Many people these days are eager to learn to play guitar faster since this is the latest trend that has become very popular among music lovers worldwide. Let's understand exactly how to learn to play guitar fast in this article.
Many young people are very impressed by the speed with which some rock stars and musicians playing guitar. There is a common belief among people that we can learn to play guitar fast by practicing too fast, in the trials. However, you will succeed in learning to play guitar fast, only if the kernel and learn the basic techniques slowly and steadily. The following paragraphs will help you understand well how to learn to play guitar fast taking guitar lessons on the right. Let us know about the first guitar chords.
Guitar Chords The word line can be defined as the simultaneous playback of three or more of three different pitches. Guitar chords containing tone that can sound together and also can play the same notes. Strumming the strings provides good time and weight in the music. Guitar chords for beginners can learn through the adoption of appropriate training of a skilled musician.
Major Guitar Chords The main line consists of a perfect fifth, which is above the root, a root note and third most important. A flat major and F major are, most of the time, I played using the index finger of the hand to pluck the strings near the board of the guitar. This is known as playing the chords as bar chords. These chords are actually extensions of the most important chords of a major and E, which lie above them. Another thing to consider is that the B major chord a major chord and have the same shape and position of the B major chord is two frets over the fingerboard of the string of a major. Furthermore, the shape of the F major and E major chords are similar. However, the F major is one fret away from the blade. The C major, D major and G major are also a part of the caging system. You can play bar chords anywhere on the fingerboard.
Minor Guitar Chords The minor chords can be described as the triads, like going to the minor third, then a major third, and finally upto the fifth from the root. The cord can be invested in the C minor. The minor chords ultimately become the primary chords in minor keys, whereas in the Dorian mode, minor chord is also known as the i-chord. The difference between the minor chords and major chords is that minor chords have a minor third, whereas in the case of major chords, is the third largest. You can raise your finger to play the second and third string on the bar to become a F major to F minor. Most of the songs performed by people are the most important key in the minor key.
The guitar chords are a collection of notes played together for a melodious sound of a single strum. The chords played on a classical guitar are classified into several types. However, the strings are used mainly for major and minor. The major chords are used to represent many musically very good mood and happy, while juveniles are used to display a depressive mood and sad. The guitar chords can now-a-days are derived from different sources on the Internet.
There have been some great rock tunes written on the acoustic guitar, and many of those are pretty darn easy to play for beginners as well.
I've assembled a list of 3 easy to play rock songs on the acoustic guitar. If you're just starting out so long as you know your major and minor chords you should be able to figure these out.
I've provided the chords you need to know for each song, and if you would like the exact pattern you can always look for the chord progression on a guitar tab website. The best way to learn them how ever is probably to listen to the songs a couple of times and then pick them out by ear.
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) – Green Day
I can still remember playing this song. There are a few variations of it floating around, some easier then others, but over all it's probably the easiest and most fun song on the list.
There are only four chords in the whole song: G, C, D and Em.
Listen to the song and I'm sure you'll be able to pick up your guitar after the first verse and chorus and begin to play along. This is also a great song to strum and sing at the same time if you're able to.
Patience – Guns N' Roses
Everyone who's a guitar fan loves a little GNR. This is one of the classics on their second album Lies. This is one of the only acoustic hits Guns N Roses had during their original career, not counting their recent come back.
You can play this song on the acoustic with only five different chords: C, G, D, A and Em. There are several great tabs and chord sites which have the pattern out there but I believe if you listen to the song a couple of times you'll pick it up pretty quick knowing that those are the chords used.
About A Girl – Nirvana
I couldn't leave this song off the list since it's one of the first songs I learned to play on the acoustic guitar. Another easy one for beginners Kurt Cobain was never known for his complexity but rather his simplicity.
The best version of this song to learn was recorded on their live MTV unplugged concert in the early nineties. If you can get a hold of that version it's fantastic on the acoustic. To play about a girl you'll need to know the chords: Em, G, C# and F# This is another great song to sing and play if you can.
One of the most frustrating aspects of playing guitar is when you reach the point where you are not improving.
Whether you are a novice or a seasoned musician, we all face the same problem when we learn guitar and ask the question, “Why am I not at the level I want to be and how can I get there?”
To add insult to injury, we see our guitar heroes in magazines and on TV everyday and it seems as if they are constantly inventing new tricks and improving their skills.
When we read about them in Guitar World to try to emulate their skills and learn their tricks only to leave more confused. Becoming the ultimate guitarist is far harder than it looks.
So what is the key to success?
While there is no one answer that can solve everyone’s problem, there are a number of concepts and theories that can help you break through the barrier that keeps you from reaching your full potential to learn and master your guitar.
The one thing that you need to realize is that you don’t need to be a genius to become a great guitarist. The two key things you need to have in your possession are interest and commitment.
You’ll never meet a great guitarist who isn’t passionate about music.
They didn’t get to the level that they are at by being apathetic and lazy. They took the initiative to go out and try to learn something new.
The guitarist who dares to challenge himself takes the risk of failing. This is where many musicians lose their battle with low self-esteem and quit.
