[popdog]

Hey guys,

I got an electric yesterday, and have learned the open chords and attempted a few songs, all of which were a bit challanging. I think I need a book to get started, but went to a shopand they were charging 30$ for a half an inch pretty crappy get started book. Do you guys know of any good books?
Thanks, Nick.

By the way, nice work on the site Kirk.

[kjgam1]

Hi Popdog

I'm afraid that seems to be about the average price of most guitar books, if not considerably more. But I look at it this way, you usually get a CD or DVD with it which I reckon are essential if you are teaching yourself from a book as it adds so much a book can't show you, such as what your learning should really sound like or hand positioning or whatever. I get all my books online just because they have a far greater range than most shops. I think instructional DVD/Videos are good too. I only had a few lessons when I was really young kid and took the guitar up again later and prefer to teach myself from books, just because I can learn exactly what I want and at the pace I want to. I have more time now as I don't work as much as I used to so I can put more time into it. Having said all that, I'll have to assume your just starting out as you said you just got your guitar. I found a good beginners book to be Susan Mazer's: 'Absolute Beginner' on Alfred Publications. A quick search on the net should find it www.alfred.com. It comes with about an hour long DVD. Don't worry I don't work for this crowd or anything I just know how hard it is when you are getting started to find the right stuff. The thing I like about it is that she takes you through the basics that apply to all music styles and then suggests you find some material on the type of music that you want to play, whether it be metal, blues, country or whatever. I'm into Blues so the next book got was a blues one from their series and that was good too. But then I just started getting books from a whole lot of other places online. So, if you aren't taking lessons from a teacher, like I'm not, the $30 is pretty well spent really because the content of the book should last you a fair while and when you think about it one lesson from a guitar teacher will probably cost you $50. I'm not knocking getting lessons. If you can afford it and you can find a good teacher do so by all means. Anyway I hope that ramble was of some use to you.

Good luck with your practice, all the best, Ken.

[Kirk Lorange]

Keep my book PlaneTalk in mind for a bit later on in your progress. Eventually, you will want to know how to access the whole fretboard, whether you're playing chords or lead. There IS an underlying template which you can use to keep track of everything, and it uses something you already know to glue it all together.

http://planetalk.thatllteachyou.com is the site.

Thanks for the thumbs up for this site too!

Kirk

[Ruben]

Hey Popdog,

For a beginner who wants to get right into playing songs and who obviously has access to the internet I recommend

www.guitarnoise.com and
www.wholenote.com

Good lessons and step by step songs to learn and, on wholenote, midi so you can hear what it should sound like.

For technique and physical aspects of playing take a look at
www.guitarprinciples.com

Also, I always say, hit the library and read as many instruction books as they have before you worry about buying anything.

David Mead's book: the 10-minute guitar workout is worth a look from the perspective of technique building exercizes and Planetalk by our friendly administrator here is the most UNDERSTANDABLE book on the very basics of music theory I've ever seen. (and I've read a lot of them w/o making much sense of it.)

so... that's more than enough to get you started
Good luck!

Ruben

[Spyder F16]

I myself use Hal Leonard books that I have gotten down at the local music store for about 5 Dollars (USD).

[hello]

Hey guys & gals. Thought I would turn ya on to a book I discovered the weekend before last in an outlet mall music store. It is called the Guitar Tab White Pages, published by Hal Leonard. I had read a post last week about searching for new tunes to learn & this book carries a lot of bang for the buck. It wasn't the cheapest guitar book I have bought, but it has 150 songs in this bad boy with tab for all songs. It literally probably has something for everybody as the range of artists runs from the Beatles & The Kinks to Limp Bizkit & Silverchair. There are also some James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac, & Jim Croce for the acoustically inclined (such as myself). Complexity seems to run from moderately easy up to the killers like Eric Johnson's Cliff of Dover. Anyway, for a 3-inch thick book of guitar tab, it's pretty hard to beat the list price of $29.95 (20 cents per song). I encourage you to check it out, & there is even a bass edition (different songs, but all the big bass run numbers like Pink Floyd's Money, etc.). I hope some of you pick this up & see if you like it as well.

[allthumbs]

I will add my two cents. I have two book shelves of how to books and tabs It wasn't till i got planetalk that I finely started to know what I was doing.Best book I ever bought. I never even look at the other how to books any more. I rarely play tabs anymore. It is much more fun to jam over backtracks and chord progressions. I learned more in 3 months than in the last 30 years with this book and dvd. Don't mean to preach but, damn, that book saved me.
allthumbs

[superiorninja21]

i wouldnt waste my money on books theres so much free tabs and lessons on so many sites like this one...its not worth paying for when you can get the same thing for free

[6strngs_2hmbkrs]

I've been playing guitar for 7 months... and other than at the very beginning where I used the internet to get me started, and get me clued in to what everything was... I just play around... I play chords, I write my own stuff, I play around with notes in scales, and just practice whatever I want to get better at... if I want to get better at doing hammer-ons, I write songs that use hammer-on's a lot,and if I want to get better at bends, I write songs that use bends a lot, if I want to be faster, I just play really fast a lot. and people keep telling me that I'm really good, so this method must be working... so I'd say, save your money. use the internet until you know what everything is. then just have fun with it without worrying about it and you'll get better without even realizing it.

[6strngs_2hmbkrs]

you know what... I changed my mind.. because I know that I know practically nothing about guitar theory. and you may want that. so you could buy some theory books if you wanted too... but I guess we all just have to find whatever way works for us... and what works for me won't necessarily work for you. sorry!

[bluesguy]

Check out my website for some reviews on books either I personally have or have gotten recommendations on:

http://www.jcdisciples.org/guitar/bookreviews.html

Also check out:

http://www.jcdisciples.org/guitar/beginning.html

Finally, my own progress has improved dramatically by having a twice a month, 1 hour lessons from a guitar teacher for the last year. I also think sites like this one are a big help. But there is nothing that can compare to having a good guitar teacher work with you on a regular basis.

[kjgam1]

while we are on the subject of books/teachers, any opinions on the best or bettter way to advance?

o.k. i realize that a teacher would most likely do you the world of good, however, financially, that is not possilbe for me. i rely on books, soley, for my teaching aids-unfortunately, i'm no ear player, also, my friends who used to play no longer have the time-kids, etc. i also have these commitments but luv playing so much i do what i can to find the time-point being, i have no one to jam with.

so, do any of you think that progress, in general, is way slower via the book route? i've kinda become a tab junkie, and i suppose that's not good either, but it's better than nothing i'd imagine.

i luv to play/learn the guitar and so i'm wondering if you think books are good enough or if you have any other suggestions that are financially viable for a bum (lol) such as myself.

any ideas, opinions appreciated in advance.

hope some of that was coherent. take care all.

[bluesguy]

Originally Posted by kjgam1

while we are on the subject of books/teachers, any opinions on the best or bettter way to advance?

o.k. i realize that a teacher would most likely do you the world of good, however, financially, that is not possilbe for me.

Try to find a wider circle of friends who play I know, easier said than done. But if you can find some who play then get together and play with them. Go to local jam sessions around your area and find players. You might find someone who is willing to help you out on occassion.

[6strngs_2hmbkrs]

Originally Posted by kjgam1

i have no one to jam with.

you could try posting in your local newspaper's classified ads asking for a jam partner.