Victoria C.
Learn the guitar on your own: Learning to play guitar on your own from beginner guitar books is still huge in 2020, despite the availability of the more modern form of guitar learning, online video tutorials for example.
The “guitar learning books” (acoustic and electric) are here to stay as thousands of guitar lesson books are sold every day.
That's why I thought about buying, reading, reviewing, and comparing a few of these books and seeing how they work. The ones I ordered weren't chosen at random, but rather from the best-selling lists of online bookstores.
This means that these books on the list should be the best guitar books for self-taught guitar lessons that exist at the time of writing.
Table of contents
Top: The best books for learning the guitar on your own (+ DVD)
There is no doubt that a good teacher can guide you in learning to play the guitar the right way and can speed up the learning curve. However, this is not the right option for everyone for a few reasons.
Maybe guitar lessons don't fit your budget. A good teacher usually doesn't come cheap.
Even a lesson per week, lasting only half an hour, costs more than 30 euros per lesson. This means that a small lesson per week will cost you € 120 or more per month, which is not within the reach of everyone.
The good news is that you can absolutely learn the guitar yourself on your own ! 20 years ago it might have been difficult to learn in your spare time, but today the right information is everywhere.
The power of the Internet has created an impressive database of resources for those who really want to learn. However, learning how to really shred a guitar is a process. It takes a lot of work, determination and good technique.
How to learn to play the guitar well?
Learning to play the guitar alone is certainly difficult, but it depends on your motivation, and also on your ability to impose a discipline on yourself to practice new skills, new chords, new choices, new rhythms, new theories, new songs.
This is not just for learning the guitar, but for any new skill you want to master.
Learn the right way
Learning the basic chords and playing along with popular songs is awesome and a lot of fun. But if you really want to become an experienced guitarist, you have to learn the instrument and the proper techniques.
If you just learn the chords, you'll quickly find yourself stuck, or even running out of options. This is why most people burn out after a few months to a year of learning the guitar.
The best option is to spend the time learning major scales, minor scales, note patterns, chords, power chords, guitar theory and much more. The best part is that once you have mastered these concepts and the basics, you will learn new songs VERY quickly.
In a matter of months, you will be able to learn new songs to add to your repertoire with ease.
Choosing a few popular song videos from YouTube is a great addition to your learning program, but by using one of the beginner guitar learning books you will learn the real ins and outs of the guitar. Not to mention, you'll learn all of your favorite songs along the way.
Set a timeline
The advantage of using a guitar lesson book or an online program is that you can incorporate the lessons into YOUR schedule. This means you can play late at night, after work, on weekends, during lunch break, in the morning, between classes, literally anytime.
While this is great, I highly recommend that you set aside a structured time to jump into new lessons. Setting aside an hour or two a week is a good start.
This gives you a structured foundation, and you can enjoy all of your other learning moments when your schedule allows. Many learning players like to spend a few hours a week following the progress of lessons, learning the basics, scales and techniques.
While spending part of their time between two hours playing new riffs, chords and favorite songs.
Find friends and enjoy the adventure
Learning the guitar on your own is fun. Playing guitar is a great way to stretch and improve yourself, and to learn a new skill. You absolutely must enjoy the learning process.
If you understand that becoming a master of the guitar will take time and determination, it can be a great experience. Find a few friends or an online community of other people who are also learning.
You don't have to be as experienced as them, you can still get together and learn new things from each other. This is one of the best ways to stay motivated on your guitar playing adventure, and have a good time in the process.
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What Should a Beginner's Guitar Book Cover?
If you are a beginner and you are looking to learn the guitar on your own, here is the subjects that you should look for when you choose a beginner guitar book :
- General anatomy of the guitar (acoustic vs electric, guitar parts, strings, tuning)
- Hold the guitar correctly
- First 3-string simple chords and easy-to-play chords
- Simple but popular songs to play
- Simple melodies of famous songs on 2 strings, then 4 strings, then 6 strings
- Complete chords for beginners (A, Am, C, D, E, Em, F, G)
- Chord change by learning songs
- Tones and why specific chords sound good in a chord progression
- More songs
In general, a good beginner's book should lay bare the basics of playing the guitar and put you on a lifelong learning process.
So these are the topics that should generally be covered in a book written for beginner guitarists. If a beginner's book does not cover these topics, it will leave gaps in your knowledge, or provide enough motivation to continue practicing.
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If the book has more topics, that's fine, that means it wasn't written just for beginners, but more advanced guitarists as well.
Top Best Books to Learn Guitar for Beginners
Now, when you've been waiting, here is our list of the most popular guitar learning books. They aren't in any particular order in the list, but then I'll give you my recommendation on the best.
Let's find out about them Best books for learning the guitar on your own in 2020:
The guitar in 15 minutes a day for Dummies
7 used from 11,95 €
| Release Date | 2018-04-26T00:00:01Z |
| Language | Français |
| Number Of Pages | 288 |
| Publication Date | 2018-04-26T00:00:01Z |
A tailor-made program awaits you over the next 6 months with this book to learn the guitar on your own!
- Each day: two chords to discover with a photo of the position of the hand and the associated diagram.
- Each week: a small summary of what has been seen during the week, with references to the audio file to reproduce the proposed exercises identically.
- Every 4 weeks: a bit longer to have fun quickly with your guitar
The guitar without a teacher
3 used from 15,91 €
| Release Date | 2015-08-20T00:00:01Z |
| Language | Français |
| Number Of Pages | 128 |
| Publication Date | 2015-08-20T00:00:01Z |
Take control of your guitar learning with this beginner's book! If the guitar has so many followers today, it is undoubtedly because it offers the possibility of making music alone, at home, at little cost.
