Guitar Books the Podcast

Christmas repertoire books featuring solo fingerstyle guitar arrangements are great for the holiday season!  Whether you simply want to get into the Christmas spirit or you need to perform Christmas tunes at your gigs, there are a number of great Christmas repertoire books.  In this review I will look at three books that I really enjoy: Hal Leonard’s “Fingerpicking Yuletide,” Mark Phillips’ “Christmas Carols for Easy Classical Guitar” (Cherry Lane Music Company), and John Hill’s “Classical Guitar Christmas Sheet Music” (Hal Leonard). To be clear, all books are suitable for either steel string guitar or nylon string classical guitar. All three books feature a range of tunes suitable for late-beginner through intermediate fingerstyle guitarists.  Hal Leonard’s “Fingerpicking Yuletide” features mid-twentieth century tunes like Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bell Rock, and Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!  Phillips’ “Christmas Carols for Easy Classical Guitar” and Hill’s “Classical Guitar Christmas Sheet Music” both feature traditional Christmas carols like O Come, All Ye Faithful, The First Noel, Jingle Bells, and Silent Night. Hal Leonard’s “Fingerpicking Yuletide” and Phillips’ “Christmas Carols for Easy Classical Guitar” provide both standard notation and tablature, but Hill’s “Classical Guitar Christmas Sheet Music” provides only standard notation (no TAB!!!). The arrangements in Phillips’ “Christmas Carols for Easy Classical Guitar” flow really well with nice arpeggiation.  The arrangements in Hill’s “Classical Guitar Christmas Sheet Music” are a mixed bag, but many of them have nice arpeggiation or feature an alternating bass line (Travis picking).  Some of the arrangements are a bit clunky in comparison to the Phillips book.  The arrangements in Hal Leonard’s “Fingerpicking Yuletide” are also a mixed bag, but tend to be a little stripped down/simplified to make them easier.  While some are great as they are, some are a little uninspiring until you add some extra inner harmony, arpeggiation, or other pizzazz.  The arrangements are great for late-beginner/intermediate players, and they are excellent skeletons/frameworks/starting points from which more advanced players can add extra spice.  The arrangements utilize a variety of alternating bass lines and arpeggiation. Hal Leonard’s “Fingerpicking Yuletide” has 16 tunes.  Phillips’ “Christmas Carols for Easy Classical Guitar” has 22 tunes.  Hill’s “Classical Guitar Christmas Sheet Music” has 30 tunes. Hal Leonard’s “Fingerpicking Yuletide” is the only book out of the three that has the lyrics written into the music which is nice when playing with friends/family or for helping you to sing the melody out loud or in your head while you are playing solo. Phillips’ “Christmas Carols for Easy Classical Guitar” is the only book out of the three that comes with recordings of the tunes (mine came with a CD). All three books are worth buying – it just depends on what you’re looking for. My eBook: Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook. My music is available on all streaming platforms: Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album will be released in January 2024. The first single, “Open Road,” was released 10/20/23. Watch it on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?si=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C.  Three other singles have since been released: “Lost and Found,” “The Matador,” and “Pins on the Map.” Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.

Is this one of the best or worst method or repertoire books for learning to play acoustic fingerstyle blues guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Solo Blues Guitar by Dave Rubin is different from any other book that I’ve reviewed thus far in that it is not a fingerstyle guitar book.  The examples can be played fingerstyle, but most seem to work best with a plectrum/pick/flatpick.  However, I want to review this book for a couple reasons: It is focused on solo blues guitar arrangements I LOVE this book.  These examples are fun and they inspire me to improvise in new ways with new grooves. Solo Blues Guitar by Dave Rubin is a repertoire book for learning to play, well… solo blues guitar!  With a plectrum.  This book is suitable for intermediate players who already have some knowledge of the blues and how to improvise.  Each example provides a groove that intersperses melody and lead lines.  To really get the most out of the book, you will want to: Learn an example as written, Understand the rhythm guitar groove – the shuffle, chord stabs, etc. Insert your own melodies and improvisation while continuing to hold down the original rhythm guitar groove. You can try creating variations to the original groove as well. Other than a half-page introduction, there is no text in this book.  Only full 12 or 16-bar blues examples: (35) 12-bar, single-chorus examples in the keys of E, A, G, and D, (15) 12-bar, two-chorus, slow blues examples in the keys of E, G, and A, and (5) 16-bar examples with non-standard chord progressions in the key of A. Solo Blues Guitar provides both treble clef and tablature for each arrangement.  Unfortunately, no fingering is provided in the music.  For each example, I notated my own fingering in the music, after which I was able to play much more smoothly, accurately, and confidently.  The skill of choosing sensible fingering is important, and you will need to look elsewhere to further develop this skill. Recordings are available online through Hal Leonard’s website.  These will be very helpful to many readers.  Interestingly, the recordings were done by Doug Boduch, the author of Hal Leonard’s Fingerpicking Guitar, which I reviewed in Review #17. © 2006 by Hal Leonard My own books: Fingerstyle Blues Guitar: An In-Depth Study of the 12-Bar Blues in E Major – Books 1 and 2 are available in paperback or as an eBook through Amazon [https://a.co/d/g7Udsso (Book 1) and https://a.co/d/aDbh4H0 (Book 2)].  The first priority of these books is to quickly get you playing a solo instrumental 12-bar blues, and then to build on it until you can freely improvise or “jam.” You should be up and running by the end of the third chapter, and each following chapter will add icing on the cake. Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook.  Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar. My upcoming book, Arranging for Fingerstyle Ukulele, will be published by Mel Bay in 2026. My music is available on all streaming platforms at https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dcokTG6C598OhTslHH5uo?si=hrQb7FViSZewDRSgECw9Ew: Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, “Open Road,” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?si=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C. Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.

Is this one of the best or worst method or repertoire books for learning to play acoustic fingerstyle blues guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Roots and Blues Fingerstyle Guitar Explorations by Steve James is a hybrid repertoire/method book for learning to play fingerstyle and bottleneck blues.  This book is suitable for late beginner to advanced fingerstyle players but is best for intermediate players.  I would definitely not recommend this book for complete beginners – it starts out too hard for inexperienced fingerstyle players.  The book offers some technical advice as well as fun historical anecdotes and quotes. There are a bunch of fingerstyle blues books on the market, and I would generally not recommend this book over some of the others.  On the positive side of things, this book excels in its material focused on open tunings and bottleneck slide.  If you watch the included videos, you’ll see that the author is an incredible bottleneck slide player, and that is reflected in these chapters.  On the other hand, I do not like multiple things about this book. The difficulty progression isn’t very smooth – the book starts out with some difficult (late beginner/intermediate) tunes, and then the difficulty varies from tune to tune.  Part of this is because the open tuning arrangements (starting in the middle of the book) are a bit easier to play. There aren’t a lot of exercises.  There are some, but this is more of a repertoire book with analysis and technical advice in the text. I’m not a fan of the way that Acoustic Guitar Magazine lays out their books.  They don’t integrate their text and playing examples.  Instead of text that prepares you for an example, then the example, then more text, then the next example, etc., they usually have the text in a big block, and that text will refer you to the examples which are together in another block.  It requires more jumping back and forth for the reader.  It’s not the end of the world, but it’s not my favorite. Late-beginner fingerstyle players could utilize Roots and Blues Fingerstyle Guitar Explorations as a supplement to a traditional method book: A general fingerstyle method like Alfred’s “Beginning Fingerstyle Guitar,” or A more focused method like Bruce Emery’s “Travis-Style Guitar from Scratch.” Roots and Blues Fingerstyle Guitar Explorations provides both treble clef and tablature for each arrangement.  Neither fretting nor picking hand fingering is provided in the music, but it is sometimes mentioned in the separate text.  You can usually tell which notes should be played with your thumb by looking at the treble clef – bass notes generally have down stems.  Regardless, the skill of choosing sensible fingering is important, and you will need to look elsewhere to further develop this skill. Videos demonstrating the examples are available online.  These are great.  For me, it was especially helpful while working through the bottleneck slide chapter. © 2014 by Steve James. Produced by String Letter Media in association with the Acoustic Guitar Magazine. My own books: Fingerstyle Blues Guitar: An In-Depth Study of the 12-Bar Blues in E Major – Books 1 and 2 are available in paperback or as an eBook through Amazon [https://a.co/d/g7Udsso (Book 1) and https://a.co/d/aDbh4H0 (Book 2)].  The first priority of these books is to quickly get you playing a solo instrumental 12-bar blues, and then to build on it until you can freely improvise or “jam.” You should be up and running by the end of the third chapter, and each following chapter will add icing on the cake. Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook.  Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar. My upcoming book, Arranging for Fingerstyle Ukulele, will be published by Mel Bay in 2026. My music is available on all streaming platforms at https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dcokTG6C598OhTslHH5uo?si=hrQb7FViSZewDRSgECw9Ew: Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, “Open Road,” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?si=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C.Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.

