From the Publisher
Hal Leonard Guitar Method Book 1
Book Only
by Will Schmid and Greg Koch
The Hal Leonard Guitar Method is designed for anyone just learning to play acoustic or electric guitar. It is based on years of teaching guitar students of all ages, and it also reflects some of the best guitar teaching ideas from around the world. Book 1 includes tuning; playing position; musical symbols; notes in first position; C, G, G7, D, D7, A7, and Em chords; rhythms through eighth notes; strumming and picking; over 80 great songs, riffs, and examples.
Take a Closer Look!
Get a sneak peek inside this beginner’s guitar method.
Take a Closer Look!
Get a sneak peek inside this beginner’s guitar method.
Take a Closer Look!
Get a sneak peek inside this beginner’s guitar method.
Take a Closer Look!
Get a sneak peek inside this beginner’s guitar method.
See the lessons and song examples.
Learn and understand musical symbols.
Work on notes on the first string.
Explore chords, beginning with C.
Nadom –
Great for beginners!
Easy to learn, great for beginners.
One person found this helpful
Anil Swain –
Love learning book
Lovely book to learn for the beginner guitarist. A must buy and highly recommend one 👌
Beau P. –
Probably best used with instructor, but can also teach yourself with it
My daughter has been using the Hal Leonard Guitar Method books (she’s on #3 now) in conjunction with regular in person lessons. I’m toddling along behind her now, using them on my own. Obviously regular practice is what makes the most difference, but the book walks you through the basics clearly, helps you build strength and dexterity at a reasonable pace, and is easy to use. Would recommend it if you’re not starting from “0” in terms of your music knowledge or if using them in conjunction with regular lessons from a teacher.
2 people found this helpful
Jass Aguila –
good
i mean it does what it’s supposed to but it’s very very basic so if you know the basics i say get the next one
MJH –
Valuable book for beginners
Great book for beginners. Plenty of exercises to compliment you in person lessons.
Mary Hollar –
Good book
I got this book for my 13 year old daughter because she is trying to teach herself the guitar, but only 1 hour she got it she came to me saying she was very confused and she was only on the 4th page, this is a nice learning book overall but I wouldn’t recommend it for younger kids or teenagers who dont already have a little bit of knowledge on how to play the guitar
2 people found this helpful
Joed –
One of the better beginner guitar books.
I have been a guitar player-teacher for over 60 years. In the old days we had students struggle through antiquated beginner books. Then came the Alfred method that we used for many years until Hal Leonard came out with this one. Students seem to make good progress using this well laid out book. Highly recommended with or without a teacher. The pages are laid out in good order with new skills presented then a page of two of reinforcing exercises. Remember if you try to teach yourself your teacher will not knowany more than you do. Find a good teacher!
5 people found this helpful
Scoshigal –
Teacher’s Favorite Teaching Tool
.I’ve used several methods for teaching beginning guitarists and I like this Hal Leonard Book 1 the best. The print is big and clear. I like that it begins with teaching the individual notes showing them both on the scale and on the guitar.
Stacy Howe –
It is what it is
Easy to order. Had a hard time finding this book locally so had to turn to Amazon.It’s moderately priced but I’ve seen cheaper. Plan accordingly and you don’t have to pay more, lesson learned.
A and M –
I bought this because I want to work somewhere that uses it
The chord chart is at the back of the book by the way. This book is based around the idea that you are learning while having someone teach you, which is okay for the purpose I needed, but I don’t agree with material designed like that specifically for “beginners”. If you’re going to buy a book as a beginner, you are probably looking to learn on your own. If you are buying a book where it is only most useful if you have a teacher, you are probably a teacher.
One person found this helpful
Robert D. Wanless –
Good Start–individual notes as well as beginner chords
I actually bought this book because it helps teach the individual notes as well as chords. Eventually, the path between classical guitar and pop (or rock) Rhythm, or lead, this book is a good start.
One person found this helpful
Roberto flores –
Lo ayudo mucho
👍🏻👍🏻
tommy –
Do the job
The. I’ll do the job…
One person found this helpful
AlmaRey –
It’s a very useful tool when learning and practicing guitar 😊
Light and easy to carry!
dennis spielbauer –
Needs the CD in order to hear the note and chord properly. Otherwise, a very good book
A very good educational book for beginning guitar students.
p –
Quick and easy results
I’ve seen several books, but this one is easy to follow and learn the notes quickly. I love how they do one string at a time, so that it builds your confidence. Also, watching my daughter bloom has been most satisfying to watch.
David Keith Rodriguez –
Learn to read music
Perfect for new or intermediate players who want to learn to read music.
Amazon Customer –
Really good book
Really good book. I like the provided music in it and the range of difficultly levels of the pieces. I taught myself with it. I have a music background and play the flute so it was easy to understand the theory of it. That may be the only issue for others but you will catch on or not play.
Mike CallahanMike Callahan –
Builds on skills nicely and in a very logical and easy to follow manner.
Great book for a beginner. I am using it to teach two people how to play the guitar and it is flexible enough to accommodate different skill levels as well as has a nice flow to the increasing level of complexity.
2 people found this helpful
Neal A. –
for beginners
This is a good book to use
Me –
Not my top pick
I was looking for a book to use for middle school, guitar class. I decided not to use this one, after checking out about 4-5 guitar methods. The kids version of this one has many more popular songs int it and I am keeping that, but in the end, I ended up going with the Ernie Ball method. I liked that one because it is broken down very simply, has larger print, is easy to read, and includes better site reading practice, also, it has more tabs, and breaks down nicely.
9 people found this helpful
Megan –
Great book to learn guitar.
