Getting started
A Need for a Method
About the author
Mike James has been a private guitar teacher since 1994. He has been adjunct faculty at Winona State University, St. Mary's University in Winona, MN, and UW-La Crosse in La Crosse, WI.
Mike is a freelance musician who plays guitar, steel guitar, bass and dobro.
A need for a method!
Guitar chord method books published by the big publishing companies lack a method. These books force students to memorize the information.
This book is the first of its kind to have a concise method based in music theory, but explained in a way that the average person can understand and apply.
Chord construction in music is a form of math. If you can learn how to solve simple math then you can learn to play any chord.
This method groups basic chords into inversion categories just like it is taught in music school and applies this knowledge to the guitar fretboard.
How this online book works
- The lessons and songs follow the printed book page by page. Each step shows the book page it comes from.
- Songs show the strumming patterns the book suggests, a diagram for every chord in the song, and the music.
- Switch a song to Chord chart for a large, easy-to-read view while you strum.
- Each step is ticked off in the contents when you go on to the Next one. Your progress is saved in this browser.