R.I.P. Bob Weir (1947-2026) Original solo fingerstyle guitar arrangement of the Grateful Dead tune, “Scarlet Begonias” (arr. Joe McMurray). “Scarlet Begonias” was released on the 1974 album, “From the Mars Hotel” and was written by Jerry Garcia and lyricist Robert Hunter. TABs are available for purchase through my PayPal link at https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/6D97WM3YV2JS6 If you are interested in purchasing the TABs, be aware that this arrangement is suitable for players with an intermediate skill level. Performed on my treasured 2023 Collings OM2H guitar. My books: Fingerstyle Blues Guitar: An In-Depth Study of the 12-Bar Blues in E Major – Books 1 and 2 are available in paperback or as an eBook through Amazon [https://a.co/d/g7Udsso (Book 1) and https://a.co/d/aDbh4H0 (Book 2)].  The first priority of these books is to quickly get you playing a solo instrumental 12-bar blues, and then to build on it until you can freely improvise or “jam.” You should be up and running by the end of the third chapter, and each following chapter will add icing on the cake. Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook.  Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar. My upcoming book, Arranging for Fingerstyle Ukulele, will be published by Mel Bay in 2026. My music is available on all streaming platforms at https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dcokTG6C598OhTslHH5uo?si=hrQb7FViSZewDRSgECw9Ew: Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, “Open Road,” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?si=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C. Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.

Is this one of the best or worst method or repertoire books for learning to play acoustic fingerstyle blues guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Despite the book’s title, this is not a traditional method book for learning to play fingerstyle blues guitar.  This is a repertoire book containing fingerstyle blues arrangements in a variety of subgenres (i.e. ragtime and delta blues).  The book does offer more than a traditional repertoire book in that it has technical and historical notes before each tune, and then it occasionally introduces a new technique through a tune.  This book is suitable for late beginner to advanced fingerstyle players but is best for intermediate players.  I really like the organization of the book: tunes are organized by subgenre, and within each section the tunes are arranged from easiest to hardest. If you have zero experience playing fingerstyle guitar or fingerstyle blues, this is not the best book to start with.  If you do have some experience, this is a great book for learning fun tunes, improving your skills, and learning some background history. What stands out about this book is that some tunes include multiple choruses.  If you’ve studied fingerstyle blues from books, you’ve seen one or two page arrangements that, as written, are too short for a full performance.  You might have gathered that you should play the original arrangement and then create multiple variations to instrumentally simulate different lyrics for each verse of a vocal tune, to extend your performance, and to make it your own.  However, most books don’t actually write out any variations.  The Complete Acoustic Blues Guitar Method is wonderful in that some of its arrangements do contain 2nd and 3rd chorus variations.  These are great for beginners and players that just want to play a tune that lasts more than 30 seconds, and they are even more valuable for players that want to see and study concrete examples of variations.  You can learn a lot from analyzing these variations and then you can implement these ideas into other tunes in your repertoire. Difficulty ramps up quickly in this book with the majority of the arrangements in that intermediate difficulty range.  Beginner players may want to first use a traditional method book: A general fingerstyle method like Alfred’s “Beginning Fingerstyle Guitar,” or A more focused method like Bruce Emery’s “Travis-Style Guitar from Scratch.” Then you could utilize Woody Mann’s book as a supplement as you’re working through the method book.  Later beginners should aim for the first tune or two from each different section and see what specific styles of fingerstyle blues catch their ear.  You will improve faster and have more fun if you play tunes that are aren’t too difficult, so don’t get bogged down with the hardest tunes in the book. The Complete Acoustic Blues Guitar Method provides both treble clef and tablature for each arrangement, but neither fretting nor picking hand fingering is provided.  At least you can tell which notes should be played with your thumb by looking at the treble clef – bass notes have down stems.  Regardless, the skill of choosing sensible fingering is important, and you will need to look elsewhere to further develop this skill. Recordings are available online through Hal Leonard’s website.  These will be very helpful to many readers.  It’s fun and educational to hear some of the author’s little variations and stylistic techniques (slides, bends, etc.) that aren’t written into the music. The book doesn’t use the modern percussive techniques used by modern players like Michael Hedges, Don Ross, Andy McKee, Mike Dawes, etc.  No thumb slaps, guitar body percussion, or tapping. It says that the copyright is © 2014 Wise Publications, but the book seems to be published and distributed by Hal Leonard. My own books: Fingerstyle Blues Guitar: An In-Depth Study of the 12-Bar Blues in E Major – Books 1 and 2 are available in paperback or as an eBook through Amazon [https://a.co/d/g7Udsso (Book 1) and https://a.co/d/aDbh4H0 (Book 2)].  The first priority of these books is to quickly get you playing a solo instrumental 12-bar blues, and then to build on it until you can freely improvise or “jam.” You should be up and running by the end of the third chapter, and each following chapter will add icing on the cake. Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook.  Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar. My upcoming book, Arranging for Fingerstyle Ukulele, will be published by Mel Bay in 2026. My music is available on all streaming platforms at https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dcokTG6C598OhTslHH5uo?si=hrQb7FViSZewDRSgECw9Ew: Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, “Open Road,” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?si=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C. Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.

Original solo fingerstyle guitar arrangement of Winter Wonderland by Joe McMurray.  One of my favorite Christmas tunes, Winter Wonderland was written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and lyricist Richard B. Smith. TABs are available for purchase through my PayPal link at https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/6ZEEQXVEQ7MFA If you are interested in purchasing the TABs, be aware that this arrangement is suitable for players with a intermediate+ skill level. Performed on my treasured 2023 Collings OM2H guitar. My books: Fingerstyle Blues Guitar: An In-Depth Study of the 12-Bar Blues in E Major – Books 1 and 2 are available in paperback or as an eBook through Amazon [https://a.co/d/g7Udsso (Book 1) and https://a.co/d/aDbh4H0 (Book 2)].  The first priority of these books is to quickly get you playing a solo instrumental 12-bar blues, and then to build on it until you can freely improvise or “jam.” You should be up and running by the end of the third chapter, and each following chapter will add icing on the cake. Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook.  Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar. My upcoming book, Arranging for Fingerstyle Ukulele, will be published by Mel Bay in 2026. My music is available on all streaming platforms at https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dcokTG6C598OhTslHH5uo?si=hrQb7FViSZewDRSgECw9Ew: Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, “Open Road,” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?si=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C. Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.

