The music guides in the popular "For Dummies" series all follow the same basic format, which includes much of the same information found in the other self-instruction resources reviewed here, but in more detailgetting started with the instrument, chords and melodies, playing technique, stylistic characteristics, and choosing instruments. Unlike most of the other series, the details of some techniques, such as fingerpicking, are covered in the chapters on style instead of getting chapters or sections of their own. These volumes also don't cover reading music, though scored examples are included: players who don't read are advised to pick up chords and melodies by ear from the accompanying CD. Best for teens and adults with some musical background, not necessarily with the guitar. Forthcoming titles include Classical Guitar For Dummies (Jul. 2009; ISBN 978-0-470-46470-0) and Guitar All-in-One For Dummies (Aug. 2009; ISBN 978-0-470-48133-2), a 720-page reference that compiles information from eight books in the series. Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.