chord Books

This book will provide good information for a beginning guitar player. I still have a long way to go in what appears to be a long process.

As the title suggests this book concentrates on music specifically for guitar. It would probably be smart to have some knowledge in basic theory before trying to tackle this book. A good free website for a quick rundown of the basics is musictheory.net. There are thirteen chapters which contain information on intervals, triads, major and minor scales, pentatonic scales, chord construction and the like. There are quizzes to help you learn the information. The book also includes a CD with audio examples. Overall, this is a good guitar theory book as long as you have an understanding of basic theory.

Mr. Kolb's style of writing is highly conducive to learning music theory for the guitar. Whereas most music theory books I've looked at have been rather dry and focus more on piano, this book focuses solely on guitar and has given me several "a-ha!" moments. Highly recommended!

Tells you all about music theory as it relates to guitar.

This won't give you any riffs. That's not the point of the book. It explains music theory as it applies to the guitar and gives you a framework in which to create those riffs. It works very well as a resource. This is not a "play all the stuff in here and you'll get better at guitar book". It delves into some fairly complex territory, so you'll have to think deeply at times, but it's well-written and it serves to advance your understanding of music.

Recommended as a a supplement to any beginning/intermediate "learn guitar" book.

You know how when you go into a guitar shop you see racks full of pamphlets with nothing but chord and scale diagrams? Well thats what this "book" is. Customer reviews on Amazon have helped me find a lot of cool books, but this is one time where I got suckered. This pamphlet is 103 pages long, and has very sparse amount of text between diagrams, which you will only understand if you already have a working knowledge of music theory.

LISTEN...IF YOU ARE NEW TO MUSIC COMPOSITION AND LEARNING TO PLAY IN KEYS/SCALES THAT WORK TOGETHER, THEN THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!!!

I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT CHORDS, KEY SIGNATURES, HOW TO MAKE CERTAIN KEYS GO TOGETHER...BASICALLY I SUCKED AT COMPOSING.

READING THIS BOOK HAS CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER, AND THE CHORD WHEEL ON THE FRONT IS VERY USEFUL.

DONT LISTEN TO THE BAD REVIEWS, OBVIOUSLY IF U ARE A LEARNED MUSICIAN THIS WILL NOT HELP YOU, BUT IF YOU ARE JUST STARTING OUT AND WANT TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE YOUR COMPOSITIONS SOUND BETTER, BUY THIS!!!

Hi, D. Shultz "siteswap soroban" i think i should believe what you said. Now i know who is the original inventor. Next time when you got ideas just go and meet the book publishers. Couldn't trust on private colleges anymore.

Anyway, if this is your real idea. I really salute your knowledge and i would give the 5 stars because of your work (not Jim Fleser). I'm so sorry to hear that, i know how hard it feels when somebody stolen our ideas. However, i suggest you gather enough of evidence and try to sue the author.

I bought chord wheel a couple years ago and could not figure the thing out to little explanation and I play piano hoping to help me play by ear better. No luck it sits in the bottom of all my music. I am trying one of the other music books right now.

This is a concise reference tool for a musician. Once you understand the concept this will save you hours of work !!

Mr. Schulz, you invented nothing. This wheel was originally published at least 60 years ago, and probably invented well before that. In music, we all stand on the shoulders of our forebears.

Definitely worth buying if you are a Beatles fan and looking to play your favorite music.

Here it is in one complete book all of The Beatles songs with the correct chords. This is a nice book with easy to read type and probably every song you ever wanted to know by The Beatles. The only minus is there isn't ant tab for the lead parts, but that's easy enough to get anywhere. Recommend for anyone that wants to learn chord structures by The Beatles.

This book has everything.... every song ever written by The Beatles. I am so excited to get started learning some of my favorite songs on my guitar. Though I'm not necessarily a Beatles Fan, though I have always appreciated their music, I had to have this book after seeing the movie "Across the Universe". It was like I heard the words for the first time and realized also for the first time that The Beatles were way ahead of their time in music and vision. I highly recommend this book.

