10 Best Guitar Books in the UK 2024 | John Petrucci, Ted Greene and More

Ted Greene was a bit of a legend when it came to guitar books, and that's why two of his four tutorial books feature on this list. This one is chock-full of chords, but it's not your standard list of majors and minors. Instead, you'll get a fascinating series of inversions and variations that'll help you create truly innovative sounds.

Its absence of tabs means beginners will have to wait a while until they can use it, but advanced players will find this book transformative. It's amazing how much an extra note, or a familiar chord played in a different way, can grab people's attention. For any guitarist that wants to liven up their playing and stand out from the crowd, this book is an absolute necessity.

A new guitarist needs a book that will walk them slowly through everything they need to know, progressing in difficulty at an easily digestible pace. Having taught guitar for over 20 years and interacted with hundreds of thousands of followers on YouTube, Justin Sandercoe knows a thing or two about helping out fledgling guitarists.

Justin's experience has allowed him to recognise the areas where many beginners struggle and devise a nine-stage course that helps them overcome these difficulties. This comprehensive guide will teach you about everything, from choosing your guitar, to tuning, to playing 12-bar blues, all accompanied by audio. There really is no better place to start.

An unsuccessful songwriting session can be disheartening, and you may find yourself wondering what other songwriters know that you don't. Luckily, this book has the answers. By deconstructing songs into four elements – rhythm, melody, lyrics, and harmony – this book shows you how the masters of the past conjured their magic.

Through chord diagrams, tips, and recommended listening programmes, this book will inspire you to create innovative new sounds. There's even a list of keys and their appropriate chords – an invaluable tool for all songwriters. But the true magic lies in its ability to make anyone feel like they could write the next masterpiece. It could be you!

The songs you write at home take on a completely different meaning when played live in front of an audience. As well as songwriter and instrumentalist, a guitarist can also be a performer, and with this comes a whole host of other skills that need to be honed.

Part psychology, part philosophy, this book teaches you how to handle common issues such as nerves and self-doubt. Going even deeper, it discusses more abstract concepts, such as the subconscious and its role in songwriting and creativity. If you're really serious about making a career as a musician, this is the book to set you apart from your peers.

Dan Erlewine's reputation in the guitar world is unsurpassed. He's been a columnist for Guitar Player magazine since 1985, he's a well-known guitar technician, and he even created two legendary guitars: Albert King's 'Lucy' and Jerry Garcia's 'Stratishcaster'. 

This book tells you everything you need to know to get your electric guitar sounding its best, from replacing pickups and setting customised action to cleaning and troubleshooting. There's even a cool section detailing the setups of many famous players. All of this is accompanied by a DVD – it's like having your own roadie! 

As a member of Dream Theater, John Petrucci became one of the world's most respected guitarists, and with his Rock Discipline, he's here to pass his knowledge on to you. You'll learn everything a budding shredder needs to know, from chromatic exercises to rhythmic subdivisions, and exercises such as string skipping and sweeping.

We don't recommend this one for beginners – many of the exercises are tricky and, true to its title, the book takes an authoritarian approach to learning. Stick with it, however, and you'll reap the benefits as a truly impressive rock guitarist.

Another one for more advanced players, this time those of a classical persuasion, Pumping Nylon has been the must-have technique handbook for classical guitarists since its release 25 years ago. 

Scott Tennant takes a light-hearted approach to what can seem an intimidating subject, breaking everything down into easily digestible sections, including a daily warm-up routine with hand exercises and technical practice. The lessons in this book are so definitive that they're common knowledge among serious classical players – don't be left out!

This book is not one for beginners – for one thing, there's no tab, so you'll need to know how to read sheet music! Advanced guitarists with an aspiration for jazz improvisation will find this book indispensable, however, and you'll cover concepts such as fretboard knowledge, soloing over altered chords, decoration, and technique.

The whole book is written clearly and concisely, and Greene includes some excellent exercises for improving your playing. Working through them all will take a significant amount of time for all but the most experienced guitarists, but push through and you will become a better musician.

Music theory concepts can be practiced on most Western instruments, but they're a lot simpler to follow when applied specifically to your instrument. Tom Kolb takes a 'guitar-centric' approach to music theory, making concepts that initially seem complicated simple by applying them to the fretboard. 

Music theory is dissected and demystified using simple terms and diagrams, and you'll even get 94 accompanying audio tracks. We can't promise it'll be easy, but this is undoubtedly the best way for guitarists to acquire a knowledge of music theory – an indispensable tool for lead guitarists, rhythm players, and songwriters alike.

It may be more of a supplementary manual than some titles on this list, but every guitarist will benefit from knowing more scales. In particular, lead players will find that a familiarity with scales enables them to create innovative solos and riffs in a number of keys and musical styles. 

This book has a scale for every situation – from major and minor to whole tone and diminished – and uses handy fretboard diagrams to make learning simple for players of all levels. Its slim size also makes it ideal for transporting in your guitar case.