Posko - The Best Beginner Guitar Book: This Book Will Teach You To Play The Guitar

The Best Beginner Guitar Book

by Jake Posko

Hey! Thanks for buying my book!

If you dig this book, check out more awesome guitar stuff at:

www.severnriverguitar.com

Oh, and dont forget the bonus section:

http://www.severnriverguitar.com/bonus/

Forward

Ok.

I have one goal for you:

When you read this whole book, you will be able to play the guitar.

Ill keep it short.

Ill keep it to ONLY the essentials.

Too many guitar books start with stuff that isnt necessary (at least, not at first).

Too many guitar books start with too much stuff that overwhelms us.

This book is going to be short and to the point.

Were not going to cover how to read music

Were not going to make you learn terrible music.

Were not going to complicate things with musical jargon or music theory.

This stuff makes learning the guitar boring, frustrating, and confusing (which then makes people quit playing before they even start). Thats not to say there isnt a place for that kind of stuff. Just not in this book.

Instead, Im taking a different approach. An approach that will work (I promise). An approach that will have you strumming chords and playing basic melodies by the time youre done.

Who this book is NOT for:

• Anyone who can already play the guitar
• Anyone with a strong musical background
• Anyone with an already solid understanding of the guitar
• Anyone with even a BASIC understanding of the guitar

Who this guide IS for:

• Anyone coming in without ANY knowledge of the guitar.

What does this guide cover:

The absolute basic information you need in order to learn how to play the guitar.

So?

What will you be able to do when youre done with this guide?

• You will be able to play simple melodies or songs
• Read tablature (not to be confused with reading music).
• Read chord charts
• Strum chords
• Play a chord progression used in tons of songs
• Most importantly - youll have a basic understanding of the guitar, which will allow you to move forward and continue to learn to play on your own or better prepare you for guitar lessons.

Before You Begin

First heres a little of my story (and why it might help you).

I began playing the guitar when I was 10 years old. I had just moved to a new school. I didnt know anyone. I was in fifth grade. Do you know what that means? It means that EVERY OTHER KID knew each other. It was scary. But eventually I made new friends. And one of those friends played the electric guitar. David was his name. David knew about all of these bands that Id never head of (from Led Zeppelin to Def Leopard). Meanwhile, I was content with my Huey Lewis (and still am, to be quite honest).

Regardless, and for whatever reason, I decided that I should take up the guitar just like David. My Dad had an old electric guitar lying around. Perfect. We bought a cheap little amp and guitar cable (which I still have and use). I signed up for lessons at my local music store. I even had the same teacher that David had! I was all set. During my first lesson we cracked open the music book and began at the beginning: the High E String. Ok cool. My music teacher showed me where E was on the guitar, and how that same note could be found within the staff of standard music notation.

And so our lessons went. Learning one note at a time.

And.

It.

Was.

Awful.

First of all, I didnt care about reading music.

I certainly didnt care to learn Hot Cross Buns or whatever other kids songs were in that book.

I just couldnt relate to what was being taught.

So I quit. I probably took about 8 lessons.

And that was that until about 4 years later. We had an acoustic guitar lying around the house, and I found a Jimmy Buffett songbook. It had songs I knew and loved, and it had chord charts, which showed me exactly what to do.

And that was it. I soaked it up.

I havent stopped playing and learning the guitar since.

So whats the point of the story?

Well, for one, taking guitar lessons is the right option for some, but not for others. And certainly having a teacher who can relate to you as a student makes all the difference int he world.

Secondly, different people have different learning styles - but among all of the students Ive taught (including myself), Ive found that the act of learning to read music gets in the way of actually playing the guitar.

I realize that I will get a lot of grief from other musicians, music teachers, and guitar players for that statement. But I believe it to be true - if only based on the experiences Ive had as a music teacher and musician.

Perhaps more importantly, you do not need to be able to read music in order to play the guitar. I can read music. Im glad that I can. But I have never had a need to read music - both as a guitar teacher and as a professional musician.

Certainly there are benefits to reading music - but for our purposes - specifically to go from zero guitar experience to beginner level playing, one does not need to read music.

That is the beauty of the instrument!

So we will use simpler and more effective methods. And the best part? If you follow the instruction as laid out - you will be playing the guitar by the time youve finished reading.

Heres what you need:

1. A guitar (acoustic or electric, it doesnt matter).

2. The guitar must have all six strings. If you have a 12 string guitar - its going to be tough to follow this book. If your strings are broken, take it to a music store to get them replaced.

3. The guitar must but tuned. Id strongly suggest purchasing a tuner (I like the clip on kind). You can check out the bonus materials on my website for more details.

This is the tuner I like:

Note: Tuning the guitar can be a tricky thing, especially if you dont have a tuner. I strongly recommend picking one up. Stringing the guitar can be even harder. If youre not comfortable stringing your own guitar, you may want to bring it in to a music store and have them do it for you.

Optional (but recommended):

A capo. This is like a little clamp for the neck of the guitar.

This is the kind of Capo that I use (and have used for 25 years):

How to use this guide:

Just like a recipe, there is a preciseorder in which we will need to progress. Once youve got the prep work out of the way, it is very important that you dont skip ahead, and that you proceed to each step in order. Each skill that I cover, builds upon the previous skill and utilizes terminology from previous sections.

Its not hard, but it will might get confusing if you skip around.

Seriously - I know youre excited to learn, but chill out it wont take that long.

Once you feel comfortable with the first skill, move to the next, and so on. You dont need to feel like youve mastered each skill - thats not the point. I just want you to feel as though you have a general and basic understanding of what is being taught - and more importantly, that you can execute what is being taught. Thats it. Nothing crazy. I promise.

Here are the steps:

• Learn the (very) basic parts of the guitar

• Learn how to read chord charts