Guitar Instruction Books

Everyone who has taken formal guitar lessons has probably worked out of an instructional book, these books tend to be boring, but the teachers give them to you for a reason, you learn specific skills and practice the skills you have in them. Even if you're not in lessons they give your playing structure. However, some of these books should never have been published, they're awful. Here's the books I use, note,that I am not earning commission from any of these sales.


Basic Skills:

I love the Zerofret series, they're written locally, and I know the author, the great thing about these books, is not only the complete lack of tab is that you are NOT playing yankee doddle, aura lee, mary had a little lamb, etc. for the duration Almost every tune in the book was written by the author, often specifically for the book, making things far more interesting.

All these books are available in E-book form, quite cheaply.

If you're a beginner obviously start with book one.

If you can't read music but have become a decent player from tabs, skip right on into book two, and deal with second position playing right away.

Book three tends to finish off the basic skills of playing, and book four is focused on getting your chops up there, it's new though, so none of my students have finished zerofret three since book four came out.

Positional Playing:

One of my few disagreements with the zerofret method is that it sticks to second position, so therefore I supplement zerofret three, with Mel Bay's Deluxe Guitar Position Studies book, as soon as they finish the A major exercises, this book moves through all the positions one at a time, (Personally I start in fifth, which is not the beginning).

Past That:

William Leavitt has some great books out, the problem is that they are fast moving, (they were used as testbooks at Berklee.) Traditionally I've started book two after zerofret three is done, I might wait until book four now that it's out, I've taught out of book one before but it moves WAY too fast for any beginner. There is a book three, and if you're past this level you probably have little reason to be reading this blog - although please continue to read, and post opinions if you are.

That being said, anyone who can read music decently can get through these books quickly the trick is playing them fast, about half way through zerofret two, everything is being done with a metronome. The first major exercise in William Leavitt – two pages of straight eight notes in C major all the way up the fretboard my students are doing at 120bpm before they get passed it.