It’s not that they didn’t take the risk, rather, that they failed and couldn’t pick themselves up again. If you realize that failure is a part of growth and that it takes many jam sessions to get some tricks down, you have just acquired the first skill you will need to become the ultimate guitarist.
I have compiled a list of concepts that I believe every guitarist should try out. Unlike other articles you will read, these short and simple steps ask you to do, rather that simply read. Thoughts and attitude are important but in the end it’s what you do that counts to your audience.
Let’s get started with the top ten things you can do to obtain maximum results as a guitarist.
Top 10 tips for success…
Learn something new - Educating yourself is the first step to becoming a better guitarist. Whether you choose to believe it or not, there’s always something new to learn and master. If you are currently studying music in a conservatory, at school, or in college, you will find that learning will come more easier to you. If not, I highly recommend that you get in a program. While I believe in teaching yourself, I also know from first hand experience that motivation and encouragement from a teacher is priceless. Once you conquer the subject that you were learning, push yourself to learn something that you’re not quite comfortable with. Learning within your comfort zone often results with you running around in circles.
Make your time count – Practicing does not make perfect, it makes permanent. That makes the time you spend playing your guitar all the more important. Don’t waste your time fiddling around on your guitar. Dig in and learn something that will aid you on your quest for musical success. Set goals and work towards achieving them. Whether it’s technique, tricks, or a new song, you can become better just by using your time more wisely.
Listen to more music - The more music that you are exposed to, the better guitarist you will become. Listen to the bands that you enjoy most and draw inspiration from them. Take note of what the musicians are doing in their songs and make a list of the techniques you want to learn. This can be the motivating force that gets you to play your guitar more often.
Surround yourself with excellence - When you play your guitar with people who are better guitarists, you not only learn from them but feel motivated to push yourself to keep up. At first this idea seems obscure. Why would you expose yourself to that kind of stress? Let’s face it, if there’s one thing that will make you get motivated quickly it’s the fact that people are counting on you. Don’t play with musicians who are arrogant and rude. Embarrassment doesn’t foster self-esteem and will only get you down. The people you want to learn from are patient and understanding. Eventually you will find yourself at their level. It happens faster than you might think.
Ask yourself what will you do when you obtain the skills you want – What do you want to do with what you learn? Perhaps you want to make a CD or join a band and play at some local venues. Start planning for it now and use what you currently have. This ties into setting goals but is not to be underestimated. Knowing how you want to use your talent is important. Create a vision and use goals to act on it. Whether you want to play for others, or to the wall in your bedroom, the choice is yours.
Teach someone how to play guitar- To teach is to learn. If the only chord you know how to play is a G chord, show someone that. Why? Because it reaffirms what you know and solidifies your knowledge. I can tell you from personal experience that I have learned more through teaching than I ever learned through being taught. It forces you out of your comfort zone and when questions are asked, you need to know the answer. I’m a firm believer that anyone can teach someone something if they want to. Give it a shot and see the results for yourself.
Believe in your ability - Yes, I know how cliché this sounds. However, you need to hear it. You can do anything you put your mind to and if you choose to play guitar well, chubby fingers or not, you can! Don’t listen to what others say and be true to yourself. This can be hard seeing as we live in a critical society that doesn’t realize how much words can hurt. Keep at it and surround yourself with supportive people. More of a life lesson than a guitar lesson, but as far as I’m concerned music is intertwined with daily living.
You are incomparable - In case you haven’t picked up the hint yet, you are the ultimate guitarist. There is no one like you and there will never be anyone who even comes remotely close to being like you. Integrate who you are into your music and you will never have a shortage of material. Your music will soon form into your own tone and style.
Learn what worked for others - Whether you research your favorite guitarist or talk to your guitar teacher, ask others what worked for them. I don’t claim to know all the answers but when everyone puts their heads together, some really neat ideas start to flow. Networking allows you to give and receive at the same time.
Crush your weakness - We all know where we lack the most in the guitar realm. For me it’s in technique and finger picking, for others it’s something different. Whatever it is, don’t ignore it while enjoying your recent victory. Keep attacking your weak points and you’ll soon see improvement. The secret is that you never stop seeing problems and you continually get better over time. You’ll never be stuck without something to do. Take out a sheet of paper and write them down. Then find the resources you need to help you destroy them. It’s not unlike a war, but in the end you always win.
Don’t Believe The Popular Myths
You may be surprised to hear that a lot of the common advice distributed amongst guitarists couldn’t be farther from the truth. There are myths and tokens of advice that get passed along and guitarists like yourself use them. Try as hard as you like, but you’ll end up realizing that what meets you at the end of the road is failure.
To avoid that, let’s look at some of the most common myths floating around:
All good players can play all styles: While great in theory, it doesn’t work out in practice. Throughout the history of this newsletter, I have consistently pushed trying various genres of music and becoming a more cultured guitarist. However, no where will you ever hear me, or any other teacher, say that you should be able to master all of them.
The fact is that it takes a lifetime to master one style. Some take up two genres that mix well together, such as blues and rock, but those genres are the exceptions. You will never hear a neoclassical shred guitarist play country. Many jazz musicians take decades to perfect their craft and even then they still see areas that need improvement.
