If you are confused by which are the best guitar books, you are not alone. There are about a million and a half (give or take a million or two) different books on guitar. It can be overwhelming trying to wade through them all.
IN THIS REVIEW
The Best Guitar Books
Our Favorite Books
The Top Books For Guitarists
Book Review
Technique
1. Guitar Aerobics by Troy Nelson
2. Rhythm Guitar 365
3. Creative Guitar 1 – Cutting-Edge Techniques Review
4. Creative Guitar 2 – Advanced Techniques Review
Theory/Method
5. Fretboard Logic SE: The Reasoning Behind the Guitar's Unique Tuning + Chords Scales and Arpeggios Complete
6. Hal Leonard Guitar Method
7. Music Theory for Guitarists: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask
Chords
8. Guitar Chord Composer by Ernie Jackson
9. Everything About Guitar Chords by Wilbur M. Savidge
Other
10. Zen Guitar
11. The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook
How To Choose A Guitar Book
What Should A Guitar Book Teach?
How To Use A Guitar Book
FAQ
Our Favorite Gift
Conclusion
What kind of book are you looking for? There's theory books, method books, chord books, technique, exercises, scales, etc, etc, etc. There are so many choices and analysis paralysis can be a real thing.
Fortunately, we did the hard part for you and found our favorite 11 of the best guitar books out today. We reviewed them and split them into easy to navigate categories.
Be aware, that there will be some overlap within the categories and within each book. But we split them into groups of what we felt were their primary focus.
The Best Gifts For Guitarists
If you want to just get to our top pick and skip the rest, here you go.
Our Favorite Books
If you want the book that will absolutely make you a better guitarist, then you want Guitar Aerobics by Troy Nelson. This is our top pick because anyone of any skill level WILL get better if they follow this book.
It doesn't matter how long you've been playing. You can be a theory master or not know the difference between an E chord and a G string. If you commit to this book, you will get better.
Best Fun Guitar Book
The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook will give you age old songs to play that are amazing and just about everyone will know.
Best For Beginners
Hal Leonard Guitar Method, Complete Edition is a complete crash course in playing guitar. You can learn at your own pace with thorough and easy to understand explanations.
The Top Books For Guitarists
Technique
1. Guitar Aerobics by Troy Nelson
2. Rhythm Guitar 365
3. Creative Guitar 1 – Cutting-Edge Techniques Review
4. Creative Guitar 2 – Advanced Techniques Review
Theory/Method
5. Fretboard Logic SE
6. Hal Leonard Guitar Method, Complete Edition
7. Music Theory for Guitarists
Chords
8. Guitar Chord Composer by Ernie Jackson
9. Everything About Guitar Chords by Wilbur M. Savidge
Other
10. Zen Guitar
11. The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook
Best Gifts For Guitarists Review
As you can see, we've split this list into four categories; Technique, Theory/Method, Chords, and Other.
Technique
This first series of books is all about improving your technique and playing ability. If you follow the exercises you WILL improve and get better.
1. Guitar Aerobics by Troy Nelson
Guitar Aerobics is one of those books that is just too good to believe. The exercises are simple and straight forward. The routines are already pre-planned, BY THE DAY. This book takes all of the hard parts of practice for you so you just have to show up and play.
2. Rhythm Guitar 365
Similar to Guitar Aerobics, Rhythm Guitar 365 gives you a year's worth of daily guitar exercises. Each one focuses on a different technique so that by the end of the year you are a much more well rounded player.
If you have the time and resources, stack this shirt Guitar Aerobics and you will see your abilities increase by leaps and bounds.
3. Creative Guitar 1 – Cutting-Edge Techniques Review
We have included both the first and second volumes of the Creative Guitar series. Be ready for some dense reading. This book is heavy on theory and fundamentals. But it breaks it down in ways that are easy to understand.
4. Creative Guitar 2 – Advanced Techniques Review
Creative Guitar 2 takes what you learned from Creative Guitar 1 and turns it up to 10. This volume is chock full of practical exercises and drills to improve your game.
