Essentials of Rhythm Guitar: Complete Guide

Book excerpt: The guitar is first and foremost a rhythm instrument. Every guitarist should have a solid understanding of numerous chords, the best fingerings to be used, how to seamlessly switch between them, and different strumming patterns. This book covers all of these elements and more, starting at the most common chords of the guitar, including major chords, minor chords, dominant seventh chords, and suspended chords. You will then be guided on how to navigate the neck of the guitar to play barre chords, which will allow you to play most rock, pop, and blues songs. Finally, jazz chords are introduced, including 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, diminished, augmented, and altered chords, allowing you to play even the most advanced jazz song that you may come across. This book series is perfect for the beginning guitarist, intermediate players looking to expand their knowledge of chords, or musicians who need to know the advanced chord theory for playing jazz.