Music Theory - Hal Leonard Guitar Method by Tom Kolb | Step-by-Step Guitar Theory Guide for Beginners and Intermediate Players | Include 94 Audio Tracks | Learn Scales, Chords, Modes, and Ear Training

I love this book by Tom Kolb. It is 104 pages jam-packed with the most important elements of music theory for guitar, including chord construction, chord progressions, and scale patterns for any key. I would recommend that EVERY guitar player study this book after completing six to twelve months of beginner guitar lessons. Knowing what is in this book can help you become a real musician. This is not an instruction book for the absolute beginner. The beginning student will (I think) require considerably more explanation. However, for any level of guitar player, this would be a great reference to use when taking lessons with a music teacher. If you already play another musical instrument, then go ahead and jump into Tom Kolb's book immediately - - - it will probably be the quickest method to transfer your existing knowledge to guitar. If you are trying to teach yourself, then you will benefit by studying the basics of music theory before you use this book. I recommend The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory, 2nd Edition . After you finish a basic music theory book, then you should have not have any problems following the Tom Kolb Music Theory book. The book is very well organized and the content is presented effectively. While a music staff is consistently used throughout the book, neck diagrams or tab representations are also used to represent notes and chords. Therefore, even if you cannot read sheet music, you can use this book. Features I particularly appreciate include: - Pattern training neck diagrams for the following: (1) major scales; (2) minor scales; (3) minor pentatonic scale; (4) major pentatonic scale; (5) modes (Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian, Locrian); and (6) arpeggios. - Single-page tables for the following: (1) formulas (notes) for 39 chords types; (2) chords for each of the twelve major keys; (3) chords for each of the twelve minor keys; (4) minor seventh chords for each of the twelve minor keys. - Quizzes with answers in the back of the book. Believe me, this book is worth the price just to have a concise reference with the neck diagrams and the tables listed above. The book includes the Circle of Fifths (which is great); but it should do a better job explaining to the new guitarist how to APPLY the Circle of Fifths to one's guitar playing. Table of Contents: The Fretboard; Theory Basics; Scales and Key Signatures; Intervals; Triads; Harmonizing the Major Scale; Chord Construction; Harmonizing the Minor Scale; Determining Key Centers; Blues Harmony and Pentatonic Scales; Modes and Modal Harmony; Other Scales and Modes, Chord/Scale Relationships, Arpeggios; Chord Substitution and Reharmonization. I wish they would sell this book without the CD (with ear training and demonstration tracks). According the back jacket of the book, the book by itself is only 40 percent of the cost of the package. There is one great feature of the audio CD: the guitar part is balanced hard-right, so if you adjust the balance entirely to the left the guitar part is eliminated, allowing you to play the guitar part yourself.

Excellently clear and thorough. It has explained things well, and in a way that I have hertofor not been able to understand. Graze through it. One needn’t start at Page One and go methodically through, though that, too, is a worthy approach. My personal thanks to the author. I’m a substantively better, and more confident, guitarist due to his work, which made my own easier and more fun. God’s in the details; so is the confidence to play better!

I'm an intermediate beginner, or beginner intermediate, somewhere between them. This book seems well written so far Into 3 chapters. However: This book will not read on Kindle Cloud! Also the Audio files link's in the book will not open in my Lenovo Android Tablet with Android 8! I'm starting to get frustrated with some of the content on Kindle, there is often a problem, either these, or a book will have horrible grammar or many errors. This book doesn't appear to have many errors and it is well written, so why did they ruin it with blocking the cloud reader and blocking the audio files. I want my money's worth! i would recommend this book because even though it starts off with a fast pace and learning curve as far as the quizzes, you will learn things that other books overlook. He gets right to the point without a lot of verbal nonsense, but it is a pleasant read. I have no ding on the book, but Amazon please fix those two problems! I have to use the cloud because I practice in front of my tower computer and not being able to listen to the audio files is irritating. Also, please note that I have to use the cloud reader, I cannot use the PC App because I don't use that virus infested, buggy, unstable, update when you don't want to, OS called Windows. I use Linux only, and have done so for 3 and a half years now. Amazon needs to support Linux! And the writer should insist on making the sound files available to all people. I'm changing this to 4 stars rather than 3 because it might not be the fault of the writer that it cannot be read on the cloud reader. I am VERY disappointed about that. Not everyone has a tablet or uses a tablet when studying music, I NEED TO USE MY COMPUTER!!! The book deserves 5 stars but hasn't earned it because, despite you paying for it, you aren't given it except on certain systems. Fix this!!!

This is an excellent overview of music theory for guitarists: concise, comprehensive, lucid, and precise. I started it after having read only one book and a few articles in music theory. It was too advanced for that level of knowledge. It presupposed fairly advanced hands-on guitar skills and familiarity with basic concepts in music theory. It also required rudimentary skills in reading music. I left it aside and instead took a book-length course in music theory for all instruments from EarMaster (an online ear training program) while also reading other works in music theory. When I went back to Kolb's book months later, it was just right for me. The concepts are efficiently described and illustrated by abundant audio illustrations. There are judicious quizzes for each section. It's a relatively short book, but there is no waste anywhere in it. I can imagine it being valuable even for people who are already familiar with most of the concepts in it but could benefit from a refresher course that reinforces the underlying musical logic among those concepts.

Excellent. So much information, one can spend 30 minutes a day with half a page. Accompanying audio adds to one's understanding. Appreciate the test and quizzes with answers in the back of book.

My guitar teacher recommended this book - it is brilliant for the beginner guitar leaner with no prior knowledge of music theory.

Un vero e proprio giudizio potro' darlo quando avro' terminato di studiare su questo libro, per ora posso dire che sembra ben fatto. Gli argomenti sono trattati in maniera semplice ed esaustiva. Anni luce rispetto ai vecchi metodi oscuri e incomprensibili :-)

Sehr gut

This is a great book for all guitarists who are serious about music.

Perfect book for learning music theory but some topic are not explained briefly like circle of fifths ...other than that it's worth the price....