---
product_id: 4237502
title: "Melodic Rhythms for Guitar | William Leavitt Guitar Method Book for Students and Teachers | Essential Rhythm Studies and Sight Reading Exercises | Contemporary Music Practice and Technique Guide"
price: "£19.99"
currency: GBP
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/4237502-melodic-rhythms-for-guitar-william-leavitt-guitar-method-book-students
store_origin: GB
region: United Kingdom
---

# Melodic Rhythms for Guitar | William Leavitt Guitar Method Book for Students and Teachers | Essential Rhythm Studies and Sight Reading Exercises | Contemporary Music Practice and Technique Guide

**Price:** £19.99
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Melodic Rhythms for Guitar | William Leavitt Guitar Method Book for Students and Teachers | Essential Rhythm Studies and Sight Reading Exercises | Contemporary Music Practice and Technique Guide
- **How much does it cost?** £19.99 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/4237502-melodic-rhythms-for-guitar-william-leavitt-guitar-method-book-students)

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## Why This Product

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## Description

Melodic Rhythms for Guitar by William Leavitt is a classic method book designed for guitar students, teachers, and self-learners who want to master rhythm and phrasing in modern music. Perfect for classroom study, private lessons, or individual practice, it builds the rhythmic foundation every guitarist needs for performance and composition. This trusted Berklee Press resource is used worldwide by professional instructors and aspiring musicians. This comprehensive study guide features 68 harmonized melodies and 42 rhythm exercises that cover the rhythmic language of contemporary music. Each exercise uses clear standard notation and progressive difficulty to help players develop precision, timing, and coordination. The material also serves as an excellent source for duets, sight-reading practice, and chord studies, making it valuable for daily use in structured learning or ensemble work. By working through these lessons, guitarists strengthen their rhythmic awareness and improve technical fluency across styles including jazz, rock, and pop. The book helps build confidence and technique through repetition, discipline, and creative phrasing. It encourages musicians to internalize groove and feel while improving reading accuracy and overall musicality. This makes it a trusted resource for both teachers and intermediate to advanced students seeking to refine their skills. Trusted by educators and respected by professionals. This rhythm study guide transforms your playing through focused practice and structured learning. Ideal for lessons, studio work, and self-paced improvement a must-have tool for serious guitarists dedicated to mastering rhythm and style.

Review: Great Sight Reading Book for all guitarists. - This is one of the best sight reading books I've come across in awhile. You can get a lot of mileage out of the exercises in this book and I think it's one that guitar teachers out there should have to work with their students on sight reading. First off you can use the same exercise multiple times to explore different positions on the guitar, helping you or your students become more familiar with the fretboard. The melodies are all single line and unfingered so you can focus on playing the notes rather than playing the fingerings (a trap some guitarists fall into.) What's really great about this book is that you can also work on your rhythm and counting at the same time as you're working on sight reading. The other Leavitt book on sight reading is mostly in eighth notes all the way through, this book has all kinds of great rhythms that are syncopated and spicy that will literally force you to keep on your toes and count if you want to play the exercise correctly. Also you can either get together with a friend or play with your teacher or student, because there is a lead sheet attached to each exercise. Playing in this duo format is another good way to practice sight reading because it forces you not to stop and make corrections and to move forward and keep reading. So to recap on why I think this book is an essential to anyone's sight reading library, you get to work on fretboard knowledge which gives you multiple uses of each exercise (lots of bang for the buck), you work on single line reading that is approachable even for poor readers, you get a good solid rhythmic workout with each exercise which reinforces solid musicianship, and you can play alone or with another person which besides being fun, is just another great way to practice ensemble playing and sight reading. Check this book out it's a solid buy.
Review: Not a method but good for rhythm, chord, and reading practice - Great book. Fun to play. Intermediate level in my opinion. You need to incorporate the chords for the full experience. Record or loop the chords and play with yourself. I think the chords are the most difficult aspect. The rhythms are not difficult but you should play with a metronome to make sure you play in rhythm. You'll have to figure out what positions to use for each study. The first two studies work well in second position. This is also a good book to practice reading. William Leavitt also has a method series that is very good.

## Features

- 72 Pages
- Author: William Leavitt
- Publisher : Berklee Press Publications
- Softcover

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #180,040 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #305 in Classical Music (Books) #969 in Music Instruction & Study (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 260 Reviews |

## Images

![Melodic Rhythms for Guitar | William Leavitt Guitar Method Book for Students and Teachers | Essential Rhythm Studies and Sight Reading Exercises | Contemporary Music Practice and Technique Guide - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71h-1cFnhmL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great Sight Reading Book for all guitarists.
*by W***E on October 28, 2010*

This is one of the best sight reading books I've come across in awhile. You can get a lot of mileage out of the exercises in this book and I think it's one that guitar teachers out there should have to work with their students on sight reading. First off you can use the same exercise multiple times to explore different positions on the guitar, helping you or your students become more familiar with the fretboard. The melodies are all single line and unfingered so you can focus on playing the notes rather than playing the fingerings (a trap some guitarists fall into.) What's really great about this book is that you can also work on your rhythm and counting at the same time as you're working on sight reading. The other Leavitt book on sight reading is mostly in eighth notes all the way through, this book has all kinds of great rhythms that are syncopated and spicy that will literally force you to keep on your toes and count if you want to play the exercise correctly. Also you can either get together with a friend or play with your teacher or student, because there is a lead sheet attached to each exercise. Playing in this duo format is another good way to practice sight reading because it forces you not to stop and make corrections and to move forward and keep reading. So to recap on why I think this book is an essential to anyone's sight reading library, you get to work on fretboard knowledge which gives you multiple uses of each exercise (lots of bang for the buck), you work on single line reading that is approachable even for poor readers, you get a good solid rhythmic workout with each exercise which reinforces solid musicianship, and you can play alone or with another person which besides being fun, is just another great way to practice ensemble playing and sight reading. Check this book out it's a solid buy.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Not a method but good for rhythm, chord, and reading practice
*by M***A on August 22, 2024*

Great book. Fun to play. Intermediate level in my opinion. You need to incorporate the chords for the full experience. Record or loop the chords and play with yourself. I think the chords are the most difficult aspect. The rhythms are not difficult but you should play with a metronome to make sure you play in rhythm. You'll have to figure out what positions to use for each study. The first two studies work well in second position. This is also a good book to practice reading. William Leavitt also has a method series that is very good.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I really need this book.
*by T***G on October 25, 2023*

Let’s face it, guitar players don’t read very well. Selecting positions for Notes is challenging since we have so many options. Additionally, if you’re not used to site reading, rhythmic structures can complicate things. This book does a great job of starting you where you’re at and methodically taking you through, many challenging but not overly challenging etudes.

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*Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom*
*Store origin: GB*
*Last updated: 2026-06-30*