Theory/Method
Pretty much every guitarist out there hates to hear about music theory. We just want to rock. But after a while we also all start to realize we need to know how the tools work to use them to their fullest potential.
5. Fretboard Logic SE: The Reasoning Behind the Guitar's Unique Tuning + Chords Scales and Arpeggios Complete
Description:
This is really like a 2 for 1 deal. You get both volumes of Fretboard Logic combined in one book. Bill Edwards manages to take a subject that most of us dread and turn it into an interesting learning experience. Not only does he make theory approachable but he also shows you how it works specifically for a guitar fretboard.
Book one is all about the different patterns one can use to memorize the fretboard. Book two dives into building chords, scales, and arpeggios within the patterns you now know.
6. Hal Leonard Guitar Method, Complete Edition
Description:
Hal Leonard's Guitar Method, Complete Edition contains all three volumes of this stellar series. Starting with the basic of basics like how to hold your guitar) and landing in volume three with alternate tunings, picking techniques and more, this series will take you from a beginner to a solid hand.
7. Music Theory for Guitarists: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know But Were Afraid to Ask
Description:
One more dive into music theory. Hal Leonard's Music Theory For Guitarists takes some pretty complex concepts and makes them digestible for anyone. This book has plenty of examples, diagrams, and online access to audio files to guide you through the course.
Chords
8. Guitar Chord Composer by Ernie Jackson
For a chord encyclopedia, this book is pretty unique. Each page is split, physically split, into 5 segments; major, minor, dominant, diminished, and suspended chords. This is a great tool to break out of the "cowboy chords" box and play with some more interesting voicings.
9. Everything About Guitar Chords by Wilbur M. Savidge
I'll admit, I'm biased toward this book. This is the first guitar book my father bought for me when I was learning. It teaches you the basics; guitar parts, tuning, strings, chords, strumming. It's a great way to become acquainted with your new instrument. Plus, you can almost always find it dirt cheap.
Other
These next two books don't really fall into any of the other categories, per se. But they are a couple of great guitar-centric books that should be in every musician's collection.
10. Zen Guitar
Description:
This is probably the least guitar like book on the list. But it may also be the most beneficial. Zen Guitar by Philip Toshio Sudo has you set your instrument to the side and truly explore, in your mind, what it means to be a musician.
Through a series of mindfulness lessons, contemplative quotes, and Eastern philosophy, Sudo helps you discover how a musical path can lead to a fulfilling life.
11. The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook
Description:
You can't argue that The Beatles are not one of the most influential group of musicians in history. Their harmonies were pitch perfect, their songwriting is unparalleled, and their mark on rock & roll cannot be replicated.
This book contains chords to every single one of their songs. We play guitar for self expression but we also play for fun. And this book is stuffed full of songs that are fun to play and for others to sing along.
How To Choose A Guitar Book
With so many choices it's hard to figure out what book to choose. Here are a few tips to help you whittle your list down.
Skill level
You will want to consider your own personal skill level. If you are just starting out and have never even picked up a guitar, you may not want to pick up an Eddie Van Halen solo tab book. You probably want to pick up something that will help you establish the fundamentals so you can play those solos someday.
On the flipside, if you have been playing for a while and you already have a solid foundation, you want to make sure whichever book you get is going to teach you something new. Otherwise, you may become discouraged when you are just rehashing what you already know.
Goal
What is the reason that you want a guitar book? Do you just want to learn how to strum a couple campfire songs? Do you dream of blazing fast sweeping guitar solos?
Most books tell you right on the cover what their primary focus is. Figure out what you want out of the book and pick accordingly.
What Should A Guitar Book Teach Me?
It really depends on what you want to learn. The books featured on this list run the range from theory, to physical technique, chord building, and even philosophy. Some other subjects to look into would be fretboard theory and navigation, chords encyclopedias, strumming/rhythm techniques.
How Do I Use A Guitar Book?
To get the most out of your guitar book you will want to make sure you are committed. Teaching yourself is much different than learning from a teach or taking lessons every week.
