The Best Guitar Method

At last, you have a fresh alternative to the big publishers’ stale method books. The Best Guitar Method combines an instructor-friendly curriculum with proven strategies for teaching the skills that today’s guitar students are clamoring to learn. The entire multi-media package includes 218 pages of structured lessons, 118 online videos, 355 online audio recordings, and several printable resources. Plus, you will love having free online access to a dynamic database of popular songs that are aligned with student skill development!

Award-winning guitarist and music educator Brian Rivers meticulously developed The Best Guitar Method by integrating the curricular needs of formally trained music educators, private music teachers, the expectations of contemporary music students, and his time-tested strategies for developing independent guitar players. He then enlisted a team of professionals to merge these concepts into a complete curriculum that is effective, fun, and engaging.

What makes The Best Guitar Method truly special is Brian’s extraordinary ability to connect his formal training in music education at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with his decades of success as a popular classroom and private guitar instructor, and as a professional contemporary guitar player.

Brian explains, I have always been frustrated by the available beginning guitar method books because of the disconnect between their outdated approach to teaching guitar, and what really works in developing students into guitar players—and so I wrote The Best Guitar Method. I like to think of The Best Guitar Method as a ‘craft’ publication that bridges the worlds of formally trained music educators and contemporary music students to a far greater degree than the cookie-cutter method books marketed by commercial music publishers.

Frequently thought of as the “Bob Ross” of guitar education, Brian delivers the entire multi-media package with warmth and humor. Finally, you have a guitar method book that makes teaching easy and learning to play the guitar fun, The Best Guitar Method is guaranteed to excite and inspire music instructors and their guitar students alike!

Who is The Best Guitar Method written for?

• Music educators
• Private teachers
• Students, from ages 9 to 99

Why is The Best Guitar Method the best?

• Promotes lifelong musical expression by teaching techniques that translate outside the classroom
• The curriculum is applicable to a widevariety of musical styles
• Each lesson provides detailed instructionon how to play
• Each lesson includes a Play and Do thatemphasizes what to practice
• Students learn accompaniments andmelodies—all students play all the time
• Lessons establish proper left-hand andright-hand playing techniques
• Sight-reading starts on the third string,G-A-B, (Do-Re-Mi)
• Classroom internet access is notrequired – the book provides astand-alone curriculum
• Online demonstrationvideos compliment printed instruction
• Online audio is available ata variety of tempos
• Differentiated curriculum (simplified andchallenge) is available online for manylessons
• The book uses standard notation, TAB,and innovative chord grids that showfingerings, note names and scale degrees
• Students can access an online database ofpopular songs that they can play usingthe chords they have learned in the lessons

What will students learn?

Strum patterns

Fingerstyle, and flatpicking

Syncopated strum patterns using dotted and tied rhythms

The primary chords (I, IV, V, and V7) and secondary chords (ii, iii, and vi) in the major keys of G, D, A, C and E

The primary chords (i, iv, v, and V7) inthe keys of E minor and A minor

The first position single note fingeringsfor all the keys listed above

The ability to read standard notation