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Which guitar books have you found useful?

Nic

By Nic
in Epiphone Electrics

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Nic

Nic

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I think we'd all be interested in knowing which guitar books have helped you become a better guitarist.

Please mention if it's a beginner, intermediate or advanced book and if applicable, what genre, blues, rock, jazz, etc.

 

One book I really like is Mel Bay's Rhythm Guitar Chord System. It leans a little towards Jazz but I've seen great country and blues guitarist using this system. A great way to learn major, minor, dominant, diminished chords and many of the extensions.

 

Another favorite is, Hal Leonard, Music Theory (for guitarists) by Tom Kolb. Basic music theory without having to be a reader.

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Just Strum

Just Strum

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Guitar Fretboard Workbook - Barrtett Tagliarino: Good for learning and understanding chord construction and the ins and outs of the fretboard

 

Funk Guitar - Ross Bolton: Just started dipping into this one. Recommended for learning and understanding rhythm.

 

Texas Blues Guitar - Robert Calva: It's what the title suggests and is an ok book. It was a throw in to get free shipping when I ordered the two above.

 

I just ordered and have not received:

 

Blues You Can Use - John Ganapes: Recommended here and also has positive reviews

 

More Blues You Can Use - John Ganapes: Another throw in to get the free shipping, but also good reviews.

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bluelake07

bluelake07

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Progressive Jazz Guitar (with CD) by Steve Sutton and Gary Turner is a book I've been learning from lately and I would recommend to anyone interested in a beginning jazz book. It is for an intermediate-level player. There is no music-reading and finger placement is shown by photos. Just the thing for classic rock/blues players who want to try a bit of jazz. Downside of the book is a photo on the cover of a sweet tobacco sunburst ES-335 that is giving me a serious case of GAS.

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rafaelh

rafaelh

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Ones I keep handy and still use from time to time are;

 

1- The Encyclopedia of Picture Chords by Leonard Vogler

2- Mel Bay's Encyclopedia of Guitar Chords by William Bay

3- The Jazz Guitar Chord Bible Complete by Warren Nunes

 

I've been teaching myself sight reading so for those I have;

 

1- MI's Music Reading for Guitar/ The Complete Method by David Oakes

2- Sight-Reading for the Contemporary Guitarist by Tom Dempsey

3- The Christopher Parkening Guitar Method, Vol.1 by the same

 

....although the sight reading is going very slow though....LOL...get bored to quickly.

 

Those are pretty much the only ones I get to keep close by. I do have tons of other ones that I have acquired through out the years, but most of those I don't need anymore...LOL...or remember what I got to tell you the truth. So they're either in storage now a days or just gave to my son and/or friends.

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TheX

TheX

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Another is Basix - Scales and Modes for guitar.

 

On an heavier note, the Segovia Method and Christopher Parkenings books for learning classical guitar are AMAZING. Be warned though, you'll learn how to read music... *gasp* and will be a much better player for having learned the basics.

 

Edit: just saw Rafaels reply...we think alike.

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rafaelh

rafaelh

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Another is Basix - Scales and Modes for guitar.

 

On an heavier note' date=' the Segovia Method and Christopher Parkenings books for learning classical guitar are AMAZING. Be warned though, you'll learn how to read music... *gasp* and will be a much better player for having learned the basics.

 

Edit: just saw Rafaels reply...we think alike.[/quote']

 

Great minds think alike :-

 

BTW...that Basix- Scales and Mode IMO is by far the best scale book that I have seen. Everybody I have turned on to loves it and states how much quicker they grasp and see the differences, or similarity's, between modes form this book.

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bluelake07

bluelake07

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Why does there alway have to be a downside?

 

I guess it isn't really a downside. I'm mature enough (just barely) to be able to admire many fine things without thinking I need to own them all. "A man's got to know his limitations" - Det. Harry Callahan, "Magnum Force".

 

"Funk Guitar" recom by Just Strum sounds like fun. There's another one, "Learn Funk Guitar with Tower of Power's Jeff Tamelier" with CD that could be interesting.

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neptune2000

neptune2000

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I've always like The Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyers. It's got music theory, lessons, chord charts, and advice. It has a lot of "how it works" chapters on guitar construction, maintenance/customizing, amplification/effects, recording, etc, with electrical diagrams if you really want to know what's going on in there. What it doesn't have is a graduated lesson system where each lesson builds on the previous one. But it doesn't feel like an incomplete mishmash where they tried to do too much. This makes it, imho, a great single reference book.

 

Caveat: The book was published in '82 and '92, so it's missing some of the newer recording/effects info . Also, when I got it (ca. 1990, my '82 version doesn't even have the finger tapping section!) there was no Web to look up a lot of the stuff in there. Oh, and there's a section on influential guitarists that has bios: no Beatles... Still it's a great one-stop book.

