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Introduction
As a beginner, one of the most recommendable types of guitar to start with is the acoustic guitar. An acoustic guitar is characterized by the presence of a sound box, which amplifies the sound of the strings. With an acoustic guitar, you don't need an amplifier or speakers to produce a solid sound. As such, you can easily pick up an acoustic guitar and practice anywhere.
Acoustic guitars produce a soulful and beautiful sound, making it quite a versatile instrument usable in so many music genres. So, wanting to learn how to play an acoustic guitar might just be one of the coolest instruments you will learn this year.
As we know it, the guitar is about a century old or older, and the root as a stringed instrument goes deep into history. For thousands of years many folk instruments followed the same basic design of strings stretched over the fretboard and plucked with the fingers. In a way, the guitar is the culmination of that legacy, hence the guitar's versatility. As long as you're a guitar lover, you'd find this book quite useful. No matter your experience, situation, or motives, the goal of this book is to provide you with enough information so that you can explore everything on your own.
It is common for beginners to feel as though they are stuck at a certain point in their guitar learning. With this beginner's guide, we will enlighten you with exceptional methods that will skyrocket your learning curve.
Understanding what you can do with the guitar, finding new ways to make new sounds, and a better grasp of how to fret notes and chords that seemed impossible before becomes tremendously exciting and satisfying. All these await you as long as you are willing to put in some time and effort to understand everything this book entails.
We don't assume you know anything about playing a guitar or reading music. So, for you to understand everything about playing the guitar from scratch. We start this guide from the basics to make comprehension easier.
And with the straightforward, informal explanation of how guitars work, the different types of guitar, and how you can play, form chords, strum, and fingerpick strings, you can overall deepen your knowledge in so many directions. Without any further introduction, let us start with guitar history and work our way to something more advanced. Chapter 1: History and Types of Guitar
To start this beginner's guide on how to play an acoustic guitar, let us take a little detour to the history of guitars. We find this particularly important to discuss it first because it is always best to know where it all began. Guitars are widely played in so many countries, folk and popular music, which resulted in the multiple origin stories we all hear when we ask where the guitar was born. Depending on who you ask, the story of the guitar's birth stretches from Persia to Greece. Perhaps it was born in all this region, but in variations of strings, plucked instruments found worldwide, indicating the ingenuity and creativity that transcends culture.
History of the Guitar The guitar is a string instrument that originated from Spain in the early 16th century. What we now know as the guitar is an instrument derived from the late-medieval instrument, Guitarra Latina. The Guitarra Latina is a fourstring instrument. The earliest forms of guitars had a less pronounced waist, narrower and deeper than the guitars we see today. Guitarra Latina is in a lot of aspects related to the Vihuela. Vihuela is an instrument shaped like a guitar that is mainly played in Spain instead of the Lute. Earlier guitars had only four strings; three doubles and a single top string. The strings were glued and stretched from the tension bridge to the soundboard or belly of the guitar, like in the case of the violin peg-box. The bridge sustains the direct pull of the strings. You will also find a circular sound hole in the guitar's belly, often ornamented with a carved wooden rose.
Most of the improvements we see on the guitar today were made between the 16th and 19th centuries. In the 16th century, the four strings of guitars were tuned to sound C-F-A-D apart, like tuning the center four courses of the Vihuela and the Lute. Before 1600, a 5th string was added to the guitar, and in the late 18th century, the 6th string was added. Around the year 1800, music inventors replaced the guitar's double strings with a single string, making the guitar tune to E-A-D-G-B-E, which to date remained the standard for tuning the guitar.
Another improvement done on the guitar was sometime in 1600 when the violin-styled peg-box was replaced with a flat and slightly reflexed head with rear tuning pegs. Later on, in the 19th century, inventors came up with metal screws in place of the tuning pegs. Previously, the frets were tied to the guitar's gut, but it was later replaced with ivory or metal fret in the 18th century. Originally, the fingerboard was flush with the belly and ended there, with some ivory or metal frets on the belly. Later in the 19th century, more development was done on the fingerboard, raising it to a level higher than the belly, causing it to extend across the edge of the sound hole.
Additionally, in the 19th century, the guitar's body went through a couple of changes, which increased the instrument's sonority. This improvement caused the guitar to become broader and shallower with an extremely thin soundboard. Likewise, the transverse bars that internally reinforce the soundboard were replaced with radial bars fanning out below the sound hole. Also, the guitar's neck forms a brace or shoe, which projects a short distance inside the body of the guitar, and it is glued to the back. This development gave the guitar extra stability against the pull of the string.
