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5 books to give the music lover in your life

By Kiera Baron

Young or old, there’s no wrong time to learn how to play music. Whether it’s just a hobby or a budding profession, supporting a loved one’s creative endeavor can be a beautiful thing. If you need a gift for birthdays, the holidays, or just because, these four books are perfect! Focusing on the basics of music, they can help your musician learn outside of their lessons and encourage them to grow their hobby into something they truly enjoy. From rock guitar to jazz essentials, there are tons of books out there that can provide extra knowledge—and a gift like this will show your music lover just how much you support them.

You Can Teach Yourself Dobro by Janet Davis is available both on Kindle and as a paperback book, which allows a little room for you to buy the perfect version for your recipient! This book is a step-by-step introduction into the world of dobro (an American brand of resonator guitars). The lessons in this book span across a variety of genres, including bluegrass, blues, country, and more! With the purchase, you’ll also gain access to online audio and video that includes all the songs taught in the book.
$22 from Amazon

Not every book out there is geared toward the left-handed player. William Bay’s rock guitar method is blues-based and includes a play-along CD. With this booklet, your left-handed guitarist will be able to learn various blues and rock styles, along with techniques like improvising, rhythm guitar, and slides. If they’re having a hard time finding content to help them learn outside of lessons, this is a must-have!
$0 from Amazon $17 from Walmart

Available in kindle and paperback versions, this book goes over essential Jazz lines in the styles of Clifford Brown, Corey Christiansen, and Kim Bock. It’s a perfect gift for any jazz enthusiast wanting to learn more about how to be like their favorite musicians. This guitar edition book and CD set features elements like minor chord materials and how to create an improvised solo with lines and variations of those lines. It includes technique overviews on scalar material and targeting, among others, and will teach you how to utilize them as you play.
$0 from Amazon

In this paperback book, your budding saxophone musician will learn the basics of eight songs across various keys and styles. It starts off with teaching how to put the saxophone together then guides you through the process of finding and playing each note you’ll need. Although this focuses solely on the alto saxophone, it sets up musicians to successfully be able to play any instrument in the saxophone family. And if that wasn’t enough, this book even comes with a play-along CD so that the recipient can feel like they’re playing alongside other people in the comfort of their home.
$23 from Amazon

Craig Duncan goes over everything a budding violinist needs to know in this first lessons book, CD, and DVD combination. The set looks at things like violin technique and the fundamentals of reading music, which makes this a great option for musicians who are just starting out. There are 28 lessons across the three different materials that use melodies and classical pieces to teach each one, including works by Bach, Handle, Mozart, and more.
$57 from Amazon $16 from Walmart

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Although books aren’t a perfect gift for everyone, they’re a great way to show your support and encourage your loved one to keep learning and growing. Especially if you know someone who wants to get into music but doesn’t know where to start, any of these books (and so many more!) can help guide them in the right direction—or even show them which instruments and styles they aren’t interested in learning. Lesson books like these are especially great for beginners, but can even make a wonderful gift for an established musician looking to explore a new instrument.

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Kiera Baron
Kiera Baron is a freelance writer and editor, as well as a budding digital artist, based in Upstate NY. She is currently one…
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