Arlen Roth's Complete Acoustic Guitar Arlen Roth

This huge treatise on acoustic guitar contains literally hundreds of essential aspects, from holding it and playing with a pick, to style and choosing the right guitar. The depth of this book makes it a fantastic source for beginning to advanced players. His advice on strings, for example, gives the reader a non-biased tip that there are actually only a few manufacturers that make strings for hundreds of companies, and this can help you in your choice (and save you bucks!). The pages just seem to exude the fact that Roth really knows what the heck he's talking about, and is likely to make even the advanced player think about what he's doing.

All examples are shown in TAB and standard notation, and he occaisionally shows off a note chart or chord with a diagram of an upright neck. If you are serious about knowing your instrument, this is truly a great book to have as a method or reference. Very well done!!!

Partial list of concepts and chapters:

Fundamental: holding, action, reading TAB and standard notation, chord symbols, Flatpicking, fingerpicking, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, hammer-ons, pull-offs, Doc Watson technique, scales, licks, progressions, open tunings, rag, slide playing, jazz scale theory, chord substitution, picking out a flat-top or arch-top, pro studio and road tips, suggested discography.