Music Books I Like
A ton of information can be gained from working out of a text - especially when you take the time to PLAY the information. The best texts are ones that come with plenty of examples.
There’s about a million books out there, and it can be hard to know where to get started. I certainly haven’t gone through every book, but I have a library of guitar technique and theory textbooks in my music space. Here are some of my favorites with a few notes:
“Chords Galore” by Jack Petersen
How I first learned to approach harmony - especially in a jazz context - is outlined in this book. With plenty of examples and a good pacing of difficulty, this book builds on information as you learn it. If you take your time, and have some good guidance, this book provides an excellent foundation for understanding harmony on the guitar.
“Pentatonics” by Jerry Bergonzi
Pentatonics are something that almost every guitar player knows about, but it’s easy to get locked into the boxes and shapes of pentatonics, where you’re left feeling restricted.
While shapes are something that the guitar does really well, it isn’t great to be stuck in them. This text, like the one above, builds on information as you learn it with plenty of examples. You can learn to take a minor pentatonic and how to play it over virtually every chord in a way that will sound fresh and help you capitalize on the information you already have. This text will help you spice up any blues and even Giant Steps if you apply it correctly!
“Three Note Voicings: And Beyond!” by Randy Vincent
I first heard about this book from the guitarist that played my wedding reception. His voicings and voice-leading were so fresh and clean that I found myself entranced by his playing. This book is a masterpiece and one that I continue going back to. I’ve had this text for years and still am learning from it. Like the examples above, this book is full of etudes (written examples of the concepts described) and starts from beginner to very advanced.
All of these texts by themselves are great.
There’s invaluable information in them, that each of the authors has spent decades learning themselves. To me, though, each text I work with teaches me not only the information within - but the way of thinking that the author uses to approach music.
Each time I complete a text, I spend a good amount of time trying to expand on it, and use the ideas that I’ve learned to go further.
I can’t say I’m always successful, but it’s a fun exercise, and one that I feel teaches you more about the concepts within the book than what lies between the two covers.