This guide looks at the best acoustic guitar books for beginners. When you’re learning how to play the instrument, music books can supplement lessons or you can use the books to teach yourself how to play.
I’ve played both acoustic and electric guitars for many years. During that time, I’ve used many different books to help teach myself to play acoustic guitar. The books showcased here will help you learn how to play acoustic guitar.
Quick Look: Best Beginner Acoustic Guitar Books
★ #1 Best Beginner Acoustic Guitar Book: Really Easy Guitar Series ★
- Best Chord Beginner Acoustic Guitar Book: Chords for Dummies
- Best Scale Beginner Acoustic Guitar Book: Incredible Scale Finder
- Best Rock Beginner Acoustic Guitar Book: Acoustic Rock Guitar
- Best Fingerstyle Beginner Acoustic Guitar Book: Beginner Acoustic
- Best Country Beginner Acoustic Guitar Book: American Songbook
It’s important to take things slowly at first. You don’t want to digest too much information all at once or you’ll end up getting frustrated. You should focus on small portions of the books and then add in other content as you master the previous.
What Makes a Great Acoustic Guitar Book?
You want a book that focuses on one specific topic or covers a wide range of topics, but does it in-depth. You want an acoustic guitar book that will provide you with years of value as you use it.
The books I’ve picked here can help you learn acoustic guitar from the beginner level up to intermediate or advanced levels.
Types of Acoustic Guitar Books
There are several different types of acoustic guitar books that we’ll look at in this guide. These are some of the best acoustic guitar books for beginners, so try a few of these books out.
Chords
Some books focus on only chords. This includes the open position basic chords and bar chords that you need to know to play acoustic guitar. Every student should have a good chord book in their library.
Scales
Another common book that the student should possess deals with scales. A book that focuses on the major, minor, and pentatonic scales would be ideal for your bookshelf.
Rhythm
Rhythm guitar is a large part of acoustic playing, so you should have a book that focuses on rhythm, time signatures, and other aspects of playing guitar in time.
Styles
Another book you’ll probably want to possess deals with certain guitar styles. This might include blues, popular music, country, and other styles of music. You can pick the style you want according to your preferences.
Technique
A book on technique focuses on certain aspects of playing the acoustic guitar. For example, you might want a book that focuses on fingerpicking if you play that way most often.
Song Books
You’ll probably want to have a few transcription books in your library that focus on your favorite artists. You can find books that use both standard notation and tablature, which makes learning music easier.
10 Best Acoustic Guitar Books
The guide below focuses on the 10 best acoustic guitar books for beginners. All of these books will help you advance on the acoustic guitar.
1. Guitar Chords for Dummies
- Author: Antoine Polin
- Length: 384 pages
- Style: Any
- Material covered: Guitar chords
The Dummies series of guitar books are excellent reference materials. I have several of these books in my own library. Guitar Chords for Dummies is an excellent book because it shows the student all of the basic chords.
Not only will students learn all of the basic chords, but they will have a reference book that they can use as they gain experience on the guitar because all of the other chords are also listed in this book. You want this book on your shelf.
2. Incredible Scale Finder
- Author: Hal Leonard
- Length: 104 pages
- Style: Any
- Material covered: Guitar scales
I used this scale book when teaching my students. The Incredible Scale Finder is an excellent reference book for looking up guitar scales. Students can see each scale fingering on the page and then play the corresponding notes.
It’s easy to look up each scale in the book and then focus on the ones you’re learning from your teacher or the ones you’re learning independently. All of the basic scales are covered here, such as major, minor, pentatonic, modes, etc.
3. Acoustic Songs: Really Easy Guitar Series
- Author: Hal Leonard
- Length: 48 pages
- Style: Multiple
- Material covered: Learning songs
The Acoustic Songs: Really Easy Guitar Series book teaches beginner guitar students how to play some basic acoustic songs. The arrangements have been stripped down to teach the basic chords used to play the song.
Many books are far too complex for beginners. This one is nice because it shows simple songs that students can play as long as they know a few chords. You’ll be strumming and having fun in no time at all.
4. Acoustic Guitar Primer for Beginners
- Author: Bert Casey
- Length: 75 pages
- Style: Any
- Material Covered: Basic chords/strumming/songs
The Acoustic Guitar Primer for Beginners book is an excellent introduction to the acoustic guitar. Students will start learning the very basics, such as their first chords and simple strums. Players will then learn some easy-to-play songs.
I like this book because it doesn’t try to overwhelm the student with a lot of information. Everything is given in small chunks, which students can digest before moving on to the next sections.