Christmas repertoire books featuring solo fingerstyle guitar arrangements are great for the holiday season!  Whether you simply want to get into the Christmas spirit or you need to perform Christmas tunes at your gigs, there are a number of great Christmas repertoire books.  Last year I did a similar multi-book review, but I need to put out an update since I have since gone on a buying spree and purchased 4 more books that I’d been curious about.  In this review I will look at the original three books that I reviewed: Hal Leonard’s “Fingerpicking Yuletide,” Mark Phillips’ “Christmas Carols for Easy Classical Guitar” (Cherry Lane Music Company), and John Hill’s “Classical Guitar Christmas Sheet Music” (Hal Leonard) As well as my four new books: Michael Wood’s “Echoes of Christmas Past,” Bruce Emery’s “Christmas Fingerstyle Guitar,” and Doug Young’s “Christmas Carols for Fingerstyle Guitar” AND “A DADGAD Christmas.” And finally I’ll mention one book that I don’t have, but I can see enough from previews to be able to compare to the other books: Hal Leonard’s “Fingerpicking Christmas” To be clear, all books are suitable for either steel string guitar or nylon string classical guitar. I will demonstrate tunes from each book so that you can see and hear what you’re getting. Now, whether you are just looking to enjoy playing holiday tunes for yourself, with your family and friends, or on stage, there are several factors to consider.  Christmas music is really only acceptable in the month of December, so if you are like me then you’ll start preparing in November.  As these tunes are kept on the shelf for 10 months of the year, I generally look for the easiest arrangements that still sound as good as possible.  I need to be able to whip these into shape in a reasonable amount of time. Perhaps you (unlike myself) are looking for the most incredible sounding arrangements possible, regardless of their difficulty?  One of these books in particular fits that bill. Another important factor to consider is whether you are looking to play instrumental arrangements or if you are looking to lead a singalong.  Some books are better suited to one or the other. I’m going to try to guide you to the book or books that are best for YOU.  Each of these books is valuable in its own way, but one may fit you better.  Hal Leonard’s “Fingerpicking Yuletide” is the only book out of these that has popular modern/mid-twentieth century tunes like Holly Jolly Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bell Rock, and Let It Snow!  Hal Leonard is a publishing giant and has the ability to publish these popular tunes that are protected by copyright.  Late-beginner/intermediate.  Pretty good arrangements, especially as a starting point.  No audio recordings. All of the other books contain traditional Christmas carols like O Come, All Ye Faithful, The First Noel, Jingle Bells, and Silent Night.  These are all of the tunes that fall under the realm of public domain, so authors can arrange them without worrying about legal issues or royalties. Out of all of these other books, two books stand out for containing beautiful, yet easy to play arrangements.  Wood’s “Echoes of Christmas Past” is #1, Phillips’ “Christmas Carols for Easy Classical Guitar” is #2.  Wood’s arrangements are incredibly playable and sound so so good.  Very flowing and arpeggiated with a folksy touch.  Never too many notes at once, so easy on the hands.  No lyrics written into the music, and no audio recordings. Phillips’ arrangements also flow very well with lots of arpeggiation and pedaling on the open G string.  Definitely has some classical guitar vibes.  Once again, no lyrics, but this one does come with a CD for the audio recordings. If you are the type of player who wants a simple arrangement that you can enhance, or if you want to lead a singalong and need a really straightforward arrangement, Bruce Emery’s “Christmas Fingerstyle Guitar: Plain and Fancy” and Doug Young’s “Christmas Carols for Fingerstyle Guitar” are very valuable books.  Each contains the most basic arrangements with block chords harmonizing each melody.  These are excellent for beginners and work great as lead sheets for intermediate and advanced players (as a platform from which you can create your own variations).  Young’s book is a bit easier.   Emery’s book provides each carol at three difficulty levels.  Emery’s has lyrics in the music so it works better for singalongs.  Young’s has lyrics on the opposite page from the music, so usable for singalongs, but not ideal.  Both provide audio recordings.  These two books are both great gigging books, but I if I had to choose, I’d rather have the Wood or Phillips book at a gig. Doug Young’s “A DADGAD Christmas” is unique and incredibly beautiful.  Much more difficult in comparison – suitable for intermediate and advanced players.  Audio recordings are available on Spotify and make for great listening!  Some really satisfying arrangements, but not my first choice of Christmas gig book – I generally want Christmas gig tunes to be on the easier side. Hill’s “Classical Guitar: Christmas Sheet Music” contains arrangements that can absolutely work on steel string guitars, but they are written only in treble clef.  These arrangements are all a bit more difficult to play, regardless of treble clef vs. TAB, and they don’t necessarily sound better than the arrangements of the other books.  Many arrangements just feel clunky with difficult fingering.  One thing that I do like is the arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s “March” from the Nutcracker, which you won’t find in any of the other books.  If you are a classical guitar teacher, these would definitely be useful to use with your students.  No audio recordings. So, to organize all of this information: Only one for mid-twentieth century tunes: Hal Leonard’s “Fingerpicking Yuletide” Best for solo instrumental gigging: Wood’s “Echoes of Christmas Past” is #1, Phillips’ “Christmas Carols for Easy Classical Guitar” is #2.  Hal Leonard’s “Fingerpicking Yuletide”is an equally important gigging book for me too just because of its arrangements of popular tunes. Best for singalongs: Hal Leonard’s “Fingerpicking Yuletide”, Bruce Emery’s “Christmas Fingerstyle Guitar: Plain and Fancy”, and possibly Hal Leonard’s “Fingerpicking Christmas” Most beginner friendly: Probably Doug Young’s “Christmas Carols for Fingerstyle Guitar” orBruce Emery’s “Christmas Fingerstyle Guitar: Plain and Fancy,” then Wood’s “Echoes of Christmas Past” is #1, Phillips’ “Christmas Carols for Easy Classical Guitar” Most sonorous arrangements: Doug Young’s “A DADGAD Christmas” Don’t buy: Hill’s “Classical Guitar: Christmas Sheet Music” Performance: Holly Jolly Christmas, Frosty the Snowman – Hal Leonard’s “Fingerpicking Yuletide” Come, All Ye Faithful – in all books other than Hal Leonard’s “Fingerpicking Yuletide” andDoug Young’s “A DADGAD Christmas” Silent Night – in all books other than Hal Leonard’s “Fingerpicking Yuletide” My own books: Fingerstyle Blues Guitar: An In-Depth Study of the 12-Bar Blues in E Major – Books 1 and 2 are available in paperback or as an eBook through Amazon [https://a.co/d/g7Udsso (Book 1) and https://a.co/d/aDbh4H0 (Book 2)].  The first priority of these books is to quickly get you playing a solo instrumental 12-bar blues, and then to build on it until you can freely improvise or “jam.” You should be up and running by the end of the third chapter, and each following chapter will add icing on the cake. Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook.  Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar. My upcoming book, Arranging for Fingerstyle Ukulele, will be published by Mel Bay in 2026. My music is available on all streaming platforms at https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dcokTG6C598OhTslHH5uo?si=hrQb7FViSZewDRSgECw9Ew: Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, “Open Road,” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?si=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C.Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.