So, it's no doubt that the guitar or the instruments related to the guitar have existed since ancient times. The idea of a stretched string vibrating over a chamber of air called the sound box is not a new idea. This idea dates back to prehistoric times founded in so many cultures in the world. The use of frets to mark the tones to scale the sound most likely originated in India.
Later on, early explorers from Portugal and Spain probably brought the idea of the guitar to Europe, and European settlers brought it to America.
Antonio Torres, the most important Spanish guitar maker, was the brain behind most of the innovations seen on the guitar in the 19th century. Most acoustic guitars seen today were a derivative of his design. Even the classical guitar strung with three metal-spun silk and three gut strings resulted from his design. Later on, as things improved, manufacturers started using plastic and nylon strings in place of the gut. Among the different variants of guitars, the 12 stringed or double course guitar, Mexican Jarana, and South America Charango (both of which are fivecourse guitars) were strung with nylon or plastic strings. In the 19th century, the Lyre-shaped guitars were the most fashionable. But other forms of guitar, including the metal, strung guitars played with a plectrum in folk and popular music, the cello guitar with a tailpiece, and violin-styled bridge. Other forms of guitars include the Hawaiian or steel-strung guitar with its strings stopped by the pressure of a metal bar, which produces a sweet gliding tone, and lastly, we have the electric guitar.
Types of Guitar Today there are so many types of guitars; it almost feels impossible to keep up with the trend. What is even more frustrating is that acoustic guitar can look very similar. And acoustic guitars are made with wood, so they all have a sound hole, and they all have strings, so there is no obvious distinguishing feature. But mainly, guitars are classified based on the types of strings they use, body shape, and tone wood design. So, to help you understand better, below is an outline of the different types of acoustic guitars and what genre to use them for as well as some features you'll find useful.
1. Dreadnought Guitar
Dreadnought guitar is a very popular type of guitar you can find in the market today. Out of the various types of guitar available today, the dreadnought guitar still remains the most affordable. They were developed in the 20th century by the American guitar manufacturer C.F. Martin & Company. The name dreadnought guitar originates from the large, all-biggun modern battleship HMS Dreadnought. It has a large body, which provides you with a bolder, louder, and richer tone. A distinguishing feature of the dreadnought guitar is its size, square shoulder, and bottom. Also, the neck of dreadnought guitars is usually attached to the body at the fourteenth fret.
Another name for C.F. Martin & Company dreadnought guitar is the Dsized guitar or simply referred to as dreads amongst guitarists. The model number of C.F. Martin & Company dreadnought guitar starts with a D followed by a number, like D-18 or D-45. Note, the higher the number assigned to the model number, the more the decoration and ornamentation on the guitar. Dreadnought guitars are great for aggressive strummers and flat pickers, especially those who want a strong but a cheap guitar. Blues guitarists commonly use dreadnought guitars.
2. Jumbo Guitar
The jumbo guitar is another common type of guitar amongst guitarists popularized by Gibson in the 1930s. Compared to the dreadnought guitar, the jumbo guitar has a more curved centric design. Jumbo guitars are characterized by their relatively big sound box producing the most air inside the body, which means more energy coming out of them. Jumbo guitars usually have a circular style body with a tight-waist that gives it a top-end snap and presence. Because of its tighter waist, the jumbo guitar doesn't lose clarity or sound muddy.
Note, the jumbo guitar is not best for fingerpicking players or players with a gentle approach, but it is the ultimate strummer's guitar. Jumbo guitars are often used in big folk, pop, and country songs. Moreover, the tonal spectrum of the jumbo acoustic guitar is balanced. From personal experience, I can tell you that the larger cavity produces a more open type of sound that can accentuate the bass frequencies. Famous guitarists like George Harrison, Elvis, etc. play the Jumbo guitar.
3. Parlor Guitar
On the other end of the shape sits this parlor acoustic guitar. This guitar is among the smallest in body size of guitar you can buy – not counting modern baby guitars available today. Parlor guitars are favored by players with a more low-key, less brash musical style like indie and folk. Once again, this guitar's distinctive body shape is from C.F Martin & Company, with its neck joined to the body on the 12th fret.
The shoulder where the body joins with the neck is sloped slightly more than you'd see in dreadnought acoustic guitars. While at the same time, the base of a guitar's body will be narrower than a larger sized guitar. And in the end, the target is to make it more comfortable to play and create a less physically challenging playing experience. In terms of precedent, parlor guitars are associated with the renowned guitarist Ian Anderson.
