The Subversive Guitarist: Joe Gore’s Guitar Theory and Technique Book

Kill the clichés and develop your unique style! Now available from Amazon and Premier Guitar.

The Subversive Guitarist is for any intermediate or advanced player who feels like they are stuck in a rut. If you’ve ever thought, “I always play the same things whenever I pick up a guitar,” this is your remedy.

The Subversive Guitarist includes hundreds of exercises designed to free your hands and mind from auto-pilot licks, muscle-memory repetition, and box-pattern boredom.

These lessons are applicable to all musical styles. Music reading is not required — all musical examples appear in tab as well as standard notation.

The book purchase includes audio downloads for the hundreds of musical examples and links to relevant videos. —Joe Gore

Praise for The Subversive Guitarist:

“It’s hard to imagine any serious guitarist not coming away from this important book as a better musician. It offers such a fresh approach to breaking out of ruts and forces you to look at the guitar from a different angle. Joe Gore’s incredibly deep knowledge of music history and his unique approach to the instrument make this an invaluable tool for any dedicated guitarist. It has certainly helped me! I will return to this book again and again for years to come. Thanks for the inspiration!” —Richard Fortus (Guns N’ Roses, Psychedelic Furs, Dead Daisies)

“The Subversive Guitarist is unique in the pantheon of guitar instruction. Joe Gore’s prodigious intellect and empathic heart are engaged in the vital work of illuminating alternative ways to approach guitar, giving inquisitive seekers new ways to find their own voice. Joe invites and gently provokes players to truly become themselves, out from under the shadow of Guitar Industrial Complex conformity. The Subversive Guitarist sits alongside such classics as Mick Goodrick’s The Advancing Guitarist and Philip Toshio Sudo’s Zen Guitar.” — Vernon Reid (Living Colour, Jack Bruce, Public Enemy, Mick Jagger)

“This book is fantastic! It’s chock-full of ideas and exercises to expand a player’s command of the instrument and break free from habits that hinder advancement. It guides your fingers through new journeys, expanding your ears in the process. I highly recommend this brilliant book!” — Lyle Workman (film composer, Sting, Beck, Frank Black, Todd Rundgren)

“Learning guitar is difficult. Learning how to use your own instincts and creativity to make your best music is even more difficult. Joe Gore has managed to fuse teaching guitar techniques with simultaneous expansion of musical knowledge. You will learn about things you never knew you wanted to learn. You can’t get any more subversive than that!” —Dweezil Zappa (composer, bandleader)

“Joe Gore is among today’s most versatile and knowledgeable guitarists. With expertise that spans genres and eras, his uniquely wide view provides valuable perspectives for any musician seeking to push past convention, grow a richer musical vocabulary, and cultivate a more adventurous creative approach. I’ll be geeking out alongside the rest of you with these exercises and concepts.” — Gretchen Menn (solo artist, Zepparella, guitar clinician) 

“My homie Joe Gore could be the most subversive guitarist of all. He has somehow found a way to get guitar players to learn all of the bedrock fundamentals without seeming like that’s what they’re doing. Think of The Subversive Guitarist as one of the classic guitar method books, without any dogma or agenda. One which, if the player puts in the hours, will do two things very effectively: create a guitar player who is an asset on the bandstand, and one who has their own voice. I wish this book was around when I was coming up. Bravo, Joe!” — Charlie Hunter (solo artist, T.J. Kirk, Norah Jones, Frank Ocean, D’Angelo)

“This book is incredible! The internet is full of guitarists following well worn paths, known patterns, and predictable music. What’s needed now is a generation willing to seek beyond the clichés. Joe has written a book full of clues and cues to inspire your own fresh ideas. These are the best kind of concepts: the ones you never finish working on.” — James Valentine (Maroon 5, John Mayer)