Is this one of the best or worst method books for learning to play acoustic fingerstyle blues guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Another great find!  Beginning Fingerstyle Blues Guitar, by Arnie Berle and Mark Galbo, is a method book for learning to play fingerstyle blues guitar (both solo and accompaniment).  This is first fingerstyle blues books that I’ve come across that provides a great chapter on how to incorporate singing over your guitar playing.  The book is suitable for beginner fingerstyle players who can play basic chords through to intermediate players.  I blew through this book – the material progresses logically with exercises that build on each other and lead perfectly into complete 12-bar examples.  The majority of the book is focused on playing using an alternating bass (Travis style).  Rest assured, if you work through this book, you will build a solid fingerstyle blues foundation and you will learn a few cool 12-bar choruses.  You will still need further instruction to develop your arranging and improvisation skills as well as your tone, rhythmic feel, and fingering choices. After some introductory material covering blues history, form, rhythm, and picking hand technique, the book jumps right into exercises to develop your alternating bass technique.  Assuming you can already play your basic chord shapes, the book methodically shows you how to play the alternating bass over the I, IV, and V chords in the keys of A, G, and E.  Each chapter presents a new layer of complexity (new melody note options, new rhythms, new fretting or picking-hand techniques, new chord voicings, etc.), with progressive exercises that always culminate in a full 12-bar example.  The authors really did a great job in organizing the topics and calibrating the difficulty progression – the book flows well.  Although the examples of the early chapters sound “major” and bland, they prepare you for the addition of “blue notes” and other bluesy techniques that add some soul to your sound and immediately make your playing more satisfying.  Just stick with it through those early chapters! Late in the book, the chapter on how to incorporate singing over your fingerstyle blues guitar playing is special.  You won’t learn anything about vocal technique or tone production, but you will learn about the call-and-response dance between your vocals and guitar playing.  You will learn how to accompany your vocal lines (the “call”) and then play a guitar riff or chordal “response.”  First, the vocal melody is provided in standard notation and on the CD – you will want to learn to sing this melody.  Then the guitar part is provided, which you will learn separately before adding the vocals on top.  Then the authors provide alternate “response” riffs that you can substitute into the segments of the tune when there are no vocals.  Players with more experience can improvise their own riffs in these spots.  Finally, you will learn a few turnarounds that you can substitute into bars 11 and 12.  By the time I was finished with this section, I was really jamming out, improvising, and having fun with the example tune. The book culminates with five complete blues tunes that incorporate everything you’ve learned and jump-start your blues repertoire.  Four of these tunes are traditional and one is an original.  Three are vocal tunes and two are instrumental. Beginning Fingerstyle Blues Guitar provides both treble clef and tablature for each arrangement.  Minimal fretting hand fingering is provided (sometimes written into the music, sometimes provided via tiny chord charts written above the music, and sometimes discussed in the text).  Picking hand fingering is only provided in the music for the first chapter, although you can always tell which notes should be played with your thumb by looking at the treble clef – bass notes have down stems.  The skill of choosing sensible fingering is important, and you will need to look elsewhere to further develop this skill. Recordings are available on an included CD.  These will be very helpful to many readers. The book doesn’t use the modern percussive techniques used by modern players like Michael Hedges, Don Ross, Andy McKee, Mike Dawes, etc.  No thumb slaps, guitar body percussion, or tapping. Published by Amsco Publications © 1993 My own books: Fingerstyle Blues Guitar: An In-Depth Study of the 12-Bar Blues in E Major – Books 1 and 2 are available in paperback or as an eBook through Amazon [https://a.co/d/g7Udsso (Book 1) and https://a.co/d/aDbh4H0 (Book 2)].  The first priority of these books is to quickly get you playing a solo instrumental 12-bar blues, and then to build on it until you can freely improvise or “jam.” You should be up and running by the end of the third chapter, and each following chapter will add icing on the cake. Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook.  Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar. My upcoming book, Arranging for Fingerstyle Ukulele, will be published by Mel Bay in 2026. My music is available on all streaming platforms at https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dcokTG6C598OhTslHH5uo?si=hrQb7FViSZewDRSgECw9Ew: Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, “Open Road,” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?si=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C.Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.

Is this one of the best or worst method books for learning to play acoustic fingerstyle blues guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Open with 12-bar blues performance Imagine ripping a blues solo on stage with your band – your drummer and bassist providing a comfortable soundscape on which your tasty guitar lines can float. Now imagine that you’re alone on your front porch with only an acoustic guitar – wouldn’t you like to be able to jam on the blues all by yourself? There is a long tradition of fingerstyle blues Although much fingerstyle blues music is mixed with vocals, solo instrumental tunes can be so much fun! Welcome to Guitar Books the Podcast, my name is Joe McMurray Show books Unusual episode – I’m going to do a rundown my own recently published books, Fingerstyle Blues Guitar: An In-Depth Study of the 12-Bar Blues in the Key of E Major: Books 1 and 2 First priority of these books is to quickly get you playing a solo instrumental 12-bar blues, and then to build on it until you can freely improvise or jam. You should be up and running by the end of the 3rd chapter, and each following chapter will add icing on the cake. Organized the books so that the concepts and exercises progress logically, thoroughly, and with a smooth difficulty progression. Take care to explain how to immediately apply each concept to your playing. These are essentially one long book split down the middle: Book 2 picks up right where Book 1 left off.  It was just too long – it would have been around 350 pages. I recommend that everyone start with Book 1, which is suitable for all skill levels. Complete beginner players who work through the first few chapters should be able to improvise a satisfying fingerstyle blues solo. Intermediate to advanced players will breeze through the first few chapters, but will hopefully pick up some useful information starting around Chapter 4. Book 2 is more suitable for intermediate to advanced players. It digs deeper into higher level concepts that are more technically and theoretically difficult, but will elevate your playing to new levels. You will learn to play new scales, turnarounds, rhythms, time signatures, key signatures, and more! Again, I recommend that everyone start with Book 1, and then move on to Book 2. Not here to teach you every authentic Robert Johnson lick or every subgenre of fingerstyle blues. You won’t learn and memorize a bunch of new tunes. However, I will clearly lay out how to create a solo fingerstyle guitar performance in which you improvise over the 12-bar blues structure using a monotonic bassline. You will master ONE platform through which you can channel endless creativity and put on a satisfying blues performance. Lots of fingerstyle blues books on the market – why work through mine? I love many of these other books, and I have learned a lot from them.  The first thing that differentiates mine is its focus on playing the blues over a monotonic bassline.  Most other books focus on playing the blues over an alternating bassline (Travis style) (although they may present some material on using a monotonic bassline). One focuses on playing the blues over a monotonic bassline – Joseph Alexander’s Fingerstyle Blues Guitar. I was honestly very influenced by this book, and I highly recommend it in addition to mine! However, Alexander’s book focuses more on teaching you a bunch of authentic blues language and licks over the monotonic bassline, with less emphasis on putting together a full lyrical 12-bar solo, nonetheless a full multi-chorus performance. My book starts from a more beginner-friendly place and builds with a much more gradual difficulty progression.  Easier melodies and rhythms at first, with many, many examples. My book focuses on the bigger picture of putting together a cohesive blues chorus and then a cohesive multi-chorus performance. I have spent a lot of time working through other books, I have real world experience, and I’ve tried to create a series of books that will be most effective at teaching you to actually jam on the blues. Critical of my own books: No recordings.  Need more time!  Two little kids.  Wordy?

