Guitar Theory For Dummies with Online Practice (For Dummies (Music))

This second edition is too small to be usable and readable on a music stand. I am thinking about sending it back for a refund for this reason as I feel it is important to be able to grab my guitar and sit in front of my music stand with the book on the music stand to read with guitar at ready. This book is too small to be easily readable on the music stand since it is so small: This second edition is too small to be usable and readable on a music stand. The basic dimensions are 7.2 x 9.4 inches and it is almost an inch thick so opened up the pages do not lay flat at all. The first edition is 8.5 x 11 inches, much larger, and sits much flatter on the music stand and is much more readable as besides laying flatter, the print is larger. If visibility and readability on a music stand is important to you as it is for me, give a pass on this book.

I stumbled onto this text at the local library, thumbed through some pages and BANG! Chapters and headings are exactly what I have been scratching my brain to study and internalize, so I checked it out.I am a listen, search, watch, observe, read and re-read a book until I absorb what I want kind of study guy, and actually found some things in this book that I have not found elsewhere.Next step, buy the book so I can mark it up with highlights, bookmarks and notes, only one problem (this problem was identified in reviews for the current edition), the current edition is much smaller which affects how I would use the book. So I looked for a used edition which was the original 8.25" by 11" size. No love there, expensive and spotty on included audio resources. A used copy was not a solution I could use for the way I study. So, in minor desperation, I glanced at the Kindle edition, hey, 15 bucks, much cheaper than a hit or miss guitar lesson, where sometimes I end up teaching the teacher. I pulled the trigger and bought it.The Kindle edition mitigated all my concerns about my requirements, I could view the text and diagrams in full screen on my monitors, listen and watch audio and video help files on my laptop, markup and take notes as needed. Don’t need to force the book to conform to being stable on a music stand. Also I found the included audio and video media to be very interesting, supportive and useful. A bonus, I was able to download all chapter specific audio tracks.Funny thing, found a Podcast about Guitar Theory where the presenter spoke at my baud rate and made sense, discussing topics in a way that made it worth my time to listen. Well, that Podcaster turned out to be the author of this book, there’s one for synergy.RC, Graham, WA

It comes down to this , guitar theory is the colors of your musical pallete. The more you know , the more creative you can be. You can paint in black and white , that’s your choice , but understanding the nuances of the fretboard as it relates to the ear is crucial in mastering the instrument. For me it wasn’t enough to learn tabs without understanding what I was playing. I love the way Desi Serna put this book together.It’s in the order you need to learn correctly, and It’s also a great reference for when I’m transcribing songs or coming up with my own ideas. I now play better because of guitar theory . Thanks Desi. Another great book “for dummies”.

Great book. Tells you exactly what you need to know to truly understand the guitar and make magic happen.

Very informative. Money well spent.Must be careful with the pages. They are very thin and tear easily. I’M UNABLE TO FIND HOW TO USE, get to the online PDF’s and videos. The book refers to a www. Website and once there they ask for some type of authenticity.

Good material.