Music theory is the study of the logic behind music. Fretboard harmony is music theory as it applies to the guitar. At some point in every guitarist’s journey there comes a time when learning songs by other people is no longer enough. That’s why every aspiring guitarist should eventually acquire some understanding of fretboard harmony to further their guitar skills. Understanding the fretboard and music theory opens up a whole new world to the guitar player by revealing the logic behind music. It enables one to better improvise and compose music as well as better understand why their favorite songs sound so good.

As someone who came to his knowledge of the fretboard in a very round-about way, let me assure you that a lot of time can be saved with a more structured approach. This is the book that I recommend to my students who are ready to go beyond learning songs and venture out into the world of scales, chords, freboard patterns, harmony and intervals.

Guitar Fretboard Workbook by Barrett Tagliarino is a great resource because it is not just a book but a workbook with exercises and fretboard maps for you to fill in to reinforce what you have learned. It has a very structured, building-block approach that starts with the most basic topics such as “root-shapes” and slowly builds on what you know until the fretboard is no longer a mystery but web of relationships that make sense. I wish I had this book when I was first learning.