Book + Online Video & Audio Instruction - Guitar Theory For Dummies

Seriously disapointed that the cover and intro material for this does not mention that this is advanced level content. When I look at the "Dummies" series I expect it to start from sctratch not from some advanced point in the learning structure. To use this effectively (or at all) you need to be a strong intermediate player with a very solid understanding of music theory as it pertains to other instruments. From the books introduction it tells you that to use this book, You need to be able to read and play open chords, open chord songs, barre chords and barre chord songs, power chords and power chord songs, melodies, riffs and solos,read guitar tabs and neck diagrams and tabulature. Then it plugs another book that you should have bought first.
Would return this if allowed. NOT AT ALL LIKE THE REST OF THE DUMMIES SERIES.

This book is a perfect combination of theory and practical information. One minor quibble is that instead of just referencing classic rock pieces that exemplify a technique, it would be helpful for a short video segment playing the excerpt so that we better understand how it is constructed.

I learn visually and Desi's books have clarified several music theory concepts that my guitar teacher had tried to explain. Also, although I myself mostly purchase books in Kindle form, this kind of book would probably be most useful in paper form.
Finally, I appreciate that Desi provides song examples in multiple genres, ie rock, blues, funk, country, folk, etc.

For the rank beginner? Maybe. Perhaps... I'm inclined to say not. But probably more suited to someone who knows a few chords, has a few simple songs memorized and who may have a bit of rhythm hidden in there somewhere which has been fostered by the kid up the street or some uncle who rocks or maybe this would be useful to someone who plays another instrument fairly well and wants to get to work on guitar because they are musical in nature and a guitar is portable and they can make music anywhere (harmonica anyone, flutophone?)... but this book is probably going to frustrate the buyer who just laid out some cash for guitar because they always wanted to play one even tho' they never had instrument instruction before, never played in a school band, never did anything musical in their life.

If your child (or yourself) falls into the - never ever done it before category - Get them (or yourself) lessons... or better yet (if it is your darling child) sign them up for school band and let the school tap into that potential through tried and true pedagogy/methodology. Drums, trumpet, trombone, sax? Whatever... there is value in a bit of school borne training. Then comes summer camp and marching band... geekify that offspring. But come on! Throwing a guitar and some one-stop-shopping method of learning to play that guitar at a kid is bound to fail. Yes, yes, yes there are exceptions.... statistically they are very very few exceptions, take notice that there are very few exceptions. Do you play the guitar? Do you have time to sit down and work your student out on exercises and tips and the old show-and-tell? If so, buy it and use it as a guide to show your child how it's done and BTW here's the instructional method we're using! That might work. But it will take effort on both parts.

I completely agree with another 1-star review made by someone else. I gave up on this book within the first ten pages. As another pointed out, shouldn't a book in the "for Dummies" series be for beginners? That said, I'm not a beginner. I've been playing guitar since the late 1960s but I never got into theory. I thought I'd give it a try and this book is incredibly frustrating. Almost immediately, the author starts using advanced music terms without defining them, apparently assuming that everyone using the book already knows music theory. If that was the case, they wouldn't need the book. Over the years, I've noted that some people can be very knowledgeable in a particular area but be terrible teachers and this is a good example of that, in my opinion. I was a trainer myself for many years (I'm a retired engineer) and I always defined terms in simple language and gradually built upon that. But Desi just jumps in with terminology that someone buying a "for Dummies" book probably wouldn't know. Why would I buy a book on music theory if I already understood all the terminology? That's why I bought the book - to learn the terminology.

Other irritations that I could see just by flipping through the pages was his constant reference to popular songs. That would be fine if you have access to them easily and quickly and I probably have many of them in my music library but it's a pain to have to constantly be finding those songs to hear what he is talking about in a particular song.

This is one of the first items I have ever returned on the store. I was about to throw it in the trash but found that it returning it will be easy thanks to the store.

My search for a well-written book on music theory for guitar continues.

First off: If you interested in music theory strictly in the context of jazz or classical music, there are many more in-depth and narrowly-focused texts out there that I’d recommend over this one. For that matter, if you're interested exclusively in a particular genre, such as metal, you'd probably prefer a book that deals just with that in more detail.

But if you’re a ‘by ear’ player of any genre of rock, blues, or pop, or a songwriter who wants to better understand what you’re doing and use that knowledge to broaden your options for writing and improvising, there’s a lot of useful material here, presented in a friendly straightforward way.

The material covered is essentially chords (the commonly used CAGED system of fingerings), chord progressions and scales. The book assumes you already play at an intermediate level and is really about giving you the knowledge behind what you already know and the tools to build upon your current skills.

