Learn and Apply Music Theory for Guitar - The Circle of Fifths for Guitarists

What I love is that this book is easy to follow. It introduces one concept and then builds on it logically and even after reading a few pages, I have learned more than I have ever known about music theory and how it is structured.

This book is easy to follow. He breaks down the concepts in logical steps that are easy to understand and grasp. The audio examples are very helpful along with the quizzes. I’m glad I bought this book.

Joseph does an excellent job of not only teaching u how to build the circle, he actually gives u real life examples of how to use it. Audio is great. This a neat tool every guitarist should have and use. It'll change the way u look at music.

Joseph Alexander has a gift for presenting guitar concepts in a clear, interesting way. I'm new to trying to understand music theory and I find this extremely helpful. Glad I purchased this ebook. Thank you Joseph Alexander!

Lots of books out there. I have several Joseph Alexander books and this one on the Circle of 5ths puts it right into perspective. It's cheap and thorough. I must have if the Circle of 5ths is still a mystery.

Very concise and informative. Just finished reading it through for the first time and it really clarifies the process of music structure. Now it's time to grab the guitar and go through it again and again.

This is an excellent book. As a trained musician who serves in Worship Bands, I often encounter guitarists with a lack of music theory understanding. This book is excellent remediation. I bought for our new worship leader and decided to,read it before giving it to him. A hidden bonus is found on page 53 where begins an excellent and useful discussion of key changes. Congratulations on writing a very useful and practical book.

Joseph writes all of his books in a clear, direct, and practical fashion. He tells you about whatever aspect of music that he is teaching, follows it with an example for you to practice, and backs all that up with down-loadable audio files that you can listen to to hear what you are supposed to sound like when you do the exercise. The Circle of Fifths is a critical musical concept for ALL musicians, and Joseph focuses in on the best way for guitarists to learn this concept.

Joseph Alexander is my first choice, always, in guitar technique authors.

This book was incredibly informative making me wish that i had found this resource earlier in my search for usable books concerning improvement in theory and technique. I highly recommend this book to students and professionals.

I love this book! Been a music/guitar amateur student for ages and there are some mysteries that I just memorized in the past; this book gave me so many "aha experiences"! Really insightful explanations, friendly tone. I bought two more by the same author, both kindle and paperback. I play classical and Spanish music mostly but still very useful to me in my studies.

Excellent !!! Opens the way for understanding and navigating the chord and solo landscape with logic, direction and organization. This book is written like a 'programmed text'. It starts from the beginning, and item by item, concept by concept, leads the reader to a understanding of the fundamentals and application of musical note, chord, and scale dynamics and interrelationship.
Finally! I can understand how song writers creatively and aesthetically craft a tune or song.
Highly recommended !!!

Not surprised that this book is as good as it is. I had one copy let a friend borrow it and never saw it again, so I reordered. After skimming through it again, I'm reminded at how thorough this book truly is. It is not about teaching notation but the actual concepts of why this sounds good with that and how to formulate those sounds. It is spot on. It doesn't matter how "professional" you think you are on the guitar. This book is a great reminder and solid application of theory that everyone should go through at least once a year. Much praise to Mr. Joseph Alexander for taking the time to compile this short but incredibly well laid out book.

Jason Alexander did a fine job on the explanation of the Cycle of 5ths subject related to the guitar. Informative as with any of Mr. Alexander's books which I have purchase through the store. Highly recommended especially for the guitarist....a must buy.

I picked up “The Circle of Fifths for Guitarists” as soon as the store had it back in stock. I have a couple of other theory books mentioning the circle of fifths but no real depth. They cover how to use it in one or two examples then they move to the next concept. This book covers both sides of the circle sharps first then flats. He also covers how to find the relative minors and does an example. He doesn’t dwell on the minors but introduces them to you and how to derive the minor scales. Definitely a must have for those interested in music theory.

If you are thinking about buying this book you already have an interest in fret board theory for the guitar. You want to know more about music in general and how it relates to the guitar. This is a clear, concise, and informative explanation of a key subject, pun intended, the relationship between notes, chords, scales and keys. I found it very helpful.

A rare text book.......easy to read, easy to understand and brief enough to avoid fatigue.
If like me you have an arsenal of guitar theory books that leave you bored, frustrated and with glazed over eyes, then you might enjoy this work. I read it cover to cover and understood the material in a couple of hours.
A nice little book and I'm really glad I bought it.

Understanding the Circle of Fifths is something I've wanted to do, for some years, but I struggled to memorize it. Guitar: The Circle of Fifths explained the mechanics of it, in such a way that I understand it. Based on Alexander's excellent explanation, I can construct the Circle of Fifths and no longer need to memorize it. Ironically, this understanding very quickly made it a breeze to memorize.

Short read. Only a few minor spelling / grammatical errors. Expected it to go just a little more in depth about key changes, or at least provide more examples of them across popular music. The tips for figuring out things like order of flats and sharps using the guitar neck are definitely worth the price of the book.

