Method book suggestions (with theory)
 

Hey all so once I wrap up the free method PDF from thisisclassicalguitar, I want to move onto a method book that really focuses on teaching reading with intervals in mind and also gets into theory of chords, scales, etc. All of the piano method books I have used really stressed learning to read by intervals and not simply this line is this note, etc. So are there method books out there that specifically help to learn to read music for guitar with an emphasis on intervals, theory, etc? Or does it make more sense to just get a separate guitar theory book and not expect a method book to go much into that stuff? I really want to be a fluent reader and eventually learn to compose my own stuff on the guitar. So I want to be on a path that gets me there, and not just focus on playing composed scores. I want to get good at identifying intervals, chords, arpeggios, etc on scores and playing them without spelling out notes. My real goal has always been to composing so I feel like learning all of this is essential as opposed to just learning how to play existing pieces if that makes sense.

I have been eyeing the Parkening books, but not sure if that is going to have what I am looking for

I haven't seen Any beginner method, even for pop music, that didn't at least introduce the open strings and a smidgeon of note names.

Well I guess what I am trying to do is learn an interval focused method if that makes sense? I used Alfreds piano series books and they really stressed the idea of reading/hearing in intervals. So instead of reading A, B, G, etc you would think second, major third, etc. I guess that really is just a mindset... but its something that I never fully learned on guitar. I have always used tab before now, so I really want to be in a position where I understand the neck in terms of intervals, chords, keys, etc and can begin to compose eventually for the guitar

Intervals?
 

Of the 300+ guitar books I've collected over 30 years, I cant think of any that try to do all you are asking. The most popular classical guitar methods cover much of the same ground, natch. Shearer, Noad, Parkening are all good (that's my order of preference, if not also in order of popularity.)

For a practical survey of applying 3rds, 6ths, 10th intervals to songs, fingerstyle, my favorite is Alan DeMause, "Complete Fingerstyle Jazz Guitar Book." Another good one is Howard Morgen "Concepts: Arranging for Fingerstyle Guitar."

For a workout in just reading and playing intervals for classical guitar, get "Guiliani's 120 Right Hand Studies." Those studies also appear as a chapter in Scott Tennant's "Pumping Nylon."

I imagine there's also college level guitar composition texts used at some universities. Anyone here have any of those?

Thanks! What in particular puts Parkening last on your list? I heard about it so much that I actually decided to order it. Interested in knowing which others are better before diving into it

Totally understandable that one book wouldnt do all of this. Im just trying to sort of create my own study plan for getting to my goal of not only playing classical guitar, but also composition. I really want to compose on the guitar as I enjoy it so much more than piano.. so I want to really learn guitar specific theory

I would recommend this book by William Leavitt, based on your description:
A Modern Method for Guitar
It's the basic text book they use for the guitar program at the Berklee College of Music.
I have the book (Vol 1/2/3), so I can vouch for its completeness. Vol. 2 gets into the intervals, chord voicings and more advanced topics you were talking about. There are lots of examples and study pieces, incl reading, for each topic covered.
Each volume is also available separately.
Admittedly the book is probably most useful if you're actually taking the course (it is a text book), but on its own you can easily figure out what they are trying to teach.
I have other method books, like Noad and Pumping Nylon, but I think those focus more on playing and performance, rather than what you seem to be looking for.
Berklee also offers on-line 6 week theory courses if you want something more meaty.

Thanks! Exactly most method books are really about playing.. of course.. which makes sense. I am perfectly fine getting this info from multiple sources.. as I mostly expected to anyway. I just want to start on this early vs later. When I first learned electric guitar.. I did 0 theory. I couldnt play a single thing besides existing music that I had learned.

I really want to use classical guitar as both a performance and composition instrument. So I want to get started right away on learning the instrument in a more deep way than just playing other peoples music.

Errata
 

Not really "last", because CP method volumes swim among those three of the most acclaimed (or at least most used) methods among who knows how many others. But I loaned out my copies many years ago, and barely remember contents, so I should not have given any preference rankings, sorry. One possible advantage of Shearer (that I had in mind) is how modern its right hand techniques are, such as to not recommend the bent wrist Segovia/Parkening style. Those old fashioned techniques still do sound good, as demonstrated here by forum poster Dymitri Nilov who showcases his students playing and winning competitions using the default perpendicular-to-strings attack. (I play that way too. Some modern pedagogy claims it's too injury prone, and passe. Maybe I just havent practiced hard enough to create a hand injury with my bent wrist.) Anyhow, you are maybe past these issues, and are looking for what to play, not how to play, (which is more easily accomplished with teacher.) Im going to buy the Parkening volumes again, if only to be able to talk about it better.

Btw, the Wm. Leavitt Book 1 I have is all flatpick. But I read they recently published a fingerstyle edition of the series. Sounds like a good way to go.

There's some great music theory on guitar Youtubes, too, of course. But it's hard to discern where they are taking you until you've watched some of it. Rabbit holes threaten!

The Carcassi method is oriented *a little bit* in the way you're thinking,
and there's an inexpensive, bilingual Mel Bay edition of it available.
Its layout is cluttered, but the material is good, and it includes the
Op.60 studies that are real good for the nuts-and-bolts of CG playing.
Nice that's it's comb-bound, too.

Jeffrey McFadden's book on fingerboard harmony is worth looking
at- published by D'Oz, i think; but there's a free PDF out there
too, or was.

Adding- hopefully this link will work for the PDF mentioned above:
https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/b...DMA_thesis.pdf