4. Rounded Shoulders Dreadnought Guitar
After considering the three main shapes of steel stung acoustic guitar – talking about the dreadnought, jumbo, and parlor guitar, let us take our time to check out the off-shoots and variants. First amongst this category is the rounded shoulder dreadnought guitar. This guitar is a well-known and identifiable Gibson creation famously employed by Noel Gallagher and the Beatles. It is hard to overlook the rounded shoulder dreadnought guitar because of its sweet, warm, and beautifully sounding high notes defined in the mid-range.
The origin of the rounded shoulder dreadnought guitar is from the replication of Martin's dreadnought guitar. Gibson created a slight variant to the dreadnought, which later became extremely popular. After its popularity surged, it was known as a "workhorse" guitar, affordable yet easier to maintain than the more expensive dreadnought. The price of the rounded shoulders dreadnought contributed to the rise to prominence and its warm tone that offer a luscious sound that complements any vocalist creating that sensation acoustic arena.
5. Auditorium Guitars
Auditorium guitars are similar to the dreadnought guitar, but they have a more recent developmental history. Once again, this type of guitar is from the C.F. Martin house designs. While this guitar offers you a similar dimension to the dreadnought guitar. But a closer look at the auditorium guitar reveals that it comes with a much tighter waist, which can cause certain tonal characteristics to become a lot more pronounced. Based on the design, the auditorium guitar fits over your leg snugger because of its refined waist.
On the auditorium guitar, the body's inner curves have been defined more inward, which decreases the amount of inner cavity of the guitar shape.
This feature is particularly a plus for players who love to have their guitar sit firmly on their legs without any tendency to move around. A famous guitarist associated with playing the auditorium guitar in his repertoire is no other than Eric Clapton. If you have heard his "unplugged" album, you will be familiar with the beautiful tones that can evolve from the auditorium guitar.
6. Concert Guitar
The concert guitar is another type of acoustic guitar, distinct both in tone and functionality. Overall, concert guitars sound more pleasing and playable. Apart from that, concert guitars are small compared to other more robust guitars like dreadnought guitars. Even though concert guitars lack the volume, manufacturers make up for it with articulating tones that are stronger in the upper and middle ranges. Take note, the size and shape of a guitar not only affect the sound but also how it plays. As such, the small compact nature of concert guitars feels very comfortable for smaller people to play.
Guitarists who love the sound of fingerpicking will appreciate the concert guitar more because of their lower string tension. Moreover, the articulate tone of concert guitars gives them an advantage for fingerpicking.
Remember, there are no hard and fast rules stating who should and shouldn't play the concert guitar. So, if you love the positive features of the guitar, then let nothing hold you back.
7. Classical Guitar
Classical guitar is another type of guide known for its soft nylon-string tone, although you can also string them with a steel string and enjoy the unique sound of steel strings. One of the easiest ways to identify a classical guitar is from their open slotted tuners. The slotted tuners make use of cams and not standard tuning posts. The tuner knobs often recede in a perpendicular direction from the back of the headstock rather than parallel with the headstock's side. A common example of a classical guitar is the all famous Spanish guitar.
If you are a lover of fingerpicking or soft sounds, especially from the European orchestral music, then the classical guitar is a worthy investment.
Similarly, if you are a lover of strumming, the classical guitars can easily become a bright strummer. Famous guitarists associated with the classical guitar include the likes of Willie Nelson and Andres Segovia to Christopher Parkening.
8. Travel Guitar
As the name implies, travel guitars are suitable for players who travel a lot or with small hands. Parents frequently shop for this type of guitar for their children because of its extremely compact design. This guitar was designed to provide comfort for a small player and convenience while traveling. One of the major problems with smaller guitars is that it compromises on sound quality. As such, music manufacturers put in a lot of time and resources into creating the perfect small-scale acoustic guitar; thus, the travel guitar emerged.
While they may be small and cute, they are not considered toys; most of them feature a full-size fretboard, or a close to a full-sized fretboard of length around 23 inches and provide a very similar playing experience to a full-sized guitar. In some cases, they may even cost more than a standard acoustic guitar. Most travel guitars are made of laminated wood to ensure they are resistant to humidity and temperature and are lightweight.
9. Flamenco Guitar
Finally, the flamenco guitar is another type of guitar similar to the classical guitar, but they have a thinner top and less internal bracing. Flamenco guitar produces a brighter and percussive sound quality due to its thinner top.
Most flamenco guitars use nylon strings instead of steel strings, which gives them that livelier sound compared to classical guitars. The volume of flamenco guitar has been very important to guitarists because it is heard over the sound of the dancers' nailed shoes. Guitar manufacturers mainly use hardwoods such as rosewood for the back and sides and softer woods for the top while constructing the flamenco guitar.