 

No, my name's not Denyers...

 

Also, I went to the Blues You Can Use website. He has some good sample pages from the books; I'm sold. I'll be ordering the first one.

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Whitmore Willy

Whitmore Willy

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AAron Shearer Vol 1 and 2 if you want to learn to fingerpick via classical guitar.

Starts with the basics, goes to advanced, and there are a number of suppliments available by Andre Segovia.

In 40 years I have not found a better set of books for what they are.

 

I also like "Become a rock star in 20 minutes."

Okey Dokey Press...OD.com

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leicester35

leicester35

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I've always like The Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyers. Caveat: The book was published in '82 and '92' date=' so it's missing some of the newer recording/effects info . No, my name's not Denyers...

 

Also, I went to the Blues You Can Use website. He has some good sample pages from the books; I'm sold. I'll be ordering the first one.[/quote']

 

I saw the Denyers book in the music section of my local Borders the other day. It had a splashy "completely revised and updated" label on the cover - so I guess they've finally brought out a new edition.

 

I agree with you re: "Blues you can use" - looks like a great resource. I think I'll be ordering Books 1 & 2 from Amazon quite soon...

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Just Strum

Just Strum

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The "The Blues You Can Use" and "More Blues You Can Use" showed up today.

 

Just dipping into the first and it seems like a very good book. Don't remember who recommended it, but I can second it. Nice to have the CD so you know by ear what you are striving for.

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L1Picker

L1Picker

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If I actually learned what was in all of the books I have, I could make a living at playing music. Unfortunately, I procrastinate and get distracted.

 

With that said, I'm currently working out of Beginning Jazz Guitar by Jody Fisher, published by Alfred. I find it to be quite good.

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BluezOldy

BluezOldy

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I saw the Denyers book in the music section of my local Borders the other day. It had a splashy "completely revised and updated" label on the cover - so I guess they've finally brought out a new edition.

 

My 1992 edition has that on the cover down in the right-hand corner .

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JefferySmith

JefferySmith

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The "The Blues You Can Use" and "More Blues You Can Use" showed up today.

 

Just dipping into the first and it seems like a very good book. Don't remember who recommended it' date=' but I can second it. Nice to have the CD so you know by ear what you are striving for.

 

[/quote']

I seem to do better with DVD instruction rather than CD. I'm awaiting about 5 of them from MF right now.

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Just Strum

Just Strum

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I seem to do better with DVD instruction rather than CD. I'm awaiting about 5 of them from MF right now.

 

Jeffery,

 

I am usually the same way, but these books and CD's work well together.

 

One of the people that pushes me to keep moving forward says guitar is audio, not visual. Develop your ears and touch, not your eyes. He makes a good point and I strive to follow that, but at my level you just have to take a peek.

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JefferySmith

JefferySmith

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Anybody recommend some good DVD's? I bought one lately that had no written sheets with it and the guitarist played a bit too fast and the camera wasn't close enough for me to follow; I didn't get much out of it.

 

I'll be able to give you a quick rundown when the DVDs arrive next week.

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JefferySmith

JefferySmith

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I think there's a heck of a lot of video instruction on the 'Net if you lean to learning that way without buying it.

 

Try these as an example:

 

http://www.justinguitar.com/

 

(and at http://www.youtube.com/user/JustinSandercoe )

 

 

http://www.vanderbilly.com/videoList.aspx

 

 

I've looked at a lot of youtube videos, but mostly just out of curiosity. I need to look at some websites and start bookmarking them.

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Nic

Nic

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One of the people that pushes me to keep moving forward says guitar is audio' date=' not visual. Develop your ears and touch, not your eyes. He makes a good point and I strive to follow that, but at my level you just have to take a peek.[/quote']

 

Does this person read music? I find musicians that can't read music try hard to justify why they don't.

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jcwillow777

jcwillow777

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+1 on Blues You Can Use. I bought it a few years ago and I recommend it. I also bought More Blues You Can Use. It's okay, but the first book was better. It has some great tracks to jam with.

 

Improvising without Scales - Carl Verheyen (Book and CD)

 

Intervallic Rock - Carl Verheyen (Video and book)

 

Rock Lead Techniques - Nick Nolan and Danny Gill (Book and CD)

 

Wild Stringdom - John Petrucci (Book and CD)

 

Chase the Dragon - Mike Coates (Book and CD) I studied guitar from him for a couple of quarters when I was in college in the 80s. This is an excellent college level course. Not for the faint of heart.

 

http://www.barkingdogrecords.com/ml.chase.html

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