How to Play the Guitar and Y

Words + Music, Vol. 21

De: Elvis Costello

Narrado por: Elvis Costello

“This isn't strictly speaking an instructional manual, but a work of comedic philosophy.”

Elvis Costello - songwriter, singer, author, and Fender Jazzmaster known to his admirers as “The Little Hands of Concrete” - spins his tale with wit, grit, and spit to spare.

How to Play the Guitar and Y, Costello’s new entry into Audible’s Words + Music series, combines recitation, impersonation, and musical illustration to show you how to turn a three-chord trick into a four-chord caper and let your curiosity take you where it will.

Part madcap musical method, part comic chronicle, How to Play the Guitar and Y is accompanied by the author throughout on a number of different instruments with his 10 wandering fingers.

So gather round your favorite listening device to hear a storyteller and musician at his most captivating as he reminds you not to be afraid to fail and to never forget to play.

©2021 Elvis Costello (P)2021 Audible Originals, LLC.

Short, but very enjoyable

I wish this fanciful monologue about music and guitars were longer. I have tickets to see Elvis and The Impostors next month, and the timely appearance of this Audible book was a delight. It did not disappoint at all. The sound quality of the recording and the timbre of Mr. Costello's voice was superb on my car's speakers. I had no idea this jerky young man would turn into such an eloquent writer and speaker.

Now I have to seriously consider a ukulele!

Beautiful

This Audible original will be enjoyed by any music lover, and not just guitar players. However, it will make you want to pick up a guitar right away. Great use of voice, music, and sound fx.

Vocal gets drowned out.

As a guitarist of more than half a century, I found his essays both on the mark and very entertaining.
Unfortunately, there are parts where music cuts in and you completely lose the dialogue.
I would have given a higher mark except for this problem.

Brilliant, soothing and inspiring

Just listen and enjoy… you need this in your life. Supremely entertaining, the mood, the magic —- take a long walk and let this be your soundtrack.

Incredible performance!

Elvis has as wonderful a speaking voice as he does a singing one. Loved it!

Fun!

What a fun performance! I found it whimsical, clever, and so very enjoyable. I want to hear more from Elvis Costello.

I was hoping for a higher ratio of music to words

A departure from the other entries I've listened to in the Words+Music series. Elvis Costello focuses more on humor and wordplay, where others are more autobiographical and include songs recorded for the series. Costello mostly hits his mark with the way he turns a phrase, but there are some clunkers that thud like missed notes on his Fender Jazzmaster.

Still worth a listen, even if I didn't learn as much about the author as I would have liked and didn't get the songs I hoped for. The central conceit of teaching a beginner how to play guitar is not meant to be serious, but the "Y" part does end up being quite an effective message.

Really good didn’t get into it for the first 10 minutes but very worth it

Interesting for musicians of every level, people who like Elvis Costello, beginners, and anyone who enjoys good audio essay he is a great writer deep and funny

Sureal or maybe Postmodern biography?

I enjoyed it, tells his story in-between philosophical explorations of live music and everything.

Great listen

Enjoyed how Elvis wore stories into how to play. Very entertaining even for those with no desire to play the guitar.