It is noteworthy that a well-constructed flamenco guitar responds quicker and has less sustenance than classical guitars. Flamenco guitars are desirable for this feature because the fury of notes that a good flamenco player can produce might sound a bit muddy on the guitar with a lush, sustained, big sound. Additionally, flamenco guitars are often described as percussive, and they tend to be drier, brighter, and more austere. Chapter 2: Guitar Anatomy In addition to everything covered in the first chapter, our focus in this chapter is to introduce you to the guitar in a more specific way. In this chapter, we will be considering the different parts of the guitar and the function they serve. By the end of this chapter, you will know the names of each guitar part, so that in our next chapter, when we discuss how to buy a guitar, you won get confused.
The Anatomy of a Guitar Well, there are two basic types of guitar: electric and acoustic. Under each of these basic types of guitar, we have several subdivisions. Since our focus in this book is on the acoustic guitar, our focus will stay on the various components that make up an acoustic guitar. Generally, according to guitar manufacturers, making an electric guitar is easier than making an acoustic guitar. As such, price-wise, the acoustic guitar is often more expensive. To put an acoustic guitar together, a lot of precision needs to be put in place, especially with the sound box. Look at the picture above; you can see that the acoustic guitar can be divided into three main sections - the headstock, neck, and body. On these sections of the guitar, you'll find various parts of the guitar that work together to produce a beautiful sound.
1. Headstock
The headstock is where the mechanism fastens the strings to the head of the guitar. On the headstock are the tuners. Often, the headstock is where many manufacturers inscribe their logo. There are two traditional designs of the headstock available on the market. Guitars come with a choice of two configurations - 3+3, which is 3 tuners on top and 3 at the bottom - or a 6 configuration with 6 tuners on top of the headstock. Additionally, your guitar's headstock may be straight or carved separately and glued to the neck of the guitar.
● Tuners
One of the essential parts of a guitar is the tuner, also known as the tuning machine, tuning keys, tuning gears, or tuning pegs. A guitar's tuner is usually found on the headstock of any guitar, both acoustic and electric. The tuners are a geared mechanism responsible for tuning the guitar. You tune a guitar using the tuners by either rotating the tuners or wrapping the string around the tuner's post. Depending on the direction you decide to rotate the tuner, you may either be tightening the strings or loosening it. Note, the tighter the tension of the string, the higher the pitch of the string.
● Nut
The nut is like a bridge between the headstock of the guitar and the neck of the guitar. The nut has grooves on it, which serve as a demarcation, separating the strings from each other as you tighten the strings to pitch.
The nut can be made from different materials like stiff nylon, silver, bone, brass, or other synthetic substances. So, when the strings vibrate, the nut prevents the strings from vibrating beyond the neck. The nut is one of the two points on the guitar in which the vibrating area of the string ends; the other area is the bridge located on the body of the guitar.
2. Neck A guitar's neck is the club-like, long section of the guitar connecting the body and the headstock. Most times, the neck of guitars is constructed with hardwood. The same wood is often used in constructing the fingerboard and fret while a different wood is used in constructing the neck. The neck of a guitar needs to be rigid and resistant to bending, even from high tension strings. You can determine the quality of a guitar with the rigidity of the guitar's neck. Note that the guitar's neck is an integral part of the guitar where the fingerboard and frets are located. This is where you hold the strings at different sections of the fingerboards to vary the pitch of the strings and produce a beautiful sound.
● Fingerboard The fingerboard is something referred to as the fretboard because the frets are embedded in it. The fingerboard is a plank-like piece of wood often laminated, and it sits on the neck of the guitar. It is an important part of the guitar because it is where you place your finger. The strings usually run over the fingerboard between the bridge and nut. When you play the guitar, every time you depress the string on the fingerboard, you change the string's length, thus changing the pitch. You can even play notes with the fretting hands only by hammering on the string.
● Frets
The frets are located on the fingerboard of every guitar. The frets can be a wire or a thin bar that runs perpendicular to the strings. The frets extend over the full width of the neck at the varying distance between each fret.
The closer you get to the body, the shorter the distance between the frets.
Additionally, the fretboard is responsible for cutting short the string's vibrating length, enabling you to produce different pitches. Note, each fret on the guitar represents a semitone in the standard western system, where an octave is divided into twelve semitones.
● Position Marker
Position markers are in-lay single or double dot placed on the fretboard or the edge of the guitars' neck to make fret navigation easier. As a beginner learning how to play the guitar, you don't always have to count the frets to know how many you are playing on. The single dot position markers are often placed on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th frets of the guitar. And to indicate an octave higher double dots, position markers are placed high above the neck on the 12th and 24th frets. This position marker can be made illumined with light diodes to make it more visible during a stage performance.
