Guitar Books the Podcast

Review #32: The Devil Is In It by John Stubbings

“The Devil Is In It” by John Stubbings is an incredible historical look at the acoustic guitar: its players, its builders, and how it is woven into the history of the Uni

Comparison #4: Best Classical Methods for Fingerstyle Guitarists

Do you want to become a better fingerstyle guitarist?  Today I’m here to talk about how studying classical guitar technique and repertoire will elevate your fingerstyle p

Review #31: Understanding DADGAD by Doug Young

Is this one of the best or worst method or repertoire books for learning to play acoustic fingerstyle blues guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resour

Arranging Melodies for Fingerstyle Guitar: Essential Elements Example 29

Welcome back to my mini-series on how to become a better acoustic fingerstyle guitarist through the use of general guitar method books. I’ll show you how to arrange melod

Arranging Melodies for Fingerstyle Guitar: Essential Elements Example 10

Welcome to my mini-series on how to become a better acoustic fingerstyle guitarist through the use of general guitar method books. I’ll show you how to arrange melodies f

Fingerstyle Progress Through General Guitar Method Books

General guitar method books are intended to guide beginner players through a comprehensive study of technique, reading standard notation, playing basic chords, etc. Howev

Comparison #3: Best Fingerstyle Blues Repertoire Books

Looking to learn new fingerstyle blues tunes to play on your acoustic guitar?  This is a rundown of my favorite fingerstyle blues repertoire books. Hopefully you have al

Comparison #2: Best Fingerstyle Blues Method Books

If you want to get started playing fingerstyle guitar, you will benefit from private lessons with a teacher, online video courses, listening to fingerstyle recordings, an

Review #29: 12-Bar Fingerstyle Blues by Dave Rubin

Is this one of the best or worst method or repertoire books for learning to play acoustic fingerstyle blues guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resour

Review #28: Solo Blues Guitar by Dave Rubin

Is this one of the best or worst method or repertoire books for learning to play acoustic fingerstyle blues guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resour

Review #27: Roots and Blues Fingerstyle Guitar Explorations by Steve James

Is this one of the best or worst method or repertoire books for learning to play acoustic fingerstyle blues guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resour

Grateful Dead: “Scarlet Begonias”: Solo Fingerstyle Guitar

R.I.P. Bob Weir (1947-2026) Original solo fingerstyle guitar arrangement of the Grateful Dead tune, "Scarlet Begonias" (arr. Joe McMurray). "Scarlet Begonias" was releas

Review #26: The Complete Acoustic Blues Guitar Method by Woody Mann

Is this one of the best or worst method or repertoire books for learning to play acoustic fingerstyle blues guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resour

Winter Wonderland: Solo Fingerstyle Guitar

Original solo fingerstyle guitar arrangement of Winter Wonderland by Joe McMurray.  One of my favorite Christmas tunes, Winter Wonderland was written in 1934 by Felix Ber

Review #25: Christmas Rep for Solo Fingerstyle Guitar, 2025 Update

Christmas repertoire books featuring solo fingerstyle guitar arrangements are great for the holiday season!  Whether you simply want to get into the Christmas spirit or y

Review #24: Beginning Fingerstyle Blues Guitar by Berle/Galbo

Is this one of the best or worst method books for learning to play acoustic fingerstyle blues guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resources including

Fingerstyle Blues Guitar by Joe McMurray

Is this one of the best or worst method books for learning to play acoustic fingerstyle blues guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resources including

Review #23: Fingerstyle Blues Songbook by Steve James

Is this one of the best or worst repertoire books for learning to play acoustic fingerstyle blues guitar? You can learn to play music using a variety of resources includ

Review #22: Rainer’s Acoustic Blues Guitar Picking School by Rainer Brunn

Is this one of the best or worst method books for acoustic fingerstyle guitar? You can learn to play music by simultaneously using a variety of resources including teach

Review #21: Kalamazoo Gals by John Thomas

Is this one of the best or worst books for learning about vintage Gibson acoustic guitars? Kalamazoo Gals by John Thomas is a great book for vintage guitar enthusiasts,