Beginner Guitar Books

Guitar For Dummies
Let’s face it – in the music world, guitars set the standard for cool. Since the 1950s, many of the greatest performers in rock ‘n’ roll, blues, and country have played the guitar. Playing electric guitar can put you out in front of a band, where you’re free to roam, sing, and make eye contact with your adoring fans. Playing acoustic guitar can make you the star of the vacation campfire sing-along or allow you to serenade that special someone. And playing any kind of guitar can bring out the music in your soul and become a valued lifetime hobby.
Guitar For Dummies delivers everything the beginning to intermediate guitarist needs. The information has been carefully crafted so that you can find exactly what you want to know about the guitar. This clearly written guide is for anyone who wants to know how to

• Strum basic chords and simple melodies
• Expand your range with advanced techniques
• Play melodies without reading music
• Choose the right guitar
• Tune, change strings, and make simple repairs

Hal Leonard Guitar Method, - Complete Edition
The Hal Leonard Guitar Method is designed for anyone just learning to play acoustic or electric guitar. It is based on years of teaching guitar students of all ages, and reflects some of the best teaching ideas from around the world. This super-convenient Complete Edition features the new and improved method books 1, 2 and 3 spiral-bound together, available as a book only (00699040) or book with three CDs (00697342)!

The Complete Acoustic Guitar Method (Acoustic Guitar (String Letter)
A complete collection of all three Acoustic Guitar Method books and CDs in one volume! Learn how to play guitar with the only beginning method based on traditional American music that teaches you authentic techniques and songs. Beginning with a few basic chords and strums, you'll start right in learning real music drawn from blues, folk, country and bluegrass traditions. You'll learn how to find notes on the fingerboard, expand your collection of chords by learning songs in various keys, and learn different kinds of picking patterns. When you're done with this method series, you'll know dozens of the tunes that form the backbone of American music, using a variety of flatpicking and fingerpicking techniques.

1st Steps for a Beginning Guitarist Volume One: Chords and Chord Progressions for the Guitar
The author knows from over 20 years of teaching experience that students form most of their good and bad habits in the first six months of practicing. It is therefore extremely important to use a method book that clearly and concisely covers the important subjects of proper playing technique, tuning, picking, strumming, music theory and rhythm. Furthermore, the only way a student can remember the information learned is to apply it.

The Hal Leonard Acoustic Guitar Method
The Hal Leonard Acoustic Guitar Method uses real songs to teach you the basics of acoustic guitar in the styles of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, John Mellencamp, Jim Croce, Indigo Girls, Robert Johnson, and many others. Lessons include: strumming; fingerpicking; using a Capo; open tunings; folk, country and bluegrass styles; acoustic blues; acoustic rock; and much more.

How to Play Guitar : Everything You Need to Know to Play the Guitar (How to Play)
In How to Play Guitar guitar players of all levels will find a wealth of instruction and inspiration. Whether you want to play pop, folk, country, rock, blues, jazz, classical, or any other style of music, you will pick up the basic techniques without tedious drills and exercises. Using real music and a step-by-step approach, How to Play Guitar will teach you about:

• Choosing and buying a guitar
• Tuning your instrument correctly
• Reading sheet music, guitar music, and tablature
• Playing melodies with chords
• Fingerpicking
• Mastering left-hand techniques, including sliding and bending notes
• Transposing melodies from one key to another and much more.
   

Progressive Rhythm Guitar for Beginner to Advanced Students (Progressive Young Beginners)
 

Ultimate Beginner Acoustic Guitar (Ultimate Beginner)
This book/CD package is designed to help aspiring musicians take the first step toward experiencing the fun of playing music, and is packed full of tips, lessons, and practical knowledge. Topics include: guitar basics, chords and strumming techniques, music notation and tablature, the blues progression, fingerpicking, and using the capo.