Easy to follow and to use. My 8 year old daughter’s teacher recommended this book for her to use s a practice guide at home. Because she is young, I do need to help her read through the exercises. This was easy to do even though I do not have any guitar playing experience or ability.
3 people found this helpful
Abhisek Ghosh –
Perfect for a beginner
Perfect for a beginner.
Osiris –
PRICE
COOL
Gary Covert –
Great learning book but did not have audio access
Great book for learning but did not have audio access.
bobby b –
Good ole Hal
It could teach on a more basic level.It skips over basic symbols and terms a beginner does not know and then doesn’t introduce them and expects a student to somehow know. A beginning student doesn’t even know the definition of a note.
One person found this helpful
Ron H –
Guitar lessons
My daughter learn to play the guitar with this book. She brought it again after so many years to learn again.
REN MIAO –
Beginner book
Good beginner book for guitar
dennis neuhaus –
If you are looking for a good basic beginners book this one is highly recommended
This is the book which I have been seeking. It is very similar to the one I used when I took lessons as a child. If you are looking for a good basic beginners book this one is highly recommended. It will not make you a rock/country or Christian recording artist overnight, it will give you a firm foundation for reading notes and learning the strings.
Amazon Customer –
Very basic.
If you’re learning to play guitar and learn the basic notes and chords then this book is what you want. It’s very corny and the songs are outdated but it sure does train you what you need to learn.
Me123 –
Excellent book. Kinda nice that they teach you the …
Excellent book. Kinda nice that they teach you the notes on a string one at a time. However right after you learn the 4th string it skips to a couple chords and then resumes to learning the 5th string about 10 pages later. Just make sure you use the table of contents. You need to skip around at times for a more logical flow. Also, it would be nice if scales were in the book which incorperated what you learned thus far. I got these from my guitar teacher. I feel the book is really good but it is missing just a little something. I would still recommend it over other books I have seen.
6 people found this helpful
howsthesky –
No tabs, goes straight to staff notation
I didn’t do the “peek inside”; too bad for me. This book teaches you the staff notation (aka reading music). The problem is, the tab notation (which this book doesn’t use) is so much easier for a new guitarist to learn and be able to play something.Sure, being able to read music is all good and everything, but it can also be a turn-off for kids who are just starting out. I think tabs and guitar go together really well for a beginner.
One person found this helpful
Red Bullock –
Good practice
Good book, just be aware that this is not the one with the CD
Mac –
Goo lesson book
I got this for my 13 year old daughter. She likes it. She’s going through the lessons with a teacher. It’s a great way to learn.
michael Diaz –
Lo que esperaba
Lo que esperaba
Steven R –
Great beginner guitar book
Great beginner guitar book. Clearly written and easy to understand. Good for a beginner or refresh if you haven’t played in awhile.
Joey 😁 –
Not for beginners
If you want to learn how to play guitar 🎸 this book is not the best!! Unless you have someone experienced that can teach you how to read it.
AshleeW –
Nice
This is the book that was recommended by my son’s guitar teacher, and so far he is loving it, very easy to follow along with.
Thomas True –
Good for starting out with a program or alone.
See title.
Steve T –
Good starter book
I teach from this book. Great for students
Thomas Rayburn –
Great book, especially for beginners
I’ve been teaching guitar for about 8 years now. This was the first book I used for my students and I’ve stuck with it for all these years. The book has a good method for teaching the student to read music, the songs are good and the cds add another demension to the lessons, asa whole. I only wish book one got into chords a little more in-depth but I have found a way around that issue.
4 people found this helpful
sandra m. –
best book for beginners
Excellent book for learning or teaching guitar.
Linda K. Anderson –
Great method book.
Are use this book to make a tow students.
kareem alzubaidy –
really good book , fulfilled my expectations.
Very good for those who played other instruments before and are just new to the guitar!
Missy –
Good beginners book. thanks 🙂
thanks 🙂
Jessica H. –
Nice book and good price.
In new condition and what I expected.
Mike Foster –
I only use Hal Leonard books
They contain everything you need in one book
Fausto –
Awesome book for learning
Awesome book for beginners
ws4life17 –
For beginners!
Just as described, perfect book for beginners.
S. L. Campbell –
Great starting point…
I bought this because my husband got me a guitar for Christmas and I am taking lessons. It is a great book for beginners, teaching the strings and how to hold your guitar and pick, and then progressing slowly through notes on the various strings. The songs that are provided are fun to play. Great starting point for someone who wants to learn the guitar.
Denyse S. –
Excellent for beginners
This is a great book for a beginner guitar player.
Earwax Candles –
Happy with this guitar book
Happy with this guitar book! It’s very easy to read and understand. It’s very basic, so it’s not a good book for an intermediate guitar player. Love how it illustrates the notes on the guitar and the notes on the staff lines. Great tool to learn guitar!
Kaleb –
.
Love this book. Simple. Good basic song to strum to.
M. Fowler –
It mixes fun and function
This is a tried and true method. It mixes fun and function, and is an easy book to follow.
Fernando M. –
Good for beginners
Good for beginners
JLM –
use it daily to learn chords, notes on strings …
use it daily to learn chords, notes on strings, uploaded the CD to my NAS so I could play the songs we’re practicing from any wireless device in the house.
Linda Adkins –
Helpful aid
Great book for beginners
mgoodwi1 –
Mediocre
Some pieces for the students to play sounded odd. They were not standard.
alexsandrea arpino –
Five Stars
Just as I expected and even delivers earlyMy son is taking lessons and loves this book
Amazon Customer –
Very fast delivery
Fast shipping. Product brand new.