I have several Beatles guitar books, most of which fall into two categories: 1) They are way beyond my level (I consider myself to be an intermediate level guitarist) or 2) They books don't use the right chords, so the songs sound just a little off. This book works well for strumming along with your favorite Beatle tunes. It contains every Beatle tune that I am familiar with plus many others. My only criticism is that the book is small and it is impossible to keep the book open to any particular page.

The title of this book says it all...Complete Chord Songbook. If you love the Beatles and aspire to play their music on the guitar, I would highly recommend this book to you. If you know basic chords, you will be able to play many of the songs as soon as you pick it up. If not, each song has chord diagrams so you can easily figure them out. I can't speak for the professional musician, but if you want to play the Beatles, this is the only book you need to purchase.

This book shows you how to play the right notes over any chord changes and in any style. Wanna know why your favorite player's solos sound like just the perfect notes at the right moment? Then this is the book for you. Most of the book lays out the foundation needed to understand the theory behind using chord tones and why they work. Some more advanced players may already understand most of this theory but it is still a very concise reference with tips on how/what to practice. The last part of the book provides you with different ways of targeting chord tones and ways to improve this ability. I have 2 closets full of guitar books/mags and this book could replace over half of them.

This book was EXTREMELY useful to me. I've been struggling with other texts on the CAGED approach and getting not much more than frustrated. The initial exercise on charting the roots up the neck and then interconnecting them with circles turned on my first light. The trick about playing to hit a target note with a lead phrase was also an 'aha' moment. I'm still in the early stages, but I would highly recommend this to anyone who's looking to expand their skills into soloing.

I have many guitar books and this one is a stand out GREAT!
Excellent book, got right down to playing and getting some good sound and improvisation ideas.

This author's other book, Fretboard workbook, is also excellent.

You won't regret this purchase at all.

A very good guide on soloing. It is not for the beginner, but even for the intermediate player it is a challange. It will be well worth it's price, and well worn by the time I am done with it. This is my second book by Barrett Tagliarino and I highly recommend it.

As a rhythm guitarist for years I struggled with writing solos. Mr. Tagliarino's method has proven excellent in showing me how to make the leap to lead guitar. Although I wouldn't recommend this book by itself as I found some of the material needing further explanation, I would wholeheartedly recommend it for any aspiring guitarist's library.

The bottom line is: this book will do more for your playing confidence than anything else you can invest in (that is, if you don't already have expert knowledge of the fretboard). I have mainly played rhythm until now, but even my band members are amazed at my lead progress and the varieties I add the rhythm. Get it, learn it, and your confidence on the guitar will grow.

I am very impressed with the content of Fretboard Logic. I am a beginner so actually playing the way presented seems overwhelming right now. I can make my hands stretch to barre with a lot of effort, but it will be a while before I can do it effortlessly. That's why I'd recommend this book for intermediate to advanced, someone who can put the information into practice right away. Beginners need to start with easier stuff. That said, it is a great resource to explain the logic of the fretboard that you may not find elsewhere.

I'm finding this book more effective than any other method I've tried to learn and re-learn and practise the basics. I've been playing a few years now and this brought me back down to basics for a refresher. The instructions are conversational and they make sense. Everything is explained in detail, but no too much detail - and all the topics covered are tabbed on the same page.
I've never come across a more comprehensive way to learn or refresh oneself on the basics of playing guitar. It's a must have for any guitar player.

