Best Books for Learning How to Play

Let’s talk about learning by reading. Lots of young players like to brag about how they are self taught, and perhaps they are. You can be too, if you want. Especially, with classical guitars, there are several outstanding books written by some of the very best players, “Pumping Nylon” by Scott Tennant of the LA Guitar Quartet. Fabulous book and you can go far with this book. You would go further and faster if you had an in-person teacher who used the book. https://www.alfred.com/pumping-nylon-second-edition/p/00-44949/.

Pumping Nylon

Scott Tennant

As you can tell, Scott Tennant has some humor in him. That makes learning more fun and this is a great book. I think this may be the best book out there, but there are other outstanding books. If you are a serious or adventurous person, here are some books you could explore.

The Christopher Parkening Guitar Method, Vol. 1 Parkening is an LA based, highly acclaimed guitarist. His book is excellent and, well, sort of simplified with lots of pictures. It doesn’t seem as “heavy” as others.

Los Pimeras, Segundas y Terceros Lecciones de Guitara

Julio S. Sagreras

This book is a bit heavy to me. It has a wide following and I think advanced teachers like it. I am not entirely persuaded that it is good for beginners but it is strong in fundamentals.

Classic Guitar Technique

Aaron Shearer

This is an excellent book that my best teacher used. Here is a story about Shearer. https://classicalguitarmagazine.com/aaron-shearer-father-of-american-classical-guitar-education-a-profile/ This book is as good as “Pumping Nylon” and the presentation is a bit simpler. I like this book (well, I like them all, but this one…)

Guitar for Beginners—Frederick Noad

Frederick Noad was an America Guitar player and teacher of great reknown. He is remembered as a gentle person with fantastic musical and communication skills. You should check out his website above and get a feel for his work and works. Another excellent book for beginners. Well presented, popular among teachers.

Noad has further books, especially “100 Graded Classical Guitar Studies” which is for Intermediate and Advanced students but worth a try once you have progressed some.

There is a YouTube web site that demonstrates most of the pieces in the study and is very valuable once you rise to this level. The books listed above tend primarily for classical guitar, but in the beginning, they apply to all types of guitars. There are basic things you need to learn regardless of the type of guitar you choose.

For acoustic guitars, in particular, here is a fantastic book. Greg Horne, the author, also has a strong sense of humour. The book is presented in a “fun” style and I think it works. I still use the book. If you say, “I want to play acoustic guitar,” get this book.

Acoustic Guitar — Greg Horne

The Complete Acoustic Guitar Book. Well, that’s debatable, but you know marketing. This is another excellent book, highly recommended. Finally, for those of you intellectually inclined, as so many musicians are (they just can’t help themselves) here is a book on Guitar Theory that you will find interesting. Guarantee. You have to want to read it and, if you do, you will be gratified, you will learn a lot.

That’s it for now. I will upgrade this page as time goes on and I get more feedback from avid students. I will also be adding a list and discussion of online teachers like Justin Sandercoe and Kevin Presbrey. Eventually, I will curate major city/area lists, of recommended local teachers. That will take some time. If you interview local teachers, ask them about these books and which one, or ones, that they use to teach from. It’s decidedly best if they use a well-regarded book to structure their teaching.