Join Joe McMurray as he thoroughly reviews guitar books – method, technique, song and repertoire. There are hundreds of books on the market, and Joe will help you to find the best book that explores your area/style of interest at the proper level of difficulty. Joe is a professional player and teacher with a formal background in jazz guitar, but extensive experience with folk, rock, blues, funk, and classical styles on instruments including the guitar, ukulele, piano, bass, banjo, and drums. He has released two solo fingerstyle guitar and ukulele albums, played on numerous rock recordings, and written his own book on arranging for fingerstyle guitar.
Arranging Melodies for Fingerstyle Guitar: Stand By Me (Ben E. King)
In this episode of Guitar Books the Podcast, I’ll show you how to take the simple but beloved melody of Ben E King’s “Stand By Me,” and turn it into a variety of fingerstyle guitar arrangements. This video is the culmination of mini-series on how to become a better acoustic fingerstyle guitarist through the use of general guitar method books.
7 Jul 2026
Review #32: The Devil Is In It by John Stubbings
“The Devil Is In It” by John Stubbings is an incredible historical look at the acoustic guitar: its players, its builders, and how it is woven into the history of the United States and Europe. This is an extremely valuable read for guitarists of all stripes.
• You will learn about the evolution of the acoustic guitar from its earliest forms through to modern luthier-built masterpieces.
• You will hear the stories behind many famous and not-so-famous guitar builders and how they tie into the greater history of society.
• You will learn about the musical movements of the past several hundred years, and in doing so you will make new musical connections and you will fill gaps in your musical knowledge.
• You will undoubtedly be inspired to play and learn more guitar.
This is good stuff to know.
I’m honored to sit down today with the author himself. Welcome, John Stubbings!
29 May 2026
Comparison #4: Best Classical Methods for Fingerstyle Guitarists
Do you want to become a better fingerstyle guitarist? Today I’m here to talk about how studying classical guitar technique and repertoire will elevate your fingerstyle playing. Additionally, I will present my favorite classical guitar method books for fingerstyle players. Please note, I am aiming this video specifically at fingerstyle players and not aspiring classical guitar players, although I will offer some thoughts on which books may be best for classical guitarists.
Reach and audience
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
6 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 39 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
50
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
68
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