This is not a music theory book.
Fretboard Logic describes the Fretboard patterns that are a direct result of the guitar's unique tuning. The patterns discussed are essentially scales and chords covering the entire fretboard.
There is some occasional theory necessary to teach the subject and no more.
It may be too much for many beginners to grasp the importance of what the author is teaching but, that certainly does not mean you can't benefit by learning something new such as pentatonic scales and full bar chords (that's the first 27 pages.)
I could not play full bar chords when I bought the book. You know what you do to cure that? Practice playing them 10 minutes a day and then go onto something else.
I was thrilled when I bought HOB Blues DVD #1 and recognized the scale patterns and realized I could start APPLYING what I learned from this book. No, you will not be a better guitar player after reading this book just because you know some chords and scales. But you will have a solid foundation that will help you APPLY the information in this book as you learn music theory and it will all be a little easier.
I can't say it as a fact since I don't play with others often but, I really doubt this book would do anything but help you when playing with other guitarists and instruments regardless of their knowledge and how they learned it.
I would recommend a yellow Gripmaster (to help warm up and increase hand strength) and a metronome to go along this book.

Item was a gift for my son on the opposite coast. He reports this book met all his expectations and is very happy with it. See also the third book in the series.

This item was to be a paperback book for beginners. It is very cheaply made with thin newspaper grade paper. A complete waste of time and money.

This pamphlet is very well written and a bit fun learning to use! It arrived in a very thoughtful bubble wrap envelope that made sure it arrived to me in a flat and unbent condition. I used right out of the package. Yep after I learn all these chords the ladies are gonna be lining up to talk to PeNName!

Just started using it and so far it is helping my daughter and I learn basic guitar

I was very disappointed with this product. It has VERY FEW chords listed; and for the price, I expected at least a book of chords. I would hardly call this a booklet!

This booklet (only 8 pages long) is ok for giving you some starting chords to play simple tunes with. In fact, there are only 3 pages of chords and 5 pages of information about guitar tuning, guitar fret notes, common chord combo's, and basic guitar positioning.

You can easily get this info on the internet. I'd suggest getting a more comprehensive book on chords or a guitar method book.

As a frustrated beginner, I found this book to be so much fun. Because of the ease with which it is written, it is encouraging to be able to sit and play and have the music sound as it should. I would recommend this to anyone from the beginner to the experienced as there is such a wide selection of songs to choose from in this one book. Great addition to any musician's collection.

Great for people like me who love music but can't read it. It helps to make me sound good. I love it.

The Ultimate Fake Book: C Chord, 4th Edition
This is a great book. Since I took a class on how to play music using the chording method, I have had so much fun playing music. My skills reading music as I was taught in piano lessons are not as good as I would like but with the Fake Books, I can play so many more tunes. I recommend this book. It has thousands of wonderful songs, old and new.

Holy Hannah! I couldn't be more pleased! Seller indicated this was in "used" condition, but it looks brand new! I was especially delighted to see that it contained full diagrams of all chords in the back of the book--very helpful if for instance you don't know the finger placement for uncommon, off the wall chords such as Eb or Ab and their variations). I may not play all 1,200 songs listed (would probably have to take a week's worth of vacation to do so and end up with sore fingers..lol), but if I even only play 1/8th the songs, I know I got a big bang for my buck (I paid $23 for the book and most song books cost that much if not more and only have 20-30 songs).

I can't wait to play songs for my friends and family at gatherings!

This book has become a cornerstone of my piano music library. It has been a fascinating journey to explore the pages of this enormous compendium of the American songbook, for myself, and for anyone who happens by my piano.

The 'true' American songbook has 10s of 1000s of songs, so no attempt to be complete or 'ultimate' can stand up to criticism for being less than complete. However, what is contained in this book is as good a cross-section of 1200 songs as I could imagine. I think the choice is well done.

As much as anything else, this book represents a great 'reference' in my music library. Someone asks me about a certain song, I hear it on radio, etc.--the first place I go is to this book to see if it's there. Most often it is.

Some comments relating to other reviews:

For those unclear about the term 'fake book': It contains melody, harmony (in the form of chord changes), lyrics and basic tempo markings. You must create your own arrangements including intros and endings, harmonization, bass lines and rhythmic constructions, a skill which takes time and work.

Chord symbols are strictly alphabetic--none of those little guitar chord diagrams. If you play guitar and don't know your chords, you'll need a good chord chart.

