“Uris Library Stacks” by eflon via flickr

I love music books. Over the years, I have developed quite a collection of methods, references, scores, transcriptions, etc. I’m often asked by students what books I recommend. Here’s a list of my favorites!

I’ve limited this list to jazz guitar and/or jazz improvisation books. Hence, I didn’t include any book on ear training, arranging or any subject that has no direct relevance to the guitar. One might argue these subjects are instrumental in the mastery of jazz guitar and jazz improvisation – and I couldn’t agree more. But for now, let’s focus on instrumental material.

I would like to mention the fact that I do not get anything for recommending these books, I am not affiliated to any of the companies publishing these. Likewise, I will not recommend any particular bookstore for you to purchase the material.

You might learn a great deal about harmony from well-written sight reading exercises

In my humble opinion, all of these books are excellent. They have been put together by masters of the genre. These are worth every penny I’ve spent. I own them, I’ve worked on the material they present. While some books are actual methods, others are references, and some are even somewhat obscure (because they don’t present you with instructions!). Oh, and the list is by no means exhaustive! I’ve listed books that are available in English, but there are some great books that have not been translated in Shakespeare’s tongue.

As you will notice, there are no books on actual instrumental technique. I have found that learning technique from a book is not really efficient. Likewise, I believe transcriptions of solos are not something you buy, but rather something you do yourself!

The books are sorted by author, in alphabetical order, and not by subject. The reason behind this is that there’s no absolute barrier between subjects. You might learn a great deal about harmony from well-written sight reading exercises, be bop lines have great rhythmic “DNA” embedded within, certain rhythmic figures might actually boost your sense of harmony and how efficiently you depict the harmonies of a particular tune – you get my point.

Last, I have tried to point assess the level of proficiency these books required. Look for these characters: * beginner; ** intermediate; *** advanced.

