This is another killer book by Damon Ferrante. You are getting about 5 years of experience all wrapped into one book. And all for a super affordable price. I’d call that a steal. This book covers all of the basics, music theory, fretboard theory, chord theory and it is in lesson-based format. It is also extremely useful for people playing the piano cause it covers material in a general format and is not only limited to guitars. Every lesson is clear and easy to understand. This book covers a lot of music theory, hand and finger independence. The content is concise and clear, super easy to understand and apply!

Dan Elwine is a super popular, widely respected guitar luthier, repairman, and guitar builder. He is a pioneer and an inspiration to many luthiers all around the world. Ok, a disclaimer first – ‘’How to Play the Guitar’ does not contain a CD or any online material and is very text-heavy, and this might be a little intimidating for some beginner guitarists. However, if you stay with it with a little bit of patience, you will realize that there is a wealth of information and it covers pretty much everything you need to know. Anything you have trouble with as a beginner, you are gonna find your problems answered through this book.

LEARN BASIC GUITAR STRUMMING

Surprised to see a non-guitar book here? Don’t be. Being a musician is not just about playing your instrument, but also about your attitude towards your instrument and your performance. While this book might not contain much technical guitar information, this is equally as important as any guitar book. Purely psychological. Some professional guitar players and teachers argue for this to be one of the most useful guitar books ever. Zen Guitar not only covers crucial concepts but also motivates you by sprinkling inspiring quotes all throughout the book. If you have read it once, I guarantee that you’re going to want to read it again! The more you train your ear to listen to how different a chord sounds when played upwards versus downwards, the easier it will be for you to develop your own internal rhythm and dissect strumming patterns on your own.

While there are dozens of chords, some of the most memorable songs have been written using only a handful of easy-to-play open chords. Another way to read the musical forms is with the tablature, although it will take you a few readings and lessons to get used to its use. It is good that before you focus on learning chords, you play a few notes on the guitar.

LEARN TO PLAY BASIC GUITAR SCALES

As instrumentalists, we go through hours, days, months, and years of practice to get to a point we’ve been dreaming of reaching. And to get there you have to be habituated to the right way of practicing. A lot of times, whether you are a beginner player, or an advanced guy you’re gonna be in phases where you’ve not even realized you’ve been going about your routines the wrong way. Start slow with the exercises: When you first come across guitar exercises, it might be tempting to play them fast. But speed without clarity will not help build your skill. It’s much more important to play slow enough to play each note clearly, rather than speed up and go sloppy. So start slow with each exercise by setting your metronome at a comfortable BPM (beats per minute) and then slowly build up your speed.