Also tied for first place and but more suitable for flat pickers and electric guitar aspirants is Bruce Buckingham's book and digital presentation (dvd) (sold separately) Rhythm Guitar the Complete Guide.
If I was going to buy just one thing it would be this combo set!. Many of us are looking for the best bang for our buck and this book combo is, in my experience, a top choice.
Its all laid out cleanly and logically and wont set you back a payment on your new effects pedal!
Initially It teaches to you the initial 23 chords you need to know - how and why they are formed music theory.
Its not just about rhythm a lot of it is moving from chord to chord and explains your ability to change voicings of the the chord 1-3-5, 3-5-1, 5-1-3 to get different harmonic inversions. Good show!!
The fortunate will get to enjoy the benefits of both the digital medium and the book - together a more complete course about the guitar neck and chord structure than you can find just about anywhere for the money which is minimal all things considered. This is a great start for any budding guitar player, acoustic or electric, but the later will be thrilled. Beginners in particular would do well to have a such a good reference and guitar style show case.
Rhythm and strum focused on the one hand, your other hand has to learn a fist full of fingerings and how to build chord shapes in all 5 areas of the neck that it turns out is where and how many octaves there are for each note. Logically presented with over 37 chapters of guitar intelligence this is what you need to gain a foundation of guitar neck familiarity!
Interestingly enough, this selection wont bore you to tears like some tomes I will mention in fairness elsewhere. Equally important the visual aspect is where Bruce Buckingham uses a Telecaster and and ES 175 tastefully demonstrating concepts and styles for you using triads on various string sets.
Among many other things you are shown various reggae, jazz, acoustic rock rhythm techniques and then Bruce runs you through some of the rhythm exercises from the book on the disc while counting time.
Challenging and well laid out. Its a perfect introduction for the novice and and would make a great gift! Me, myself and I still have a lot to learn from this book. Best Value for the money and hard to beat in all respects! The visual presentation and book compliment one another buy both!
In conjunction with other guitar lessons this is really handy! An eye opener. A firm footing in the fundamentals is available. The disc has a nice little pamphlet too but I 100% insist you buy the book too. Or be placed on super secret double probation.
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. –Maya Angelou