To get the absolute most out of any one of these books, or any book, for that matter, is to look at it as an important commitment. These are the four sure-fire ways to get the most out of your guitar book.
Commit
You MUST dedicate time to study and practice what you are learning in the book. Knowledge only goes so far. What you learn must be put into practice.
Set aside a time once a week, twice a week, daily, whatever works for you, and schedule an appointment with you and your guitar. Write it on your calendar. Just make sure you keep the appointment and it is non-negotiable.
Pace Yourself
I don't know about you but for me when I'm learning something I tend to dive in headfirst and go all out. Then, I inevitably burn myself out and have to start over or drop it altogether.
The moral of the story is set realistic expectations and set a pace that you can maintain.
Slow And Steady
When learning a song, riff, scale, whatever, we guitarists tend to try to play it full speed immediately. But a little known fact about the human body and guitar playing is a thing called muscle memory.
When playing guitar, our hands almost always go to familiar positions and move in familiar ways. Pay attention next time you pick up your guitar. Where do your hands move to without you thinking?
If you start learning the riffs, exercises, etc at a slow (sometimes painfully slow) pace, you train your hands and muscle memory. If you try too fast too soon, you can train yourself incorrectly which can create poor habits.
Don't Stop
You WILL plateau. It's going to happen. You will hit a point in your playing and practice where you will feel like you aren't getting any better or learning anything new. This is normal. We all have felt that way.
Just because it feels like you have plateaued does not mean that you necessarily have. Every time you play an exercise, or a riff, or a series of chords, you are confirming to your hands and muscles that this is the right thing for them to be doing. You are making yourself improve for the long haul.
So whatever you do, don't stop. Even when you get bored or frustrated. Push through.
Repeat
This last step is maybe the most important. Follow the above steps and then repeat them...over and over and over again. That is how you get the most of any guitar book you buy. That is how you become a guitar master. You can do it!
Common Questions
Here are some pretty common questions we came across while researching for this article.
What Is The Best Way To Learn Guitar?
Get a teacher
Is It Hard To Learn Guitar?
It isn't easy. It takes time and dedication. But once you start it gets easier and is incredibly fulfilling.
Which Book Should I Get First?
That really depends on your current skill level. If you are a total beginner I would recommend finding a guitar instructor. They may have a curriculum they prefer to teach from.
If they don't or you can't find a teacher, it's good to start with the Hal Leonard Guitar Method, Complete Edition. It is a 3 volume set that will take you from the beginning stages to an intermediate and even expert level guitarist.
If you are already an experienced player, We can't recommend highly enough Guitar Aerobics and Rhythm Guitar 365. Both will make you a better guitarist.
Is Guitar For Dummies A Good Book?
Absolutely! The whole "...For Dummies" series is almost always thorough and well researched. It is a pretty comprehensive dive into technique, theory, different styles, and more. If you don't like one of the other books on this list or have already gone through them, by all means, pick up a copy of Guitar For Dummies.
Are Hal Leonard Books Good?
Considering that 4 of the books on this list are put out by Hal Leonard, we would have to say, "yes". There are some that believe they are more geared toward the beginner to intermediate guitarist. That may be true, but that may also be true because more seasoned players already have their chops down and have an established practice routine.
But the bottom line is, if you want a book for technique, theory, a specific style, a specific artist, etc Hal Leonard probably has an excellent book to get you started.
Our Favorite Books
Again, our favorite book from this list is Guitar Aerobics by Troy Nelson. Any guitarist that commits to this book will become a better player. It would be impossible not to.
Best Fun Guitar Book
The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook collects every song of the greatest/most influential band of all time. This book should come with every guitar purchase.
Best For Beginners
Hal Leonard Guitar Method, Complete Edition is a comprehensive course for the beginning to intermediate guitar player. Everything you need to get started and excel is in this collection.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a ton of different guitar books on a number of different subjects. We are sure you will find something on here that will fit your needs. If you know of any other books that didn't make the list and you think should have, let us know in the comments below!
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