Is this one of the best or worst repertoire books for learning to play acoustic fingerstyle blues guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Steve James’ Fingerstyle Blues Songbook is a repertoire book drawing from various substyles of fingerstyle blues (general old time country blues, Delta blues, ragtime blues, Texas blues, and bottleneck blues).  Most of the tunes are suitable for late-beginner and intermediate fingerstyle players, although advanced players will certainly enjoy the tunes as well.  The music in this book may sound “old-timey” (much of it comes from the 1920s and 30s), but it is really fun to play if you are interested in the style. This book is comparable to Stefan Grossman’s Complete Country Blues Guitar Book (Review #9).  Both are great resources. Fingerstyle Blues Songbook includes solo fingerstyle guitar arrangements of 15 tunes.  Each arrangement features a single chorus of a 12 or 16 bar blues (often with a repeat and a 2nd ending).  No page turns are ever needed!  Each arrangement is presented as a lead sheet with both the vocal melody (in standard notation) and the solo guitar arrangement (in both standard notation and tablature).  Each tune includes a couple paragraphs of background information including notable recordings and some fingering suggestions. Most of the tunes provide you with a single progression of the tune – even with the repeat, none of these will last a full minute as written.  In a real performance you would probably want to repeat the form multiple times with singing, variations, or improvisation.  My only complaint about the book is that it would have been helpful if the author had explained this a bit more.  However, if you listen to fingerstyle blues recordings, then you will hear many arrangement ideas. As mentioned, the book provides both treble clef and tablature for each arrangement.  Tiny chord charts are written above the music with fretting hand fingering, but these do not provide fingering for any of the melody lines.  Additionally, no picking hand fingering is included (although you can tell which notes should be played by the picking hand thumb by looking at the treble clef).  The book starts with a couple easier arrangements, but otherwise doesn’t progress from easiest to hardest.  Beginners might find the spiritual Oh, Mary Don’t You Weep on page 32 to be one of the easiest arrangements in the book. The majority of the tunes use standard tuning.  However, alternate tunings are used for the four tunes that utilize a slide. This is a repertoire book full of song arrangements.  This is not a method book that teaches you the fundamentals of how to play fingerstyle blues guitar.  However, if you have some fingerstyle experience, then this book will provide you with a bunch of fun tunes.  This is also a great supplement to a method book. Recordings are available on an included CD (which unfortunately didn’t come with my used book).  These would likely be very helpful to many readers. The book doesn’t use the modern percussive techniques used by modern players like Michael Hedges, Don Ross, Andy McKee, Mike Dawes, etc.  No thumb slaps, guitar body percussion, or tapping. For authenticity, I recommend using an acoustic steel string guitar rather than a classical guitar.  You will need a slide for several tunes. Published by String Letter Publishing (Acoustic Guitar Magazine).  © 2005 Distributed by Hal Leonard. My own books: Fingerstyle Blues Guitar: An In-Depth Study of the 12-Bar Blues in E Major – Books 1 and 2 are available in paperback or as an eBook through Amazon at https://a.co/d/g7Udsso.  The first priority of this book is to quickly get you playing a solo instrumental 12-bar blues, and then to build on it until you can freely improvise or “jam.” You should be up and running by the end of the third chapter, and each following chapter will add icing on the cake. Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook.  Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar. My upcoming book, Arranging for Fingerstyle Ukulele, will be published by Mel Bay in 2026. My music is available on all streaming platforms at https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dcokTG6C598OhTslHH5uo?si=hrQb7FViSZewDRSgECw9Ew: Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, “Open Road,” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?si=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C. Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.

Is this one of the best or worst method books for acoustic fingerstyle guitar? You can learn to play music by simultaneously using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Rainer’s Acoustic Blues Guitar Picking School, written by Rainer Brunn, is a method book for learning to play solo fingerstyle blues guitar.  The material is generally appropriate for late beginner to intermediate players who want to learn this style.  The material progresses logically from an easy introduction to Travis style/alternating basslines and quickly ramps up to late beginner difficulty.  Text is kept to a minimum, so readers should spend some time analyzing the playing examples.  The entire book is fairly short and concise at 53 pages. The majority of Rainer’s Acoustic Blues Guitar Picking School focuses on playing the blues using an alternating bassline, although some examples feature a monotonic bassline.  Each chapter generally features a concise explanation of one or two new concepts (i.e. inner and outer right-hand positions, the “long A” chord shape, hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, etc.), provides a few playing examples to demonstrate, and finally provides a full 12 or 16 bar blues chorus utilizing the new concepts. My overall impression from going through this book is that it contains valuable information, but it is not as comprehensive as some other books.  You will gain important technical/physical skills to play fingerstyle blues, but there isn’t much explanation on how to approach a new blues tune, music theory to help you choose the proper notes while improvising, etc.  Still, some people might prefer the concise text.  My advice would be to work through this book with a teacher or to combine this with another more comprehensive method book.  This book might make a great 2nd or 3rd book in your fingerstyle blues collection.  I got a great workout going through the book, I have immediately begun implementing some of the new ideas and chord shapes into my own playing, and I will be using some of the examples with my students. Chapter by chapter breakdown: Ch. 1: Intro to Travis style/ alt bass in blues keys of E, A, and C.  Intro to syncopation very soon.  If you are new to Travis style, then this will be difficult.  If you have some experience with Travis style, then this will quickly get you sounding bluesy. Ch. 2: Inner and outer RH positions – shifting thumb to pick 4th and 3rd strings while i and m fingers shift to 2nd and 1st strings.  Accompaniment behind a blues tune in D. Ch. 3: “Long A chord” – use pinky to reach 5th fret A note on 1st string.  Introduction of double alternating bass. Ch. 4: Hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides.  Intro to monotonic bass.  Intro to triplets.  Keys of E, G, and D with alt bass.  Intermediate territory. Ch. 5: Shuffle rhythm.  Advanced chord shapes (up the neck) for keys of E, A, D.  This is getting significantly more difficult – too difficult for beginners, in my opinion. Ch. 6: Thumb over the top.  Rag in C – really nice 16-bar tune. Ch. 7: Trickier hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides over Travis bassline.  Keys of E and A. Ch. 8: Using alternating m and i picking hand fingers.  Lots of cool chromatic melodies. Ch. 9: Accompaniment.  Variations to keep you from playing the same accompaniment pattern over and over. Ch. 10: “Moveable modules” – chordal or interval ideas that can be moved around to fit over different chords/in different keys. Ch. 11: Turnarounds – some good introductory turnarounds to learn and start implementing into your blues playing. Ch. 12: Two blues tunes with discussions/analysis. Videos available online – solid performances of examples that are helpful to view. The book doesn’t use the modern percussive techniques used by modern players like Michael Hedges, Don Ross, Andy McKee, Mike Dawes, etc.  No thumb slaps, guitar body percussion, or tapping. I recommend using an acoustic steel string guitar rather than a standard classical guitar since there are multiple tunes that utilize the fretting hand thumb over the top. Published by Hal Leonard © 2022 My own books: Fingerstyle Blues Guitar: An In-Depth Study of the 12-Bar Blues in E Major – Books 1 and 2 are available in paperback or as an eBook through Amazon at https://a.co/d/g7Udsso.  The first priority of this book is to quickly get you playing a solo instrumental 12-bar blues, and then to build on it until you can freely improvise or “jam.” You should be up and running by the end of the third chapter, and each following chapter will add icing on the cake. Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook.  Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar. My upcoming book, Arranging for Fingerstyle Ukulele, will be published by Mel Bay in 2026. My music is available on all streaming platforms at https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dcokTG6C598OhTslHH5uo?si=hrQb7FViSZewDRSgECw9Ew: Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, “Open Road,” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?si=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C. Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.

