My teacher recommended me to go for this book and i dont regret my decision of buying it. I wanted a book for learning chords. This book has everything i wanted. The CDS that come with the book are damn useful. There are lots of songs that put the beginner guitarist's skills to test. 3 book in one package is a sweet deal. I'm sure i will spend lot of months trying to master the songs in this book.
The song selection is also great. Starts of easy and then turns the heat up after few songs so it keeps the reader interested and also coming back for more.
The chord exercises are great and i'm making good progress playing them.

If you are a beginner and want to learn some good tricks quickly go for this book.

A very good primer for the beginning guitar student. Well written and easy to understand.

This is a great bargain. I like the ring binding of this, it opens flat and can be folded backwards. The cds are great to hear what it is supposed to sound like.

I get discouraged purchasing a book and find out later it has one good section and the other is fluff. This book is like the "Best of" albums. I has great material through and through.

Although it may not be the only book you will need. It is the best material to start your music career.

Starts you off slow and takes you step by step through the rudiments of playing guitar. Would buy again.

Warning - Those who wish to learn the fingerpicking style of guitar should not purchase this book. On page 6 it shows how to hold a pick in your right hand, and that's it. If you don't want to use a pick, get a different book.

I'm sure, looking at all the reviews this is a great book, but not what I or others may want. so I wrote this as a heads up for those who wish to use a fingerpicking style.

This is the book where I thought "I've finally found it!"

After having picked up the guitar around a year ago, playing around with what instructional materials I could find online and via tabs for some of my favorite songs I gave it up. I was able to get down several chords and play along with a few songs, but I never felt like I really understood what I was doing, other than parroting something I'd seen online.

I got the urge to play again this summer, and after reading a few reviews decided on this book.

It's exactly what I was looking for, as it "formalizes" the learning of each specific string, and then has examples to practice what you've just learned. I already have learned to read music from playing other instruments (over a decade ago), but it's still very different for a guitar than the other instruments I've played.

The CDs are excellent as well, and really let you make sure you're on track as you play along with the beat/instrumentation.

The graduated pace also helps for when you have trouble with a harder exercise, you can go back to where you learned the technique for the portion you're having difficulty with, practice for a bit, then come back to the more advanced lesson and work through it.

Definately a great book, I've just gotten to the 6th string tonight, and my fingers are feeling the burn.

This is a great product for learning the guitar from the beginning. Very thorough and the CD's really help. I believe a DVD would have made it more complete though. Maybe something to show you a few quick chords or easy song to keep you excited about learning more.

Good guitar book. Son loves it. This item WAS shipped to me, however, I'm VERY VERY disappointed in Amazon's overall lackluster, unreliable (lack of shipping) to military APO addresses. In general, they've shipped to my military APO address about 60% (if that) of the time - for very basic items. Many purchases were not made because items can't be shipped to me, other items I had to have shipped somewhere else and pay additional shipping to get item mailed to me. Shame on Amazon! Unfortunately I've received NO good answer from Amazon!

I bought this book with the intention of using it as a "do it yourself" guide until I had some basic skills. At that time I intended to seek professional help. I was however, advised to find an instructor immediately. I checked around and found an individual with excellent references. He told me to bring some extra money on day one because there is a book he uses with all his students. You guessed it - "Hal Leonard Guitar Method, Complete Edition." I wish I could say that the book has made me the second coming of Jimi Hendrix. Not yet.

The CDs are stupendous. At first I wanted to use them as frisbees, but they are great for forcing you to recognize the rhythm and to "keep up" with it. It would be impossible to accomplish this quickly by seeing your instructor only once a week.

The large and varied collection of songs in the book is phenomenal. You find yourself playing recognizable tunes after mastering only two strings.

Highly recommended. A good instructor really helps too.

I teach beginner guitar to young students. This book is an excellent resource for them. It teaches the basics at a slow, steady pace which I've found to be highly effective over the fast paced books for children. It encourages students to learn to read music and learn the basics of music theory, equipping them to become musicians and not just guitarists. The CD's are added bonuses as a teaching tool!

I bought this to try and learn to play the guitar and so far have gotten through a couple of lessons. Sadly, I'm having trouble sticking to continue the lessons, but none of it is the book's fault.
The CD provides play along and really helps you understand. I however found the electric guitar harder to tell between notes, but I suppose I'll deliver a ear for it as time goes on.
If your to get 1 book for learning how to play guitar, this should be your first choice. Has almost everything that you could possibly need. I couldn't find scales, but I didn't look hard enough so they're probably already there.

This is a great instruction book. I have some experience playing guitar so the beginning instruction was a little basic, but it still has a lot of good material. This book is perfect for the beginner!

