It is ironic that the creator of this uncompromising book for Guitarists was himself almost entirely self-taught. Duarte originally earned a degree in chemistry and worked as an industrial chemist for year before abandoning that life to devote himself to music. His life as a Guitarist, composer, teacher and writer was long and fulfilling. He composed 150 works, mainly for Guitar, ranging widely over many styles, including various national styles. Duarte had high standards for Guitarists. ‘The object of this primer is simple. It is to help Guitar players to become musicians from the outset and, through this, to serve Music.’ The book begins at the beginning: ‘Music consists of both sounds and silences.’ From there the text covers every aspect of time, pitch, notation, accents, abbreviations, ornamentation, scales, harmony and more. There are several useful glossaries as well.
| Arrangement | Guitar |
| Genres | Post-1900 |
| Format | Instrumental Tutor |
| Level | 3 |
| NumberOfPages | 56 |
| Media | Book(softcover, stapled), Sheet Music |
| Publisher | Novello, Novello & Co Ltd. |
| Contributors | Duarte, John (Artist) |
| Language | English |
| ISBN | 9780853604532 |