The 8 Best Guitar Chord Theory Books (2023 reviews)

Are you planning to buy guitar chord theory books, and are you confused about the options ? Your search ends here.

Our review process: Show/Hide

Our Top Picks:

Best Overall: Buy: Shipway Music Theory READ REVIEW

Best For advanced player: Buy: Tom Kolb Guitar Chord Theory Book READ REVIEW

Best For any adult: Buy: Damon Ferrante Guitar Chord Theory Book READ REVIEW

Best For Beginner Guitar: Buy: Mr Joseph Alexander Guitar Chord Theory Book READ REVIEW

Best For intermediate: Buy: Guitar head Guitar Chord Theory Book READ REVIEW

Best For rhythm Guitar: Buy: Jerry Jennings Guitar Chord Theory Book READ REVIEW

Best Theory: Buy: Guitar head OK Book READ REVIEW

Best Music Theory Book: Buy: Shipway Guitar Chord Theory Book READ REVIEW

Best Overall: Shipway Music Theory

Buy on Amazon

If you want nothing short of the optimal book for your regular usage, this shipway music theory is certainly a wise investment. If you are learning guitar and need to get the basics, all three volumes in this series will help you. This music theory book is very well written, easy to read and easy to understand. The bull music theory" lays out the basics in clear concise terms that helps de-mystify the concepts that serve as the foundation of music. This one covers minor and major chord progressions and pentatonic scales.

The pacing of this book is just right and the concise explanations of each concept are very clear. The paper feels very high quality too. It is worth every penny and also it is good for beginners or for reference. This Volume leaves the Guitarists with a very positive experience.

• Great book for breaking down the music theory
• A must have for any guitar player
• Simple, short lessons with bits to practice on the guitar
• Explains the basics (scales, intervals, keys, chord progression) fantastic

Best For advanced player: Tom Kolb Guitar Chord Theory Book

Buy on Amazon

Next on the list, we've got yet another book that manages to win our hearts. It's the tom kolb guitar chord theory book and it's widely considered as one of the best convenient book you can buy. This book is about the basics of reading music, teaching the notes on the staff in an easy to remember fashion. It also requires rudimentary skills in reading music. The exercises are great reinforcement, well structured and come at just the right time. The guitar part is balanced hard-right, so if you adjust the balance entirely to the left the guitar part is eliminated, allowing you to play the guitar part yourself.

This book provides a logical explanation for all the terminology you will encounter while learning to play the guitar, giving you a better understanding behind chords, scales, progressions, etc. There are judicious quizzes for each section. The book is fairly spare and if you want a very deep understanding you'll need one of those weighty theory books. For any level of guitar player, this would be a great reference to use when taking lessons with a music teacher.

• Great teaching of music theory fundamentals
• Works well if you have had some experience playing an instrument of any kind
• Easy to read lessons and provides a new look in learning

Best For any adult: Damon Ferrante Guitar Chord Theory Book

Buy on Amazon

Compared with other book in this category, the damon ferrante guitar chord theory book has a convenient design. Damon does a good job introducing the different concepts about the guitar and has a lot of cool exercises. This book gives you the tools to lay the groundwork to start your skills. It will have you picking songs out on the frets (with much practice) in no time. It also introduces a bunch of different music genres and the guitar techniques necessary for each style of music.

This book is extremely straightforward and makes learning easy and fun. It makes learing the guitar easy. It is easy to follow reading, plus videos provide the visual. It is great for any adult wanting to begin guitar playing.

• Very helpful when learning to play guitar
• Nicely put together book with clear diagrams of chords
• Good investment for long term

Best For Beginner Guitar: Mr Joseph Alexander Guitar Chord Theory Book

Buy on Amazon

Next on the list, we've got yet another book that manages to win our hearts. It's the mr joseph alexander guitar chord theory book and it's widely considered as one of the best convenient book you can buy. It opens up the fretboard to a whole new world of musical possibilities. It is by far the BEST way to learn, construct, and understand how chords work. It focuses on teaching you to learn how to use a fundamental knowledge of harmony to become your own, self-contained chord dictionary. It supplements other method books that are focused on songs. It is helpful for improvisation and for comping.

It is the trick that all advanced players know and it is taught very well in this book. It would be nicer to have a button to listen the soundtrack while you are reading the book. The book also shows the "grip" of the chords so you have a visual.

• An excellent book for taking your guitar playing to the next level
• Great book that teaches how to create different chord voicings
• Good investment for long term

Best For intermediate: Guitar head Guitar Chord Theory Book

Buy on Amazon

We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate book. The guitar head guitar chord theory book is exactly that - it's a simple book that hits all the right notes. The Guitar Head books are awesome. They are easy to read, fun to work from and very informative. It is a great cross section of guitar basics.

• Best suited for intermediate and advanced students
• One of the new comers and featured product

Best For rhythm Guitar: Jerry Jennings Guitar Chord Theory Book

Buy on Amazon

Best part: jerry jennings guitar chord theory book costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. It is a great study on simple triads, done in notation and guitar tab. It gives you the confidence to try interesting, "out of the box", outside concepts because you'll know exactly how to go back home to end with something melodic. It is also very nicely printed and organized to make the entire experience enjoyable.

It opens up the triad vision perfectly. It is easy to understand, chord diagrams are well laid out. It can stretch the brain as you get into the lessons but the early pages give some great fundamentals. It has instructional design principles well-applied in this system.

• Super helpful book to learn how to play the same chords in different positions
• Building blocks for composing, and building key formulations
• An excellent tool to improve every aspect of a guitarists portfolio
• Triad magic is great for triads and their inversions

Best Theory: Guitar head OK Book

Buy on Amazon

The guitar head ok book is capable of outshining several other book featured in this list in overall features for the price point. This book is a necessity especially if you want to learn how to read music, understand which notes makeup the chord. This is for when you already know chords.

• Good for anyone who hasn't bothered with theories
• Good brand reputation

Best Music Theory Book: Shipway Guitar Chord Theory Book

Buy on Amazon

The shipway guitar chord theory book is the best convenient book on the market today. This series of music theory books from James Shipway are clear, concise, and well worth the time spent. It demonstrates how to utilize the circle of fifths and how to form the major and minor chords, all of the 7th chords and add9s shapes and so much more. It comes with a little effort you’ll go way past your expectations and expertise, and enjoy.

This book is a fresh clear and concise take on guitar theory, with clear understanding of how to apply them. The volume is loaded with demonstrations and explanations for how to better understand everything from the fretboard notes to complex chord formations. The 7th chords, sus chords, modes and scales are all presented in a plain and simple way that makes sense and easy to understand. It is fun to practice through this Kindle version.

• Very helpful and makes each concept straight to the point
• Laid out super easy, great book
• Good investment for long term