If you want to be a great guitarist, take the genre and style that you’re passionate about and focus on it. Don’t get distracted with other music. Your guitar heroes are heroes because they mastered a genre. Very few will ever play outside of their specialty and that’s just the reality.
You either have “it” or you don’t: Let’s face it, some understand music more easily than others. That doesn’t mean that you can’t be as good as them. Everyone can play guitar, it just depends on the effort and time you want to put in.
There are dozens of specialties within music and no one knows all of them from the time they are born. Perfect pitch is developed, as is technique and originality. Look at where you started from as opposed to where you are now. Would you say that you are just as original as you were when you first picked up the guitar? I know I’m not.
While things may come easier to others, remember that we all have our own struggles within music and that we are in it together.
To sound good, you need the best gear - The best gear is nice, and yes, you do sound better. However, it’s unnecessary for those who aren’t interested in professional music or are just starting out.
Beginners love to see the rack of guitars at their local music store and say, “I want the $2000 one.” That was me for years but the truth is that a guitar of that caliber is useless to someone who can’t play it. Learn on something modest and work your way up.
Not only will the experience be more rewarding, it’s also nicer on the instrument and your self-confidence. In the end, the guitar is only as good as the person who plays it.
I have heard crappy guitars sound half-decent when played by someone who knew what they were doing. The same applies to you. For those who can afford $5,000 guitars, my advice is go for it.
For the rest of us, I say save your money and work towards being the ultimate guitarist. Think about it, if you sound good on a crummy guitar, how much better will you sound on something that can really produce a good tone?
You need to be the most talented to succeed- All too often, as mentioned above, we tend to compare ourselves to others. The ultimate guitarist is you meeting your goals and making progress.
There will always be others who sound better in certain areas but who cares? Be the person you want to be and music will be far more enjoyable. Success is measured on a personal level, not n how many CD’s you sell.
The famous musicians in today’s society often find themselves wishing they weren’t so pressured by record labels. They want to be in your shoes where they have the choice to do what they want to do. Enjoy yourself and the rest will fall into place.
See how fun & easy teaching yourself to learn and master guitar really is with the help of Guitar Secrets.
Did you know the reason why most beginner guitarists put learning guitar in the “too hard basket” is because they choose lessons without structure.
These beginner guitar lessons cover the basics and move into more intermediate topics in the correct order.
Get a good guitar that will not impede your learning ability. Make sure the action (distance of the string to the neck) of the guitar is good and that it is correctly intonated (the bridge adjusted so the strings are the correct length) or you will have tuning and playing problems. Also learning on light gauge strings is advised to stop finger strain. It is worth paying a few extra dollars to have the guitar ‘set up’ before your start to play. Here is a more comprehensive guide to selecting a good acoustic guitar.
Get a good teacher or a good Guitar Lesson DVD or software or a great Learn Guitar Online Course that explains the methods of learning in a simple and easy manner and will ensure you are playing songs or at least riffs within the first couple lessons. Avoid learning boring scales and exercises that will just de-motivate you! You will have to learn these too, but it can be done later.
Practice every day for at least 15 minutes, and always practice what you cannot play yet rather than playing what you already know or you will not progress. Try to learn simple versions of songs you know so you can sing along even if it’s just in your mind with the song.
Learn a mixture of chords, single notes, scales and riffs even at the first stages of learning. This is important to develop your technique and strength in the finger and wrist.
Have the guitar, if possible, in a place where it is easily accessible, so you will want to pick it up often. If it’s in a case in your closet you will forget about it.
Know how to tune your guitar. Always have a tuner to ensure you are in tune otherwise you will sound horrible. If you don’t have a tuner you can use our free online tuner.
Use a metronome (click to download free metronome software!) so you can stay in time and develop a sense of rhythm. This is one of the most neglected areas of learning and often the biggest cause of bad habits later on in a student’s progress.
Try to learn to play songs you enjoy and play a style you like. Don’t play Bob Dylan if you like AC/DC. However its not a bad idea to learn new styles but stick to what you know and like at least when you are still Learn To Play Guitar Fast.
Take a recording device (your MP-3 player e.g.), record yourself and listen back to it. No matter how awful it may sound it will improve both your desire to learn guitar, and your ability to play better. Also if you want to play lead guitar, play over a recorded rhythm part so you have a musical backing to play to. This will improve your solo ability dramatically.
Set a stopwatch or timer for 3 minutes and continue to play without stopping. Sounds too easy? Try it! It is a lot more difficult than you think. Most students play on average for about 30 seconds before stopping and starting again!
Disclosure: The opinions offered here are my own based on my experience. All information is verified as accurate at the time of review. If you choose to visit one of the courses I reviewed on this website and make a purchase I may receive a commission, how ever I do not allow this to interfere with my rating and review process. I never accept paid reviews and each product is thoroughly tested by me. All opinions offered here are my own. I am open to reviewing any guitar-training course – please feel free to email me with your suggestions.
I was member of JamPlay.com for 6 months. JamPlay.com is a website with online guitar lessons and a huge Facebook like community where beginners and advanced guitar players hang out. You learn absolutely everything you need to know about learning and playing guitar there. If you like Social Networking, JamPlay is definitely for you.
