Jazz Guitar Books

 

Best Jazz Guitar Books 

  • Jazz Guitar Soloing: The Cellular Approach by Randy Vincent
  • Three-Note Voicings and Beyond by Randy Vincent
  • A Modern Method for Guitar by William Leavitt
  • Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary by Rick Peckham
  • The Advancing Guitarist by Mick Goodrick
  • Jazz Guitar Study Series by Barry Galbraith
  • Connecting Chords with Linear Harmony by Bert Ligon
  • Forward Motion by Hal Galper
  • The Barry Harris Workshop Video (DVDs set)
  • Barry Harris Harmonic Method for Guitar (Alan Kingstone)
  • The Type-Z Guide to Success with Ease by Marc Allen

These are the best books (in my opinion). Now let's get into the nitty gritty.

Read on to learn about these great books and more!

The Jazz Guitarist’s Library + YOUR Suggestions

Jazz guitar books and recordings are the two main sources of learning and growth for jazz guitarists. Some teachers may say “don’t learn from books,” but I strongly believe you should get what you can from any source of information available (including books, DVDs and websites).

*NEW*: You are now encouraged to share YOUR jazz guitar book suggestions. Visitors can now review, discuss and share their favorite jazz guitar books here in the comments, at the bottom of the page.

In my humble opinion, every aspiring jazzman should possess at least a few specific texts on music. They could, for example, consist of: a method for learning the instrument, technical exercises, a good fake book, transcriptions, a theory (or harmony) book, articles on practice routines, etc.

In this section of the website, I will share with you reviews of the best jazz guitar books on the market (coming strictly from my experience). Some of these works are masterclass DVD’s or come with an audio CD, some others only with plain text and music notation. I’m even starting to include personal development books that have helped me recently.

I hope they are as useful to you as they were to me! Note: I only review and discuss the books that I personally own. Here are my favorite jazz Guitar Books with review articles:


 

Jazz Guitar Soloing: The Cellular Approach

by Randy Vincent

Take lines played from the masters on jazz recordings. Slice them up. Then apply them wherever you need them while soloing on chord progressions! Instead of memorizing (or creating) long lines of notes, the author insists that we can use basic 4-note cells to move…

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Three Note Voicings and Beyond

 by Randy Vincent

With endorsements from various jazz guitar greats such as Pat Metheny and Jim Hall (+many others), this book is an obvious must-have for serious jazz guitarists …The author synthesizes jazz harmony on the guitar in a clear and concise way. Within its 200 pages, it will give any player a few lifetimes' worths of …

(click to read more)

A Modern Method for Guitar

by William Leavitt

A Modern Method for Guitar by William Levitt is certainly the most complete book series on the guitar ever published. It covers …

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Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary

by Rick Peckham

Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary by Rick Peckham is another great book from Berklee Press: a great reference (and exercise tool) to help you memorize a lot of must-know movable chord shapes on the…

(click to read more)

The Advancing Guitarist

by Mick Goodrick

The Advancing Guitarist by Mick Goodrick has become a classic: it is essential reading for any serious jazz guitarist. It has opened the eyes of …

(click to read more)

Jazz Guitar Study Series

by Barry Galbraith

Barry Galbraith books in the Jazz Guitar Study Series are wonderful jazz guitar tools. They are in fact compilations of modern …

(click to read more)

Connecting Chords with Linear Harmony

by Bert Ligon

Bert Ligon’s Connecting Chords with Linear Harmony is my favorite jazz improvisation technique book of all time. It explains and exemplifies jazz lines: their foundation, variations …

(click to read more)

Forward Motion

by Hal Galper

Forward Motion by jazz pianist and educator Hal Galper was another one of these books that completely changed my perspective: it opened my eyes to the …

(click to read more)

The Barry Harris Workshop Video

(DVD set)

I’ve been using the Barry Harris Workshop for a few years, and I still do. My teacher, who recommend it to me at the time, said:  “Yeah, I saw Barry Harris at a clinic once. He literally taught us …

(click to read more)

Barry harris Harmonic Method for Guitar

by Alan Kingstone

This is the book that changed it all for me harmonically speaking. Kingstone wrote a comprehensive volume on the harmonic approach and the best part …

(click to read more)

The Type-Z Guide to Success with Ease

by Marc Allen

Not a guitar book, not even a music book… but oh-so needed for the average jazz musician. Is it possible to achieve a high degree of success without working until you drop? The Type Z-Guide presents a way to enjoy success with less stress, less hard work, and much …

(click to read more)

Modern Chord Progressions

by Ted Greene

A must for guitarists serious about learning harmony on the guitar. Ted Greene demonstrates hundreds of ways to play simple yet crucial jazz and classical progressions. All in chord diagrams, all in “chord melody” style with clear instructions. A lifetime's worth of practice and inspiration (even within the first few pages!)

No Review

Jazz Guitar Voicings Vol.1 - The Drop-2 Book

by Randy Vincent

This is the prequel to the “three-note voicings” book by the same author. An amazing, thorough, yet easy-to-grasp book on the following concept: building effective drop-2 voicings using inversions and passing diminished chords. (Audio CDs included with demonstration tracks)

No Review

Effortless Mastery

by Kenny Werner

The subtitle (Liberating the Master Musician Within) says it all. Provides the reader with a clear approach to achieve maximum potential all the while staying relaxed and focussed. Relax, play great music, improve faster and enjoy the ride!

No review

Patterns, Scales and Modes for Jazz Guitar

by Arnie Berle

This is a great “entry-level” book for intermediate guitarists. Coming from a rock, blues, and pop background, it opened the first few “jazz doors” to me. Great techniques (scales in positions, arpeggios, etc.), great lines, and chord voicings. It’s a nice and smooth introduction to the fabulous world of jazz guitar improv and comping.

No Review

Clear Solutions for Jazz Improvisers

by Jerry Coker

Coker’s straightforward reference contains 20 very well written articles on a variety of topics. He chooses to go deeper into some nuanced details of improvisation. Really useful clarifications about melody and harmony and their different manifestations in jazz abound. A must for serious beginners and intermediate improvisers.

No Review

Melodic Rhythms for Guitar 

by William Leavitt

One of the greatest books to improve sight-reading abilities for jazz guitarists. Super-charge your skills by dealing with the too often overlooked RHYTHMS of written melodic lines. Leavitt organized this book by rhythmic density and made sure that some key 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7-note rhythmic figures are repeated enough times to ingrain them well.

Note: I recommend you have at least a foundation in note reading before using Melodic Rhythms. See “Modern Method” above.

No Review

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