Painless and informative.

A biographical narrative moves this book along as the author relates his expert knowledge of neuroscience to the joy and pain of learning to play the guitar. He comes across as a likeable chap although I found his voice is a bit irritating to listen to at length. Worth the effort if you have a passing interest in music or the science of learning a new skill from scratch in middle age. I have now decided not to attempt guitar. Thanks for that Gary.

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3 people found this helpful

Music and Education Theory - what's not to like?

My interest in this may be a little niche; I'm studying adult learning and I'm an enthusiastic if untalented guitar player. So this book ticks a couple of boxes for me and the fact that the author reads it himself also adds something in terms of conveying a sense of immediacy in how the tale is told. It's possible that for other readers this may be too much of a minority interest but the central messages about how, as adults, we can still master skills that might be considered challenging once we're past childhood are clearly and helpfully spelled out. Marcus also strikes a nice balance between the theory; which he knows well from his day job as an academic; and the practice of sticking his neck out and trying to learn an instrument. The section where he has to audition in front of a bunch of 11 year olds to see if they'll let him into their band at "band camp" is a great example of the latter quality.

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Not sure who this book is pitched at...

What would have made Guitar Zero better?

Having started playing the guitar just before my 40th birthday I thought this might be an interesting and motivational read. However, author started his guitar playing with a 1 year sabbatical so no common ground for somebody like me with a day job and family struggling to fit in 30 minutes of practice a day. Title is misleading, it implies popular content for an aspiring guitarist starting late in life but in reality it's a long scientific ramble. Author's rambling, monotonal style and geeky Bill Gates voice made for a difficult listen. I stuck it out to the end but couldn't recommend this book.

Would you ever listen to anything by Gary Marcus again?

No

What didn’t you like about Gary Marcus’s performance?

Geeky Bill Gates voice and rambling academic style.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Yes, author's application and dedication for learning the guitar was impressive as was his musical and scientific knowledge. Incredibly bright guy.

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So disappointing

As a musician and a student of brain mapping, neuro-plasticity and the like, I thought this book could be very interesting. It turned out to be an almighty effort to get to the end. I stuck at it diligently but can honestly say that my life has not been enriched by listening to it. The book basically alternates between two areas.

One: the author describes his efforts to learn the guitar. I am not sure who would find this interesting. As a musician I can remember those early days. I think one's learning experience is a very personal thing but trying make that into a great read/listen takes a great story and equally great skill. I'm not sure even listening to Keith Richards learn his first G chord would actually be that riveting.

Two: The science behind learning, practicing, listening etc. The author does mention a few other books along the way, e.g. 'the Talent Code' amongst others. Simply I would just say that those other books do the job of explaining the hows and whys of practice superbly. This book just doesn't do it.

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8 people found this helpful