I'm used to playing other instruments (Piano, trumpet, handbells, etc) where I am given the notes to play and play them. This book first teaches you the basics of music and which notes are on which frets of which strings. You start off playing melodies with the CD. It eases you into the chords, and for me, this makes it much easier to learn! I can get my calluses built up before I get into the tricky stuff. It also allows me to come up with multiple ways to play a song. I can't wait until I get through the book and can play with my friends!

I have NO musical ability. and I had actually had a little kiddie guitar when i was around 12 but didnt do anything more than make noise. Beginning of the year I was wanting 2 things from turning 40 this year, one of which was "i want to learn to play the guitar to play 'Come As You Are by Nirvana'". So I got a beginning acustic guitar and looked around for a way to learn to play. I got this book, another book geared for kids, and a dvd. the dvd lost me in the first 10 minutes, the kids probably could have learned faster from that book than I did, but this book, well with the cds with it is exactly what I was looking for. i'm not exactly BBKING or Jimi, ok i'm not even going to try to stand on a streetcorner playing for change. But the teaching methods written in the book are at my own pace, finger positioning pictures are clear, and it teaches you to read music at the same time. i'm not finished with the first part of the book, not in a position to play nirvana yet, but if I can play ODE TO JOY or the star spangle banner, anyone can. cuz it shocks me that I can actually carry a tune thanks to learning from this book.

Probably at this time, I will not add more to previous numerous reviews. But let me state briefly this: before I decided to go through the "Guitar Method", I had been just a casual, rather primitive player striking chords selected from "chords finder". I must say, this book made me a true solid beginner, able to read notes on the staff, use a fingerstyle, understand tablature and chords construction (just a few things among many). I continue progressing using other Hal Leonard books by practicing daily. These books motivate!!

I hadn't played guitar in at least 15 years. I decided to buy a new once since I sold my old one. This books has helped me get back into the basics and learning how to read music again. I recommend it to anyone.

This book is very easy to understand and follow. It is very good for the beginner like me. I was having trouble understanding my instructor about the different notes and strings until I received my book and it was so simply explained that it really made sense to me. I would recommend this to anyone interested in learning or even teaching themselves the guitar

This book is fabulous!! I bought Guitar for Dummies a while back and got through some chords, but completely lost interest with the book and never learned how to strum. This book dives you right in with great direction, great practice music, teaching you how to play each note... I highly recommend!!!

Hal Leonard's book is very simple and helps the beginner learn the basics of playing the guitar. For all of the guitar heros who want to really become so, this book is a great way to get started.

A very nice logically laid out approach when it comes to learning guitar. It teaches with sheet music so you learn how to read as it builds upon previous lessons. I'd recommend this one to those looking to learn how to play the guitar.

These music lessons are exactly what my son needed to help him with his guitar playing. He's very good, but this learning tool taught him things he didn't know. It's a valuable tool for anyone trying to learn how to play guitar. We highly recommend this teaching tool!

I have probably purchased several dozen copies of Hal Leonard's Guitar Method Complete Edition through Amazon and continue to use it week after week with my private guitar students. I like the theory aspects and practical exercises. Other books I have used are short on exercises to solidify the theory that is being taught and tend to move from one concept to another without adequate practice. The CDs are high quality and quite varied in their styles so students should enjoy using them to play along with. There are certainly other books that go into more detail but I highly recommend this one as a basic curriculum.

My husband started learnng the momemnt he opened the book. It is a great buy.

Excellent Guitar Course, Just what I was looking for. I'm making great progress and the materal and cd's are perfect.

I love this guitar course and think that it is exceptional for the beginner because even at lesson one, while you are learning a few notes and open strings you are playing along with great, fun tracks that will teach you rhythm as well as how to read the notes on the guitar. So many people jump immediately into strumming chords on songs, but when you don't get the proper and correct foundation in music you are going to be limited later on. I can't recommend this course enough! Who knew that learning the "basics" could be so much fun?

Haven't been playing guitar for very long...but this book really breaks down what you need to know to learn to read music. It goes into great depths to ensure you can read music and play effectively.

After teaching guitar for over 36 years I have found that this method works better over all than any of the methods out there. I have used all the methods out and this one works best for young students who are learning to read music and those who already know how. If you are teaching an adult who knows how to read I would recommend a different method but this one is the choice for youth.

Well I've come across a lot of beginner guitar books, and I think this makes progression go by a bit quicker. Some books either dragged out a note or there were not enough exercises. This is a good book though. Very good for guitarists trying to learn how to read notes. Highly recommended.

The book is very helpful, however, I was disappointed that there is only a very limited number of tabs. It is geared towards learning staff music.

This book is the perfect beginner book for guitarists. It incorporates everything that they should know, including chords, picking, reading music, reading tabs, and general info like tuning. The CDs make it easier for those students who are auditory learners, also.

