Whether you're just learning guitar or are an experienced player trying to improve, a good guitar book is an excellent way to help yourself. You might choose a book to supplement lessons, or you might just want to teach yourself to play. In this article, we'll take you through our top picks for the best guitar books for players at every level.
Reviews: The Top 10 Best Guitar Books
Which guitar book is best is certainly somewhat subjective. But in this list, we've included books for all levels of guitarists. Let's jump in!
Book Name | Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|
Guitar Fretboard: Memorize The Fretboard In Less Than 24 Hours | ||
Acoustic Guitar Primer Book for Beginners | ||
100 Most Popular Songs for Fingerpicking Guitar | ||
Guitar Chords: With Online Instructional Video | ||
FastTrack Guitar Method - Book 1 | ||
Easy Guitar Songs For Kids | ||
Guitar Fretboard Atlas | ||
Guitar Aerobics | ||
The Guitar Handbook | ||
Guitar All-in-One for Dummies |
Guitar Fretboard: Memorize The Fretboard In Less Than 24 Hours -- Best for Fretboard Memorization
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A book promising to teach you the guitar fretboard in 24 hours might sound too good to be true. But regardless, this book from the Guitar Head series is a quick and easy introduction to the fretboard. The Guitar Head philosophy is based around helping guitarists effectively bond with their instrument, and this book will certainly help you do that. It's packed with memory aids and exercises to help you practice what you learn and commit it to memory.
Our Star Rating
We think this is one of the top guitar books for learning the fretboard. We give it five out of five stars.
Acoustic Guitar Primer Book for Beginners -- Best for New Acoustic Players
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This best-selling guitar book is ideal for those just learning the guitar. And while the book itself also has detailed lessons, you have access to both online audio and online video lessons. All musical exercises are written in both standard notation and guitar tabs. The book follows a logical progression -- you start out with strumming and chords before moving on to more advanced techniques.
Our Star Rating
All in all, we think this is one of the better guitar books for beginners, and it's especially great for new acoustic players. We give it four out of five stars.
100 Most Popular Songs for Fingerpicking Guitar -- Best for Fingerpickers
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This probably isn't one of the most ideal guitar books for beginners. But if you have some experience and an interest in fingerpicking, this is a great collection of fingerpicking arrangements. It contains thoughtful arrangements of 100 songs, and the fingerpicking patterns are shown in tablature and traditional notation, so it's still usable even if you can't read music. It's important to note that this book doesn't contain instructions, so it's good to be familiar with at least a basic fingerpicking technique before starting with it.
Our Star Rating
While it's not an instructional text, we think this is a great guitar book for fingerpickers to build a repertoire. We give it four out of five stars.
Guitar Chords: With Online Instructional Video -- Best for Beginner Rhythm Guitarists
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Unless you have a plan to exclusively focus on lead guitar, you'll probably want to start to learn guitar with a focus on chords and rhythms. This guitar book comes from Mel Bay, one of the classic music book authors who are still well-respected today. And while you might not want to make this the only guitar book you use, it's a good way to make sure you have a solid understanding of chords. Each chord is shown in a photo, a chord diagram, and with finger numbers. The book also features a section on Mel Bay's method for playing rhythm chords efficiently.
Our Star Rating
While you'll probably want something else for learning music theory, we think this is a great resource if you're starting out on rhythm guitar. We give it four out of five stars.
FastTrack Guitar Method - Book 1 -- Best for Fast Learners
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This guitar book comes from famous publisher Hal Leonard. It's part of their FastTrack Series, which is designed to help those motivated to learn guitar progress quickly (It's a little like the better-known Hal Leonard Guitar Method). It's paced very well -- the book will help the new guitar player learn about each string to start. You'll also learn chords and a few licks and riffs. The book includes 73 songs and audio examples, all of which you can hear online.
Our Star Rating
We think this is a great choice for the beginner who wants to learn guitar fast. We give it five out of five stars.
Easy Guitar Songs For Kids -- Best for Kids
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Most guitar books on our list are aimed at adults, though some are good for teenagers. But if your child has just started to play guitar, even guitar books for beginners can be overwhelming. This book is a great gift for a child just learning -- you get 40 easy songs notated in chords and tablature. The book even has chord diagrams for kids, and it's full of fun illustrations, too.
Our Star Rating
We think this is a great resource for kids learning music, but it could be a bit more thorough. Still, we give it 3.5 out of five stars.
