INSIDE FLAP

To acquire a thorough understanding of the guitar you must build from the basic mechanics of music. Most guitarists begin their study in a garage band playing the songs they like. I was one of these people. There is much to be said about this kind of learning; it develops creativity, a sense of musical interaction, and a soul for music. But although these are unquestionably essential parts of the process, it can only go so far. I found that without proper training I was falling into bad habits and even worse, I felt musically confined and stagnant. Through learning to read the notes on the guitar and understanding music theory I was able to break through this barrier. It added immensely to my abilities on the instrument, and this coupled with my "garage" education gave me the perspective to understand, play, and create just about any music I was interested in.

This book is designed to help you open up to the world of music theory, as I did, so as to know the guitar in a way that will infinitely expand your musical potential. It takes concentration and commitment, but I guarantee that it's worth it.

This book will present you with musical combinations, some of which you may not have heard before, yet these chords and progressions are only a small part of the harmonic palette available on the guitar, and are known by all accomplished players. They are the tools of the trade. Let them inspire your creativity. Learn the chords and progressions in this book and don't just imitate. Use them as a starting point to create your own unique voice.

The guitar is a very easy instrument on which to see fingering patterns. It is a common trap to read these patterns instead of reading musical notation. This can cripple your musical potential. The method presented here tries as much as possible to get you to learn the notes and to understand the basic music theory behind all chord combinations. In this way you can use both your musical intuition and your analytical mind to help you create.