The Heavy Guitar Bible: A Rock Guitar Instruction Manual

This book is written by one of the best teachers of guitar! Easy examples and great diagrams!

Daniels made gold with his series of guitar books. Heavy Guitar Vol 1&2 compliments the DweezleZappa lessons on Truefire perfectly, and will make you soar beyond heights as a Guitar God.

If you are unable to afford a guitar instructor, then at least invest in this book whether it's new or used. Why? You cannot possibly go wrong with it!There are naysayers out there who snub their nose at this book but in truth most of them wish they'd have been the first one to have written it. Richard Daniels talks about guitar mostly from a Rock Music point-of-view but in truth it's not just about Rock-n-Roll but playing guitar period. That covers a wide genre of music from blues to C&W.What I liked about this book was Daniels' laid back approach in the way he explains things. Each chapter is a world unto itself & while each one builds upon the previous ones that does not mean that's how you have to study it. Rather the fun is in jumping ahead here & there to find some good juicy parts like learning a fun mode such as the Phrygian to use in your Metal playing.I originally bought this book way back in the late 80's when I started to play guitar. I had an instructor for about 3 months & then fired him. I used this book & a slew of others ones to help me round out my playing & knowledge. While having an instructor is nice, usually they're all about theory which is NOT a bad thing but to me, it does get boring after a while.The HGB offers quite a bit of material in it that you can use immediately such as the first chapter on "Equipment" where Daniels covers things such as guitar necks, string gauges & the height between the strings & frets. To old hands, this is nothing new but when you're a complete Newbie, this is something that you only find in guitar repair guides.Then in the next chapter, "The Basics", Daniels covers things like how the strings are related to the keys on a piano. This can be helpful when trying to visualize a chord, scale or some heavier theory.In chapter 3, Daniels talks about "Chords & Structure" which he offers several of the most common chords found in Rock music but he also does a nice little discussion of intervals & tone relationships.Chapter 4 starts into "The Blues" and this is where things get interesting for Novices because Daniels shows you how a simple horizontal run on a fretboard can be done. He uses boxes to show where these are on the fretboard & when you're starting out, any trick that can help you remember runs & scales is a terrific idea!And there's a LOT more in this thin little book! Daniels even gives you his secret for copying licks & notes from songs though it is very dated. He uses a cassette tape recorder but today you can get `Learn-A-Lick' machines often built into effect pedal boards & amps.For the money, I'm very satisfied with this book. I lost my original somehow in the moving around all these years & purchased a new copy to refer to. It's worth it to me. If you're a novice or absolutely beginner, this is a VERY GOOD book for you to have!!I even like the scrollwork/artwork in the book which I think Daniels was using to get that illuminated Medieval manuscript feel. Thus I give it 5 out of 5 stars for completeness & clarity. Get a copy, you'll be thankful you did!

Since playing classical guitar for a few years and recently picking up an electric I've been diving into really "getting it" as far as a path for learning and understanding the big picture of what's involved in playing the electric guitar. It's truly a different instrument than the acoustic, and a practice regimen is a difficult challenge to plan. This book, while serving as a great practice reference will give every electric/rock guitarist a complete explanation as well as instruction on the full array of "elements" that will make up your skills not just as a player of a guitar but someone who can work towards "owning" the instrument. From scales, chords, soloing and rhythm, this gives such a clear overview of the art of electric guitar that only now after reading this cover to cover have I found a new inspiration and clear direction on what I need to do to "get there". "There" being the goal of playing with other musicians and improvising knowledgeably.If you're looking for a book to help make you feel comfortable that you're studying the right things, get this, read it cover to cover and then go from there. Outstanding, a must have. I wish this was the first book I bought on electric. While at first the book will seem rough around the edges from a design and editing standpoint, it will soon become obvious that this is truly a labor of love for the author.I will add though, that this book should function as the center of the wheel of your quest to learn. Perfect compliments to this volume, for the self taught guitarist, would be a good scales book such as the "Guitar Grimoire Exercise Book", a book on chords and chord theory such as "Chord Chemistry", a method book, in my case classical is enjoyable for learning to read and play music so I'm working out of Noad's "Solo Guitar Playing", and any songbooks you would like to work on songs out of. Another outstanding book I've found indespensable, as have many others is Denyer's "The Guitar Handbook", it's truly a guitar encyclopedia, and explains clearly a heavy amount of theory and technique.Hopefully this is helpful, I felt compelled to write this review to save those following a similar path as I am the trouble of unecessary purchases or a difficulty finding laser focus on their self taught direction. Good luck!

I first bought this book back in 1983, IMO it is a good basic rock guitar instruction book, I still have the orig. copy (almost 40 yrs later) this one was purchased for my son.

Very informative and creative, this classic will open the doors to rock guitar playing. It's a must have for a guitarists library.

Bought this book 10 years ago and it proved to be the best guitar book for any blues or rock interested newbie. Wonderfully written in style, approach, even the fonts and graphics. Not a huge book, but it has the essence...and teaches it very, very effectively.Alas, lost my copy after loaning to my son (who learned even quicker BTW and quickly passed me), especially as my time to play diminished.Recently I wanted to reteach myself, and sought out this book...was aghast! at the fact that it is out of print...Luckily, got one of the last new ones (thru amazon). Just as good now as it was then...possibly better as I have seen in the intervening years how few 'teaching' books attain this level.I shall cherish it for it's own value, and the memories, forever.Net: Highly, highly, highly recommended....a great achievement by the author worthy of note on his tombstone some day...

Great read. Explains theory in a practical and easy to comprehend fashion.

This book gives you everything you need to really beable to play your guitar like a professional. It's an easy method to learn your music theory and how to use the whole fret board on your guitar.

Very gimmicky and not clearly explained.

superb, was very pleased at the fast delivery too