Selecting the ideal guitar chords book depends on your skill level and understanding of music theory, as well as any short or long-term guitar goals you may have.
Here are a few recommended books suitable for guitarists of any level and genre, each offering its own approach and focus.
Basic Chords
This beginner guitar chord book provides simple diagrams that make learning open chords easy, making this suitable for all styles of playing. In addition, this book also contains general introductions to fretboard components and tools as well as musical theory concepts.
This book introduces readers to the basic shapes of chords and how they work up and down the neck, as well as various fingering methods and flat-picking and finger-style techniques for playing these chords. Additionally, some music theory topics such as scales and key centers, modal harmony and chord substitution are covered.
Beginners don’t require much music theory, but it can be useful to understand how chords are constructed and why they have certain properties. This reference guide covers barre chords, open chords, movable shapes, partial set forms as well as altered ones like E7#9 (which is just an F## chord with an added sharp 9th note). Real-life photos help beginners easily understand each chord they encounter while the book also comes equipped with a downloadable practice track – making this book essential reading for beginner musicians!
Advanced Chords
There are plenty of advanced chord books out there, but many delve too deeply into music theory for my taste. Many can become cumbersome to read as they become academic exercises; thus becoming difficult or boring reading material.
Guitar Chords in Context provides an approach that is both user-friendly and comprehensive, offering reliable musical voicings quickly. No need for traditional “chord dictionary” type books that may prove difficult to master!
Diminished seventh chords consist of the root, minor 3rd, diminished 5th, flattened seventh notes of C, E flat, G flat and B double flat (an A note equivalent). They’re often thought of as being uneasy or unstable in blues or jazz music – yet can sound cool!
Maj13 chords (FIGURE 11) feature a major 7th with an additional 13th added above it to create dissonant tension, thus necessitating 11th notes to be left out from these voicings to avoid dissonance and avoid dissonant tension. Like their dom9 and minor add9 counterparts, Maj13 voicings can be found frequently in blues, rock and jazz music styles.
Intermediate Chords
This guitar chords book offers more than simply teaching chords; it encourages readers to understand their theory as well. This approach is particularly beneficial to those who can see beyond memorization and learn how chords are built on the fretboard – which makes it much simpler for understanding why certain shapes work better for specific styles or techniques like flat-picking or finger-style playing.
This book presents an expansive library of 360 chords spanning various styles and keys, designed specifically for intermediate guitarists who have already learned basic chords but want to expand their use further in various contexts. There’s even a bonus section which covers moveable rhythm chords – chords which can be moved up and down the fretboard for added options!
Although this guitar chords book is designed with rhythm guitarists in mind, it still offers much useful information for novice and intermediate guitarists alike. This book explores chord dictionaries, music notation and interval language – helping newcomers grasp the fundamentals of chord construction – chord progressions and strumming patterns, making this resource indispensable.