Guitar Fretboard Atlas -- Best for Experienced Lead Guitarists
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A lot of the best guitar resources we've focused on are aimed at the beginning or intermediate players. But for those especially interested in music theory for guitarists, this book is an outstanding choice. It can be a little overwhelming at first -- it takes you through different scales in different keys, and there's also a section on chords and triads. However, the scale diagrams are easy to follow and show you where notes overlap. If you're looking for a way to learn complex scales, this is an excellent book to have.
Our Star Rating
Despite the fact that it's not really an instruction book, this is a beautifully put-together book that contains everything you ever wanted to know about the fretboard. We give it four out of five stars.
Guitar Aerobics -- Best Technique Guide
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Do you have some experience playing guitar but want to learn new techniques like string skipping and alternate picking? Then Guitar Aerobics by Troy Nelson might be for you. This book is structured as a 52-week program, and it introduces one thing every day. And since learning topics like the ones in Guitar Aerobics can be tough, the online audio contains demonstrations of each exercise. You also have access to fun play-along tracks that add some interest.
Our Star Rating
If you're ready to try out techniques you want to know but were afraid to try, this is a great book to start with. We give it four out of five stars.
The Guitar Handbook -- Best Comprehensive Book
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This book is somewhat unusual in that it can help you learn music theory, introduce scales and chords, and even teach you about recording and amplification techniques. Lots of players consider it to be one of the best guitar resources out there, and it's developed with virtually every musical style in mind. It's also illustrated with a lot of full-color guitar pictures -- they may not help your learning, but they're fun to look at.
Our Star Rating
If you're looking for thorough books on how to play the guitar, this is a solid option. We give it 3.5 out of five stars.
Guitar All-in-One for Dummies -- Best Complete Learning System
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Some guitar books for beginners are great for teaching yourself to play, and this is one of them. This book covers basic music theory, and it also gives you some practice in rock, blues, and classical styles. Best of all, it comes with online video and audio instruction, too. The book has seven books in one, so it can take you pretty far in your guitar journey.
Our Star Rating
We think this is one of the best guitar books for beginners out there. We give it five out of five stars.
How Do You Choose The Best Guitar Book?
If you're a guitarist who has run a quick search for "guitar books," chances are that the results were overwhelming. And while it's a good thing that there are so many book choices out there, it does make it hard to pick out one. Whether you just want a quick and easy introduction for beginners, there's a book for every level of player.
What Type Of Book Do You Need?
If you want a complete handbook on playing guitar, a thorough book like the Hal Leonard Guitar Method Complete Edition is a great choice. Many of these books do a good job of offering a well-rounded set of lessons and exercises, and many also integrate music theory as you learn. For beginners, the in-depth theory isn't necessary while you're learning guitar, but there are some essential things you need to know.
There are also guitar books dedicated to teaching you specific skills, or those that focus on a particular genre. If you're looking to get more familiar with your guitar and want to improve soloing, a book focusing on scales and fretboard memorization is a good choice. Books like Guitar Aerobics focus on developing speed, dexterity, and accuracy.
Do You Want Supplemental Materials?
If you're planning to teach yourself to play guitar, you might be perfectly fine with just a book. However, some guitarists prefer some extra resources. Many books, especially those focusing on playing lead guitar, come with backing tracks you can play along with. This is a nice feature because it gives you the experience of jamming and playing along with others -- a useful skill if you want to play with a band or even do the multi-track recording yourself.
Some guitar all-in-one books even come with supplemental instructional material. For example, Guitar All-in-One for Dummies includes a guitar book, but it also comes with video and audio lessons. Especially when you're a beginner guitar player, it can be very helpful to have someone demonstrating the correct guitar technique.
How Advanced Are You?
This may sound obvious, but before selecting a guitar book, be sure to take your own experience level into account. If you're a beginner, you might become overwhelmed by a book focusing on scales or advanced techniques. Some books, like the Hal Leonard Guitar Method, come in a series, so it's easy to tell what you should learn next.
In Conclusion
So what's the best guitar book out there? Our top choice, especially among guitar books for beginners, is Guitar All-in-One for Dummies. This is a great book that will give you a solid foundation as a guitarist, and video and audio lessons let you check your playing and see demonstrations.
We think that Guitar Fretboard: Memorize The Fretboard In Less Than 24 Hours is a great runner-up choice -- it will help intermediate to advanced players improve their knowledge of the guitar and their ability to improvise. Whichever book you choose, be sure to consider both your experience level and your goals as a player. Happy playing!
