Book Review: Zen Guitar by Philip Toshio Sudo

You should know from the beginning that Zen Guitar is not a conventional how-to program of instruction. It is alternative, meaning it requires a do-it-yourself spirit. There are no chords or tuning or music theory in this dojo; you won’t find lessons on how to read music, play the blues, fingerpick, or copy “Stairway to Heaven.” All of that is information. Information is something you can get from a gamut of sources—magazines, books, classes, friends, videos, computer networks. The world is swimming in information. Any student with enough dedication knows how to acquire information.

But information alone cannot teach you what you need to know to play your song.

-Philip Toshio Sudo

I first discovered this beautiful little book almost ten years ago, when I was an even smaller puppy than I am now. I count myself fortunate to have discovered it when I was young and new to the guitar.

Somehow this book and I parted ways for years—maybe I loaned it out and never saw it returned? I don’t remember. But by the time I saw its familiar spine on a bookstore shelf this summer, I only vaguely remembered what was inside. I took the slim volume home for the second time.

Reading the introduction for the first time (again) was like reconnecting with a former teacher over tea. While I have no way of measuring the impact this book had on my thinking back when I was plugging in my first electric guitar, I suspect that several chapters of Sudo’s “Guitar Dojo” planted seeds that helped lead me to where I am now: exploring the mysteries of songwriting, training hard on guitar, studying technical aspects of music theory, puzzling over lyrics, and belting songs in the shower with great abandon.

Beyond Information

As the quote introducing this article reveals, Zen Guitar is not a course in what to do, but instead how to approach it. Here you will find articles on motivation, balance, training, passion, and spirit. You’ll also find an extended “white belt” metaphor. The most valuable bits of wisdom found in this book are those that emphasize lifelong habits of learning and discovery.

Here are some topics pulled from the Table of Contents:

• Stages and Plateaus
• Discipline
• Following Through
• Self-Doubt
• Mishandled Criticism
• Loss of Focus
• Overthinking

Outer Space

Later on, the chapters become somewhat more abstract and focused on Zen principles. These are not so much religious as spiritual, and Sudo does a decent job of crystallizing them into practical advice.

This little book can help you process the enormous amount of information out there, decide what you need, and use technique as a means to create great art. For best results, revisit the chapters again and again when they’re needed. Singers, songwriters, and pianists will find this book helpful, too.

Zen Guitar earns my recommendation by focusing exclusively on concepts of life experience, responsibility and artistry—after all, the guitar is a device for enhancing our days and our nights.

Don’t let your kids read ad-infested guitar magazines. Instead, hand out copies of Zen Guitar.

Where to Next?

• Zen Guitar on Amazon’>Zen Guitar on Amazon
• The Zen Guitar Dojo
• More Songwriting Book Reviews