The subscription is currently $19.95 per month and cheaper when you subscribe for longer. You will get about 300 hours of video lessons from over 20 different instructors. I found it very cool that there are lessons from so many different teachers as everybody has his or her own style, strength and knowledge. This means a huge variety and different ways of looking at things.
You will never run out of guitar learning video lessons on JamPlay because new lessons are added all the time! However, it is also very easy to get distracted and socialize and chat more than you practice…
Each lesson is filmed from multiple camera angles you can focus on the teacher’s picking and fretting hands – very helpful! Each of the lessons ranges from 15 minutes to an hour and comes complete with a downloadable lesson manual (sometimes you need to see it in writing). You have also access to content like tablature, chord charts, guitar learning exercises and much more.
The online chat and forum are a lot of fun: you create your own profile and can search and find other guitar players based on their profil by location, level of playing, favorite bands, and many other search criteria.
What I liked most
Over 20 different teachers which each their own expertise and style
Hundreds of video lessons for any style and kind of music, acoustic, electric, jazz, blues, rock, metal, etc.
They have a huge chord library
They have songs from famous bands to play along
You meet people from all levels from beginners to advanced
Like Facebook you can connect with other members via chat and forum and make like-minded friends (if you can trust their numbers, about 1,000 members are online every day plus many guests) Making friends who are also learning guitar is a great way to stick with guitar learning!
What I didn’t find so great…
I really liked being a member for a few months. Then I decided to cancel my membership because:
If you are like me, you are tempted to jump around and try out things. You can spend hours on their website and have fun, but you don’t progress in your playing! (This is why I preferred the ‘Learn and Master Guitar‘ course, because I liked it better to follow a course step by step!)
Like for every online program you need to be able to sit with your guitar next to your computer to watch the sample lesson, and this was in my case not as convenient as to sit in front of my widescreen TV and pop in a guitar lesson on DVD.
Getting Started
I hope this review was helpful to you. Click here to try some free JamPlay sample lessons at JamPlay.com
You are having a midnight beach party. You have the spirits flowing, the barbecue steaming and the moonlight for company. What more could you ask for? An acoustic guitar, maybe. There is something about the acoustic guitar that makes it the most popular musical instrument in the world. If you have ever seen a great guitarist, then you must surely have wondered at least once what it takes to play like that. The question is ‘Why can’t you play like that?’
What does it take to easy learn the guitar? Does it require extremely fast fingers? Or maybe a musical ear is what you need? Is your friend gifted with some special powers that the ‘guitar genie’ from the lamp bestowed upon him? Not really. The fact is that just about anyone including you can learn guitar easy provided you are willing to put in the time and the effort. However, the reason most people are unable to easy learn guitar is because they unknowingly pick one of the ‘five golden don’ts’ of guitar learning. These are mistakes that almost every one of us can make and yet, they can very well end your aspirations to be a good guitarist.
Number 1: Trying to self learn guitar without a well structured guitar learning program: Are you bitten by the do it yourself bug? I love the do-it-yourself bit too. But there are certain things that require the special and skilled hands of a teacher or a disciplined training, and the guitar is one of those things. There have been and will be self learners. For the rest, there is the safer and saner option to learn the guitar. All the free guitar lessons floating around the internet cannot replace a well structured guitar course it you want to learn guitar easy. So, if you have been dabbling with the thought of self learning with free online lessons, then drop it and find an effective guitar learn program.
Number 2: Trying to learn guitar too fast: I must have heard this a million times. ‘I want to learn guitar easy and fast.’ If you feel that the guitar doesn’t deserve too much of your time, or regular guitar practice is unimportant to you, then you shouldn’t learn guitar in the first place. And thanks to the demand for ‘fast learning’ courses, there are hundreds and thousands of websites and books that are dedicated to such learning techniques. ‘Learn to play the guitar in 7 days’, ‘Learn to play basic guitar tabs in 3 days’. Why I have even seen the extreme in which you can learn to play the guitar in two hours! Absurd is the word to best describe such courses and websites. Be realistic! Do yourself a favor, stay away from these scams. Get a solid guitar learning program, go slowly and steadily through the lessons, and it will be easy for you to learn the guitar.
Number 3: Lack of Practice: The guitar is an instrument that requires immense patience and resilience in order to master. If you learn a new guitar lesson, then you must practice it ‘at least’ once every day until you can play it blindfolded. This is the technique that I successfully used. I have seen people practicing the guitar once a week. Believe me, you are going to find it very difficult to learn guitar if you practice it once in a millennium. Another common problem is that people only practice what they are good at, learning only the easy parts and avoiding the rest. The reason is very simple. If you are good at something, then it obviously sounds good when you practice. But you are limiting your progress by avoiding the difficult parts. So start practicing the worst part before anything else. Slowly, you will learn to play it with equal ease.
Number 4: Jumping to chords: Another trait that is commonly seen in the ‘fast learners’. Chords are the mainstay of guitar music. Yes, they certainly are very alluring. But most people want to jump to chords and start playing songs as soon as they start to learn the guitar. This is extremely difficult, almost impossible. You have to master playing the scales first. Not only will the scales help you to build a musical ear, but it will also help you to spread out your fingers. Finger exercises are an extremely important part of building a strong foundation. And yeah, don’t forget to use that lil pinky.
