Mel Bay’s Modern Guitar Method, Grade 1

I am teaching myself guitar using Mel Bay’s Modern Guitar Method, Complete Edition. The complete edition is 679 pages long and includes the book in electronic format and downloadable music files of all musical pieces and exercises. The complete edition can be purchased in two parts or each grade individually.

The complete method contains seven grades of increasing difficulty. Since November 7, 2025, I have been working my way through Grade 1. For me, this is a review of material I learned nearly fifty years when I was a student at Portland State University and taking guitar lessons for fun.

Grade 1 is 88 pages long, and it is challenging but not overly difficult. I have been practicing thirty to ninety minutes each day as I build up the calluses on my fretting (left) hand. I am progressing at the average rate of about one page per day. My approach is to practice each exercise or song until I play it once without an error, and then I move on. I frequently go back to review old songs and exercises.

I downloaded the audio examples and imported them into Apple Music. I loaded the PDF of the book into Apple Books. This made it possible to read the music on my 13-inch iPad Air and listen to the audio examples of the exercises or songs. I bought a sturdy music stand that holds my iPad Air without wobbling.

The strength of Mel Bay’s Modern Guitar Method is that the student learns to read standard notation from day one; the book does not contain TABs. The weakness of this method is that the music is old tunes in the public domain or original compositions by Mel Bay and/or William Bay, and this music is not very interesting. The student looking to learn folk, rock, or jazz standards won’t find them here.

This is the table of contents for Grade 1.

• How to hold the guitar and pick
• Tuning the guitar
• The rudiments of music
• Notes and types of notes
• Rests
• The time signature
• Notes on the E string (first string)
• Notes on the B string (second string)
• Three-four time
• Dotted half notes
• Notes on the G string (third string)
• Pick-up notes
• The tie
• Notes on the D string (fourth string)
• 4 string note review
• The eighth note
• Ledger lines
• Notes on the A string (fifth string)
• Dotted quarter notes
• Note review
• Notes on the E string (sixth string)
• Introducing the high A note
• Notes on the guitar in the first position
• Playing high A
• About duets
• Chords
• Chord songs
• Building the F chord
• Four-string chord study
• Chord studies
• Bass solos with chord accompaniment
• The key of C
• The C scale
• Scale studies
• Chords in the key of C major (C, F, G7)
• Accompaniment styles (in C major)
• Alternate basses (in C major)
• Three-four time (in C major)
• Chord studies in C
• Steps
• Chromatics
• Sharps
• Flats
• Tempo
• The key of A minor (relative to C major)
• The A minor scales (natural, harmonic, melodic)
• The chords in the key of A minor (Am, Dm, E7)
• Accompaniment styles in A minor
• Orchestration style (in A minor)
• Chord studies in the key of A minor
• A daily scale study in A minor
• Picking studies in A minor
• The hold sign
• First and second endings
• Words indicating variations in tempo
• The key of G
• The G scale
• A daily drill (in G)
• Picking studies in G
• Chords in the key of G (G, C, D7)
• Accompaniment styles in the key of G
• Two-four time
• The key of E minor (relative to G major)
• Two E minor scales
• Picking studies (in E minor)
• Chords in the key of E minor (Em, Am, B7)
• Accompaniment styles in the key of E minor
• Orchestration styles (in E minor)
• Chord studies (in E minor)
• A chord review
• The A7 chord
• Tone (pitch, duration, dynamics, and timbre)

The book contains 182 individual pieces of music, including studies and songs.