Is this one of the best or worst books for learning about vintage Gibson acoustic guitars? Kalamazoo Gals by John Thomas is a great book for vintage guitar enthusiasts, anyone curious about why folks are so crazy about vintage guitars, anyone generally interested in the Gibson guitar company and its founding, and anyone interested in the culture and society of the U.S. home front during World War II.  The author weaves the stories of the 1942 – 1945 Gibson “banner guitars,” the personal stories of the largely female workforce of the time, and the context of the wartime manufacturing regulations. This book does NOT teach you how to play the guitar – it is non-fiction novel.  John Thomas put a tremendous amount of research into this book, making multiple trips to Kalamazoo, MI (where the Gibson factory was located).  He presents his findings with a sense of humor, making for an enjoyable read. When many of the male employees at Gibson were sent off to fight in World War II, local women (the “Kalamazoo Gals”) stepped in to fill their shoes at the factory.  Despite heavy wartime regulations and an inexperienced, largely female workforce, Gibson built some of its most revered guitars – the “Banner Gibsons.”  Mysteriously, the Gibson company denies ever building these guitars! John Thomas sought out the Kalamazoo Gals for their first-hand accounts of working at the Gibson factory during WWII, and along the way he discovered their personal stories.  He poured through old shipping ledgers to decode Gibson’s strange serial numbers system (or lack there-of) so that we can more accurately date these vintage guitars.  He X-rays a bunch of Banner Gibsons to discover exactly what made these guitars special.  Finally, he produced a musical album to capture the sounds of the Banner Gibsons. The early chapters of the book present the history of Orville Gibson and his founding of Gibson guitars in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  As a guitar player, I was intrigued by the history of the company and how it is intertwined with American history.  I had no idea that Orville Gibson was fond of gaudy pinstriped suits and built interesting instruments like harp guitars and lutes.  I have a new respect for the company’s history having learned about how it scraped by during the depression, building both guitars and children’s toys, and how it aided the WWII effort by taking a bunch of contracts to build military weapons. You will gain a much deeper understanding of Gibson’s flattop guitar models and their histories.  You will read the stories of several specific guitars that were owned by famous musicians including Buddy Holly and Woodie Guthrie.  You may develop an itch to acquire a vintage guitar – the massive, resonant sounds of these guitars and the stories they carry are truly special. However, most importantly, you will hear the personal stories of some 15 or so Kalamazoo Gals.  It is touching to follow along as John Thomas clearly develops meaningful relationships with these women throughout the course of his research and interviews. Be sure to check out the album, The Light Still Burns, by Lauren Sheehan and produced by John Thomas, to hear some of the Banner Gibsons in action! Published in 2012 by American History Press. My eBook: Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook.  Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar. My upcoming eBook on fingerstyle blues will be out soon!  I’ll provide order details here. My upcoming book, Arranging for Fingerstyle Ukulele, will be published by Mel Bay in 2025. My music is available on all streaming platforms at https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dcokTG6C598OhTslHH5uo?si=hrQb7FViSZewDRSgECw9Ew: Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, “Open Road,” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?si=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C. Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.

If you want to get started playing acoustic fingerstyle guitar, you will benefit from private lessons with a teacher, online video courses, listening to fingerstyle recordings, and of course… books.  It is beneficial to mix and match all of these resources.  Remember that everyone’s brain works differently, so you may gravitate more towards certain styles of learning / methods of presentation.  I love learning from books because I can read the text at my own pace and as many times over as I want.  Seeing the music written out is extremely helpful for me – I always had more difficulty keeping track of song forms or chord progressions without some sort of written reference. So, for those of you who want to utilize a fingerstyle guitar method book to beef up your chops, I’ve done my homework and I’ve distilled my favorites into this “greatest hits” list.  I’ll try to be objective and describe who each book is best suited to. Best Beginner Fingerstyle Methods: Alfred’s Beginning Fingerstyle Guitar (Lou Manzi): Great all-around book to learn solo fingerstyle guitar.  Beginner to intermediate.  Not specific to any one subgenre of fingerstyle.  Nice organization/flow of information with a decent difficulty progression.  Good finger exercises to build some dexterity or to use as warmups, decent explanations in the text (but not too wordy), and nice sounding original tunes.  There aren’t any arrangements of famous tunes, but there are tunes “in the style of ___.”  I personally like working through this book with my students.  Additionally, many of this book’s lessons have sparked creative ideas of my own.  First book in a three part series, so you can continue your studies!  Audio recordings are available. Travis-Style Guitar from Scratch (Bruce Emery): This book is a gem!  This is a method book for learning to play solo fingerstyle guitar using an alternating bass (in the Travis style).  This is one of the best books I’ve found for complete beginner to intermediate players who want to learn this specific style.  Even if you want to play other sub-styles of fingerstyle as well, this isn’t a bad place to start your journey.  The material progresses logically with lots of exercises that build on each other and lead perfectly into performance pieces (old classics like Oh! Susanna, House of the Rising Sun, Jingle Bells, etc.).  Each time Emery presents a new concept, he incorporates it into updated arrangements of each tune.  Emery’s sense of humor is infused into the text of the book, keeping detailed explanations lighthearted and entertaining without losing sight of the important information.  Audio recordings are available. Fingerstyle Guitar from Scratch (Bruce Emery): I don’t love it as much as Travis-Style Guitar from Scratch, but it is still great general method book.  You will not learn to play solo fingerstyle guitar arrangements (other than a very brief introduction to the topic), but you will receive a great foundation if you are just starting out with fingerstyle.  Complete beginner to intermediate.  Emery’s sense of humor is once again infused into the text of the book, keeping detailed explanations lighthearted and entertaining without losing sight of the important information.  The book is focused on fingerstyle accompaniment using arpeggiation and Travis Style / alternating bass patterns.  This book would make an excellent primer for either Alfred’s Beginning Fingerstyle Guitar or any other fingerstyle guitar method.  Audio recordings are available. Hal Leonard’s Fingerpicking Guitar (Doug Boduch): Short and sweet method to learn to play accompaniment and solo fingerstyle guitar through famous popular tunes.  Beginner to intermediate.  Guitar teachers may find this book to be a great teaching supplement.  The progression of topics is well laid out, the examples and arrangements are playable and sound good, and the text is concise.  This book is great if you just want to play arrangements of popular tunes, but I’d recommend that you work with a teacher if you want to learn more about how to apply the information outside the book.  Audio recordings are available.  Don’t confuse this with the next book.  Hal Leonard’s Fingerstyle Guitar (Chad Johnson):  Not to be confused with the previous book, this book is a more in-depth method for learning to play both accompaniment and solo fingerstyle guitar.  Beginner to late-intermediate.  I love the chapter on arranging music for fingerstyle guitar.  There are lots of popular songs – either short samples of the accompaniment parts or full solo instrumental arrangements.  Lots of examples, although they don’t always build on each other very well, creating some tough swings in difficulty.  Audio recordings are available.  I’d recommend Alfred’s Beginning Fingerstyle Guitar over this book unless you specifically want the popular song arrangements. Mel Bay’s Complete Chet Atkins Guitar Method (Chet Atkins): Excellent method book aimed at beginner and intermediate guitar players who want to learn to play solo fingerstyle guitar arrangements in the style of Chet Atkins (the majority of which utilize an alternating bass/ Travis Style).  If you are interested in this country-blues style of playing that Chet Atkins made popular starting in the 1950s and lasting until his death in 2001, this is a great place to start.  This book ranges in difficulty from easy to intermediate, although a few of the final arrangements are fairly difficult.  This one is moves faster and gets significantly more difficult than Bruce Emery’s Travis-Style Guitar from Scratch.  I’d really recommend going through Emery’s book first and then tackling this one if you are primarily interested in solo Travis Style playing.  This book is arranged much differently from Emery’s book.  Each section focuses on playing in a new key signature, and each new key presents new challenges and new opportunities.  This book also gets you playing up the neck (but don’t be in a rush to play up the neck!).