This is an excellent book for learning guitar, even with zero previous knowledge of how to play. No need for expensive lessons. Playing along with the cd is excellent practice. Most songs on the cd have slow and fast tempos. The book is very well written and easy to understand.

It is easy to use book. I did not read it completely but it sounds a good refrence book for bigginer like me.

I teach guitar lessons & this is by far the best lesson book I have found.

- A really nice book. At very first u might think that why its so confusing. But if u know how to read music, its so easy and interesting. I will strongly recommend to go to a guitar teacher and tell him to teach u using this book. After very first lesson every thing will seem so easy to u.

Good luck

Nauman

This set is what I expected out of the reviews I have read. It is a very good set for some one who is learning the guitar and wants to beable to read music not tabs but actuall musical notes. I am curently on the first book and it progresses at a really good pace, not to fast and not to slow. The CD's that come with it are very good also because the help you learn how to listen for the sustainment of a note.

This book is a necessity in learning to play guitar! I had never picked up a guitar and my daughter wanted one for her birthday so I decided if I was going to teach her to play I need to learn myself.I do have a basic music backgournd,I was in band in school,so I do know how to read music.Other than that I am starting from scratch.This book starts out showing you the parts of the guitar and how to hold it.Then it takes you through the playing process sting by string,showing you the notes and how to play them.It is very easy to read and understand.There are practice songs after each string so you have a feeling of accomplishment being able to play a familar tune.Granted it is songs like Yankee Doodle and so forth but I think it is important to crawl before you walk!After 2 hours of practice I have mastered the first 3 strings,I am halfway through! You are also able to learn to read music through this process because with each finger position it shows you the note and then you put it all together while reading the practice songs.This is great because you aren't just memorizing chords you can truely pick up sheet music and paly!Then the book goes on to teach you how to strum chords.I think this is an awesome book to start with to teach you all of the basics.You will probably want to get more books later but everyone has to start somewhere!

I've found that the years of experience Will Schmid has have given me a head start with understanding how to teach my new students the basics of guitar playing and understanding.

This book is wonderful for a beginner to intermediate who has had no formal training. VERY useful.

I have a weak piano playing background from childhood. So I kinda sorta understand how to read music. I picked this book out of a bookstore after getting my first guitar ten years ago. I still hang onto it. As a hobbyist its great cause sometimes I'm so busy my skills get rusty with reading music its embarassing. This is great for warming back up because I just forget what notes go where on the guitar. This book is so clear dealing with one string at a time. When I took up a beginners guitar class a year later at USC's music school... the teacher had the students buy book one of this set. I was ahead of the game. I have seen imitations copying this teaching style but this one is the original. No regrets.

I certainly wouldn't recommend these books to anyone. As a reference I guess they are ok, but I am not sure why people like these (including my guitar instructor). If you want to learn guitar, get an instructor and/or a good instructional DVD.

Excellent, useful and helpful book for kids as well as adults.

Excellent, useful and helpful book for kids as well as adults.

Three Books in one with a CD to boot! Great Book for a beginner, my daughter is already playing beautifully and she's only had the book a month. The key to her success is the CD - with accompaniment she keeps better time and hears a finished product - it's really encouraged her to keep working hard.

My daughter has been taking guitar for a year and half and is really doing well with the Hal Leonard books.

This book has helped a beginning guitarist get a good start. I played around for a few years with my guitar, never really putting any effort into actually learning. But about a month ago I decided to really start trying to learn; thus I purchased this book. It has been invaluable in learning to read music and learning where the notes are on the guitar. I have only made it to about page 30; so I still have well over 100 pages to go. If I can stick with it I know this book will help me become a good guitar player.

I got this book, along with a guitar for her birthday and she was very happy with both! She reports that the book is well-organized and easy to follow in her efforts to learn to play the guitar. This was money well spent.

I got this book, along with a guitar for her birthday and she was very happy with both! She reports that the book is well-organized and easy to follow in her efforts to learn to play the guitar. This was money well spent.

I have been using the Hal Leonard method with my guitar students for several years with great success. This spiral bound edition of books 1,2&3 is a great bargain. Not only do you get all three volumes for less money, the spiral binding makes playing and teaching much easier since it stays flat while on the music stand.

If you are just starting out, the CD offers a great chance to hear what you are actually trying to learn, and with a little self discipline you could improve your skills a great deal even without an instructor.

Great product!

With this book I have gone from knowing only how to play the most basic tunes, (No chords) and although I am not done with it, I can play chords and strums and do a whole lot more than I could before I got this book. Basic chord charts (Chords are what makes great songs great.) are included along with songs everyone would know. The price is also great, considering how much you will get out of it by the time you get from cover to cover. Although I have guitar lessons on Tuesdays, this book serves as my second teacher- ok what im saying is: GET THIS BOOK!