The Awesome Guitar Series: A Complete Guide to the Guitar – Volume I: A Non-Traditional Guide to Help Guitarists Gain Insight of Neck Repetition
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Where everything starts and where most guitar methods fall short. You’ll learn the real fundamentals: how the neck works, how notes repeat across the fretboard, and how scales, keys, and chords are actually built. No music-reading required.
Description
Most beginner guitar books teach you where to put your fingers. Volume I of The Awesome Guitar Series teaches you why — and that difference changes everything.
Geared for beginners and intermediate players alike, this volume covers the foundational concepts that most methods skip entirely: the physical basics of the guitar, essential musical terms, hand technique, how to read tablature, and a genuine introduction to music theory that doesn’t talk down to you. You’ll learn how harmonics work, how the guitar is tuned and why, and — at the heart of it all — how notes repeat across the neck and what that means for every chord and scale you’ll ever play.
The concept of neck repetition is what sets this series apart from the start. Rather than handing you a pile of shapes to memorize, Volume I shows you the logic underneath them — how major scales and keys are built, how major and minor chords are constructed from that foundation, and how the fretboard stops being a mystery once you can see its repeating patterns. Spider exercises, note repetition drills, and simple single-note exercises make that understanding physical, not just theoretical.
If you’ve tried other beginner books and felt like something was missing, this is what was missing. And if you’re picking up the guitar for the very first time, you’re starting in exactly the right place.
Now sold in 12 countries. Includes tablature and standard notation throughout — no music reading required to begin.
Charles Perreault –
Simply Phenomenal
I had taken a few lessons with other guitar teachers but never really felt a strong teacher/student connection. I began taking guitar lessons with Phil and could immediately see that his teaching curriculum was nothing that I had been exposed to. Phil’s approach allows you to completely unlock the fret board. Not only will you be playing music/solos at a much more accelerated pace, but you will gain a true understanding of why the music you play sounds so good. I have also purchased both of Phil’s recently published books (A Complete Guide To The Guitar Volumes 1/2). These are a “must have” for any new and/or intermediate level guitar player. They are great resources that allow you to practice what you have learned through his lessons while also being exposed to additional guitar instruction & exercises.
Victor Wright –
A very humble and well-written book for beginners who are looking to learn theory and get good at the instrument fast! Additionally, an excellent reference for players of all levels. I have known Phil, the author of this series, for years and took lessons from him. In fact, I was one of his first students when he began teaching from his home studio in the mid 2000s. Not only is Phil an excellent and open-minded musician, he truly cares about his students and loves having the ability to share his knowledge about the instrument with others. The book begins with a discussion about good habits when playing the instrument and is followed by some common guitar and music definitions. Phil then discusses the structure of standard tuning and how it affects certain patterns on the neck. Finally, there is a lot of discussion on fretboard patterns and repetition on the neck as well as the construction of scales and chords. The reason why the book is an excellent choice for beginners is that you don’t need to know how to read music to get started with it! That is developed later on. Phil provides you with tablature and staff as well as sound recordings of the exercises. In fact, if I did not take lessons from Phil and learn theory from him, I would never have achieved what I have in my music career. I have four east coast and two west coast tours in a band called “The Fast Track” beginning at the young age of 21. Our recordings are available for streaming on Spotify. Thanks Phil! Rock on!
Victor Wright –
Volume I is a great book for beginners who are looking to learn, understand, and get good at the guitar fast! Additionally, a great reference for experienced players at well. I have known Phil since the mid-2000s and was one of his students. Not only is Phil an excellent musician, he is very passionate about helping his students succeed on the instrument. This clearly shows in his writings/discussions of various topics covered in this part of the series. This particular book begins with establishing good playing habits followed by common musical definitions/guitar terminology. Phil then discusses the structure of standard tuning on the instrument and how it affects patterns and repetition on the neck of the instrument. Volume one closes with lessons on how scales are built and chords. Again a great book for beginners! Tablature is included! A+