Top 50 Guitar & Music Books

[Tom Lockwood]

My favorites include:
1) Ted Greene Single Note Soloing volumes 1&2
2) Berklee Guitar Method-(I've done 1&2)
3) Wolfgang Marshall's jazz series- my favorites are:
Pat Martino
Wes Montgomery
Joe Pass
George Benson
4)John Knowles book on Lenny Breau
5) Visions(on Lenny Breau) by Stephen Anderson
(this is a must have!)
6) The Guitar Style of Lenny Breau by Paul Bourdeau
7 All of the "Real Book " series
And for fingerstyle guitar-John Knowles book on Jerry Reed
and John Stropes's book on Michael Hedges
I could go on and on but that's enough for now!

[franco6719]

Well, here are some of my own recommendations, beside the main point of not getting too caught up in book-mania, as someone mentioned earlier. The whole thing is much more about aural development, listening deeply, and playing a lot.

The Berklee method books (William Leavitt)
Melodic Rythyms for Guitar (William Leavitt)
Joe Pass Guitar Style
Jazz Improvization (Garrison Fewell)
David Baker -How to Play Bebop series
Pat Martino - Linear Expressions
Wolf Marshall - The Essential Wes Montgomery
Charlie Parker Omnibook
Mark Levine- Jazz Theory
Ted Green - Chord Chemistry
Joe Diorio - Rhythm changes for guitar
Some of the Jamey Aebersold material.
Joe Diorio- Fusion (which has nothing to do with the genre, by the way)

[evansjr]

The Robert Yelin series for chord soloing (Jazz Classics, Jazz Gems, etc.). These are the best arrangements I've found for the old standards. I wish he'd publish more of them, even for more contemporary pieces.

[markerhodes]

Originally Posted by gravitas

Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell

I'm glad this book was mentioned because something has always bothered me about it, and that something is music related. When Gladwell talks about the "10,000 hour rule" (-how long it takes to master a skill) he uses the Beatles for an example, then talks about how many hours they spent on stage in Hamburg strip clubs becoming a tight band. Though I will grant that is true, what Gladwell fails to understand that 10,000 hours of playing cover tunes is NOT 10,000 of songwriting, and the Beatles are loved for their songwriting / record making; they are never numbered among rock's greatest *live* bands, which is what Gladwell's description would lead one to expect.

Mind you, I think learning good songs by other people is a big part of learning to write good songs on one's own, but not everyone who spends 10,000 hours on stage playing songs becomes a great songwriter (-Jeff Beck? Johnny Winter? I love 'em both, but composition ain't their trump card. Wes wrote more great tunes than Grant Green or Kenny Burrell, though I can imagine someone prefering GG and KB to WM as players.)

[catch22]

Originally Posted by scotmcg

Harmony With Lego-Bricks by Conrad Cork (UK Book). An excellent book on learning the harmonic language of improvised music. Levine's book is good, but this is another way of thinking about the subject, a different way of thinking about song structures, standards etc. Written in an accessible and conversational style.

... and "Insights in Jazz", which is based on that Lego-book, but is more concise. Author is John Elliott. There's a Lego-Google discussion group for both these books too.
... and "Neue Jazz-Harmonielehre" by Frank Sikora - there might be an English version out by now. It's in the vein of Levine's material, covering most aspects of jazz theory; it'll keep me busy for years.
... and "Thinking in Jazz - The Art of Improvisation" by Paul Berliner.
This covers over 800 pages of interesting reading on musicology, improvisation and more; not purely the "technical" playing side, but a broad way of looking at it all.

No guitar books on my list because I don't play guitar (much)

[bafart]

For me is James Aebersold Jazz Handbook
What do you of that?

[jaelliott]

Originally Posted by catch22

... and "Insights in Jazz", which is based on that Lego-book, but is more concise. Author is John Elliott. There's a Lego-Google discussion group for both these books too.

Hi guys, I'm new to this site. Ludo mentioned my book above. If you'd like to know more and access free downloads and podcasts and the discussion group, then please check out my website.

John

http://www.dropback.co.uk

[J Jones]

Jazz guitar: Jazz guitar voicings Drop 2 Book by Randy Vincent

Guitar: A must have is "Segovia's major and minor scales"

[rejikumar]

guitar book; Speed mechanics for Lead guitar. by Troy Stettina. Though meant for rockers, it is a highly useful book for any guitarist. different aspects of Alternate picking is the highlight. REji

[markerhodes]

Originally Posted by rejikumar

guitar book; Speed mechanics for Lead guitar. by Troy Stettina. Though meant for rockers, it is a highly useful book for any guitarist. different aspects of Alternate picking is the highlight. REji

Yeah, Stetina don't swing, but I learned some things from his book years ago. He was the first guitar teacher who taught me that most valuable lesson, "Separate the hands!"

[hiram3abif]

Robert Conti's Source Code

The Chord Melody Assembly Line
The Formula
The Jazz Lines

So far the best instructional book and DVD when it comes to playing jazz.

[Bluesguy]

Originally Posted by hiram3abif

Robert Conti's Source Code

The Chord Melody Assembly Line
The Formula
The Jazz Lines

So far the best instructional book and DVD when it comes to playing jazz.

Are these three or four different books and DVDs or one?

[nomelite]

Originally Posted by Bluesguy

Are these three or four different books and DVDs or one?

they are three books/DVD's.