3. Body
Moving forward, the body of the guitar is the big box on a guitar. The body provides an anchor for the neck and bridge and creates a playing surface for your right hand to strum over the strings. The body includes the amplifying sound chamber that makes the guitar produce a more pronounced tone. The body is that curvy bit of the guitar that rests against your body when playing. Take note, the guitar's body may come in different shapes. Some guitars feature a cut out near the neck, making it easy to reach the frets above the neck.
● Sound Hole
The round opening you see on the body of guitars is the sound hole. When strings vibrate over the sound hole, it amplifies the sound. On some acoustic guitars, the sound hole is usually oval in shape. Although the sound hole amplifies and makes the sound on acoustic guitar sound better, that does not mean the sound comes solely from the sound hole. Sounds are also generated on the surface of the sounding boards. The sound hole only provides an opening into the resonant chamber formed by the body.
● Pickguard Another part of the guitar you'll find on the body is the pickguard. The pickguard does not in any way contribute to the sound of the guitar.
However, the pickguard protects the finishing of your guitar from scratches.
While playing the guitar, the pick won’t scratch the guitar's finish if the pickguard is in place. The pickguard is made from plastic or other material, often laminated. Another function the pickguard serves is for decoration, as it is often made of a contrasting color to the color of the guitar body. Highend guitars may have luxury pick guards made from furs, exotic woods, gems, skins, or precious metal.
● Bridge The bridge of a guitar is that part of the body that supports the strings. So, the string runs from the bridge to the tuner on the headstock of any guitar.
Typically, the guitars' bridge is placed perpendicular to the strings on the body and glued securely such that it can support the tension of the strings.
To sustain such tension, the bridge is often constructed with high-density plastic, metal, ivory, or bone. The bridge consists of multiple parts like the bridge pin and a separate bearing surface called the saddle.
● Bridge Pin The bridge pin, sometimes called the string pegs, are used to hold the string in place. Most acoustic guitars that make use of steel strings use bridge pins. Guitar bridge pins can be made with brass, bone, ivory, wood, or even plastic. Note, not all acoustic guitars use bridge pins; it solely depends on the bridge's design. Some guitar manufacturers designed the bridge of their guitar in a way that when it comes to fastening strings, you simply pass it through the holes on the bridge, and the string ball at the end of the string holds the string in place from going through the bridge's hole.
● Saddle
The saddle is also another part of the guitar found on the bridge of the guitar. The saddle has an impact on the overall height of the strings over the fretboard. The closer the strings are to the fretboard, the easier the strings will be on your left hands when holding chords. So, the saddle has a larger influence on the guitar's playability and tone than you think. Saddles come in two different kinds, compensated and uncompensated saddles.
Compensated saddles include notches or grooves where the high E, B, and G strings rest. As such, this adjusts the length of the string, compensating for accurate intonation. On the other hand, the uncompensated saddle does not come with any grooves as it is flat across the surface.
End Pin
The endpin is a metal post at the rear end of the guitar body where you can connect the guitar's strap. In some acoustic-electric guitars with built-in electronics and pickups, the pin contains the output hack for routing signals from the guitar's preamp and pickup.
4. Strings The last one is the string; it is a vital part of the guitar responsible for actually producing the sound. When plunked, the strings vibrate, which produces sounds that are amplified in the sound box. The string of a guitar stretches from the bridge to the tuner on the headstock. You can use different kinds of strings on your guitar to give you the sound you desire.
The two common types of strings are the nylon string and metal string.
How A Guitar Works
Now that we have established the basic parts of the guitar, our next target is to understand how they all work together to make a sound. Our main focus in this section will be to learn how the guitar works. We will be addressing topics like the strings, plucking the strings, and how the frets affect the sound you make.
1. String Vibration and String Length
The guitar produces sound as a result of vibrating strings over a sound box.
As we have established in the previous chapter, there are basically six strings on an acoustic guitar. But these strings need to be brought to a certain tension. A tuned string is so named after the note it produces when it is plucked open. So, the A string is named the A string because playing the A string opened produces an A note. But when you change the string's length by fretting it, you can change the note. Hence, by varying the length of the strings, you can produce something melodious.
2. Playing with Your Left and Right Hand
Like we just established above, you need your left hand fretting the string, and your right hand plucking the string to play the guitar. When you hold a note or a chord with your left hand on a guitar, your right hand is responsible for plucking or strumming the string to produce the sound of the note or chord you are holding. Later in this book, we will talk extensively on playing notes and chords on the guitar.
