Over the past 15 years, Troy Nelson has written more than 20 instructional books for guitarists, including the #1 bestseller Guitar Aerobics and the popular Troy Nelson Music series Play Guitar in 14 Days.
His philosophy on writing his books is simple: Give the reader what he/she wants, which is music instruction that is both fun and easy to understand. This will keep them engaged and, in turn, make them a better guitarist in the shortest amount of time.
It all started with Guitar Aerobics...
The former Editor-in-Chief of the popular Guitar One magazine, Nelson wrote his first book, Guitar Aerobics, shortly after leaving the publication in 2005. The title, which has become a #1 bestseller, has sold over 150,000 copies worldwide and, for over a decade, has remained in the Top 10 of Amazon's list of top-selling guitar titles.
"As a guitarist, I wanted to write a technique book that would appeal to me; that is, a book that had a practical structure and music examples that didn't sound like warm-up exercises. I wanted to compose music examples that guitarists could incorporate into their own music while, at the same time, improving their chops," says Nelson.
Following the incredible success of Guitar Aerobics, Nelson next penned Fretboard Freedom, Rhythm Guitar 365, and One-Man Guitar Jam, all published by Hal Leonard, the top print music publisher in the world.
In 2017, Nelson self-published Modern Lead Guitar, followed in 2018 by Play Blues Guitar in 14 Days and Master Pentatonic Scales for Guitar in 14 Days. In 2019, he released several more titles, includi... See more
Over the past 15 years, Troy Nelson has written more than 20 instructional books for guitarists, including the #1 bestseller Guitar Aerobics and the popular Troy Nelson Music series Play Guitar in 14 Days.
His philosophy on writing his books is simple: Give the reader what he/she wants, which is music instruction that is both fun and easy to understand. This will keep them engaged and, in turn, make them a better guitarist in the shortest amount of time.
It all started with Guitar Aerobics...
The former Editor-in-Chief of the popular Guitar One magazine, Nelson wrote his first book, Guitar Aerobics, shortly after leaving the publication in 2005. The title, which has become a #1 bestseller, has sold over 150,000 copies worldwide and, for over a decade, has remained in the Top 10 of Amazon's list of top-selling guitar titles.
"As a guitarist, I wanted to write a technique book that would appeal to me; that is, a book that had a practical structure and music examples that didn't sound like warm-up exercises. I wanted to compose music examples that guitarists could incorporate into their own music while, at the same time, improving their chops," says Nelson.
Following the incredible success of Guitar Aerobics, Nelson next penned Fretboard Freedom, Rhythm Guitar 365, and One-Man Guitar Jam, all published by Hal Leonard, the top print music publisher in the world.
In 2017, Nelson self-published Modern Lead Guitar, followed in 2018 by Play Blues Guitar in 14 Days and Master Pentatonic Scales for Guitar in 14 Days. In 2019, he released several more titles, including Learn 14 Chord Progressions for Guitar in 14 Days, The Guitar Book (Volumes 1 and 2), How to Play Guitar in 14 Days, and How to Play Jazz Guitar in 14 Days.
In 2020, Nelson continued to focus heavily on his Play Guitar in 14 Days series, releasing the titles Master Music Theory for Guitar in 14 Days, Connect & Combine Pentatonic Scales Across the Guitar Fretboard in 14 Days, and Memorize & Master the Guitar Fretboard in 14 Days. He even found time to publish a Christmas songbook, 12 Easy Christmas Songs for Solo Guitar.
Learning to play guitar...
It was in the small town of Viroqua, Wisconsin (population 4,000), where Nelson first picked up the guitar at the age 14. After months of begging his parents for an axe, he tapped into his savings account for a Harmony electric, a Fender Strat knockoff from the JC Penney catalog.
From that moment forward, Nelson would spend hours each day, much to his buddies' dismay, woodshedding in his bedroom, playing everything from Stevie Ray Vaughan and B.B. King to Dokken and Metallica.
"My friends would come to our front door on the weekends to ask me to hang out, and I'd say 'no thanks' and go back to my room to play guitar until dinner. Then, after dinner, I'd return to my room and play until my sister would bang on the wall to make me stop," remembers Nelson.
Guitar One History...
Nelson attended Milwaukee Area Technical College, where he earned an Associate’s Degree in Occupational Music. Following graduation, Nelson launched his professional career at Hal Leonard, where he worked as a music editor. In 1999, Nelson moved with magazine start-up Guitar One to New York City. For a decade, he worked many late nights and weekends at the magazine, holding the titles of Music Editor, Senior Editor, and, finally, Editor-in-Chief.
"I'm quite proud of what we accomplished at Guitar One. What began as a start-up, evolved into the No. 2 guitar title in the world when I left in 2005," remembers Nelson fondly.
Here’s what others have to say about Troy Nelson:
“I am a total fan of Troy’s books and methods of learning.”
“Troy Nelson is a guitar god.”
“Troy Nelson is the former editor of my favorite guitar magazines.”
Books Authored by Troy Nelson:
Guitar Aerobics
Fretboard Freedom
Rhythm Guitar 365
One-Man Guitar Jam
Modern Lead Guitar
Play Blues Guitar in 14 Days
Master Pentatonic Scales for Guitar in 14 Days
Learn 14 Chord Progressions for Guitar in 14 Days
The Guitar Book: Volume 1
The Guitar Book: Volume 2
How to Play Guitar in 14 Days
How to Play Jazz Guitar in 14 Days
Master Music Theory for Guitar in 14 Days
Connect & Combine Pentatonic Scales Across the Guitar Fretboard in 14 Days
Memorize & Master the Guitar Fretboard in 14 Days