I'm very grateful that this book is helping me in my song writing ability I've always wondered about the circle of fifths and how it applies to making music and now I think I'm beginning to understand thank you so very much

I purchased this in the ebook format for kindle, all the chord diagrams are simply a red x. The book seems great and if the chord diagrams were included I would give it five stars. the store, please fix the ebook and I will be happy to change this review.

I took a long break from guitar and recently started playing again. This book is helpful for those who want to understand the circle of fifths. The only critique I have is, I wish some of the answers to the end of chapter quizzes were in the book.

When I started this book, it was very fundamental, but it soon became more challenging, and really broadened my knowledge of key signatures, composing key changes, besides clarifying the construction of the circle.
To the author: please feed me more examples of application of the concepts.
Because of that, I would have given it four stars. But I want to encourage players to buy it, so it gets 5.

This is a great book on a foundational subject in music theory that will help musicians at various levels. Furthermore, the author is incredibly responsive to feedback and sorted out a formatting issue quite quickly. I'm definitely looking into purchasing more from this series!

A great book for those who did not earn a degree in music to learn the Circle of Fifths. Joseph Alexander did a good job of explaining the Circle of Fifths without over theorizing it to death. This book can be read in one day and you will have a basic understanding of the Circle of Fifths to be able to actually apply the Circle of Fifths to your songwriting or even soloing. At the end of the book, Mr. Alexander does a super job of explaining key changes in music and chord relationship between the keys. A must read for a guitarist.

This book has very poor grammar and print quality. It's distracting trying to learn music theory when the author clearly had minimal editorial oversight and the physical quality of the book is so low you can't even handle the cover without leaving thumbprints. Really disappointed at the quality of musical equipment and books the store sells on their website, not the first music-related purchase I'll be returning. I can't believe I paid more than $3 for this book, when the same principals of music theory for guitar are abundantly available on the internet for free. I wanted something to codify and help track my learning progress. This was a waste.

This book is an excellent instructional tool for guitarists interested in understanding basic music theory as it relates to scales and chords. The Circle of Fifths for Guitarists does a great job of explaining how scales and chords are developed as well as how to apply the knowledge in creating songs. I have been playing guitar for 30 years and have never taken the time to learn music theory until now. The book presents the knowledge in a way that makes it easy to follow and understand. The writer, Joseph Alexander, has created a useful resource for guitarists everywhere looking for a better understanding of how the circle of fifths works. If you are a guitarist looking for more insight as to how scales, chords, and music theory relate I suggest you purchase this book. Guitar: The Circle of Fifths for Guitarists: Learn and Apply Music Theory for Guitar

This is a terrific book. No baffling with BS. Clearly introduces the relationships involved to explain how the major scales evolved. Funny, until I read this I didn't know 3rds and fifths are natural harmonics of the fundamental. Do Mr Alexander connected a lot of concepts for me. Maybe if you're God's gift to music this stuff was already obvious; But for the rest of us, thank goodness he worked so hard to carefully develop how this stuff evolves naturally from the diatonic scale.

I've had this book now for a month and I really like reading it. It's easy to understand and the audio that I downloaded goes along very well. I do recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn how to play.

Guitar: The Circle of Fifths for Guitarists: Learn and Apply Music Theory for Guitarclear, helpfull and as always practical!

OK, full disclosure: I'm writing this because the author promised me a free book if I wrote a review. But please believe me, if it sucked I would tell you. (Also why would I want another one of his books?) So three stars for not sucking.
Another star for being written in a style that's easy and fun to read. You should know that this is a short book, so in terms of words per dollar it' no bargain, but in terms of what I learned in the time I invested it's a small miracle, and that's where it earns the fifth star.
I've never studied music, but I did take 3 years of band and at one time could read music easily (it comes back quickly). Reading this book was like having the veil drawn. It explains so much of what I already knew. As I read I had many "so that's why...." moments.
I suspect there are many explications of the circle of fifths out there, and I suppose a lot of them are just as concise and easy to follow. What makes this book unique (as far as I know) is relating it to the guitar. Trying to understand the circle of fifths and its related concepts in the abstract is like studying physics or math (which it sorta is). Taking it in as you literally play it on your guitar makes it just seem like common sense. My guess is that if you are an experienced guitarists you already know the circle of fifths, you just may not know that you know it. This book will make you feel smarter. If you are an aspiring guitarists or singer/songwriter, learning the circle of fifths will make you a better one.

I really enjoyed this book. I'm a beginner guitarist, and I had been struggling to understand the fundamental theory of music; it's a topic that I'm interested in, but I had a hard time making it "click". This book really helped me along in understanding notes and scales, and how the different scales are inter-related, and how to use them in context. The book is obviously tailored towards the guitarist audience, but I think the concepts are explained plainly enough that almost anyone with enough interest could pick it up and learn, regardless of their instrument.

I like the pacing of this book. It's slow and methodical enough to ensure that you understand concepts before moving on without being hand-hold-ey or boring. It maintains an awareness of what the learner knows, and what the learner needs to know to grasp the next concept. And it doesn't shy away from advising the reader to seek further resources when it wanders dangerously close to the edge of its scope.