Acoustic Guitar Primer
Beginning music instruction on the Acoustic Guitar. Designed to take the beginner through the basics of learning the guitar, including rhythm and lead playing. Clearly illustrated with many diagrams, it also contains a complete chord chart and all music is written in both standard music notation and tablature with lyrics and melody lines. The companion audio CD includes Tom Dooley, Worried Man Blues, Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms, Dark Hollow, Amazing Grace, Pallet On Your Floor, Way Downtown, Wabash Cannonball, and others.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Playing Guitar (2nd Edition)
Learn to play the guitar using this quick and easy guide. Whether you dream of playing classical guitar, a B.B. King lick, or just the opening bars to "Stairway to Heaven," this book can get you there. This easy-to-use guide introduces the beginning guitarist to all styles of playing, from classical to jazz and pop. Using basic exercises and a selection of popular tunes, it shows how to do everything from reading tablature and chord diagrams to performing simple accompaniment. This book is designed for the child or adult beginner who wants a "user-friendly" introduction to the most popular musical instrument. It contains numerous sidebars and illustrations, making learning the guitar fun and easy. Z Features exercises in all styles from classical to rock and jazz Z Includes checklists of popular books, videos and instrument dealers, and tips on purchasing and maintaining your instrument. Frederick Noad is an expert guitar teacher and author of dozens of guitar methods, including The Virtual Guitarist, Solo Guitar Playing and Playing the Guitar, all from Schirmer Books. He is the inventor of Speed Score, the computer notation software and is universally known as a master teacher of the instument.

The Complete Guitar Player: Books 1, 2, & 3 (Complete Guitar Player)
All 3 books of The Complete Guitar Player series are published in this single volume at a substantial savings over the price of the individual books.

Mel Bays Modern Guitar Method: Grade 1
 

The First Stage Guitar Book: Learn How To Play Guitar Easily & Quickly!
BOLDY ILLUSTRATED… SEE AND DO APPROACH... ONLY THE GOOD GUITAR STUFF… FREE OF ALL THAT WORDY FLUFF… Learning the contents of this guitar book you will surely be able to choose any of your favorite songs from virtually any song folio and sheet music and be able to approach and play them with more confidence as a result of learning the chord forms presented in this guitar book as well as the other guitar learning information provided.

Guitar Fretboard Workbook
Navigate the guitar neck better than ever before with this easy-to-use book! Designed from Musicians Institute core curriculum programs, it covers essential concepts for players of every level, acoustic or electric. A hands-on guide to theory, it will help you learn to build any scale or chord on your own and unleash creativity. No music reading is required.

Basic Guitar Lessons: Play Guitar With Happy Traum Omnibus Edition (Guitar Books)
Books 1, 2, 3, and 4 all brought together in one complete volume.

Alfred's Basic Guitar Method, Book 1
Alfred's Basic Guitar Method has expanded into a library, including theory, chord study, play-alongs and more. This best-selling method teaches the basics in a logical sequence, with concise and complete information that is easily accessible to students. Numerous chord diagrams and fingering photos help students quickly learn how to read music and play chords. Exciting music arranged in pop, rock, blues, country and folk styles makes learning to play the guitar an enjoyable and life-long reward.

Mastering the Guitar Book 1A: Spiral
Mastering the Guitar is an innovative, exciting way to learn the guitar. Co-authored by William Bay and Mike Christiansen, this extremely comprehensive method applies the array of musical styles and techniques found in today's music. Written in notation and tablature, it covers a vast array of guitar solo and accompaniment styles.

Guitar Method Book 1: Beginners With Cd (Progressive Young Beginners)
 

Acoustic Guitar Styles
This is a basic introduction to traditional American guitar styles for the acoustic guitarist. After an opening chapter on guitar basics, the author takes the beginning player through old-time and bluegrass, country blues, alternating-bass fingerpicking and additional styles. Each chapter includes full musical examples and exercises in tablature and standard notation. Assuming a beginner's knowledge of the instrument, this book will appeal to any guitarist who wants to broaden his or her musical palette. This book comes with a highly useful audio CD.

