Want to learn guitar on your own without ease? Then check out this modern list of best guitar books for self teaching!
These are method books meant to help guitar players interested in learning guitar on their own.
Some of the books are newer, such as:
- The Complete Guitar Manual
- Complete Technique for Modern Guitar
- The Definitive Guitar Handbook
And some of the books are timeless classics, such as:
- Hal Leonard Guitar Method
- Guitar Aerobics
- Music Theory for Guitarists
Let’s take a look at these awesome guitar method books.
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Table of Contents
The Complete Guitar Manual, by DK
I want to highlight this book and put it in the first place because it’s an exceptionally well-written and well-crafted guitar method book.
The book is small and compact, and it has 352 pages!
The visual elements are absolutely incredible, and it’s a fantastic resource for every guitar player’s book collection.
Seriously, this is one of the most in-depth guitar books I’ve ever found.
Check it out!
Hal Leonard Guitar Method, by Greg Koch and Will Schmid
The Hal Leonard Guitar Method book is a staple when it comes to best guitar books for self teaching. Darn near any seasoned guitarist you’ll meet will own this book.
For starters, it’s written by Greg Koch. Greg is a legend as both a guitar book author and a world-class improviser.
Second, it’s a great book if you want to teach yourself how to read music. Learning to read music will not only teach you the note names on the fretboard, but it will also help you understand note lengths and rhythmic symbols (quarter notes, 8th notes, half-notes, triplets, etc.). Make sure to keep this in mind, because these method books don’t have tablature until you’re more than 25% of the way though the book.
Hal Leonard Guitar Tab Method, by Jeff Schroedl
Want to dive right into playing the electric guitar with ease? Then you need to check out the Hal Leonard Guitar Tab Method!
This book as jam-packed with popular songs, which makes it a blast to dive in and start practicing your guitar.
It has tabs instead of standard notation, which makes it a lot easier to pick up your guitar and get started.
There are 3 books in the series, and you’ll learn a wide variety of popular songs, techniques, guitar theory, and other guitar fundamentals by reading through all 3 of the books!
Hal Leonard Acoustic Guitar Tab Method, by Hal Leonard Corp.
Want a tab method with a focus on the acoustic guitar? Then you need to check out the Hal Leonard Acoustic Guitar Tab Method.
This is just like the standard Hal Leonard Guitar Tab Method, but it has an emphasis on the acoustic guitar.
With popular riffs and licks from bands such as The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Eagles, and The Who, you’ll have a freaking blast with this method book.
I recommend getting both books, as reading both books will take you on a convenient A-Z path for learning acoustic guitar fundamentals.
Guitar Aerobics, by Troy Nelson
Looking for a fun guitar practice routine? Then look no further than the guitar book “Guitar Aerobics”. It coins itself as a “52-week, one-lick-per-day workout program for developing, improving, and maintaining guitar technique”.
This is certainly one of my favorite guitar books for self teaching, and I still use this book after more than 19 years of guitar playing.
Long story short: Get Guitar Aerobics if you’re looking for a fun guitar practice routine to take you from late-stage beginner to a seasoned advanced guitar player.
The Definitive Guitar Handbook, by Cliff Douse, Hugh Fielder, and Various Other Authors
Do you want a foundation for every subject related to playing guitar? If so, you need the Definitive Guitar Handbook!
This book will teach you about:
- Musical styles
- Guitar scales
- Rhythm
- Chords
- Effects (delay, reverb, chorus, and more)
- Home-recording
- Famous guitar players
- Famous types of guitars
- The history of guitar
Complete Technique for Modern Guitar, by Joseph Alexander
Looking to go from late-stage beginner to an intermediate or advanced guitar player? You need the Complete Technique for Modern Guitar, then!
The first thing to know is this book is written by Joseph Alexander, the founder of the incredible, modern guitar book publishing company called Fundamental Changes. Their books are well-crafted, come with audio examples, and have both tabs and notation.
As for the book itself, you’ll learn a wide variety of guitar fundamentals and exercises that are useful for any guitarist looking to teach themselves and grow as a songwriter, improviser, or even guitar teacher/ educator.
Overall, you’ll definitely want a copy of the Complete Technique for Modern Guitar if you want a single, modern method book teaching:
- Popular, useful guitar techniques
- 200 guitar exercises
- Tips for finding your “voice” on the guitar
- Writing songs
- Improvising
Check it out!
Music Theory for Guitarists, by Tom Kolb
Guitar theory/ music theory is essential to learn for any aspiring professional guitarist, and one of the best ways to learn guitar theory is with the book Music Theory for Guitarists, by Tom Kolb.
The book will take you through every step of music theory, including:
- The musical staff
- Reading notes
- Types of rhythms/ note-lengths
- Harmony
- Chord formulas and construction
- Scale formulas and construction
- Common musical terminology
This is truly an A-Z self teaching method book for learning guitar theory. You won’t be playing many songs or super exciting exercises, but you’ll certainly learn 100% of what you need to know if you want to be competent in music theory for the guitar.
Alfred’s Kid’s guitar Course, by Ron Manus
Alfred’s Kid’s Guitar Course is the best guitar method book for teaching kids to play guitar! Personally, I’ve taught at least a dozen kids how to play guitar using this book.
Unlike other beginner method books, the examples and songs in this book are extremely simple and easy to play. This makes it ideal for kids because guitar can be tough on the fingers, and guitar can be really frustrating for first-time players if they don’t achieve some “easy wins”.
Another great thing about this book is the selection of chords and songs. Kids will learn simplified versions of common guitar chord shapes, such as the G, C, and G7 chords. They’ll also learn popular kid’s songs that I can almost guarantee they’ve heard before.
If you have a kid who wants to learn guitar, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better guitar book for self-teaching than this one!
Hal Leonard Classical Guitar Method, by Paul Henry
The Hal Leonard Classical Guitar Method is a fantastic book. It introduces you to common classical guitar techniques and songs, and it introduces you to the classical music genre as a whole!
You’ll start by learning notes on the first and second strings, then you’ll play classical songs and melodies using notes on those strings. You’ll continue to do this with every other string on your guitar, and you’ll learn classical music theory along the way!
By the end of the book, you’ll have learn to play some extravagant, interesting, and iconic classical guitar pieces
Overall, this classical guitar method book will put you on the right path to playing classical guitar the way you’ve always dreamed of playing it.
Final Notes about The Best Guitar Books for Self Teaching
There’s a wide array of options when it comes to the best guitar books for self teaching.
Read about each book on Amazon, and make the decision based on the type of guitar player that you want to become.
Overall though, these are my top 2 books I’d recommend from this list:
- The Definitive Guitar Handbook: This will teach you every fundamental you need to know about the guitar and its history.
- Hal Leonard Guitar Tab Method: This is a fantastic method book for beginners, and by the end of book 3 you’ll have learned a wide assortment of songs, techniques, and licks.
At the end of the day, the decision is yours. Just make sure you do further research about each guitar method book, and pick the book that jumps out at you!