3. A Fret is a Half-Step
Moving from one fret to another on the guitar is a half-step. So, you have to move two frets on the guitar to move a whole step. So, rather than the 6 frets, you need to move 12 frets to play an octave on the guitar. 4. Pickups
The sound from a vibrating string needs to be amplified; else, it won’t be loud enough. With the acoustic guitar, you have no problem, as the hollow sound chamber amplifies the sound.
How a guitar sounds different from the sound you have in mind depends on how you control the pitches. Your left hand is for fretting, which you'll use to change the pitches, while the right-hand motion helps produce the sound and determines the rhythm, tempo, and feel of those pitches. So, putting both hands to action spells the guitar music.
Counting Your Strings and Frets One of the biggest challenges of getting started with playing any musical instruments is getting to understand the instrument intensely. This painstaking process of tuning the guitar can be quite challenging.
Fortunately for guitarists, there are only six strings on a guitar as opposed to the piano. But before you start tuning the guitar, you need to know how to refer to the two main parts of the guitar – frets and strings.
1. Strings
As we mentioned earlier, there are six strings on a guitar labeled 1 through 6. The guitar's 1st string is the thinnest and the closest to the floor when holding the guitar in a playing position. Working your way up, the 6th string is the fattest string and the one closest to the ceiling when holding the guitar in a playing position. The numbering of a guitar's strings may seem counterintuitive because looking at the guitar when holding it in a playing position, the first string you see is what you may want to call the first string, but it is actually the 6th string. From the 1st to the 6th strings, the strings are labeled E, B, G, D, A, and E.
2. Frets
The frets should also be labeled as they indicate the spaces where you place your left-hand fingers to vary the strings' length to change the pitch of the guitar. The 1st fret is the region closest to the nut. Similarly, the 5th fret is the region between the fourth and fifth metal bars. Many guitars have markers on the 5th fret, either a dot or a decorative design embedded in the fretboard. Chapter 3: Buying and Stringing a Guitar If you don't already have a guitar, well, you need to get one. In this chapter, we will enlighten you on how to get the best guitar. Keep in mind the whole process of buying a guitar; it is exciting and tantalizing. One way to know the difference between a good guitar and a great guitar is when you indulge yourself. Play a range of guitars to understand the differences between highquality guitar, expensive guitars, and acceptable but affordable guitars.
Developing a Buying Strategy The first thing you need to do when trying to buy a guitar is to develop a buying strategy. In this section, you need to ask yourself a series of questions and answer them with all sincerity. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. You shouldn't wait till you are right there in the store before you start developing a buying strategy. The two most important things to note when making a buying strategy is to develop a plan and to gather all the information you need. So, ask yourself the following questions: 1. What's My Level of Commitment?
Your current playing ability aside for now, ask yourself, do you really see yourself practicing the guitar daily for the next five years? Or do you see yourself just trying out the guitar to explore new things, and hope that it might stick? If the former is your case, then investing a lot of money to buy a high-quality guitar will go a long way. But if the latter is your case, then it wouldn't be advisable to spend too much on a guitar, well at least not until you are sure of its importance in your life. Importantly, when spending on a guitar, act responsibly, and according to your priority.
2. What is My Spending Limit?
Another very critical question you need to ask yourself is the amount you are willing to spend. The more expensive a guitar is, the more appealing the guitar. So, if you want to go by what feels appealing to you, you may end up spending more than you can afford. You must balance your level of commitment to the amount available. Set a limit on how much you can spend and don't exceed it. 3. Do I Buy Online or Buy From a Mall?
If you have everything all pictured up in your mind down to the color and options you want, then you can consider buying the guitar from an online vendor. But if you are still skeptical about the particular guitar you want to settle for, then you should go to a mall to buy one. You can even test the guitar at the mall and have a feel of it before buying it. Moreover, when buying a guitar from the mall, you can get the best deals and even avoid paying sales tax, especially when the music company is out of state.
4. Am I a New-Guitar Person or a Used-Guitar Person?
What kind of person are you? If you want to go for a used guitar, note that vintage instruments can be quite expensive, but they give you a different kind of feeling when you play it. But there are other less expensive used guitars you can buy if you are on a low budget. And not to mention the attributes associated with new guitars that used guitars may lack. On the other hand, if you prefer the feeling of playing a brand-new guitar and can afford to buy one, well, feel free. Look out for stores that offer discounts at different rates.