Teach Yourself Visually Guitar
The guitar is one of the most popular musical instruments played today. Every style of music, from classical and country to rock and blues, can be played on the guitar. Teach Yourself VISUALLY Guitar will be a valuable resource to a wide range of readers-from people want to play a few songs around a campfire to those who aspire to become rock stars. This information-packed guide will cover all the basics of playing the guitar and reading music, but will also include more advanced guitar techniques.

Rhythm: A Step by Step Guide to Understanding Rhythum for Guitar
Most guitarist don't read music. They prefer the easier alternative, tab. But tab does not convey rhythmic information. This book is devised to bridge the gap between tablature and standard notation. Accompanied by a 60-minute CD, it provides a basic understanding of rhythm, both conceptually and from a notational point of view.
 

How To Play Guitar, Phase I
Guitar method for kids and adults, group or self-teaching. Yellow pages cover chord strumming. White pages instruct note sight reading and tablature. All staffs are numbered for group coordination, Speed developers give hand dexterity.

Acoustic Guitar Rhythm Basics (Acoustic Guitar's Private Lessons)
Strong, tight rhythm is essential to your success as a guitarist, animating the songs you play and infusing them with your signature sound. Acoustic Guitar Rhythm Basics teaches you the rhythm styles used in traditional and contemporary acoustic guitar music - strum patterns, bass lines, percussive grooves, drones and more. Whether you're a beginning or an intermediate guitarist, you can use the progressive lessons and accompanying CD to master the fundamentals of rhythm.

21st Century Guitar Method 1
This innovative, best-selling guitar method by Aaron Stang contains all styles of music including rock, pop, folk and classical. Tablature is used as an aid in learning new material, and suggested accompaniment parts enable the teacher and student to play together. The unique Rock Workshop sections teach rock rhythm and lead guitar styles and are correlated to the Guitar Rock Shop books. Available with or without a play-along recording.

Learn to Play Guitar With 8 Chords: Under the Microscope
This book is designed for absolute beginners who want to play real songs on the guitar just moments after opening this book! With Dydo's method, new players can learn over 40 pop, folk, and patriotic songs including: Amazing Grace * America the Beautiful * Annie's Song * Day-O * From a Distance * Leaving on a Jet Plane * Puff, the Magic Dragon * Rocky Mountain High * Scarborough Fair * and many more! Perfect for impatient beginners, especially adults, who want some instant gratification from their new guitar!

Rhythm Guitar: The Complete Guide
A comprehensive source for learning rhythm guitar in a variety of musical styles. It covers: open chords, barre chords, and other movable shapes; strumming, fingerstyle, flatpicking and arpeggiation; common progressions and basic chord theory; triads, sixth, seventh, ninth, and many other chords; and much more.

How to Play Guitar 2 Ed: The Basics and Beyond
Packed with music, charts and photos, this easy-to-use guidebook provides lessons for playing electric and acoustic guitar by some of the guitar worldÕs top teachers - pros like Arlen Roth, Rick Gartner, Happy Traum, and Dan Crary. Topics range from the basics to "getting serious," and include: reading music, fretboard positioning, chords, strumming, bass runs, flatpickerÕs rhythm licks, fingerpicking, playing the blues, barre chords and their variations, techniques for practicing based on listening, and more. The companion CD contains 12 lessons in the book, from stringing and tuning the guitar to playing the blues scale in all positions and keys.
 

The Beginner's Guide to Playing Guitar : A Simple, A-to-Z Guide for First-Time Musicians
The guitar is one of the most versatile of musical instruments, and can be used to play a huge variety of musical styles, such as folk, country, blues, rock, pop, jazz, classical, and even flamenco. Learning to play it can be complicated, but it needn't be, as THE BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO PLAYING GUITAR so expertly shows.

Teach Yourself to Play Guitar (book & enhanced cd)
Everything you need to know to start playing the guitar! With both tablature and standard music notation, photos and diagrams, teach yourself the differences between the various types of guitars and the sounds they create. In addition to learning advanced tablature techniques, such as bending, hammer-ons and pull-offs, you'll teach yourself to vary your style as you learn to play music arranged in rock, heavy metal, blues, country, jazz and folk styles. One of our most popular books!