All of the songs (as far as I can tell) are in their original keys, an important consideration when collaborating with other musicians. A good many of these songs date back to the 'big band' era, and as such, there is a preponderance of 'flat keys'.

The fact that this book is labeled 'C Chord' means only that it is not intended for transposing instruments (i.e. trumpet, clarinet, saxaphone, etc.). There are transposed versions of the book for B-flat and E-flat instruments for use in ensemble work.

The binding problem: I use this book everyday. I removed the binding (tedious), took the two covers to a local print shop and had them laminated and re-punched. I reassembled the book and have had no issues at all with the binding, even given everyday use. Worth the extra $5 for a valuable, daily resource.

Now: How best to create those triplets chords for "In the Still of the Night" ...

I can not say how excited I was to come home from classes yesterday and see my Celtic Woman songbook waiting for me :)!!! I am one of the ladies biggest fans; since I discovered them I just can't get enough! This book was the perfect edition to my CW collection; I am a classically trained soprano and am now psyched to be able to work on some of these songs! If you purchase the book, start to work on any of the songs and have seen any performance by the girls, you will probably hear and see them performing in your head (I know I have). A great edition to any performer's or CW fan's collection!

I purchased this book of celtic songs for my 25-year-old single
daughter. She has many favorites here she is learning to sing.

I play piano, and I like this music. The piano parts, for the most part, have the melody in them and are very pretty on their own rather than being just an accompaniment. Like someone else said, a spiral-bound version would be easier to keep open, but it's not a big deal for me, especially since I'm just playing it for fun.

Love it! Love it! Love it! Medium difficulty and beautiful songs. All my favorites are there! Highly recommended!

Worth the wait to finally get Celtic Woman in print! Exceptional music for the vocalist who sings in this range.

This book should be called "How to turn chords into chord progressions" because that's pretty much all there is. As a reference book it's pretty decent, but working through the whole book is a tedious process. Also there is no index in the back which makes it har do look up specific subjects.
As a whole, this book promises more than it delivers.

I've been playing guitar forever, and writing songs for years, but like most other writers I get stuck in ruts from time to time. Now, whenever I need some new ideas, whether an entire song, a verse, a chorus, a bridge, or a lift, I just look through this book. Even a basic I-IV-V can be made more interesting by advancing or delaying a change. I also like that he relates the CD examples to particular musical styles, which provides a good template for writing to that style.

As with Rooksby's other books, the material is presented with great clarity and is well edited. A songwriter could do a lot worse than build a library of his books.

man, this book has really really come in handy for me, expeically early chapter, good thing i have this. some of the think in here i have never seen or heard on the internet before, this book seems rare with its information.

I have over last two years developed into a real fan of Rikky's books. This one really surprised me for progressive depth in the structure of each chapter. Each chapter builds on the next. And sandwiched between the 'tips' are these gems of compositions that helps broaden and deepen the constructive elements of songwriting. The book is focused more on chord progression in songs and then the composition of the song's components, verse, chorus, bridge, etc. The great surprise, and I think, and real beauty of the book is the way he uses the CD with the last chapter. He records 12 or so songs, and then in that chapter, he breaks them down in to their component structure, and tells you why he made the choices he did. A really GREAT book. Worth the price!

This book taught me so much about songwriting, it's scary. I'm not a novice, either! It teaches you about chord theory better than any other book I've read.

Alfred's Books have always been some of the best learning materials available. This book is no different. The book has all the scales every student should master as well as some informative information regarding music fundamentals. The book is of high quality with bright big text and is very easy on the eyes. They used quality paper and ink for this book. The paper stock is thick and sturdy so it can stand up to some abuse. The one thing I wish was included was a spiral binding. Once you get into these types of books, it becomes difficult to lay flat on the piano desk without the pages closing. Minor gripe, you can take it to Fedex office to get it binded for around $6 if it becomes too bothersome to you.

I checked many online sources, but this was the best price. It arrived in just 6 days.