A Beginners Guide to Mastering Guitar
This is a website for beginners and intermediate players. These lessons will work for either an acoustic or an electric guitar. If you are an advanced player, you may learn some new techniques and gain a unique perspective as well. This website is divided into 6 parts, with each part increasing in difficulty. Part 1 begins on this page.
PART 1: HOW TO PRODUCE A NOTE (see below)
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Is it necessary to spend years and years studying music theory in order to play guitar? I believe the answer is no. Many of the greatest guitarists throughout history had little to no formal training in music theory, and yet they were able to achieve a high degree of expertise in their craft. This website is designed to give you a step by step instructional guide on how to learn guitar without spending years mastering music theory, but instead giving you an intuitive understanding of how to play. Of course you still need to practice, as it takes time to convert your knowledge into muscle memory.
Lets begin.
Lets begin.
Part 1: How To Produce a Note
We will start with the basic of basics: frets. On your guitar you will see small metal bars running across the neck of the guitar called frets. This is where the notes are produced. Think of them like keys on the piano. Each key you press produces a different note. The same goes with frets on the guitar. By placing your finger directly on the outside of each fret (away from your body), you produce a note. Below are photos showing how to press down on frets 1 and 2 respectively. You would follow this same pattern up and down the neck, on any string of your choice.
You may want buy a guitar pick- typically costs 45 cents at your nearest music store, but you can use your fingers to pluck the string without a pick if you choose. (If you're in a bind you can even use the plastic clips that seal bags on loafs of bread).
Practice either plucking with your finger or picking the string with one hand, while holding different frets with the other, moving up and down the neck as you choose, on any string you choose. There's no right or wrong way to hold the pick, but usually between your thumb and index finer, with the tip pointed out.
Practice either plucking with your finger or picking the string with one hand, while holding different frets with the other, moving up and down the neck as you choose, on any string you choose. There's no right or wrong way to hold the pick, but usually between your thumb and index finer, with the tip pointed out.
If you are confused about which hand to hold the pick vs which hand to use to hold down the frets: if you are right handed you would hold the pick with your right hand, and the hold down the frets with your left hand, and vise versa if you are left handed.
Think of each fret as having a number. The first fret lowest (farthest away from you) on the fret board is 1, the next up the neck is 2, etc. etc., and this repeats on each string. When you the play the string while holding no frets, this is referred to as "open" and will have a number of 0 assigned to it.
If you look on top of the fret board, you will most likely see dots. This is a quick and easy way to know which fret you are on. If you count the frets, the dots will typically be over the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th (with two dots), 15th, and 17th.
Think of each fret as having a number. The first fret lowest (farthest away from you) on the fret board is 1, the next up the neck is 2, etc. etc., and this repeats on each string. When you the play the string while holding no frets, this is referred to as "open" and will have a number of 0 assigned to it.
If you look on top of the fret board, you will most likely see dots. This is a quick and easy way to know which fret you are on. If you count the frets, the dots will typically be over the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th (with two dots), 15th, and 17th.
There you go! You now know how to play different notes on the guitar. It's that simple. Practice playing different frets and try playing them on different strings as well.
Learning your first song
It's time to learn your first song. Yep. You are ready already. It's easier than it sounds. I think the best way to learn anything in life is to see the bigger picture first, then learn all of the smaller more complicated details later.
Bear with me on the song selection... for legal purposes I have to choose songs that are in the public domain. Learn this first one, and then I would encourage you to go on google and search for other songs- more on that in part 4.
Bear with me on the song selection... for legal purposes I have to choose songs that are in the public domain. Learn this first one, and then I would encourage you to go on google and search for other songs- more on that in part 4.
This first song is going to be kept simple, and will be played on only one string. You can choose any string you would like, but it will probably be easiest to choose the top string to begin with.
Lets begin. Happy Birthday
On the string of your choice, play the following sequence. You may want to practice one part at a time until you have the basic idea down.
Lets begin. Happy Birthday
On the string of your choice, play the following sequence. You may want to practice one part at a time until you have the basic idea down.
Congratulations! You now officially know how to play the guitar :)
Click the link at the top for Part 2 once you have mastered Part 1.
Click the link at the top for Part 2 once you have mastered Part 1.