I am most impressed by the ‘Play the Guitar’ books. The clarity of teaching points, the well thought out step-by-step progression, and wonderful variety of teaching material make them ideal for use in the education system
These are superb publications and will receive our full support
The idea of incorporating numerous styles in one tutor book is excellent. Also starting a pupil off with a key note and working logically through the scale is an idea long overdue in a modern tutor book
These books offer inspiration
I am impressed by the great variety of material in these books. My students are stimulated and inspired
Your books fill a need that has existed for a long time, I like the way you have mixed the styles and included ‘popular’ with ‘classical music
The ‘Play the Guitar ’books are an achievement of excellent quality, extremely well thought out and very refreshing indeed
I am really impressed with the concept of exploring a wide range of musical styles that is found in the ‘Play the Guitar’ books. The layout and the way the teaching material is presented are excellent
No longer do I need to supplement the books my pupils use, as the variety of music in these two books fulfils almost every teaching
requirement.
I love your teaching system. I think it is the best one out there for giving a good grounding in lots of different styles as well as theory, and I’m getting all my students on to your books
These books have had an immediate and lasting effect on how my students are learning, and they are truly enjoying the guitar
The standard of the two books is very high and I am particularly impressed by the layout and the breadth of material
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are these books for?
These are great for any student wanting to learn or improve their fingerstyle guitar playing skills (i.e. playing using fingers rather than a guitar pick), gain in musical experience, and have fun doing it!. While written primarily for students in classes and groups (and their teachers!), these books are equally suited for individual students who are learning with a teacher, or those who prefer to teach themselves.
What is the difference between Book One and Book Two?
Play the Guitar Book One is designed for beginning fingerstyle acoustic/classical guitar players of all ages, giving students a solid foundation of playing techniques and music reading skills, and exposure to a wide range of interesting musical styles and sounds.
Play the Guitar Book Two continues this exploration of the world of music for guitar and deepens and builds on the fingerstyle playing techniques and musical knowledge introduced in Book One - but is great for any guitar student who has just passed the beginning stages of learning.
What comes after Book Two?
Two follow-up books in the Play the Guitar series are now available: full of guitar music designed for students who would like to further develop their skills and repertoire.
Pacific Island Suite for Classical Guitar features beautiful melodies from Aotearoa (New Zealand), Samoa, the Cook Islands, Hawaii, and Fiji that are enjoyable to play and effective for performance for trios and solo playing. Well-suited for beginners to intermediate players.
Renaissance & Baroque Music for Guitar Ensemble features music by some of the finest European composers of the 16th to early 18th Centuries, that players at all levels will find enjoyable and inspiring, but is particularly good for students in their second year of study onwards. This music has been arranged especially for quartets and trios, or a guitar orchestra.
And then what?
Further Music for Guitar and Lute - Free!.
Over the course of a long career, Don King has created a considerable number of additional arrangements and original compositions for teaching and performance by students and experienced players of both guitar and lute. These scores, performance notes and occasional illustrations were prepared for specific performance events and teaching programmes with limited distribution and so were (lovingly) hand drafted rather than being typeset for wider publication.
We are progressively scanning and adding these pieces to this website in downloadable form at no extra cost, as a 'thank you' to owners of any of his other four books (paperback or digital editions).