The book refers to a large number of rock and popular tunes to illustrate chord progressions and the use of particular scales. It seems purposely designed to appeal to a wide range of players, covering titles from the 60’s through the past decade, so you’re bound to find a couple of tunes you know well that really nail down some of the ideas.

The presentation uses primarily chord diagrams and tab, with a relatively small amount of traditional notation that’s always accompanied by tab. The author makes the point (and I strongly agree) that learning traditional music notation doesn’t mean becoming as proficient as an orchestral conductor or a concert violinist. It means, for the most part, understanding rhythmic subdivision up to 16th notes. We all choose the effort we put into music and what we get from it. I’ll just say that if you have the patience to learn tab, you have the patience to learn basic notation, and you’ll never regret the musical doors that open up to you as a result.

Guitar Theory For Dummies follows the same structure as most "For Dummies" books however I really enjoyed Mr. Serna's writing style. His explanations are thorough and easy to understand.

That being said, as is stated in the introduction, this book assumes you have a basic familiarity with the guitar: you know most of your open chords, barre chords, and at least a working knowledge of how to read guitar tablature. As such this book is geared for the advanced beginner-intermediate guitar player. It was a perfect fit for me because I've been playing guitar for years but just didn't understand why things either sounded good or not.

There is an accompanying website with audio and video clips that go with the lessons and I found these to be very helpful and professionally produced. I especially enjoyed the use of popular songs to demonstrate lesson concepts rather than just abstract notes to get a point across. With this style of teaching you can immediately apply what you're learning to songs you hear on the radio or your iPod.

Overall I am very happy with Guitar Theory For Dummies and can recommend it to any one with a basic working knowledge of the guitar.

As the author, Desi Serna, says, this book is intended for people who've already learned the basics of playing guitar. The book uses guitar tablature, not musical notation. Even though the subject is theory, Serna's approach is very practical. It forces me to focus on the relationships between notes and chords on the guitar itself, and not on the sheet music.

In Chapter Two, before even getting to the meat of the book, I found something I wish I'd seen in one of the basic guitar books I went through four years ago--how to identify any note on the fretboard by tracing it along the neck to the first two strings you learn (low E and A).

The book has:

two chapters on basic theory, the fretboard, and intervals;

eight chapters on chords, chord progressions, keys, modes, the CAGED system;

five chapters on scales--pentatonic, major, modal scales, the harmonic minor; and

three chapters of advice on how to learn all this and have fun playing.

The book is written so you can pick the sections you want to work on. Serna suggests rhythm guitarists concentrate on chords and lead guitarists on scales.

Since I play mostly classical guitar, I'm working my way through the introductory chapters on the fretboard and intervals, then the sections on scales. It will probably take a year to go through the whole book, but as Serna says, it's not a race.

Serna gives hundreds of songs as examples. For instance, after the section on major 7th chords, he lists songs by the Beatles, the Eagles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Norah Jones, Fleetwood Mac, Kansas, and the Dave Matthews Band. This gives a good idea of the type of music Serna is teaching, though the book would be a very comprehensive introduction to guitar theory for classical, jazz, and other styles that don't fall into the category of "Dad Rock." Serna also provides websites to go to in order to get music and tab.

This edition of the book provides a website with audio and video clips to illustrate a lot of the topics covered.

I'm an intermediate guitar player and have found Guitar Theory for Dummies immensely helpful. The first thing I noticed was the book's size and binding. The pages are wide enough to allow the book the lay open on the table for most pages which is very helpful for trying to pick out the lessons. The print is also large enough that the tabs and notations are easily viewed. A beginner would be in over their head a bit to start with this book, but if you've been reading some tab and playing a few songs for a bit and want to start to really understand the fret board, chords and how to move them around this is a wonderful resource. The text is straightforward, each section contains references to many very popular songs from Hendrix, Clapton, Santana, Queen, Skynard, Dylan, and tons of others. The book takes the reader through many scales and how to understand and practice how they work and how to apply them. The appendix includes links to their website where you can listen or watch many of the points in the lessons demonstrated. I'll be using this book extensively as I continue to practice. A great resource.

"Guitar Theory For Dummies" by Desi Serna is the book you want to get once you have your basics guitar skills mastered and under your belt. This book is not for beginners. It has everything you need to learn the entire fretboard to take your guitar playing to new levels.

This book is laid out in a sensible manner having you go step by step in building and strengthening your your skills. Several books I've used tend to give you little snippets of this and a little of that then go off onto some other topics until somewhere down the line they go back to what they had you doing a week or two prior. "Guitar Theory for Dummies" has you learning one type of skills before going on to the next.

Gives you all the theory you need to start playing solos, find your own personal playing style, and writing your own music.