Know What You Want in a Guitar
Knowing the minimum you can afford to spend on a guitar is an important buyer's guide feature you should consider. A budget sets you in a class of products, giving you an idea of what you are likely to end up buying. For instance, an individual budgeting $1000 and another individual budgeting $200, you can't expect the individual with a $200 budget to get a more superior guitar than the individual with a $1000 budget. Your budget affects the quality you get at the end of the day. Below are a few factors affected by your budget.
1. Appearance
The appearance of your guitar is related to the aesthetic properties of the guitar. The nice wood finishing used and the color all come to play here.
When you love the way your guitar looks, you feel very encouraged to pick it up for practice. Feel free to base your decision on the look of the guitar that you like to buy. A green guitar is not better or worse than a red guitar. 2. Playability
Some guitars are easier to play than others, and it is important to have this at the back of your mind when getting a guitar. Cheaper guitars are often more difficult to play because of the less workmanship put in place during construction. It is common amongst cheap guitars to have its string far from its fret. As such, you will find it relatively hard to depress the string to the fretboard.
3. Intonation
A quality guitar must play in tune. Playing the 12th fret harmonic (barely touch the fret rather than pressing it down) on the 1st string and matching it to the fretted note at the 12th fret is how you test the intonation of a guitar.
However, the pitch may be the same, but the notes are of different tonal qualities. You can use this same test on all six strings on the guitar and carefully listen to the 3rd and 6th strings. The 3rd and 6th strings are usually the first to go out of tune.
4. Solid Construction
Lastly, the aspect of the type of construction used on the guitar you want to buy is determined by your budget. Keep a close eye on a well-constructed guitar by examining every joint for sloppy workmanship. A roughly sanded brace is a big tip-off that the guitar was hastily constructed.
Buying a Guitar First, you need to decide how much you are willing to spend to start on the right foot. Having a large budget doesn't necessarily mean you will get the best guitar. There are certain features about the guitar you need to have in mind if you want to get the best. Below is a summary of everything you need to watch out for:
1. Construction
When we talk about the guitar's construction, we are referring to how it is designed and assembled. The construction of a guitar defines the guitar and the kind of music it can play with ease. Below are the three most important issues regarding the construction of the guitar. Solid Wood vs. Laminated Wood
The quality of the guitar ranges from solid wood to laminated wood guitar.
But to be honest, solid wood guitar stands a better chance at lasting longer than laminated wood guitar. Irrespective of this, most manufacturers use several layers of inexpensive wood, pressed together and veneered, which won’t last that long. Guitars made with solid wood tend to be more durable, but their cost can go as high as $1000.
The type of wood you'd find on guitars is a critical element in sound production. When plucking a guitar string, its sound vibrates in the sound box, hitting the back and sides before reflecting through the sound hole.
Settling for hardwood guitar is a good choice, but it helps look at various configurations like the top being solid and various parts being laminated to reduce the cost. A good choice will be a guitar with a solid top but laminated back and side, which may cost you about $400.
Body Caps Whether the guitar you want to buy has a cap or not, it is another determining factor of the quality. This feature also reflects the price of the guitar. The cap serves as a layer of fine decorative wood; it is often of a figured maple variety. Manufacturers also make use of other popular woods like quilted and flame maple. And when manufacturers want to make a guitar with a clear finish to show off the wood's attractive grain pattern, they make use of figured wood tops.
Neck Construction
Here are the three common types of neck construction in order of their price, starting from the least to the most expensive: ● Bolt-On
Some guitars come with a bolt-on type of construction. In this type of guitar, the neck is attached to the guitar's back at the heel using 4 or 5 bolts.
However, the heel plates may sometimes cover the holes of the bolt.
● Set-In (or Glued-In) Another common construction that comes with guitars is the neck and body joined in an unbroken surface covering connection. This construction type provides a seamless effect from the body to the neck, and the joints are glued together.
● Neck-Through Body This is another common type of construction known in high-quality guitars where the neck and headstock are one long unit. Even though the guitar has one long neck, it also features several wood pieces glued to it. But that doesn't stop at the body, continuing through the tail of the guitar.
3. Material
The type of material used to construct a guitar is vital, but you shouldn't judge the guitar's durability solely on the type of material used for its construction. But consider a guitar that was made of better materials as they would last longer and stand the test of time.
Wood
Wood is the most common type of material used in constructing guitars.
When manufacturers use expensive or rare wood to construct a guitar, it will affect the price. We can classify the quality of wood used in constructing guitar into three different criteria, namely: ● Types The type of wood used is the first criterion we will be looking into.
Different types of wood used include mahogany, maple, and rosewood, amongst others. Rosewood is the most preferred choice of hardwood used in constructing guitars, but they tend to be the most expensive wood followed by maple, then mahogany.
