Guitar Today, Book 2: Guitar CD

Snyder writes method books that actually account for how students learn. This book balances technique with immediate repertoire that keeps players engaged, covering both acoustic and electric guitar while teaching pickstyle and fingerstyle from the ground up. The inclusion of duets and world folk melodies transforms scales and chords from abstract exercises into material students want to play.

Opening this book reveals a carefully paced journey through repertoire that spans classical traditions and folk heritage. The melodies feel familiar yet fresh, arranged in ways that let students hear themselves making real music even while they're building foundational skills.

Guitar Today, Book 2 serves students who have completed Book 1 and are ready to deepen their note reading and expand their technical range across both playing styles. It works equally well for those learning acoustic or electric guitar in group settings or private instruction.

• Coordinate the accompaniment recordings with your practice sessions so you hear proper tempo and phrasing from the first exposure to a new piece.
• Pay attention to fingering suggestions in the diagrams; Snyder's choices prioritize hand position and efficiency, not just playability.
• Work duets with a classmate or instructor to develop listening and timing skills that solo practice alone cannot build.

Use this as the core curriculum for a second-year guitar class, progressing students through note reading and chords at a realistic pace. The optional duet arrangements create performance opportunities for student recitals or informal class showcases, and the folk melody selections make excellent selections for combined ensembles if you have both guitar and bass students working from the parallel Bass Today series.

• Reading standard notation on the treble clef and guitar tablature
• Playing major and minor scales across the fretboard
• Forming and transitioning between open and barre chords
• Executing both pickstyle and fingerstyle techniques with proper hand position
• Performing ensemble music through duet arrangements
• Interpreting classical and folk melodies from multiple musical traditions