Number 5: Give up too soon: You are going to be miserable at it for the first 5 to 6 months. Admit this fact and get along with it. It is human to produce those dead sounds at first while learning to play guitar. But do not give up. You have to stick to it. Most people quit when they are nearly there. It’s up to you whether you want to make it or quit midway. Its different strokes for different blokes. Do not be flabbergasted if your friend is learning faster than you are. Work hard, keep practicing and you will definitely be a good guitarist one day.
Sanjay is a freelance content writer and blogger with over 3 years of experience. He loves to twiddle with words and blogs about freelance writing, copywriting and blogging. His articles are informative and make a thoroughly enjoyable reading experience.
Disclosure: The opinions offered here are my own based on my experience. All information is verified as accurate at the time of review. If you choose to visit one of the courses I reviewed on this website and make a purchase I may receive a commission, how ever I do not allow this to interfere with my rating and review process. I never accept paid reviews and each product is thoroughly tested by me. All opinions offered here are my own. I am open to reviewing any guitar-training course – please feel free to email me with your suggestions.
I had bought the old version of Jamorama already two years ago (and returned it because I found it too basic). In July 2011 I bought their newly updated Deluxe version because I wanted to know why everybody else seems to like the course (they have now sold over 100,000 copies). And I have to admit, the new version is awesome!
You can get the NEW Jamorama now in 3 different versions: Standard, Deluxe (both downloadable) and Hardcopy.
Jamorama is a Step by Step downloadable learn guitar course, and members now have online access to a comprehensive members area.
The Standard Edition is a beginner to advanced course and focuses on learning to play chords and strumming.
The Deluxe Edition goes beyond the standard edition and takes the student into playing guitar solos, lead licks and scales. It provides you with over 12 months of lesson materials and prepares you to play famous songs. If you would like to see the specific features, please visit Jamorama.com for more information.
I bought the Deluxe Edition for $99 and found it impressive. It is a complete package and covers the whole process of learning guitar, from strumming, muting and bending, to timing, reading music and playing songs. All parts of the Jamorama Learning Kit work well together to make learning to play the guitar fast and enjoyable.
You can also get a Hardcopy Edition which contains the Jamorama Books, DVDs and Software plus online access. This means you can begin the lessons online right away while you wait for your package to arrive in the mail.
With the Jamorama course you get some great free bonus games and software (GuitEarIt, Jayde Musica and Jamorama Metronome) for use on PC or Mac.
Each lesson comes as video where you can watch a real player teaching you how to learn to play the guitar step by step. This is one of the neatest things about Jamorama, they have covered everything in detail and made it real easy to understand, so that everyone can follow and learn how to play guitar fast. So you can learn step by step at your own pace. For every lesson you have written material plus video and audio lessons, plus the software programs. I loved the video lessons and have to say the books are a clear and concise combination of instruction and encouragement, and really easy to understand, even for guitar newbies.
I was also impressed with the bonus software and games. It’s a lot included in the course. You learn how to set up and tune your guitar, finger-picking and strumming. Also the Jamorama metronome is really handy. All in all, it is great value for the money compared to other guitar courses available online. The Standard version retails at the time of this review for $49, and the Deluxe package for $99.
What I liked…
The Forum: With Jamorama you get the benefit of being part of a massive online community of guitar students and teachers, the place for all of those nagging little questions you may have while learning on your own.
The JamTracks: you learn how to play along with others in the privacy of your own home so you’ll be ready to jam with real musicians.
The Price: You can’t beat the price. The Standard version for $49 has already everything you possibly need to get started, but if you can afford it, go with the Deluxe version as it covers a lot more. Either way, Jamorama is one of the most complete and best priced guitar learning programs available.
The Extras: You will not only learn how to play, but also how to set up a guitar, how to string it, or how to recognize familiar chords and progressions so you can start playing them instantly (‘Ear Training’)
What I didn’t like…
If you already know how to play the guitar and are looking to get to a more advanced level then Jamorama is not for you. I’d rather suggest the Learn And Master Guitar course.
If you are new to the guitar, Jamorama is the most complete learn guitar course at the best value you will find online.
There are two sitting positions for holding the guitar; classical and casual.
Pick up the guitar and make sure that the guitar body is supported by your leg.
Position yourself at the edge of your chair.
Ensure that your back is relaxed but straight.
Lean the guitar back towards you slightly.
Standing Position
Pick up the guitar and place the strap over your shoulder. Adjust the strap so that the guitar is positioned mid-body.
Use your left hand to support the neck of the guitar.
Rest your right hand over the bridge of the guitar.
Hand Positions
It is important that you relax your wrists and hands. Straining them can cause injury.
Front View
Rear View
Warning! Make sure that you never position your hand like this:
Your thumb should never be placed this low on the neck of the guitar as it puts unnecessary strain on your wrist and thumb.
