Reference guitar book that would cover all about playing guitar

[kherstLPB3]

I'm looking for a book that would be helpful to cover everything from chords, scales, arpeggios, patterns, and all sorts of techniques. Thanks much.

[Ken Ho]

"The Guitar Handbook" by Ralph Denyer, a few years old now, but comprehensive and useful.

[Austinrocks]

123

The Guitar Handbook is a great book with a lot of practical information. it has a chord dictionary in the back, and scales and such in the book, it also has a lot of great information on guitar mainance and adjustment, really a great guitar reference book.

[dverna]

The Guitar Fretboard Workbook by Barrett Tagliarino

[Swain]

PRAXIS: The Guitar Compendium VOLS. 1, 2, and 3 by Howard Roberts. A lifetime of study, in there.

Maybe, or maybe not what you're wanting.

Another book set that looks good, but I haven't had the chance to check it out:

The Guitar Grimoire series.

[Austinrocks]

Guitar Grimore scales and modes by Adam Kadmon, not a name refers to primordial man, Adam and eve if you will, Fischer Series, is excellent, the VHS tape tape I got was stupid, but maybe the DVD is better.

The Guitar Grimore chords and Voicings I got nothing out of however I know how to construct chords for a key or scale, and really find chord books to be useless, 10000000000000000000 chords, the book as has them all all you have to do is to learn the patterns and you will know them as well very stupid approach to music.

The grimore has 1000000 scales and mode patterns. and I did play some of them just to get the sound of the scales and modes, what I find good are the summary pages with the formulas, and I derive the scales and modes, and know the relationships, much better approach, opens up my playing a lot.

[dkaplowitz]

IME the Grimoire books and DVDs are some of the worst in the business. I've posted why in other threads. Suffice it to say they're mostly a big waste of paper. After renting one of his DVDs on Netflix (and hearing how he "played" guitar), I really realized that some books are actually detrimental to making progress as a player. All his books/DVDs fit that category. If you want someone to print the same pattern in every single key over and over again, though, and you're willing to pay for that (rather than learn how to do it in your head), then by all means, make this guy more money by buying his books. Sorry, but just sharing my own opinion of the Grimoire series. Some of the worst books I've ever seen. And the DVD is actually THE worst I've ever seen (the one about progressions & improvising -- he has others, all of them no doubt freakin' awful!).

This would be something I'd recommend (http://homepage.mac.com/josephgoldstein/JGM/jgm.htm) as a ground up method that actually has useful info covering just about every important aspect of playing guitar. I heard about it from Zucker and never regretted buying it for an instant.

[DrSax]

agree about the Grimoire books ^^^^ Spend time learning how to construct chords/scales, and you'll never have to memorize a billion chords from those books again (it'll actually save you time). Teach a man how to fish.....

[Austinrocks]

Dkaplowitz, please read my post I think you will find we agree, I was responding to Swain's mention of the Guitar Grimore series, I don't believe that I recommended them, though I do find the scales and modes book a good reference, just have not found something to replace it.

[dkaplowitz]

I edited my post, Austin, to make it less specific. Sorry about that.

[Austinrocks]

Cool :AOK

[GovernorSilver]

The Guitar Grimore chords and Voicings I got nothing out of however I know how to construct chords for a key or scale, and really find chord books to be useless, 10000000000000000000 chords, the book as has them all all you have to do is to learn the patterns and you will know them as well very stupid approach to music.


I also never got anything out of these "chord encyclopedia" type materials. Nothing as valuable as simply learning to play songs, then tweaking how the chords are played as I get more familiar with the song. A couple of lessons in chord construction with a good teacher is worth more than a million of these books. Once you are given the keys to chord construction, you can get any chord you want by yourself (or publish your own book that some poor ignorant saps will buy from you).


The grimore has 1000000 scales and mode patterns. and I did play some of them just to get the sound of the scales and modes, what I find good are the summary pages with the formulas, and I derive the scales and modes, and know the relationships, much better approach, opens up my playing a lot.

I have almost a similar experience with "encyclopedia of scales" type materials. Again, I got more out of music by simply learning songs. Bach's compositions are awesome as a resource of practicing scalar material, as he utilized such a wide variety of patterns (including arpeggios) in his pieces.

[guitar777]

Guitar cookbook by Jessee Gress is good

[dorfmeister]

How about William Leavitt's "A Modern Method for Guitar" series?

http://www.berkleepress.com/catalog/product?product_id=4850743

[landru64]

what level are you at?

[JonR]

IME the Grimoire books and DVDs are some of the worst in the business. I've posted why in other threads. Suffice it to say they're mostly a big waste of paper. After renting one of his DVDs on Netflix (and hearing how he "played" guitar), I really realized that some books are actually detrimental to making progress as a player. All his books/DVDs fit that category. If you want someone to print the same pattern in every single key over and over again, though, and you're willing to pay for that (rather than learn how to do it in your head), then by all means, make this guy more money by buying his books. Sorry, but just sharing my own opinion of the Grimoire series. Some of the worst books I've ever seen. And the DVD is actually THE worst I've ever seen (the one about progressions & improvising -- he has others, all of them no doubt freakin' awful!).

This would be something I'd recommend (http://homepage.mac.com/josephgoldstein/JGM/jgm.htm) as a ground up method that actually has useful info covering just about every important aspect of playing guitar. I heard about it from Zucker and never regretted buying it for an instant.I'd like to join in the feeding frenzy on the awful Grimoire books - (let's rip em to shreds!) - and agree with the recommendation above. I like Joe's book. Doesn't have everything - can't imagine any book would (although Denyer's comes close) - but nicely written and clearly laid out.

[otherstar]

I've seen, but never owned, the Denyer book, but I like what I've seen. I also really like the Berlkee Method by Leavitt and the New Complete Guitarist by Chapman (it's along the same lines as the Denyer book).