Guitar Books

Panic Button

I haven't seen a general music thread in which to ask this question, so this seems like the best place.

Does anyone know of a good book I could buy to teach myself the guitar. I've had an acoustic for about a year, and I've been teaching myself a bit. I know some chords and a few simple songs, but I haven't made much time for it. I've found some tips on websites and such, but mostly I just look at tabs of songs I'd like to learn. I want to have a more complete understanding of the instrument. Looking at random pages from different places feels very fragmented to me. Should I just look for Guitar for Dummies and call it a day, or is there a better option?

superhappypanda

I bought a couple books (can't recall the names) and they never really helped me much. I started picking stuff up when I started following the website at http://www.justinguitar.com.

zerzhul

Also not a book, but I've heard very good things about http://www.mahalo.com/guitar/

Khavall

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/books-videos-music/berklee-press-a-modern-method-for-guitar--volumes-1-2-3-complete-book

These books are goddamn amazing. They require you to have a basic grasp of the insturment and what's going on, but if you now the basics of chords and how to read music a little, these books teach you how to read and comp like a motherfucker on the instrument.

The only problem, in addition to the higher entry level of music knowledge, is that they don't teach you the fun stuff like the typical solos that everyone knows, or just songs, they're teaching you general command of the instrument. As you learn all that shit the just playing songs gets way easier, but it's not what the books are about on their own.

wonderpug

superhappypanda wrote: »

I bought a couple books (can't recall the names) and they never really helped me much. I started picking stuff up when I started following the website at http://www.justinguitar.com.

I'll second justinguitar.com , it's a fantastic place to learn.

If you really do want a physical book, your mention of a "more complete understanding of the instrument" makes me want to recommend The Guitar Handbook. It's a great resource.

Dehumanized

I really enjoyed the Creative Guitar books by Guthrie Govan. It's probably less of a beginner's manual and more of an intermediate set of books, more focused on broadening skills and branching out in technique than building basic ones.

supabeast

Buy Rocksmith.

Panic Button

I've been looking at justinguitar.com, and it's helpful so far. Haven't looked at the other websites yet. I'll be sure to check out the other suggestions, especially the book @Khavall suggested, since it seems like what I'm looking for. Thanks for the help, everybody.

Dark Raven X

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/columns/the_guide_to/the_ultimate_guide_to_guitar_chapter_i__1_introduction_-_the_guitar.html

This is a great place to start, brilliant for a freeby guide. Rocksmith is good fun but not great on teaching imo.

LewieP's Mummy

I taught myself from the Beatles songbook - I grew up with my parents playing Beatles music, so I was learning by playing familiar tunes.

Squid56

I used this package - http://www.learnandmaster.com/guitar/ It's a bit pricey, but if you keep an eye on it/sign up for their mailing lists, they generally run 3-4 sales in a year. It's nice because you get instruction books, instructional DVD's and backing track CD's to play along with. It's also pretty comprehensive and has a free extension to the material provided in the package via PDF from the web site.

Natas_Xnoybis

the Guitar Handbook by Ralph Denyer

from the beginner to the pro this will have info for you. I can't recommend this book enough. If you want to get into esoteric jazz theory, you will need something more, but this book just has so much good info, from repairs, to theory, to chords. here is a copy for $3

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/listing/2688256109180?r=1&cm_mmca2=pla&cm_mmc=GooglePLA-_-Book-_-Q000000633-_-2688256109180