Music Theory for Guitarists, Volume 2 by James Shipway

You shorten the review to 2 paragraph Copilot "Music Theory for Guitarists, Volume 2" by James Shipway is a comprehensive resource that makes complex guitar theory concepts accessible and engaging for guitarists of all skill levels. The book covers a wide range of topics like intervals, triad inversions, seventh chords, the circle of fifths, and modes. Shipway's clear, straightforward approach, along with practical examples using fretboard diagrams and chord boxes, makes the material easy to grasp without needing to read music. The inclusion of downloadable audio demonstrations, practice drills, and backing tracks is a standout feature, providing hands-on practice opportunities. "Music Theory for Guitarists, Volume 2" is highly recommended for any guitarist looking to expand their theoretical knowledge and improve their playing skills. It's well-structured, packed with useful information, and directly applicable to guitar practice.

This book makes music theory easy to learn and understand. James Shipway explains it by putting the bread on the bottom shelf. I’m amazed that even I can learn and understand theory.

This book was very shocking, I have only read a few chapters because I am still in Volume 1 of the set. I have not understood the circle of fifths, or how modes work, or even constructing my own chord progressions. This book took my fear out of the whole process and opened many guitar playing doors that were previously closed to me because of the steep learning curve of guitar theory. Volume 2 breaks down the most complex things in guitar theory like inversions, modes and how they are used in the context of scales. That alone makes this book a very wealth of knowledge, I have a lot of guitar theory books that I have tried to read through the years and my eyes would glass over and I would fall asleep. This book was a fresh clear and concise take on guitar theory, with clear understanding of how to apply them. If your serious about learning the right way to guitar theory this set is a no brainer, I would recommend pulling the trigger on all three volumes. These books are so awesome I am seriously considering purchasing James other books on the caged theory which I have tons of those books by other authors that have taught me nil, except for giving me headaches.

Halfway through Vol. 1 of this series I had already decided to buy Vol. 2. Shipway has a great way of simplifying guitar theory, and his books are a pleasure to read and work through. I have also purchased "The CAGED System" and "The Circle of Fifths." Right now I'm halfway through Vol. 2 and found his explanation of triad inversions excellent, along with chapters on sus2, sus4, Add9 and 7th chords. I'm also going through his Circle of Fifths book and learning a lot, fast. The author gives you a step-by-step guide to both understanding and memorizing the Circle, as well as using some of the cool shortcuts it allows. If you want a clear explanation of basic guitar theory, these books hit the right notes!

I recently finished working through volume 2 of James Shipways music theory books. The first is required reading. Very informative and helped me look at chords and scales in a deeper way. I'm very much beginner level and it was exactly what I needed. Volume 2 has a lot of very useful content like sus2 and sus4 chords, an intro to the circle of fifths, and scale layouts. However for my level there was about half the material I was just not ready to worry about learning yet. It seemed to be tailored more for those going to compose more than still learning to play, so I didn't find as much helpful in this book. As I progress in my own skill though I think a reread will be very beneficial. Just like the first volume it is very easy to follow.

Music Theory for Guitarists, Volume 2. This review is for the Music Theory for Guitarists series. Volume I is a good start, Volume 2 brings you along, and Volume three takes you home. Easy to read and most importantly easy to understand. I love the guitars I build, and I’m old and have carpel tunnel issues that limit my play time. That means I have lots of time to read, and I read a lot of music books. Consequently, I have a huge library of great, not so great, and downright lousy music books. All of them have something to offer but the great ones seem to be few and far between. Many of the books seem to have missing pieces to the puzzle and lack clarity and/or proper editing. This makes putting the information to much effective use and can be confusing. James Shipway breaks ahead of the pack and has written a great series here, and for that reason, I write this review.

I’ve already reviewed book 1, which was excellent. Now my journey has continued through book 2 and now onto book 3. Theory has eluded me my entire guitar life which started at age 10 and now 45 years later. You do the math. Lol. Book 2 enhances your knowledge from Book 1 and simply and easily introduces concepts like the circle of fifths and make learning and understanding it very straight forward. James has a knack for uncomplicating such a massive topic like guitar theory. Breaking it down into easily understandable bites. I highly recommend this entire series. Now onto book 3. I recently purchased almost all of his book including caged, blues guitar and rock licks. He’s a great teacher.

Great book for general guitar theory. I have the other books in the series. Well done!!! Hopefully will be more from the author. So far so good.