The Total Acoustic Guitarist: Guitar Book & Online Audio

Natter structures this book to meet students exactly where they are, starting with fundamental strumming patterns and building steadily toward advanced techniques like slapping and tapping. The inclusion of backing tracks in multiple styles gives players immediate context for applying what they're learning, transforming isolated exercises into actual musical experiences.

This book captures the full range of acoustic guitar expression, moving fluidly between the warmth of traditional fingerpicking and the percussive snap of slapped strings. Each technique feels earned rather than imposed, building confidence as players discover what their instrument can do beyond standard strumming.

Acoustic guitarists ranging from complete beginners learning their first open chords to intermediate players seeking to expand into contemporary techniques and extended playing methods. Anyone wanting a cohesive path from fundamentals through slapping, tapping, and sliding will find both clear instruction and the musical payoff of backing tracks to practice against.

• Spend time with the backing tracks at slower tempos first. The online audio allows you to adjust speed without changing pitch, so use this to lock in your timing before moving to full tempo.
• When working through tapping and slapping passages, isolate the technique on a single string or small phrase until the motion becomes automatic. The muscle memory matters more than speed early on.
• Experiment with different backing track styles for the same passage. A riff that feels stiff over a rock groove might breathe naturally over a folk or funk backing.

Use this for self-directed student learning in private lessons or studio settings where you want a student to develop independence between sessions. The backing tracks make it equally valuable for group classes, where students can jam together over the same accompaniment while working through different exercises.

• Open chord voicings and basic strumming patterns
• Fingerpicking techniques and arpeggiation
• Slapping, tapping, and percussive string techniques
• Sliding, hammer-ons, and pull-offs
• Rhythm accuracy and groove feel over backing tracks
• Stylistic awareness across acoustic guitar genres