5. Beginner Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitar
- Author: Simon Pratt
- Length: 90 pages
- Style: Multiple
- Material covered: Fingerpicking
The Beginner Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitar book takes the student through the basics of fingerstyle guitar. This is one of the best acoustic guitar instruction books for learning about fingerpicking, as it guides the student along as they learn.
Fingerpicking can be frustrating for students as it’s a more difficult style to learn. I like this book because it starts with basic fingerpicking patterns, which are the foundation for more complex patterns.
6. Acoustic Rock Guitar
- Author: Hal Leonard
- Length: 248 pages
- Style: Rock
- Material covered: Chords/songs
The Acoustic Rock Guitar book is an excellent book for the student who wants to play basic guitar chords and strum along with songs. It features famous acoustic rock guitar songs and easy chord diagrams for the beginner.
The book is excellent because it features stripped-down versions of famous songs. As long as students know a few basic chords, they can play along with these songs. You’ll find a wide range of rock songs in the book.
7. Great American Country Songbook: Easy Guitar
- Author: Hal Leonard
- Length: 122 pages
- Style: Country
- Material Covered: Songs/chords
Great American Country Songbook: Easy Guitar teaches country music fans basic country songs. Students will have a solid basic foundation in country music once they finish this book. This book covers 50 popular country music songs.
I like this book because it teaches students how to play country songs in a relaxed and simple manner. The student is presented with guitar chords as well as single-note lines for each one of the songs.
8. Guitar for Beginners
- Author: Guitar Nation
- Length: 181 pages
- Style: Any
- Material Covered: Guitar basics
Guitar for Beginners takes the student through the beginning stages of playing the guitar. Topics covered include basic chords, scales, rhythm guitar, guitar setup, and other important things that the student needs to know.
I like this book’s format because it takes the student through the basics of learning guitar step by step. The player won’t be overwhelmed with this book and can digest small sections before moving on to the next one.
9. Complete Acoustic Guitar Method
- Author: Greg Horne
- Length: 96 pages
- Style: Any
- Material Covered: Acoustic guitar basics
The Complete Acoustic Guitar Method beginner book teaches students everything they need to know about beginner acoustic guitar. It’s broken down into easy-to-digest sections, so the student isn’t going to get lost.
This book covers a lot of territory. Students will learn chords, basic scales and notes, simple melodies, music theory, and other acoustic guitar aspects. Once they complete the book, they’ll have a solid foundation.
10. 100 Acoustic Guitar Lessons
- Author: Michael Mueller
- Length: 208 pages
- Style: Any
- Material Covered: Acoustic guitar lessons
The 100 Acoustic Guitar Lessons book is a full 100 lessons for the acoustic guitar. The student learns everything from basic cowboy chords to strumming patterns, licks, and scale positions. Students will have a solid foundation after they finish the book.
This is an excellent book for beginner guitar students. There’s also a good section on alternate tunings, so the student will have more than just the basics to work on. This is an in-depth study of the acoustic guitar.
Acoustic Guitar Books: Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions you may have about acoustic guitar books.
It’s important to pick up a book that is going to meet your requirements.
What Books Should I Own?
Your skill level depends upon the guitar books that you own. Here are a few books that I consider every acoustic guitar player should own.
- Good chord book
- Scale encyclopedia
- Basic rhythm book
- Music theory book
- Acoustic guitar songbook
- Acoustic guitar style such as fingerpicking
Having these books on your bookshelf will allow you to develop a solid foundation in playing the guitar. You don’t have to have every one of these books, but having a few should help you grow as a musician.
How Do I Get Better at Acoustic Guitar with a Book?
You need to take things slowly. Try to digest the concepts in small steps. Don’t read through the book and try to do too much all at once. You’ll end up being frustrated if you go too fast.
What Do I Do If I Don’t Understand Material in the Book?
If you have trouble understanding the book’s material, ask someone who plays guitar to help you out. It’s also a good idea to find a guitar teacher to help explain concepts in books that you might not understand.
Can I Teach Myself with a Guitar Book?
You can teach yourself how to play acoustic guitar with music books. The downside to this, especially for beginners, is you may pick up bad habits. It’s better to combine learning through a book with the instruction of a quality teacher.
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In Conclusion
Thank you for reading our guide to the best acoustic guitar books for beginners. These books should help you get started learning how to play the acoustic guitar.
After taking lessons, I created a library of my own to help me learn various guitar-playing concepts. You should start your own library of books that you can refer to.
Please like, share, and leave us a message. We look forward to hearing from you at any time. Now, go pick up your acoustic guitar, learn some new songs or a new guitar technique, and have a lot of fun.