[Sailor]

Everyone should read "Early Jazz", by Gunther Schuller....and the broader "A History of Western Music" , by Donald Jay Grout

Sailor

[CraigB]

I really enjoy the Reader's Digest books of popular tunes and even the children's books which have old standards from merry melodies and the like. They aren't difficult for the beginner and an advanced player can substitute over the basic chords easily.

For instruction though, I really like Progressions for Jazz and Popular Guitar by Arne Berle. Great book, if a touch a thin but it makes you learn the neck, period. No scales (except the harmonized), all chords.

[Robby8700]

Jazz book: The Chord Scale Theory and Jazz Harmony- Barrie Nettles and Richard Graf

Guitar: Chord, Scales, and Arpeggios- Al di Meola and Bob Aslanian
Melodic Rhythms for Guitar- William Leavitt (good sight reading practice)
Solo Guitar Playing- Frederick Noad

[Robby8700]

Pat Martino's Linear Expressions (good if your just learning to improvise over chord changes)

[jazzd]

Dirk this is in reply to your e-mail. You do donot have any of these books or DVDs but they are must haves for seroius jazz guitar. i have done wel with them. The Art of Solo Guitar and intermediate Jazz guitar by Jody Fisher.

Improv 335 by larry Carlton and George Benson absoluty for DVDs. The absolute best jazz has to offer.

[SlemMann]

I cast my votes for:

Jazz Guitar Books:

• The Advancing Guitarist (Mick Goodrick)

Guitar Books:

• Blues you can use (John Ganapes)
  

Music Books:

• The Jazz Theory Book (Mark Levine)

[MotMandre]

Chord Chemistry by Ted Greene. Great concepts for improving your jazz comping.

[mario.g]

jazz guitar books

jazz rythm guitar a sistematic aproach - roger edison
all blues for jazz guitar - comping styles,chords & grooves
jody fisher vol.1 vol.2 vol.3 vol.4

guitar books
pumping nylon

music books

mark levine the jazz theory book

[lopakafern]

I am having a hard time setting up my Cube 60 with my hollow body Hagstrom.
To much bass just cant get that right tone.
Looking for some input

[donindallas]

For me, the seminal book was "Mickey Baker's Complete Course in Jazz Guitar - Volume 1." Bought it in 1974--still has the $2.98 price sticker on it. Also, while not strictly jazz, I am a huge fan of "Fretboard Logic" by Bill Edwards. That opened up the fretboard like no other.

[brad4d8]

I own a large percentage of the titles mentioned-I'm a compulsive collector- and can agree with many of the recommendations. I am a little surprised, though, that nobody mentioned:
Harmonic Mechanisms for Guitar, Volumes 1,2 & 3, by George Van Eps. They have a lifetime of work in them (both that he lived and you can still live), more of a reference work than a method. He also has a single volume method that is pretty good.
Brad

[bealmond]

Originally Posted by donf214

The Jazzmaster Cookbook by Jim Grantham. Great theory book for the jazz player with practical advice and written in very organized and logical steps. Tough to find.

I also recommend this book. It's not hard to find at all, however. You can order it through Jim's website. Just go to this site if you're interested: Jazzmaster Workout: Jazz Theory, Improvisation, Musicianship Instruction Books

[C.A.JO.]

Jazz guitar books:
1. Jody Fisher - "Complete Jazz Guitar" Series
2. Andrew Green - "Jazz Guitar Technique"
3. Ted Greene - "Jazz Single Note Soloing" (volume 1+2)

Guitar Books:
1. Mick Goodrick - "The Advancing Guitarist"
2. Troy Steitina - "Speed Mechanics For Lead Guitar"
3. Tim Quinn - "Fluid Pentatonics"
4. Jody Fisher - "30 Day Guitar Workout"

Music books:
1. Troy Stetina - "Fretboard Mastery"
2. Mark Levine - "Jazz Theory Book"
3. Kenny Werner - "Effortless Mastery"
4. Barry Greene - "The Inner Game of Music"
5. Michael Miller - "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Music Theory"
6. Gerald Klickstein - "The Musician's Way"
7. Ted Greene - "Chord Chemistry" & "Modern Chord Progressions"
8. Walter Piston - "Harmony" & "Counterpoint"

All of these are sublime aids to anyone's studies with a teacher! I think it's hard to work with all this information on your own. But as you go through a lot of different topics with your teacher, you should investigate books and articles for further information. These books will all help with further knowledge in that manner.

[604bourne123]

my favourite-Jazz guitar chords and accompaniment-
yoichi Arakawa

[Guitar-Trader]

I've been playing guitar for a number of years, but I'm a newbie to Jazz guitar and was wondering whether anyone knows of a good jazz guitar video I could learn from? I tend to like Larry Carlton's style and that type of playing and music. Has anyone seen or used his instructional vids?

[princeplanet]

Omnibook.

David Baker How to Play Bebop, 1, 2 and 3

Aebersold, 1, 20, 21, 24, 47, 84

Wolf Marshall Best Of Wes Montgomery

Michael Moringelli A Reference for Jazz Theory

Dave Liebman Chromatic Approach to Harmony and Melody

Mark Levine The Jazz Piano Book

Ramon Ricker Technique Development in Fourths



But then, how many books did Wes need?.....

[Bluesguy]

Originally Posted by princeplanet

But then, how many books did Wes need?.....

Who knows? I know that I certainly enjoy reading and studying jazz books whether I need them or not. Of course, there are few jazz musicians to jam with here.