Guitar Scales Handbook
A StepByStep, 100Lesson Guide to Scales, Music Theory, and Fretboard Theory (Book & Videos) (Steeplechase Guitar Instruction)
by Damon Ferrante
Reading Profile
Should I read this?
Damon Ferrante assembles more than 200 short lessons, tabbed licks and scale patterns into a practice-first manual with matching streaming-video demonstrations. It reads like a stack of lesson sheets: fingerings, short etudes and ready-to-play phrases that invite immediate fretboard work. Videos reinforce many examples but can't substitute for live feedback. Strength lies in the volume of playable material and clear, drillable patterns; the downside is limited big-picture harmony and musical context, so sections can feel repetitive for theory-minded readers.
Read this if...
- •a gigging cover-band lead guitarist prepping between rehearsals — useful when you need plug-in licks and scale shapes to practice quickly before a set.
- •a private guitar teacher assigning weekly homework to intermediate students — useful when you want short, varied drills and video examples to review in lessons.
- •a self-taught hobbyist with basic fretboard familiarity trying to turn shapes into phrases — useful if you can commit to daily practice and prefer tabbed patterns over long theoretical chapters.
Skip this if...
- •you'll likely put it down when long runs of similar drills and pattern variations appear with little new musical context — repetition is the main drop-off point.
- •annoying if you prefer learning through whole songs, ear-training, or narrative explanation instead of isolated licks and short examples.
- •frustrating for absolute beginners with no fretboard basics — the pace assumes some prior knowledge and can feel technical very early on.
With over 200 lessons, guitar licks, exercises and scalesover chords concepts, this new edition book and streaming video course is all you will ever need for learning guitar scales and how to apply them in a musical context to make your playing more expressive! Damon Ferrante, guitar instructor and music professor, guides you through stepbystep ...
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:easy
Audience Fit
- a gigging cover-band lead guitarist prepping between rehearsals — useful when you need plug-in licks and scale shapes to practice quickly before a set.
- a private guitar teacher assigning weekly homework to intermediate students — useful when you want short, varied drills and video examples to review in lessons.
- a self-taught hobbyist with basic fretboard familiarity trying to turn shapes into phrases — useful if you can commit to daily practice and prefer tabbed patterns over long theoretical chapters.
- you'll likely put it down when long runs of similar drills and pattern variations appear with little new musical context — repetition is the main drop-off point.
- annoying if you prefer learning through whole songs, ear-training, or narrative explanation instead of isolated licks and short examples.
- frustrating for absolute beginners with no fretboard basics — the pace assumes some prior knowledge and can feel technical very early on.
Check formats, pricing, and availability options for Kindle, physical print, or audiobooks directly.
View available editions on AmazonKey themes
Why recommended
appears in Guitar.
Recommendation Signals
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Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider Guitar AllInOne for Dummies by Mark Phillips, Hal Leonard Corporation, Jon Chappell, Desi Serna.
“Guitar All-In-One for Dummies reads like a compact, illustrated practical reference that walks a beginner from buying and maintaining an instrument to basic chords, strumming patterns, and simple songs. Its value is the breadth: accessible step-by-step explanations and quick-access chapters let you look up tuning, setup, gear, and basic technique without a teacher. Main limitation: depth — advanced technique, stylistic nuance, and long, guided practice plans are thin, so serious students may find it surface-level and repetitive across sections.”
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Hal Leonard CorporationHow recommendation signals are reviewed
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.