Is this one of the best or worst books for learning to play acoustic fingerstyle guitar? You can learn to play music by simultaneously using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. The Inner Game of Fingerstyle Guitar by Adam Rafferty is an inspirational collection of practical advice on becoming not only a better fingerstyle guitarist, but a better musician and human being in general.  This is NOT a method book with specific instructions and playing examples.  It reads more like a non-fiction novel that you would read in your most comfy chair.  The text is easy to read and flows well from topic to topic.  Every section will provide you with ideas to improve your playing, organize your practice time, conquer your stage fright, connect with your audience, etc.  I’d recommend this book for all skill levels, but especially for beginner and intermediate fingerstyle guitar players. If you are looking for ways to motivate yourself or to get yourself over a musical plateau, this book would be a great investment of time and money.  It is a great supplement to other instructional books, video lessons, and in-person lessons.  Spend 5 or 10 minutes reading prior to your practice session, waiting at the doctor’s office, or while traveling. The book is organized into three parts: “Your Soul,” “Your Craft,” and “Your Listeners.”  Part One: “Your Soul” contains lots of ideas that you might find in a general self-improvement book.  Most of the advice is not specific only to becoming a better guitar player.  Adam recommends playing music that really speaks to you, focusing on your strengths, and setting goals with specific plans to achieve them.  Some of this may be a little “heady” for some readers with ideas of “musical truth” and allowing your subconscious mind to guide you towards achieving your goals.  Even if that’s not your cup of tea, stick it out (you will likely find something useful) and you will be rewarded later in the book. In Part Two: “Your Craft,” Adam discusses how to actually improve as a musician.  He goes over the stages of artistic development, the ten areas of musical study (concepts like “what to play” and “how to play”), how to practice effectively, and how to get out of a rut.  This section of the book gives a great overview of what is actually involved in mastering your musical craft. In Part Three: “Your Listeners,” Adam shares some of what makes him so great as a musician and performer.  He provides practical advice on finding gigs, dealing with stage fright, and satisfying your audiences.  I love what he has to say about performing music that is both inspiring to you and entertaining for your audience. If you like what Adam has to say in this book, you should absolutely check out his recordings, his successful YouTube channel, his podcast (Fingerstyle Guitar Hangout with Adam Rafferty), and his online courses.  He is incredibly talented at not only playing the guitar, but at arranging popular tunes for fingerstyle guitar.  I personally learned so much from him through his courses and through an interview that I did with him around 5 years ago on Fret Buzz the Podcast. No guitar required while reading this book! Published in 2020 by Crescent Ridge Publishing, LLC. My eBook: Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook.  Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar. My music is available on all streaming platforms at https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dcokTG6C598OhTslHH5uo?si=hrQb7FViSZewDRSgECw9Ew: Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, “Open Road,” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?si=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C. Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.

Is this one of the best or worst method books for acoustic fingerstyle guitar? You can learn to play music by simultaneously using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. This book is a gem!  Travis-Style Guitar From Scratch, written by Bruce Emery, is a method book for learning to play solo fingerstyle guitar using an alternating bass (in the Travis style).  This is one of the best books I’ve found for complete beginner to intermediate players who want to learn this style.  The material progresses logically with lots of exercises that build on each other and lead perfectly into performance pieces (old classics like Oh! Susanna, House of the Rising Sun, Jingle Bells, etc.).  Each time Emery presents a new concept, he incorporates it into updated arrangements of each tune.  Emery’s sense of humor is infused into the text of the book, keeping detailed explanations lighthearted and entertaining without losing sight of the important information.  I can’t overstate how effective this book is with my students.  Emery will present a single idea like how to play an alternating bass line under an A minor chord.  Then he’ll present a series of exercises in which you play a single melody note each measure while maintaining the alternating bass line.  Each exercise will place that melody note on a different beat within the measure.  This approach provides great training that slowly, steadily, and thoroughly develops your physical skills. The tunes at the beginning of the book couldn’t be more approachable (as solo arrangements), even for beginner students.  The first arrangements don’t feature any syncopation (the melody notes all land on the down beats), making them much easier.  They don’t sound as complex as the later arrangements, but they sound pretty good for beginner students!  This makes it fun and builds confidence.  It is incredibly valuable to see the same tune arranged multiple times with increasing levels of complexity and difficulty.  Aside from getting physically better at playing guitar in this style, you will gain insight into how to add variations to your own arrangements in the future. No modern tunes in this book.  However, if you work through this book then you’ll be in a much stronger position to approach popular tune arrangements from other sources. This book is entirely focused on solo Travis-style playing.  You will not learn Travis-style picking patterns that you might use to accompany yourself while singing.  Your guitar will do the singing!  Also, you will not learn other solo fingerstyle approaches like using block chords, arpeggiation, and other modern percussive techniques. The book focuses on the keys of G major, C major, and A minor.  Three pages at the end are dedicated to the keys of A major, E major, and D major (in drop D tuning).  The book also keeps you playing down in first position (at the nut of the guitar) – no playing up the neck.  This keeps things more approachable.  No complaining here! Audio recordings are available for all exercises and tunes!  Just go to the author’s website and download. All playing examples are provided in tablature (TAB) only!!!  Chords are notated above the TAB.  Rhythms are clearly notated.  I enjoy reading standard notation and teach it to interested students, but I don’t personally think much (if anything) is lost by not providing standard notation for this subject matter. I recommend using an acoustic steel string guitar rather than a standard classical guitar since there are multiple tunes that utilize the fretting hand thumb over the top. Published in 2006. My eBook: Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook.  Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar. My music is available on all streaming platforms at https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dcokTG6C598OhTslHH5uo?si=hrQb7FViSZewDRSgECw9Ew: Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, “Open Road,” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?si=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C. Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.

Is this one of the best or worst method books for acoustic fingerstyle guitar? You can learn to play music by simultaneously using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. The Alex de Grassi Fingerstyle Guitar Method, written by fingerstyle legend Alex de Grassi and produced by Stringletter (the publisher of Acoustic Guitar Magazine), is a method book for learning to play solo fingerstyle guitar.  You will learn many of the nuts and bolts that bolster de Grassi’s technique, musicality, and general style.  This is an amazing book (a 192 page tome of information!), but it is dense and highly technical. If you are thinking about investing your time into this book, consider what sub-style of fingerstyle you are interested in.  Listen to Alex de Grassi’s playing to see if that is the direction that you want to go in.  I personally love his playing – he uses a lot of classical technique, he has incredible control and clarity, he is extremely melodic, expressive, and musical, he tastefully uses some modern percussive techniques and cross string ideas, and he plays music that sounds like a blend of folk, Celtic, and blues.  If you want to play like Chet Atkins or Tommy Emmanuel, start with a different book.  If you want to play like Andy McKee, Preston Reed, Don Ross, or Mike Dawes, this book has several very applicable chapters and isn’t a bad stepping stone.  This is a great book if you want to be a well-rounded and precise player. De Grassi claims that this book is for beginner through advanced players.  The first half of the book certainly contains a lot of “beginner” fingerstyle information, but I highly discourage beginner players from starting with this book as their first foray into fingerstyle guitar.  There are more approachable books with easier arrangements and less text.  If you are a big Alex de Grassi fan and you’re dead set on going through this book as a beginner, it would be helpful to work with a teacher and/or to supplement it with another more beginner-oriented method book (see my other videos/reviews). I think that this book is very beneficial to a late beginner or intermediate player who can already smoothly play some solo fingerstyle arrangements.  This book will tweak your physical techniques, your tone, and your artistic touch (phrasing, articulation, dynamics, etc.).   Overall, the 2nd half of the book is very “heady” with many advanced concepts that beginners don’t need to bog themselves down with.  These concepts include difficult cross-string ideas, reasons to use alternate tunings, complex rhythmic ideas (cross-rhythms), modern percussive techniques, and ways to add depth and dimension to your sound. The repertoire in the book consists of traditional tunes and the author’s original tunes.  There are several full song arrangements, but most of the examples are song fragments.  De Grassi breaks down these fragments in great detail in order to demonstrate the topic being discussed in the text. There is SO much detail in the descriptions.  He gets into the nuances of how to physically perform a technique, where to place your fingers, how to control note durations, etc.   The text is very dense, and it took me a long, long time to get through it.  I recommend listening to each (wonderful) audio example, then reading the text pertaining to that example, and then playing that example.  You will likely need to repeat this process multiple times for each example or topic. The audio recordings are invaluable for hearing the artistic details, ornamentation, and complex rhythms of the examples.  I don’t think I’ve ever been so tied to the audio recordings of a method book. All playing examples are provided in standard notation (treble clef) and tablature. You could use either a steel string acoustic or nylon string classical guitar to work through this book.  You don’t have to fret any bass notes using your thumb over the top (although I like to here and there). Published in 2012. My eBook: Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook.  Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar. My music is available on all streaming platforms at https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dcokTG6C598OhTslHH5uo?si=hrQb7FViSZewDRSgECw9Ew: Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, “Open Road,” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?si=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C. Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.