Fretting
When you play the guitar, you use your left hand fingers to press
down the strings on the fret board of the guitar and use your right
hand to pluck or strum the stings at the bridge end of the guitar.
Using your left hand to press the strings on the fret board is called
fretting. Here are some tips you will need to know:
1. Short fingernails are essential.
Use only the tips of your fingers to press the strings.
When making a chord, be sure that each fingertip is placed directly behind the fret. We will cover chords in lesson one.
Check each string that it rings clearly and is not muted or buzzing.
As a beginner guitarist, it may hurt your fingers to play. This is normal. Every guitarist starts this way for the first couple of weeks. With practice, you will develop guitar fingers (hard skin on your fingertips).
Holding the Pick
Position the pick between thumb and index fingers like in the diagram below:
Time to take a break. Well done, you’ve just completed the first part of this newsletter. Next you are about to learn about chords and by the end of this lesson you’ll have learnt the A Major chord.
Don’t forget, for the ultimate guitar learning kit which includes step-by-step written lessons, video lessons, audio lessons and sophisticated software games, visit Jamorama.com.
Now you are ready to start your first lesson. Your aim in this lesson is to learn the A and D major chords and
to introduce yourself to reading guitar tablature. This lesson is very important, so I want you to really focus.
Remember! It is more beneficial for you to practice multiple times during a week than to practice for one long session. This is because your brain processes information in chunks at a time and it can only hold a certain amount in short term storage.
For example, with phone numbers, it is very difficult to remember any more than 7 digits at a time. Yet if you give yourself time between practicing, even if it is just 10 minutes, you’ll find that your brain is much more efficient at turning your short term practice into long term knowledge. More information on effective learning is contained in our Jamorama product at Jamorama.
Ok. That aside, let’s get started on the lesson. To start with, I want you to have a look at the guitar neck diagram below and make note of all the relevant pieces of information.
FretsThe guitar neck is divided into what we call frets, making a fret board. Most guitars have around 20 frets. In this first book, we will focus on the first four, also known as the first position. In book 2, we will move beyond that. Notice that we number each fret starting at 1 at the head of the guitar.
Note: Each string on the guitar is numbered. When you hold your guitar as you would when using the casual playing position, the 1st string is at the bottom and the 6th string is
at the top.
Notice also the term, ‘Tuning’ at the bottom of the above diagram. Tuning refers to the notes that the guitar strings are tuned to. In the above diagram, I have given a very common tuning called standard E tuning that consists of the notes E, A, D, G and B. Strings 1 and 6 are both tuned to the note E. The open 6th string is called low E. The open 1st string is called high E as it is two octaves higher than the 6th string open E. I will explain notes and octaves to you in a later newsletter, but for now, you only need to know the names of the notes in standard open E tuning.
Now make sure that your guitar is tuned to open E tuning (the most common tuning). You will learn how to tune your guitar in the Jamorama course and you can use our included guitar tuning software to help you tune your guitar.
We will stick to standard E tuning throughout this newsletter, but you can find other tunings to play with in our member’s area at Jamorama.
Introduction to Chords
Now we are going to look at guitar chords. Guitarists use many different chords to make progressions or riffs that can then be used to create songs. If you are not familiar with some of these terms, it’s ok. We will cover everything that I am talking about in good time.
A chord is defined as a combination of 3 or more notes played together. To examine this, I want to take a look at chord diagrams. Chord diagrams are used to illustrate how a chord is played. They are very easy to use because they look very much like the neck of the guitar, in fact, the Jamorama chord diagram is a guitar neck.
As stated above the Jamorama chord diagrams are going to be pictures of an ‘actual’ guitar neck so it’s easy to make the connection between strings and fingering. There is also a picture of the type of chord diagram that appears in most other Guitar learning guides. I want you to be aware of that form of ‘standard’ chord diagram because you may want to use it when writing up chords on paper at home.
So, now that you know what a chord diagram looks like and how it matches with the neck of your guitar, it’s time to come back to what I said earlier about a chord being a combination of 3 or more notes played together. Finger placing symbols are added to the chord diagram so we know which notes to play. To start with, let’s look at your fingers.
We give each playing finger a number that we can then match up on the chord diagram (see below).
And now, let’s look at a full chord diagram. We will use the example of the A major chord:
Chord Diagram – A Major Chord
In the chord diagram below you can see that the A major chord uses fingers 1, 2, and 3. Take note of how this chord diagram looks – we will use this style from now on.
The A major chord is constructed of the notes A, C# and E. We will cover notes a little later. For now, we will make chords without knowledge of individual notes.
Note that there is a red dot marking the 6th string on the above chord diagram. The red dot tells you that you are not to play that string. The sixth string of the A major chord is not played, but you play the rest.
Throughout this newsletter series, every chord diagram will be accompanied by a picture of the chord being held on the fret board and video and audio of the chord being played for you to check with. Pictured below is the A major chord being played.
Exercise: Playing the A Major Chord
Position each finger with care, according to the above diagra Make sure that each fingertip is placed directly behind the fret. Firstly, pluck across the strings one by one with your right hand, checking that each string rings clearly and is not muted or buzzing. Play the first Audio or video example to hear how the chord should sound.
