Originally Posted by: Azrael

Imagine you will write the ultimate book - what would you put in it? What would you like to read in THE ultimate book?

Azrael

The ultimate 'book' for me would be more a book on tape (EDIT: Or CD... this is the 2000's); I'm one of those rare people who learns things better from hearing them than seeing them (I have passed college courses without taking a single note on paper or reading the text before). If I were making it, I'd start with basic scales (the major scale in the open position, etc.) then move on to simple chords, barre chords, etc. Of course I'd have a booklet to go along with it (since its hard to explain what a barre chord is with spoken words alone).

As far as books I've owned, I've only had one and that was a book demystifing the penatonic scale and it's various shapes and positions. Everything else I've looked at was pure garbage (mostly because I'm an audio-based learner so it isn't neccesarily the book's fault).

Now that I think of it, I also have had mixed success with artist songbooks (I know they aren't really 'instructiona' per-se but hear me out). I learned more from a single Metallica Book and an instructor's assistance than I learned from any other book, magazine, or course that I've ever encountered. I remember he even got us started on Van Halen's Eruption before I had to cancel my lessons to move half-way across the country again *grumble*