Jazz Guitar Book Recommendations

By John Belthoff / In Jazz / Posted Jan 31, 2016

I've wasted a lot of money over the years buying books that did nothing for my playing. I started this article to bring you the books that have actually changed my playing for the better. I would highly recommend each and every one of them.

In no particular order, here they are. I will continue to update this page when I find more.

Jazz Guitar Technique: Breaking the Skill Barrier
-- Andrew Green

I'm not going to lie, this book is a bitch to get through but do what you can to get through it. You will be happy you did!

From the publisher:
When improvising, what your mind hears is more often than not determined by what your body can reproduce on your instrument. Much of your conception as an improviser is determined by your technique. If you can't play certain types of ideas, you are simply not going to conceive of them while you are improvising. Even if you could, it wouldn't matter, since you couldn't play them anyway. This book presents serious chops-building technical studies for single note lines and chords. Plus, the examples feature a lot of harmonic content. The material is written in standard notation.

Purchase it at Amazon.com: Jazz Guitar Technique: Breaking the Skill Barrier

Elementary Training for Musicians
--Paul Hindemith

Don't let this book fool you, it starts out so easy that you will think it's stupid and that you wasted your money. However keep doing a little everyday and you will begin to curse the title before long.

From the publisher:
Originally published in the 1940s, Paul Hindemith's remarkable textbooks are still the outstanding works of their kind. In contrast to many musical textbooks written by academic musicians, these were produced by a man who could play every instrument of the orchestra, could compose a satisfying piece for almost every kind of ensemble, and who was one of the most stimulating teachers of his day. It is therefore not surprising that nearly forty years later these books should remain essential reading for the student and the professional musician.

Purchase it at Amazon.com: Elementary Training for Musicians