Now that we’ve looked at chord diagrams, I want to move on to strumming.
Introduction to Strumming
In a strum there are two types of guitar stroke. They are up stroke
and down stroke. Throughout this book these strokes will be notated as follows:
When you play a stroke, you strum across the strings just in front of the bridge of the guitar with the pick in your left hand. When strumming a chord, make sure that you play all of the necessary strings in the chord. The stroke direction will depend on which stroke is indicated; up or down as shown above.
Exercise: Strumming the A Major Chord
Position each finger with care, according to the A Major chord diagram(above). Make sure that each fingertip is placed directly behind the fret. Firstly, pluck across the strings one by one with your right hand, checking that each string rings clearly and is not muted or buzzing. Once you are sure that you are holding the A major chord correctly, practice strumming the chord in single downward strokes as indicated below:
While you play this, see if you can say out loud an even 4 count. Another option if you are a Jamorama.com member is to use the Jamorama metronome – it will help you to stay in time.
Try your best to start your strum from the fifth string each time you strum. A major, doesn’t sound bad if you accidentally hit the top string, although if you want your music to sound professional, you’ll want to play this chord properly. Remember to stay relaxed. Your fingers may hurt a little but they will get stronger.
Now that you are playing the A major chord properly, let’s take a look at strumming another chord…
The D Major Chord
The D Major Chord is constructed of the notes D, F# (F sharp) and
A and is played using fingers 1, 2 and 3:
As with the A major chord: try strumming the D major chord in downward strokes with your right hand.
Tip: You can download a video or audio example of the above exercise to see and hear it for yourself. The download links are below (right click on the link and select “save as”):
Note: The top two, or fifth and sixth, strings are not played in the D major chord. Make sure that you start your stroke from the third string each time you strum D major, it doesn’t sound bad if you accidentally hit the fifth string, although as with A major above, if you want your music to sound professional, you need to play this chord properly.
Hints for Buying a New Guitar
Whether you’re buying your first guitar, upgrading or simply adding to your collection, your first priority is to do your homework. There are many different resources available and you should endeavor to use them all. Guitar magazines are a good place to find out prices and specifications on different models of guitar. You can get similar knowledge from browsing at your local instrument shop. Another great tool is the internet – you can check for the most competitive prices, get some information on the manufacturers and search for other guitarist’s reviews and opinions.
You really need to arm yourself well before you try haggling with your local guitar salesman.
Often you can find online auctions where guitars sell for incredibly low prices; however, I wouldn’t advise you to take this option. As a rule you should always play before you buy so that you get a chance to gauge performance.
Once you’ve got the background knowledge that you need on the guitar of your choice the next task is to set yourself a budget and stick to it. Don’t let salespeople talk you into spending more money than you anticipated.
Testing out new guitars in the shop can be an intimidating task for beginners. It is important to remember that you are not there to showcase your playing ability – you are there to discern whether your proposed buy is a good deal or not. Check the frets for buzzing by playing each one. Make sure that the neck is not warped by looking down it as if you were sighting a gun. Check that all of the volume and tone switches etc. are in good working condition.
It is a great idea to take an experienced guitarist along with you when you are looking at a possible purchase, so see if you can persuade a teacher of friend. Not only will they be able to offer helpful advice – they will be good moral support when it’s time to pick up the guitar and test it out in public.
TAB or tablature is the most common method of writing out music for the guitar. It is different from classical music notation in that; TAB uses ordinary numbers and keyboard characters as opposed to standard musical notation which uses symbols. Because of this format, anyone with a computer can write or read TAB making it the most user friendly way to read and communicate guitar music. Also TAB relates directly to the fretboard of your guitar meaning that you may easily see where you put your fingers.
In the full version of Jamorama, both standard musical notation and tablature are used. But for this six day course we will only use TAB. The reason for this is that tablature is very easy to read and you should have no problems learning TAB in a few short minutes of reading.
TAB has some weak points, the worst of which is that rhythm can’t be easily indicated. This shouldn’t pose a problem though, as I will indicate the rhythm for each exercise using the strum indicators that were introduced in lesson one.
OK. To start I want you to look at your guitar and you will clearly see that it has six strings going from thickest to thinnest. On a TAB diagram, the thinnest string, (or 1st string as its most commonly called) is at the top – The thickest (or 6th string) is at the bottom. This is clearly demonstrated in the 1st example below.
The following diagram shows you how tablature relates to the guitar fret board:
Some of you may notice that this guitar seems upside down in relation to how you play. This is simply the way that guitar music is generally written. Now if you transfer this same model to a written format you will get TAB, which can be seen below.
So the lines above indicate the strings on a guitar. The top line of the TAB being the thinnest string of the guitar, and the bottom line on the TAB chart indicating the thickest string of the guitar. Now if you look at your guitar you will see metal bars that raise up from the neck of the guitar called frets. TAB uses numbers to show you which one of these frets to press down and play.
For example, look at the tab diagram to the right and you can see that the 1st string (thinnest string) is being played. The number refers to the fret that you should press down. In this case the number zero is displayed. This means that you shouldn’t press down anything.