I'd certainly recommend it to beginners like me. It would be a great resource to have for future reference, even after going through all the lessons!

I bought this on a whim and I'm so glad I did. First off, he's great at explaining everything in easy to understand terms. On my first, relatively fast, pass through the book I came away with a very good understanding. I just finished and I'm already applying what I've learned. There is some theory but the author really makes it easy to digest, and gives you only enough to learn the fifths. Great buy!

I'm a beginner. My instructor referenced the circle of fifths. I purchased this e-book for reference. It is fantastic! I learned more about the various scales than I had hoped. Very well written and easy to follow and understand. Except possibly the potion on modulation, at least for me. As I said, I'm a beginner with about 7 lessons under my belt. If you want to understand scales, this is the reference you want.

I have just finished reading the circle of fifths for guitarists by Joseph Alexander. This is one of the best books I have ever read about the topic. The author makes a very complex topic very simple to understand. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to grasp the theory behind the circle of fifths. I especially appreciated the shortcut on how to figure out the key signature of a song by a pattern on the guitar fretboard. That tip alone was worth the price of the whole book.

This book has a straightforward presentation of the Circle of 5ths (and 4ths) suitable for folks with no or very little music theory background.
It won't teach how to transpose a chord progression around the circle of 5ths (in real time), but it will show you what you will need to understand to be bale to do that.

I have had this book a while, and only just opened it, but I'm glad I did. I wish I had this sooner, as it has been very helpful and clear. I am familiar with keys and the circle of fifths, but more in relation to piano, and only a brief introduction. I enjoyed this, I didn't get frustrated, and I understand the topics more (themselves and in relation to guitar). It was quick to go through, but I think that's part of what helped. I can't wait to look at other books by Joseph Alexander.
I used to dread going over music theory when learning guitar, but this wasn't negative for me at all. Greatly recommend it.

All the Joseph Alexander books that I have (and I have quite a few) are exceptional. He irks through musical concepts with great logic and plenty of real world examples so you can hear what he’s talking about. By the time you get through with this book you will have a great grasp on the Circle of fifths and the musical encyclopedia it unlocks. Get it. Learn it. You won’t regret it.

This is a well written and easy to understand. The rules of chordal harmony can be very complex but Mr. Alexander distills it down to very simple concepts centered around the circle. I would give it five stars but I found it to be too short and lacking further examples of his discussion.

One of the most useless books I have ever purchased.

I thought reading this book will increase my knowledge in music theory, and get reflected in my playing skills, but in reality none of that happened.

Not recommended at all .

This is the first guitar book I've had the pleasure of receiving (as a fathers day gift!) and I have enjoyed reading it thus far. I'm still a beginner, but have started to learn the circle of fifths, and beginning to improvise. I have a basic understanding of the circle but there are a ton of cool tips and tricks mixed in that I haven't covered with my guitar teacher that allow me to up my game a bit in between lessons. Looking forward to adding to my collection in the future!

The book started with basics and ended up at a reasonable place, especially for those not familiar with music theory. There is a dearth of material on music theory for any instrument on ensemble. This one helped.

I have played six musical instruments, off and on, for about 50 years. My last three - Electric Bass (since the seventies), Resonator Guitar, and now, Blues Guitar - are the most fascinating. With my non-professional but very enjoyable experiences over the years, I was able to realize (and learn) a few things.

Frank

This was a great book to get from Joseph Alexander. The explanation and description of the theory was simple and straight forward.
I have purchased other books as well and all are easy reading and build your knowledge gradually. The best part of the books is that they really explain things for you. Easy to continue to use them as reference too.

Mr. Alexander's writing style is easily understood and the fact that each concept is backed up with clear "Do this on the guitar" while reading makes the concept stick in your mind and in your fingers.

This book is a very useful presentation of the circle of fifths. I would recommend it to any guitarist, it will help you on more than one level, because the style of presentation is clearly understandable.

Good quick review of the Major and Minor scales. It also shows how quickly determine your way up and down the neck using fifths. Then, ultimately showing you how to incorporate the Circle of fifths in your playing. Great introduction to the Circle of Fifths and how they relate to the Guitar.

Awesome book! I have been playing guitar for years and felt the need for a little refresher. This book has clear descriptions of complex concepts a perfect examples of their applications. Would recommend this to any level guitar student!

Read several books on the Circle of 5ths and I would say this one is the easiest to understand for someone without a music theory background. I would recommend it to guitar players that need help with Circle of 5ths.

Circle of 5ths made easy to understand. Until reading Joseph's presentation, I never really cared to take on other explanation because it was burdensome. His detailed explanation made it easy. I highly recommend this book/

This book is good if you want to know about the circle of fifth or want to have more knowledge he explains the definition and stuff like that but by already knowing about the circle fifth and want something new about it then skip to the last chapters

This is a great book if you're like me. I had no prior knowledge of musical theory, and I just knew how to dilly dally around on a guitar. This book gave me a great foundation on the theory behind making your own music on the instrument. Would recommend to anybody!