The lessons are structured in a way that allows students to progress at their own pace, and the book does not require readers to be able to read music.

The lessons are easy to follow and take students from the very beginning to a more advanced level, using techniques that are in line with the National Standards for Music Education. Unlike YouTube videos, guitar books generally follow a logical and complete course of instruction so that one chapter builds on the next.There is no accompanying audio, but the book itself is written in tablature, so once you can read tablature, it is easy for a guitar beginner to use. Once the fundamentals are achieved, lessons build as they progress, giving you solid foundational guitar skills and knowledge that can be applied broadly as a guitar player and musician.

You might also want to watch some lesson videos before you begin to remind you of a few things you might have forgotten or just to pick up tips for the future. The author, David Hodge, has contributed to Acoustic Guitar magazine and is a teacher of guitar and ukulele in Massachusetts.Each chapter of the book simulates a lesson plan, including anecdotes and clear instructions on what to do with your guitar, and reading it feels like sitting in a guitar class with a thoughtful and funny teacher. The Guitar Chords: Easy-to-Use, Easy-to-Carry, One Chord on Every Page does one thing extremely well: it is spiral bound. These additional resources add even more value to the book, making it a comprehensive guide to improving your guitar-playing skills. Reading through the Guitar for Dummies book, it is apparent that unlike the Teach Yourself to Play Guitar book above, this one is not meant solely for beginners. The Christopher Parkening Guitar Method is a comprehensive and well-organized guide to learning classical guitar techniques.