	Dominant 7th Workout, Vol. 84 by Jamey Aebersold	A great collection of lines. Jamey zooms in on that particular sound (the dominant 7th) and really helps you dig into what’s probably THE most important chord to understand in  Western music. Comes with a CD of backing tracks. A never-ending resource! * to ***
	The II-V7-I progression, Vol. 3 by Jamey Aebersold	More lines on “the most important musical sequence in jazz”. The material starts with super-easy material and ends with somewhat advanced be bop language.  Be bop is at the root of ALL contemporary jazz improvisation (John Zorn plays a mean be bop, so do John Scofield or Bill Frisell). Comes with a CD of backing tracks. * to ***
	Vol. 2, Pentatonics by Jerry Bergonzi	A fresh look at pentatonics – their use, patterns, etc. Like all Bergonzi books, this one comes with a system of its own. Getting into it is very rewarding, but might be a little off-putting for those who have less discipline. **
	How to Improvise by Hal Crook	My favorite. A gem, a truly wonderful textbook. This is as close to a comprehensive method as it gets. The text is insightful, the suggested practice routines are fantastic, the subjects are well connected. Beyond merely dealing with the technique of music, this book really is about how to be musical. This is a companion for decades of practice. An absolute must!!!!!!!! Comes with a CD of backing tracks. ** to ***
	Giant Steps by Joe Diorio	A series of etudes (chords, lines, chord melodies, reharms) on the famous and challenging John Coltrane standard. These are simply amazing. The content is all you you can expect from Joe Diorio – encyclopedic harmonic knowledge, intervallic lines. A great, fresh take on Giants  Steps. Doubles as a great sight-reading book, those lines will really challenge you! Comes with a CD of recorded examples. ***
	Creative Rhythmic Concepts for Jazz Improvisation by Ronan Guilfoyle	A terrific book dealing with advanced rhythmic concepts. Rhythm is sort of a leftover as far as pedagogical publications are concerned. This really fills a gap in this domain. Subjects include metric superimposition, odd-time signature playing, etc. Mr Guilfoyle is an authority on the subject. A great book to share with the rest of your band mates, since most of the presented material involves collective “movements”. Comes with a CD of recorded examples, which are superbly executed. ***
	The Advancing Guitarist by Mick Goodrick	Many guitar players who own this book, including myself, have a special relationship with it. While is far removed from being an actual method, this book is jam-packed with fascinating concepts. There are few people on Earth who know the guitar the way Mr. Goodrick does – the man has really pushed his explorations. There is enough material to keep you busy for years, and, yet, most of Mick Goodrick’s ideas will make you sound fresher and fresher as you progress through the book. ** to *** (I bet Mick would go as far as saying that this book could also be rated a *!)
	Almanac of Guitar Voice-Leading by Mick Goodrick	The definitive DIY book. My take on this one is that the answers you get from this as good as the questions you ask. In this first volume, Mick Goodrick presents triads and a number of tetrads (regular seventh chords as well as hybrid chords) voice-lead through all cycles and voiced a number of ways. A wonderful tool, and a great exposition of familiar material shown in unfamiliar ways. A true mind-and-finger-bender, as well as a extensive palette of incredible colors. Volumes 2 and 3 further develop the concepts of the almanac, dealing with voicings in 4ths and “unnamed” chords respectively.  ** to ***
	Factorial Rhythms by Mick Goodrick	This book is somewhat the equivalent of the “Almanac of Guitar Voice-Leading” in the world of rhythm. Once again, Mick is taking us through all the possibilities that a definite set of parameters can offer (such as meters, number of attacks, number of bars, etc). A good workout as is, and also a way to discover rhythms that don’t belong to one’s personal vocabulary. * to ***
	A Modern Method For Guitar by William Leavitt	A great method that takes the beginning guitarist to the next few levels, leaving as little gaps as possible (if any) in the evolution of the students. The ideas, musical examples and overall musical knowledge are presented in a clear, concise and efficient manner. Bill Leavitt basically designed the core guitar curriculum at Berklee a number of decades ago. A beautiful text, one that I have used as a student and that I keep using as teacher. * to ** (also recommend are William Leavitt’s guitar reading studies and melodic rhythms for guitar books).
	A Chromatic Approach to Jazz Harmony and Melody by David Liebman	David Liebman is probably one of the highest authorities on the subject. besides being a musician of great integrity and personality, Lieb is also a formidable educator. This is a rather dense text presenting some of the concepts that the saxophonist and composer has explored for years. The scores and transcriptions are fantastic, and the included CD alone is worth the price of the book. Beautiful. ***
	Pentatonic Scales for Jazz Improvisation by Ramon Ricker	A slightly different take on the subject than Bergonzi’s book. This book is packed with theory, transcriptions and a lot of exercises. A fantastic text that should introduce you unfamiliar uses of this popular scale. ** to ***
	Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns by Nicolas Slonimsky	This is a saxophone player’s favorite. There are literally hundreds of patterns in this book, presented with great rigor and logic. Once you get past the somewhat unusual scale labeling, the experience of going through this book is spectacular. Be warned though: you are on your own as far as the application of these scales is concerned. The material presented goes well beyond the scales usually at work in jazz. ***
	Harmonic Mechanisms for Guitar by George Van Eps	This three-volume work is nothing short of stunning. These books have positively shocked me by their scope, the incredible depth of the material they present, and how effectively working on this stuff has affected my playing.  A wonderful book by one of the most advanced harmonic players ever. **

Of course, no jazz guitar / jazz improvisation book collection would be complete without a Real Book. That one is a given. Although I am reluctant to recommend transcription books, the “Charlie Parker Omnibook” is an absolute must-have. It encapsulates much of what the basic grammar and vocabulary of improvisation is about (certain style restrictions may apply to this statement).

Where to begin with your own book collection? Here’s a good start:

THE DESERT ISLAND BOOK: Hal Crook, How to Improvise

THE BEGINNER BOOK: William Leavitt, A Modern Method for Guitar

Edouard Brenneisen, May 2009