Hal Leonard Guitar Method, Book 1

The most widely used guitar method book in the world, and for good reason. The Hal Leonard Guitar Method has sold over two million copies and remains the go-to recommendation from guitar teachers everywhere. It works for both acoustic and electric guitar.

Why Start Here

Most guitar books try to do too much at once. This one does not. Each lesson introduces one new concept, gives you exercises to practice it, and then puts it into context with a song. You learn chords, single-note melodies, and basic music reading in small, digestible steps. Nothing feels rushed, and nothing feels like filler.

The book comes with online audio tracks that let you play along with a full band. This is more important than it sounds. Playing along with other instruments teaches you timing and rhythm in a way that practicing alone never can. It also makes the whole experience more fun, which means you are more likely to stick with it.

Will Schmid and Greg Koch designed the method to work whether you are learning on your own or with a teacher. The instructions are clear enough for self-study, but the structured progression also makes it easy for a teacher to build lessons around.

What to Expect

At just 48 pages, this is a focused, no-nonsense introduction. You will learn to tune your guitar, read basic notation and chord diagrams, play simple melodies, and strum common chord progressions. The difficulty ramps up gradually. By the end of the book, you will be able to play simple songs and have a solid foundation to build on.

If you finish Book 1 and want to keep going, Books 2 and 3 continue the progression. There is also a Complete Edition that bundles all three.