I first got this book in the 80′s when I picked up the guitar, and out of all of the books I’ve had throughout the years, this one is still the “benchmark” that I gauge all others by. It’s so clearly written which made it easy to get started on playing solos, but also gave me the insight to how important rhythm playing is as well. I’ve “worn out” 2 copies of this book over the years. I like how I can still find inspiration from it’s pages, as I’ve gone on to some very advanced techniques.

I highly recommend this book to any aspiring guitarist out there, as well as lifelong players who would like a great book to reunite with their roots.
Rating: 5 / 5

This is a music theory book, it does not have any lessons or any tab/notation. It fills in the space between lessons or lesson type books and transcribed music. It may be best to descibe this as an introductory course in music theory, condensed and specialized for guitar. This book may be to daunting for a newer player and not hold the interest of someone who isn’t interested in learning the fundementals of music.

It is written in magazine article form, I believe this material was originally published in some 80′s heavy-metal-guitar-player’s magazine. This is not a bad thing though. The tone is somewhat scholarly with a bit of humour. While reading this book won’t make you a master musician it will give you a good intoduction to the basics. I think someone who read and understood all the material would be ready to enter a college music theory program. It should also be mentioned there is nothing about this book about heavy (metal) guitar, it is generic music theory tought in guitar form.

A more appropriate title would be “Music Theory for Guitarists”.
Rating: 5 / 5

If you are unable to afford a guitar instructor, then at least invest in this book whether it’s new or used. Why? You cannot possibly go wrong with it!

There are naysayers out there who snub their nose at this book but in truth most of them wish they’d have been the first one to have written it. Richard Daniels talks about guitar mostly from a Rock Music point-of-view but in truth it’s not just about Rock-n-Roll but playing guitar period. That covers a wide genre of music from blues to C&W.

What I liked about this book was Daniels’ laid back approach in the way he explains things. Each chapter is a world unto itself & while each one builds upon the previous ones that does not mean that’s how you have to study it. Rather the fun is in jumping ahead here & there to find some good juicy parts like learning a fun mode such as the Phrygian to use in your Metal playing.

I originally bought this book way back in the late 80′s when I started to play guitar. I had an instructor for about 3 months & then fired him. I used this book & a slew of others ones to help me round out my playing & knowledge. While having an instructor is nice, usually they’re all about theory which is NOT a bad thing but to me, it does get boring after a while.

The HGB offers quite a bit of material in it that you can use immediately such as the first chapter on “Equipment” where Daniels covers things such as guitar necks, string gauges & the height between the strings & frets. To old hands, this is nothing new but when you’re a complete Newbie, this is something that you only find in guitar repair guides.

Then in the next chapter, “The Basics”, Daniels covers things like how the strings are related to the keys on a piano. This can be helpful when trying to visualize a chord, scale or some heavier theory.

In chapter 3, Daniels talks about “Chords & Structure” which he offers several of the most common chords found in Rock music but he also does a nice little discussion of intervals & tone relationships.

Chapter 4 starts into “The Blues” and this is where things get interesting for Novices because Daniels shows you how a simple horizontal run on a fretboard can be done. He uses boxes to show where these are on the fretboard & when you’re starting out, any trick that can help you remember runs & scales is a terrific idea!

And there’s a LOT more in this thin little book! Daniels even gives you his secret for copying licks & notes from songs though it is very dated. He uses a cassette tape recorder but today you can get `Learn-A-Lick’ machines often built into effect pedal boards & amps.

For the money, I’m very satisfied with this book. I lost my original somehow in the moving around all these years & purchased a new copy to refer to. It’s worth it to me. If you’re a novice or absolutely beginner, this is a VERY GOOD book for you to have!!

I even like the scrollwork/artwork in the book which I think Daniels was using to get that illuminated Medieval manuscript feel. Thus I give it 5 out of 5 stars for completeness & clarity. Get a copy, you’ll be thankful you did!
Rating: 5 / 5

bought it in the 80′s then, lost it.

now i have again.

teaches: know your fret board.
Rating: 5 / 5

This book is truly a gold mine of information. It helped advance my playing significantly.
Rating: 5 / 5