I first starting playing guitar about 2 years ago. I started late around 35 years old, just something I always wanted to do. All I really wanted to do is just play my favorite songs and solos, but the more I played my guitar and the challenge it presented, I new I would have to learn this "Music Theory" that I kept on hearing about. I went online and looked around at some free videos and websites, but it wasn't presented in a fashion that made sense and tied things together.

I have so far read the first couple chapters of Desi's book, Guitar Theory for Dummies and it is wonderfully laid out. I re-read the chapters over and over just to get this stuff in my head, but now things are starting to make sense. I use the videos in the book to reinforce details, and have also purchased the 4 part DVD, that goes over the pentatonic scale, caged system, modes, chord progressions). I have only been able to really focus on the Pentatonic Scale and the Caged system. I am excited to learn the other facets, but in the meantime there is so much to learn and understand.

I recommend this book and dvd system, for any beginning guitarist. I look forward to seeing where my playing will be in another two years.

Guitar Theory For Dummies starts with basics to intermediate to advanced. It is for teenagers to adults interested in guitar or who play the guitar and want to advance and learn new tricks. It gives access to audio tracks and video instruction online. It helps the reader understand how to play popular music and contemporary guitar, as well as create music of their own. It comes with an audio track and video. The book covers pentatonic and major scale patterns, CAGED chord system, chord progressions, playing by numbers, roots, keys, applying scales, modes and modal scales, intervals, chord extensions, popular song references, and theory applications.

This is definately one of the better "Dummies" books. It really is quite comprehensive and goes into just enough depth to make it understandable. I'm currently a music major studying guitar and taking theory classes. I found a lot of things discussed in class, in this book. I think it's best for those who already know some theory, even the very basics, otherwise it may be a bit confusing. Theory is a powerful tool that will take you a long way. IF you want to be a good musician, then you need to learn this stuff. Once you get into it, it's pretty interesting stuff! This book is a good introduction into what can be a confusing concept, but one that will continue to benefit you the rest of your musical life.

Desi Serna definitely takes the hefty studying weight and breaks it down into chunks that any novice to expert can digest appreciatively in their own time. While he does have a new version of this that can be bought, I liked that I was able to get the package as one material. What is fantastic about the paperback is that it does not stop there. He also has online links for applying what you learn on mp3 tracks, as well as demonstrating theories on videos. I have bookmarked that website and have revisited it constantly in order to improve and grow. I like how he is able to break down certain concepts (arpeggiation, riffs, licks, and styles) with examples of current and past songs that I can practice on without being bored to just one song. Finally, after scouring online for music theories from wide range of tutorials (youtube, blogs, and professional websites), I've come to rely on this extensively as I keep referring back critically thinking of how I can grow on a personal journey. If you get this book, even for a brief look, you will walk away with some food for thoughts.

Serna tells us that this book is NOT for beginners. The reader will need a basic understanding and skill level to get the most from it. Included are playing and reading open chords, power chords, barre chords, melodies, riffs, solos, tab and neck diagrams. The reader will also need to know or have access to well known music pieces that illustrate various lessons.

The author suggests starting with the "Guitar for Dummies" before trying this book. [Also interesting is the Idiot's Guide to Guitar Exercises....]

The author starts with basic music theory as it relates to the guitar. I have played the violin so this was helpful in orientating the music to the fret board. Harmony is next based on triads and cords. The CAGED system is basic for this theory. A good explanation follows of progressions (numbers), key changes, modes, and passing chords.

So if you have just been playing (like me) but want to know why things work the way they do and how to create your own sound, music, and patterns then his book will give you a lot to work on in the right direction. (Yes, there is a lot of material to work through and absorb.)

I am a novice guitar player but understand music theory from playing other instruments for years. This helped me understand how the theory I already know applies to the guitar. I was hoping it would help me learn guitar faster by applying the music knowledge I already have. It doesn't really do that but it will help guide me where to spend my practice time as it shows what is most commonly used.

I will come back to this book every few months as I (hopefully) get better at guitar and can apply more and more of this book.

Guitar Theory for Dummies is quite comprehensive. I wouldn't recommend it if you are brand new to the guitar. It helps to have a little music theory knowledge going into it. That said, this is a great book. It contains a lot of basic and advanced concepts that will help your playing IF you apply them. The one drawback I see is the fact that there are little to no chord charts for songs. It recommends lots of songs for learning, but doesn't include a lead sheet or chord chart for these. I wish it did. That said, I still rate this book at five stars because it is so comprehensive. I have played guitar for about 25years and wish I had this book when I was younger. It is that good. It contains MOST of the things you need to know about the guitar (how it works musically). Five stars IMHO.