So if you were to play the above piece of TAB on your guitar, you would pick the thinnest string once with your plucking hand and do nothing with your fret hand.
Tip: If you are having trouble with this concept, watch this video of the above exercise to see and hear it for yourself:
Now let’s see if we can start pushing down some strings. Look at the next example below and try and play the note that the TAB chart displays.
If you pressed down the thickest string at the 3rd fret then you played the exercise correctly. If you are still unsure whether you are doing the right thing or not, refer to the video below.
Let’s try another one. Play the following piece of TAB:
This TAB diagram above indicates the 2nd string (second thinnest) and you should be pressing down on the first fret.
Tip: Once again, there is video available for this example:
Things become a little more complicated when you are required to play chords, however the basic principals I have already outlined still apply. The only difference is that you will be required to play more strings and hold down more strings with your fingers. In this next example I will show you how to play the chord ‘A’.
A Major Chord
The first and fifth strings are played open while the second, third and forth strings are played at the second fret. The sixth string is not played in the A Major Chord and this is indicated by an X.
If you have read the TAB correctly your fingers should look like this:
Tip: Watch the video of the above exercise to see and hear it for yourself:
So now you know how to use basic tablature as it applies to notes and full chords. In this introductory set of lessons you will use TAB to learn different chords and by lesson six you will be able to play the full song, ‘Rivers of Babylon’.
Time to take a break. Well done, you’ve just completed the first part of this newsletter. Next you are about to learn about notes on the first string.
Don’t forget, for the ultimate guitar learning kit which includes step-by-step written lessons, video lessons, audio lessons and sophisticated software games, visit Jamorama.com.
Notes on the First String
Knowledge of the notes that are on each string is necessary for understanding guitar theory. The first string is also known as the high E string. The main notes in the first position on the first string are E (open), F (1st fret) and G (3rd fret). The first position refers to the first 4 frets of the guitar.
We will use these notes in the following exercise to introduce to you the concept of note picking.
Exercise:
Note picking is a skill that is used in all types of music. For now, we will use it to familiarize ourselves with the note names on each string in the first position. Pluck these first string notes with a downward picking motion. Notice that your fingers should match the fret number when playing in the first position:
Watch the video for this example:
We will leave it there today in terms of guitar theory. Next time I want to get you strumming a whole lot more, but right now I want to look at something else and that is how to get a ‘that’ sound.
Getting ‘That’ sound – blues/rock guitar solo aka Jimi Hendrix.
Many people around the world love blues, and many people love Jimi Hendrix, in fact some would argue that he is the most influential guitarist to ever grace the planet. Blues/rock guitar tends to have a characteristic sound to it. Sure there is a style of playing that characterizes blues guitar, in fact we cover this style in the Jamorama course thoroughly. There are blues Jam tracks and blues songs, the course will teach you HOW to play the blues guitar, but a question that often pops up is ‘Once I know how to play the STYLE, how do I get that ‘sound’ out of my amp?’.
Ok, firstly let’s look at the aspects of a guitarist’s set up that have an effect on the final sound.
Ability of player to play that style.
Choice of guitar (i.e. Electric or acoustic?? Solid body or semi-acoustic, single coil pickups or humbucking pickups??)
Choice of amplifier
Settings on the guitar
Settings on the amplifier
Other miscellaneous items (e.g. strings, effects pedals etc)
So, from this list we can see that there is simply no ONE aspect that will directly change the sound, it’s the use of all of these things that point to the final outcome. A nice way of looking at it is to treat all of these aspects as ingredients to the sound recipe. By changing the ingredients or amount of, or order in which they are used you end up changing the final product. Obviously one of the most important of the ingredients is the ability of the player themselves. There is no point in having all of the ingredients to play blues guitar if the player can’t actually play blues style guitar… make sense?
Let’s start with the guitar itself, the best choice of guitar would be a solid body electric guitar such as a Fender Stratocaster, or a Gibson lespaul, pretty much any solid body electric guitar will do. Once you have selected the guitar let’s look at the settings that are to be used on the guitar itself. You will want to select the neck pick up (the pickup that is closest to the neck of the guitar). This pickup gives a more rounded natural sound, often called the rhythm pickup. The on board controls of the guitar (the volume and tone knobs) are also very useful. To achieve a bluesy sound you should slightly roll off some of the tone knob, roll it back to about 7 or 8.
Ok once you have this set up, look at the amplifier. Blues guitarists have a slightly overdriven or distorted sound. To achieve this I want you to make sure that you are plugging the guitar into the ‘Hi-gain’ input of your amplifier (if you only have one input then use that one. What you need to do next is to turn up your amp gain to a point where the sound coming out is slightly distorted (on most amps this would be just after halfway). If your guitar amp doesn’t distort or overdrive then there are other alternatives, you could purchase and use a distortion effect pedal.
Ok, the amplifier’s EQ settings??? What do I do with those? Basically I want you to leave all the ‘EQ’ knobs in the middle (i.e. don’t boost or drop any of them). The bluesy sound really comes from having selected the neck pick up and by having the amp slightly distorting. Follow these tips, and I guarantee you that your next blues solo will now actually SOUND like a blues solo. Get into it! See you in the next newsletter.
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