Belwin's 21st Century Guitar Rock Shop 2: Guitar Book & Online Audio

This book hits the sweet spot between structured learning and genuine rock vocabulary. Students work through techniques that matter to them (power chords, bends, vibrato) while learning from riffs they actually want to play. The balance of skill-building and style studies keeps engagement high without sacrificing fundamentals.

Raw energy tempered by precision. You're learning to bend a note with intention, feel the pocket of a shuffle, and command the neck through moveable shapes. The riff studies pull from classic rock heroes, so you're building real repertoire while developing technique.

Students who have completed Book 1 and are ready to expand into the lead guitar territory and rhythmic complexity that defines rock. This level suits guitarists who want to move beyond basic chords and open strings into the techniques and attitudes that make rock music distinctive.

• Lock in the shuffle rhythm at a slow tempo first. Play the riff patterns at half speed until the feel sits naturally in your hands, then gradually increase.
• When bending, use your fretting hand to pull or push the string while your pick hand anchors the rhythm. Practice the pitch target before adding it to faster riff contexts.
• Use the online audio to hear how vibrato shapes the tone. Study the recordings, then apply the technique to sustained notes in your own riffs to find your own voice.
• Moveable power chords unlock fretboard freedom. Practice shifting between chord shapes up and down the neck in rhythm before applying them to the style studies.

Use this as the core material for intermediate guitar students in your program, working through it over a semester or year alongside supplementary technique drills. The style-based approach works well for ensemble or lesson contexts where students benefit from both structure and musical inspiration drawn from iconic recordings.

• Moveable power chord shapes and transposition across the fretboard
• Moveable minor pentatonic scales for lead playing
• Triplet subdivisions and shuffle rhythm feel
• String bending with pitch control and vibrato
• Integrating lead and rhythm guitar patterns within rock contexts
• Riff-based reading and interpretation in the style of classic rock artists