Quick advice, tips, and tricks for improving at fingerstyle guitar, ukulele, etc. Selecting and maintaining a repertoire of tunes is critically important.  Whether you want to casually play for friends/family or you aspire to perform at a local bar/restaurant gig, you should intentionally choose repertoire tunes that suit your desired performance outlet. Once you’ve built a repertoire, maintaining it can require a lot of work.  To stay performance-ready, you need to plan time for repertoire review into your practice schedule.  How often you review each tune depends on your own abilities. In the video I discuss a couple options to ease the burden of gig preparation.  You can use sheet music or an iPad on stage, or you could split a gig with another musician. Keep a notebook with your repertoire list so that you are efficient with your repertoire review and so that you never lose track of a tune.  If you perform for different types of gigs, you will need multiple repertoire lists. Your repertoire will continually grow and evolve.  Some old arrangements will fall off of your list as you add new ones. You can learn to play music by simultaneously using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. My eBook: Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook.  Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar. My music is available on all streaming platforms – links on my Linktree page: linktr.ee/joemcmurray Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, “Open Road,” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?si=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C. Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.

Quick advice, tips, and tricks for improving at fingerstyle guitar, ukulele, etc. To progress as a musician and achieve your long-term and short-term goals, it is important to practice well.  Practicing efficiently and effectively will help you to improve faster with less practice time.  This is relevant not only to fingerstyle guitarists and fingerstyle ukulele players, but to all aspiring musicians regardless of their chosen instrument or genre of music. Think about what your long-term and short-term goals are, and then create a practice plan that will help you achieve those goals.  You can be extremely specific and schedule your time down to the minute.  Example: Long term goal: perform a local fingerstyle guitar gig a year from now. Short term goal: memorize and master one repertoire tune in the next month. Very short term goal: memorize and master the verse of that repertoire tune in the upcoming week. Available practice time: you can fit in three 20-minute practice sessions each week. Monday and Friday practice sessions could each consist of: -2 minutes warmup routine -10 minutes working on one line of the verse of your new repertoire song -8 minutes repertoire review (other tunes that you have been preparing for your performance next year) Wednesday practice session could consist of: -1 minute warmup routine -10 minutes method/technique book -5 minutes working on one line of the verse of your new repertoire song 4 minutes repertoire review (other tunes that you have been preparing for your performance next year) Your goals will continually change and your practice schedules must adjust as well. You can learn to play music by simultaneously using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. My eBook: Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook.  Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar. My music is available on all streaming platforms – links on my Linktree page: linktr.ee/joemcmurray Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, “Open Road,” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?si=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C. Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.

Quick advice, tips, and tricks for improving at fingerstyle guitar, ukulele, etc. In order to progress as a musician it is important to have clear long-term and short-term goals.  This is relevant not only to fingerstyle guitarists and fingerstyle ukulele players, but to all aspiring musicians regardless of their chosen instrument or genre of music. Figure out what your long-term goals are.  Make realistic short-term goals that help you progress towards those long-term goals.  In a future Tone Talk episode, I’ll talk about building a specific daily or weekly practice schedule to achieve all of these goals.  In yet another future episode I’ll talk about choosing and maintaining the right repertoire to help you achieve these goals. You can learn to play music by simultaneously using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. My eBook: Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook.  Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar. My music is available on all streaming platforms – links on my Linktree page: linktr.ee/joemcmurray Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, “Open Road,” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?si=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C. Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.

Is this one of the best or worst method books for acoustic fingerstyle guitar? You can learn to play music by simultaneously using a variety of resources including teachers, online resources, and books. Hal Leonard’s Fingerpicking Guitar, written by Doug Boduch, is a method book for learning to play solo fingerstyle (or “fingerpicking”) guitar or fingerstyle guitar accompaniment.  The book features lots of popular tunes (the Beatles, Adele, Sam Smith, Imagine Dragons, The Police, Toto, Ed Sheeran, etc.).  Overall, It is suitable for beginner through intermediate players with the tunes in the later sections of the book becoming progressively more difficult up to that intermediate skill level.  Advanced players may still find some fun repertoire tunes.  Guitar teachers may find this book to be a great teaching supplement.  The progression of topics is well laid out, the examples and arrangements are playable and sound good, and the text is concise.  The book is very short at 38 pages.  This is partially due to a lack of detailed explanations, which is part of why this book may work better as a supplement to private lessons or to another more detailed method book.  The book is also short because it just doesn’t have that many examples.  The examples and arrangements are of high quality, but they don’t cover the many nuances that could pop up in the world of fingerstyle guitar. If you are looking to play solo fingerstyle guitar arrangements of popular/modern tunes, then this book may be for you.  If you are looking for folk, blues, ragtime, Celtic, or classical music, then there are better options. Fingerpicking Guitar starts with examples of playing easy single-line melodies (Happy Birthday, etc.) with your fingers or thumb.  The book then presents some arrangements that utilize a single, easy-to-grab bass note underneath the melody in each measure.  Later on it focuses on arrangements that feature alternating bass lines (Travis picking).  The book provides some basic arpeggiation examples for accompaniment as well as some arrangements that utilize arpeggiation, but it doesn’t really provide much detail about how to apply arpeggiation underneath a melody in a solo arrangement.  There is no discussion of more complex techniques (natural and artificial harmonics, harmonizing melodies with 3rds, 6ths, etc.), alternate tunings, or more modern percussive techniques. Don’t confuse this book with Hal Leonard’s Fingerstyle Guitar by Chad Johnson.  There is a similar progression of information, but they are different books.  The older Fingerstyle Guitar also features popular tunes, but is overall lengthier and more detailed.  However, I prefer some of the arrangements in the newer Fingerpicking Guitar, especially for my guitar students. There is virtually ZERO music theory in Fingerstyle Guitar.  This may appeal to some readers.  However, you won’t learn how to apply the concepts/techniques presented into other musical situations (other tunes, etc.).  With the help of a teacher or another book you could get a lot more out of Fingerpicking Guitar. The book includes access to online audio or video for every example.  The audio can be slowed down which can be very helpful.  The guitar playing is clean and the recording quality is high.  Example numbers don’t line up between Example 30 and 33, but they are all there. All playing examples are provided in standard notation (treble clef) and tablature. You could use either a steel string acoustic or nylon string classical guitar to work through this book.  You don’t have to fret any bass notes using your thumb over the top (although I like to here and there). Published by Hal Leonard © 2023. My eBook: Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar: go to http://joemcmurray.com/checkout/ to purchase a pdf of my eBook.  Learning to arrange melodies will also help your fingerstyle songwriting and your understanding of the inner workings of fingerstyle guitar. My music is available on all streaming platforms: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5dcokTG6C598OhTslHH5uo?si=hrQb7FViSZewDRSgECw9Ew: Pins on the Map: my third fingerstyle guitar album was released on January 19, 2024. Watch the first single, “Open Road,” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/uPBh8sZQsT4?si=EM_wAwnHFqU1VC9C. Riding the Wave and Acoustic Oasis: my first two fingerstyle guitar albums.