Habits of a Successful Beginner Guitarist (Teacher’s Edition)

Habits of a Successful Beginner Guitarist is a field-tested, vital, and—most important—musical collection of nearly 400 sequenced exercises for the beginning guitar student. Available on both MusicFirst and MakeMusic Cloud, this method features:

• Introductory warm-up exercises
• Sequenced rhythm vocabulary (strumming patterns on chords)
• Appropriately paced melodic studies for each string
• Opportunities for students to compose their own melodies
• An introduction to chords, including nine common pop song chord progressions, and barre chords
• Eleven song arrangements for concert performance
• A basic introduction to 12-bar blues

The teacher’s edition also includes dozens of teacher tips for sequencing instruction, and the companion website (www.habitsguitar.com) includes accompaniment tracks and videos for each exercise in the book, 180 days of detailed lesson plans, as well as downloadable chord sheets and assessments.

Joe Sweet is the director of the guitar program at Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago, Illinois. Matt Hudson is an adjunct professor at VanderCook College of Music and a freelance guitarist. Scott Rush is the team lead for the Habits series.

Habits of a Successful Beginner Guitarist is an effective, no-nonsense method that produces great results! With innovative approaches to rhythm, chords, scales, and note reading, this method is engaging and easy to use with large guitar classes. The authors provide essential information and exercises within the text, and the accompanying website provides complete lesson plans, student assessments, and additional repertoire. This is a must-have book for anyone teaching a large beginning guitar class or private instruction!

—Dr. Julie Goldberg
Guitar Professor, VanderCook College of Music

I highly recommend this introduction to guitar as a primer for making aspiring guitar players into musicians.

—Bobby Broom
Associate Professor of Jazz Studies, Northern Illinois University

All great teachers aspire to find new and effective ways to reach and teach students. Habits of a Successful Beginner Guitarist focuses on innovative methods and steps to achieve this goal. I’ve also had the pleasure of watching Joe Sweet teach his guitar ensemble using this book, and the results are a thing of beauty to witness in person.

—Paul Wertico
Professor of Jazz Studies, Roosevelt University