GUITAR LESSONS

The Most Important Guitar Lesson You Will Ever Learn Be patient and don’t get frustrated. Learning to play guitar can be a long process. If you stay patient and practice you will improve eventually even if it feels like you aren’t. Always remember this, “The slower you go, the faster you will get there”. This blog takes the nitty gritty approach – note by note, chord by chord, no stone left unturned. If you ever get frustrated when you see someone amazing playing ask them how long it took them to gain their skill. Like anything worth learning it takes gumption and it takes time.  The Guitar The guitar is one of the most popular instruments of all time. It makes a very pleasing sound. It is small and light enough to carry around and it has a romantic appeal. The guitar is very versatile. It can be played on it’s own or within a band. It’s tone complements the voice and it gives a good full backing to singing. It has a wide range of notes and makes a good solo instrument a...

The Guitar Diagram Guitars can be classified into 2 main categories, acoustic and electric. Well you play them in similar ways the style of their composition is quite different. Below is a guitar diagram that details some of the parts on both. Some terminologies and definitions: 1. The Headstock The focal point of the tuning system, headstocks come in two distinctive designs. The square headstock has three tuners on either side, whilst Fender style instruments have all six tuners on the left. 2. Tuner There are six tuners—one for each string. They are used in guitar tuning to tune strings to their proper pitch. Each tuner consists of a nut and cog to tighten or slacken the string. Also known as machine heads. 3. Nut The nut keeps the strings in position as they leave the head, by way of six small grooves. If you own an expensive guitar the nut will probably be made of ivory. If you’re a conservationist or just an economist it’ll be plastic. 4. Frets Frets are wire...

Before you buy: Choosing the right Guitar Choosing the instrument you play is always an important decision. If you are buying your first guitar, the decision is more difficult because you may not know where to start or what to look for. So, before you do anything, read these friendly words of advice. First let us dispel the popular, but completely wrong belief that “any guitar will do for learning to play”. Your first guitar should be carefully chosen to be fairly easy to play and tune. It should also be versatile enough for you to be able to play different kinds of music on it. If you already have a guitar and want to know if it is suitable for playing, keep reading. An old guitar will need checking very carefully. Old instruments can be very good – or very bad. The old guitar which has been around the house for years may well have so many things wrong with it that it could be almost impossible to play and not worth repairing. If this is the case, or if the guitar is not the rig...

The Names of the Strings The six strings of a guitar are numbered from first to sixth starting on the thinnest string and counting up to the thickest string. The strings also have letter names that correspond to each string. Memorize the names of your strings. Proper Right Hand Technique Hold the pick between your thumb and first finger. The thumb and pick should form a 90 degree angle. The pick should be sticking out from underneath the thumb a 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch. Bracing your hand gives your hand the needed stability to accurately switch between strings. Although there are many different ways to brace, placing your pinky on the soundboard right below the first string is the most common way. You don't need to press hard. Proper Left Hand Technique Hold your thumb on the back of the fingerboard on the upper side of the neck. Be careful not to put your thumb on top of the neck. Your wrist should be low with some air space between your ...

Reading Guitar Tablature TABLATURE is a type of musical notation that guitarists have developed to describe what strings on the guitar are being played at any point and what frets need to be fingered. Finger Exercises These finger exercises are designed to build coordination between your right and left hand. Proper picking and fingering hand coordination is vital to good controlled guitar playing. Directions: Play each finger pattern on each string. Start on the first string, then the second, third, etc... Although a little difficult at first, these exercises quickly build the motor skill control needed to play the guitar effectively. Practice with an even, steady rhythm. The goal is control, not speed.

The Staff Notes Staff The staff is the basis of written music. It is what the notes are presented on. It consists of 5 lines with four spaces between them. A simple, unadorned staff is shown below. Clefs This is the treble staff. The treble clef (the large fancy symbol to the far left) shows the musician that the staff is treble. Since it curls around the G line, it is also called a G clef. The treble staff begins with the first line as E. Each successive space and line is the next letter in the musical alphabet. The staff ends with the last line as an F. Many mnemonic devices exist to help a person remember which line and space is which. One of the most common phrases to remember the names of the lines is:  E very  G ood  B oy  D oes  F ine . (Also popular is  E lvis' G uitar  B roke  D own  F riday).  To remember the spaces, just remember that they spell  FACE  starting from the bottom. Thi...