Guitar Technique Encyclopedia

I’m impressed by this book. Arranged alphabetically by type of technique, it covers harmonics (artificial and natural), barre chords, bends, classical guitar techniques, fingerstyle techniques, funk techniques, heavy metal, hybrid picking, jazz techniques, muting, slide guitar, speed development, strumming, tapping, and ‘tricks’. It’s well illustrated, with examples in standard notation and TAB, and a fair number of photographs illustrate techniques from popping to crossing hands.

Although it’s not a book of exercises, there are plenty of drills here to improve your reach and speed, and a number of the illustrations can find their way into your bag of riffs.

Some of the sections leave you wanting more – jazz techniques are given all of six pages. Still, this book covers a LOT of ground, and does it well. I’d recommend it for intermediate level guitarists; beginners will be overwhelmed, but when you’ve reached the point of exploring musical styles and expanding your technical ability, there’s a lot of good stuff here.