7 Books in one!

Go from the basics to the style you want to play

Making beautiful music with your acoustic or electric guitar requires practice, patience, and perseverance. A little guidance helps get you on the path to imitating the sounds of your guitar heroes. This friendly guide shares how to get the most out of your time with your guitar. Discover the fundamentals of strumming and playing chords and get an understanding of guitar theory, then delve into the secrets of playing rock, blues, or even classical styles.

7 Books Inside…

• Learning the anatomy of your guitar
• Starting with guitar fundamentals
• Refining your sound and technique
• Getting to know guitar theory
• Cranking up your rock guitar style
• Wailing with the blues
• Building your classical skills

Guitar Exercises For Dummies includes over 400 exercises along with lots of technique-building practice opportunities. It starts off with warm-up exercises (on and off-instrument) and then logically transitions to scales, scale sequences, arpeggios, arpeggio sequences, and chords, with a focus on building strength and consistency as well as refining technique. Concluding each section is a brief musical piece for the reader to try. Within each section, readers practice correct hand and body posture and experience variations such as fingering options and hand positions as appropriate. Readers practice incorporating other facets of musical performance in their exercises as well, such as tempo, time signature, phrasing, and dynamics. Supportive text is limited by providing only need to know information about practicing scales, chords and arpeggios in the context of specific skills and techniques.

Your straightforward guide to perfecting guitar exercises Guitar Exercises For Dummies includes over 300 exercises along with lots of technique-building practice opportunities.

This book begins with warm-up exercises (on and off-instrument) and then logically transitions to scales, scale sequences, arpeggios, arpeggio sequences, and chords, with a focus on building strength and consistency as well as refining technique. Concluding each section is a brief musical piece for the reader to try.

Within each section, readers practice correct hand and body posture and experience variations such as fingering options and hand positions as appropriate. Readers practice incorporating other facets of musical performance in their exercises as well, such as:

• tempo
• time signature
• phrasing
• and dynamics

Supportive text provides need to know information about practicing scales, chords and arpeggios in the context of specific skills and techniques.

P.S. If you think this book seems familiar, you're probably right. The Dummies team updated the cover and design to give the book a fresh feel, but the content is the same as the previous release of Guitar Exercises For Dummies (9780470387665). The book you see here shouldn't be considered a new or updated product. But if you're in the mood to learn something new, check out some of our other books. We're always writing about new topics!

The guitar is one of the most versatile instruments in the world, which is why it's so appealing to musicians. Guitar For Dummies, 4th Edition gives you everything a beginning or intermediate acoustic or electric guitarist needs: from buying a guitar to tuning it, playing it, and caring for it. Fully revised and updated, with online video and audio clips that help you learn and play along, you'll explore everything from simple chords and melodies to more challenging exercises that are designed to satisfy players of all levels. Additionally, new players can dive into the basics of guitar and accessory selection. Whether you prefer the cool sounds of the acoustic or the edgier tones of the electric, your guitar will get a lot of use as you play your way through the lessons presented in this integral book. But your journey doesn't stop at the last page! With an updated multimedia component, you have access to more than 80 online videos and 35 audio tracks that help build your talent.

• Play along with online videos and audio tracks to develop and reinforce your new skills
• Tune your guitar, change strings, and make simple repairs to keep your instrument in working order
• Choose the right guitar and equipment for your needs
• Explore numerous musical styles, including rock, blues, jazz, and country

Guitar For Dummies, 4th Edition guides you in the development of your strumming talent—and who knows where that can take you!

Want to be a classical guitarist, but never had a lesson? No problem — this hands-on guide teaches you all the fundamental techniques you need to play scales, melodies, and full-length pieces in the classical style. You get plenty of practice exercises to stretch your skills, selections from the classical repertoire, and a bonus audio CD that helps you play along with the music pieces from the book!

• Get acquainted with your guitar — familiarize yourself with the unique make-up and parts of a classical guitar

• Start making some music — play melodies on individual strings, move on to arpeggios, and get your fingers in shape with scales

• Ramp up your technique — play barres, slurs, and trills; handle harmonics; master right-hand tremolo; and venture up the neck to play in the higher positions

• Build your classical repertoire — from Renaissance and Baroque to Classical, Romantic, and Modern, play pieces from the major eras in classical music

• Practice makes perfect — improve your performance with expert guidance through each exercise and piece in the book

Open the book and find:

• Tips and techniques for playing beautiful pieces

• How to read music notation and tablature

• Basic finger and thumb strokes

• Right- and left-hand techniques

• Musical examples, charts, and photos

• Music pieces from the guitar greats

• The best ways to care for your guitar

• A step-by-step tutorial on changing your strings

Bonus CD Includes

• More than 140 recorded performances of the exercises and pieces featured in the book
• Pieces performed using a count-off, allowing you to play along in time with the music
• Tuning notes to help you tune up your guitar

Note: The Kindle edition of this book does not include any CDs or DVDs.