)
• Three-eight time
• Guitar duet in C
• Plectrum technique (three exercises)
• Two tunes
• Dotted eighth note
• Seven tunes with dotted eighth notes