Whether you already have some basics or you are a beginner, this method will help you perfect all the essential techniques: first chords, musical notation, basic accompaniment, brush stroke, fingerpicking, melody transposition. Here is a book that will allow you to expand your musical repertoire while guaranteeing you many hours of pleasure!
I'm starting ... The Guitar (+ CD songs with playback)
6 used from 21,22 €
- Guitar
- Book + CD
- Hit Broadcast
To learn the basics of the guitar and quickly play your first pieces: re-discover the BEST-SELLER method for beginner guitarists!
In this updated version, the Reference Guitar Method offers even more pieces known for playing pleasure, and more diagrams and color photos to make learning easier for all newbies.
The pedagogical approach remains the one that made its success: a practical progression, pleasant to follow, with clear explanations which do not require any preliminary notions in music theory. 28 complete pieces are offered in tablature, with lyrics, chords, precise playing advice. Pop, rock, French song, international variety, blues, traditional: among the new titles of this revisited version, we find One by U2, Qui de nous deux by M, Unintended by Muse, A la favor de l'Automne by Tété, Waiting On An Angel by Ben Harper, or Angie from the Rolling Stones.
- 28 complete tracks, lyrics & music
- 116 pages
- color educational booklet
- CD with all titles & their playback
- DVD presented as a home course
Guitar Beginner Helping Hand (+ 1 DVD)
6 used from 17,11 €
| Part Number | CARMF2025 |
| Release Date | 2009-03-27T00:00:01Z |
| Edition | Coup de Pouce |
| Language | Français |
| Number Of Pages | 56 |
| Publication Date | 2009-03-27T00:00:01Z |
The Guitar boost volume 1 method is essential for learning and progressing quickly.
It has proven itself for 30 years.
This guitar learning pack includes 1 book + audio files + 32 lesson videos.
Learn the guitar (on your own)! with DVD
5 used from 17,96 €
| Release Date | 2018-09-05T00:00:01Z |
| Language | Français |
| Number Of Pages | 352 |
| Publication Date | 2018-09-05T00:00:01Z |
Rock, pop, metal, blues, country, folk or jazz: whatever your style, this book and its DVD give you all the keys to learn the guitar “live” and progress quickly!
The book
• Good advice for choosing your instrument, and all the essential accessories (microphones, amps, effect pedals, etc.).
• 10 “sessions” to acquire solid theoretical bases (tablatures, chords, rhythm…) and practices thanks to short, progressive exercises, illustrated step by step. You will learn in pictures to place your hands with precision and to gain technique and musicality by interpreting the pieces composed especially for your learning. You will also discover the secrets of the greatest guitarists (Kurt Cobain, Keith Richards, Chuck Berry, Pete Townshend, Jimi Hendrix…) to better inspire you!
• Over 1 illustrations.
DVD
• The 10 sessions filmed, right hand and left hand separately, then together, to assimilate the positions “live”.
• Dynamic visualization of the score and the song using a mobile cursor. Some songs are of course recorded with their orchestration.
Self-taught acoustic guitar (1 Book + 1 CD + 1 DVD)
19,99€ in stock
- Sheet music, CD, DVD (Region 0)
- Guitar
The reference method for the beginner guitarist! This method of initiation to the acoustic guitar is undeniably the best way for the beginner guitarist to progress in the practice of his instrument. First of all because this method is extremely complete, because it addresses all the elements that an apprentice guitarist must master: playing techniques, rhythm, chords ... Then because this method is excessively progressive.
Everything is taught there and therefore also assimilated little by little, gradually using music theory as a help and not as a constraint. Finally, because this method is incredibly fun. We play guitar from the first lessons, we learn songs like the greatest artists (The Beatles, Coldplay, David Bowie, U2, Tracy Chapman, Bob Dylan, James Blunt, JJ. Goldman, John Mayer, etc ...)
Guitar Chords For Dummies, 3rd Edition
3 used from 8,96 €
- Reference books
- Collection
- First editions
This book is recommended as a supplement to one of the other books on the list. Do you want to be able to decipher the grids and play the right chords? Would you like to have access to a large number of chords in the blink of an eye? Do you want to work on more complex tones and enrich your chords with new colors?
Designed as a true bible of guitar chords, this practical guide presents some thirty types of chords in each of the twelve keys. So now, beginner or confirmed guitarist, it's your turn to play! a Must-have for learning the guitar on your own.
Learn to Play Guitar by "Carlos Bonell"
Gently introduces the learner to the basics of the guitar, such as hand and finger placement, and separates the instrument itself so that you understand it down to its anatomy.
The only useful feature is that it is not written around a particular style of music. It contains lessons and sample songs from a sample of the most common styles of music including country, rock, and classical guitar.
The book also introduces the novice guitarist to guitar-specific notation in tablature form. He tries not to overwhelm the learner by immediately pushing him into the more delicate areas of musical notation.
Conclusion: The alternatives for learning to play the guitar
Never underestimate the value of a good book, when placed in front of an informed audience, a good book can be the springboard for a journey of discovery and fulfillment.
For you, this trip will be a lifelong love story and tons of great memories with your guitar.
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But there are even more benefits to combining this book with a more interactive form of guitar learning:
Face-to-face lessons with a good teacher are a good option. But these courses often come at a high cost. And you can't always find a good teacher near you.
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The best option, and perhaps the best, would be the online course :
They are more accessible, much cheaper, have more multimedia options and can be tailored to your specific situation.
A good online course program would be the perfect accompaniment to the book you finally invest in.