Even after playing the guitar for a year, I wouldn't consider myself a musician. I can strum a few open chords, and keep up with recordings that feature open chords. I can also fingerpick a little, but neither is done very cleanly or creatively. Though I knew consistent practice would help make me a better guitarist someday, that only focused on technicality. I've always wondered at the actual musicianship aspect of the whole thing. I wanted to be able to actually read music and understand it!

Guitar Theory for Dummies satisfied that curiosity. Fair warning, it's not necessarily written for a novice guitarist. The book even says so, but it's not impossible to catch yourself up. Any term the author is using that you're not familiar with, he usually defines it the first time it appears -- or you can just Google it as you read. You are definitely expected to be familiar with basic music concepts (half step, whole step, scales, etc.) and have a working idea of what music theory may be about in order to help things move smoothly and quickly as opposed to having to learn every single term from scratch, but again he covers those basic ideas briefly the first time they're addressed.

The first chapter ("Guitar Theory in a Nutshell") gives you a sprawling, daunting overview of the topics the book will cover. It may seem overwhelming at first (I knew I got nervous when words like pentatonic, tonics, modes, dominant 7th showed up -- yikes!), but after you get past chapter 1, the book slows down and then tackles each topic systematically, each one from the ground up. Whew!

Every chapter is written to teach you good, fundamental music theory and how it appears on the guitar's fretboard.

I liked how he motivates you to keep learning by saying more than once, that guitar theory is what will help you confidently improvise and "comp" in the near future. Awesome! That's exactly what I want to be able to do.

It starts with encouraging you to know the fretboard like the back of your hand (yes, memorization is required!). It offers some helpful tips with memorizing and recognizing patterns.

A brief note: this book was not meant to teach a guitarist how to read sheet music. And it says so, too. While standard musical notation appears here and there and the ability to read music is encouraged, the majority of the diagrams used are of the fretboard, guitar tab, slash notation, and rhythmic notation. He says it's more helpful, for a guitarist, to look at shapes and patterns -- and I agree!

After that, the book in 18 chapters moves to chords (yes, the CAGED system), keys, modes, chord progressions, and scales -- and ends with some very popular songs (Pink Floyd, Los Lobos, Mellencamp, Van Morrison, U2, Santana, etc.) to encourage you to apply what you've learned and hopefully be able to analyze how those songs were constructed.

Many, many popular songs are referenced throughout the book. That helps keep interest while reinforcing a concept being taught (for example, while covering maj7 chords, the book casually lists over a dozen popular song that feature maj7 chords, including "Everyday" by Dave Matthews Band).

I could go on and on about this book, but all I can say is, while it doesn't beat an actual human teacher teaching you these things, it's a very, very good solid substitute. Auditory/visual learners out there (like me) benefit from videos and audio tracks hosted on the Dummies website.

There are plenty of music theory books out there, and I'm sure there are tons of guitar theory books, too. Guitar Theory for Dummies takes you through the journey. It covers pretty thoroughly the ideas and concepts all guitar theory books have in common, and it does so in an encouraging way. Contrary to the title, it's not dumbed down, which I really appreciate. There are special notes for beginners sprinkled throughout the book that help reinforce or elaborate on a certain topic, and there are special tips to help with memorization or understanding.

I'm a visual learner, so the diagrams provided in the book are very helpful, and so are the videos and audio tracks provided online.

A friendly and gentle approach to music theory for guitar. However, in spite of the “Theory” in the title, this is a very practical book with a lot of examples and applications. Serna revisits the topics discussed in Fretboard Theory, but not as a repetition. I would say it’s more like a companion and a good one to his previous books. I particularly enjoyed the Chapter 15 “Playing the Blues” and the discussion on improvisation. I have the Kindle version and it is very good, with clear illustrations, and all ancillary material can be downloaded from Wiley website. I rate myself as a beginner and I’m enjoying this book, although the author warns if you don’t have previous experience with guitar playing, you better try other resources before delving into this one.

There are truckloads of guitar theory books on the market. What makes this one stand out, in my view, is its very sensible organization (see table of contents), its layout (which includes lots and lots of very clear diagrams), its format (large page), the fantastic advice it's packed with (too extensive to quote here), and the quality of the writing. Any guitar theory book is liable to have most of the information someone interested in the subject needs. But a lot of the books I've owned before, or checked out elsewhere, though strong on essential information, are weak in other ways. Not only is Guitar Theory for Dummies strong on information, it is also clearly the product of someone who knows how to teach that information. GTfD is both a great reference and a great read!

This author really can present complex theory ideas for stringed, fretted instruments. I am a bass player, and the concepts have worked extremely well for me.

Trust me, you will not regret buying any works by this author!