Basix®: Guitar Method 2: Easy Guitar

The recorded accompaniments make this method genuinely useful for independent practice, removing the friction of finding a teacher or accompanist to play along with. Manus built this series on real musical repertoire across blues, rock, jazz, classical, folk, and country rather than sterile exercises, so students stay engaged while absorbing technique naturally.

A mix of genuine musical styles that keeps the learner engaged. One moment you're exploring a classic blues progression, the next you're applying your skills to a folk melody or a rock-influenced tune, giving you a real sense of how guitar lives across different musical traditions.

Second-year guitar students ready to move beyond the absolute basics and apply fundamentals to real songs. Teachers and self-taught players alike will find the included recordings invaluable for building consistency and ear training without needing a live accompanist.

• Work through the songs in sequence rather than jumping ahead. Each track builds on the previous one, and skipping around will create gaps in your foundational understanding.
• Use the recording to lock in steady tempo, but also work sections without it to develop internal time before adding the accompaniment back in.
• Pay attention to the style markings for each song. The difference between how you'd approach a folk tune versus a blues number teaches you how technique serves the music itself.
• After you can play a song cleanly with the recording, try it at a slightly slower tempo to improve accuracy and build confidence before moving forward.

Assign this as the primary method text for your second-level group classes or private lessons. The recordings allow students to practice meaningfully between lessons, which means they'll arrive better prepared and you'll spend less time on accompaniment and more on technique refinement.

• Reading standard notation and tablature
• Chord transitions and changes in multiple song styles
• Rhythm and strumming patterns across blues, rock, and folk idioms
• Finger strength and dexterity beyond first-position work
• Tempo and timing accuracy with recorded accompaniment
• Musical interpretation and stylistic awareness