Reddit mentions of Hal Leonard Guitar Method Book 1: Bk/Online Audio

Here's my daily practice schedule. I also take lessons once a week. Been making great progress.

Lesson Book- 15 minutes OR Youtube/JustinGuitar

This helps me learn tablature and all that. This is what I also use when I am practicing while doing other things like watching TV or playing a game of Civ. Once I can play a lesson in beat without making any errors, I move on. This is what my instructor also uses to teach me during my lessons.

Rocksmith - 1 Hour

includes

• Guitarcade - Important - at least 15 mins, if not more
  
  Pick a game that focuses on an area you are struggling with. At this point for me it was learning the fretboard and strings so I mostly played Ducks Redux, String Skip Saloon, and Return of the Chordead. When it starts to feel competitive in regards to earning a higher score, you're probably ready to move on because at that point it will be about playing absolutely perfectly.
  
  
• Lessons - Eh - Maybe 10-15 minutes, depending on which lesson
  
  Lessons can be hit or miss but some were great. I would do the 101s and the ones that the Mission Checklist recommend to you. I wouldn't grind it trying to get 100% in every lesson though, if you feel confident in the what it is teaching then you can move on.
  
  
• Learn A Song - Important - the remainder of time
  
  I consider LAS the "fun" part of practicing. I don't believe playing Learn A Song 100% of the time is going to get you anywhere but it can help you hammer in everything you worked on earlier. I also recommend just playing what Rocksmith recommends to you, and pick a few songs that you enjoy. I usually play the songs I enjoy near the end of my session to keep it fun.
  
  
• Riff Repeater - Important - not for beginner though
  
  For a beginner, you probably won't spend too much time with Riff Repeater but I did use it for a few songs where I really wanted to nail a section down. Get familiar with it though because later on you will be using this a lot to master the songs you want to learn.
  
  As for the other features, they can be fun to mess around with but I have not found them be helpful in learning at this point.
  
  .
  
  It helps to not just get your knowledge from Rocksmith. If you can't afford lessons, check out JustinGuitar on Youtube. Actually, there's a ton of helpful resources available for free on the web. I started out just getting 5%-10% a song, a month later that was up to 20%-60%. It feels great.
  
  Also might help if you get some sort of hand strengthener lol my pinky was a weak bitch. Force yourself to use and get used to it right away.
  
  edit: For your 2nd question, make sure you are not pressing down too hard on the fret, it will change the note!

It appears that the 1994 edition doesn't have "Spanish Theme" at the end of the "Notes on the First String" lesson.

Click "Look Inside" and scroll down to page 7 on each.

1994 Edition - http://www.amazon.com/Hal-Leonard-Guitar-Method-Complete/dp/0881881392

2002 Edition - http://www.amazon.com/Hal-Leonard-Guitar-Method-Book/dp/0793533929

Oh, rocksmith isn't really the best place to start for beginners.
I would recommend this book I used to teach from.
It explains things in a very clear way that's easy to understand and the songs in it are really easy. You should check it out or add it to your wishlist :]

Get a Hal Leonard guitar book. Here is the link

http://www.amazon.com/Hal-Leonard-Guitar-Method-Book/dp/0793533929/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1302563224&sr=1-2

If you've got about $15, the Hal Leonard Beginning Guitar Method book comes with a CD that has ear training tracks on it that are played on guitar. I learned some stuff from this book, but I got bored with it easily.

edit: added link

http://www.amazon.com/Hal-Leonard-Guitar-Method-Book/dp/0793533929/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1396972921&sr=8-2&keywords=hal+leonard+guitar+books