● Style We can also classify the type of wood used in constructing the guitar by looking at the wood's region and grain styles. Brazilian rosewood is redder and grainier than East Indian rosewood, but they are more expensive.
Figured maples like the flame and quilted are more expensive than bird'seye or rock maples.
● Grade Lastly, guitar manufacturers use a grading system from A to AA (being the highest) to evaluate the wood based on grade, color, and consistency. Highgrade wood is used for constructing a high-quality guitar.
4. Tuner and Bridge Assemblies
In most expensive instruments, you can easily upgrade components, including hardware. But in terms of guitar, there are only a few options you can upgrade, like the bridge assembly and tuner. You can upgrade your tuner from the cheaper chrome-plated tuners to something more luster like gold-plated or black-matte. Similarly, you can upgrade the bridge assembly, knobs, and switches amongst other areas as well.
5. Workmanship
When buying expensive guitars, the workmanship that went into place in the construction needs to be more than perfectly fine. You can inspect the acoustic guitars interior just to make sure there are no fussy constructions done inside. Acoustic guitars less than the $600 range is only logical to find a few gapless joints. In essence, playing an expensive guitar should be a smooth ride.
Stringing a Guitar When it comes to stringing a guitar, you either choose the steel strings or nylon strings. Below are steps you can use to change the strings as well as tune it.
Stringing Steel-String Guitar Stringing a steel-string on an acoustic guitar can be a tricky thing to do. To change or restring your guitar involves two main steps. The first step is attaching the string to your bridge. Next, you need to attach the strings to the tuner which you can use to tighten the string's tension.
Step 1: Attaching the String to the Bridge 1. Use a needle-nose plier to pry up the bridge pin.
2. Place the end of the new string (called the ball or string ring) inside the role where you removed the bridge pin 3. Wedge the bridge pin firmly. Place the bridge pin such that the bridge slot faces forward toward the nut.
4. Gently pull the string until the ball rests against the bottom of the bridge pin 5. Test the string by gently tugging on it
Step 2: Securing the String to the Tuners 1. Pass the string through the hole in the post 2. Kink the metal wire towards the guitar 3. Rotate the peg clockwise to tighten the string to the post
Stringing Nylon-String Guitar Another common type of string that is quite different from stringing a steelstring acoustic guitar is the nylon-string. Nylon strings guitar does not use bridge pins; rather, the strings are tied off. Similarly, the headstock of nylon strings guitars is slotted and has rollers as opposed to posts.
Step 1: Attaching the String to the Bridge 1. To remove the old string, loosen the string from the slotted rollers, and then remove it from the bridge.
2. Pass one end of the new string through the hole of the bridge and leave about 1 ½ inch sticking out the rear of the hole 3. Secure the string by bringing the short end over the bridge and passing it under the long part of the string. Then pass the short end under, over, and then under itself, on the top of the bridge.
4. With one hand, pull the long end of the string while moving the knot with your other hand such that excess slack is removed, causing the knot to lie flat on the bridge.
Step 2: Securing the String to the Tuners 1. Pass the string through the hole in the tuning post. Bring the end of the string back and over the roller towards you and then pass under itself and in front of the hole.
2. Pass the short end under and over itself, creating a couple of wraps.
3. Wind the peg, so the strings wrap the loop you just formed, forcing it down against the post.
4. Turn the peg with the one hand to taut the string. Chapter 4: Tuning the Guitar After fixing all the strings on your guitar, you must tune the strings. Tuning the strings is a process of increasing or reducing the tension to produce a certain note. There are several ways you can tune a guitar. And in this chapter, we will be talking about the several ways you can tune the guitar.
Your job is to decide which of the methods feels more comfortable for you.
Because obviously, each method comes with its fair share of pros and cons.
Your ears and your eyes are the most important part of tuning a guitar, so be sure to be very observant of any little change in pitch.
Tuning Your Acoustic Guitar Using the Basic Tuning Method Another method of tuning the guitar is using relative tuning. It is so named because you do not need to use any outside reference to tune the guitar.
While this method is one of the most versatile, it is not recommended that a beginner should use. To be able to use this method effectively, you need to know the sound of each string. And as a beginner who has little to no experience with the sound of each string, you'd find it difficult to use this method. This method will come in handy when you need to tune your guitar on stage while playing for the crowd.
As long as you tune your guitar properly, you can use it to create harmonious and sonorous tones. You'd know the strings of a guitar are in tune when the sound they produce is in a way related to one another. To tune the guitar using this method, you need to choose a starting point, say the 1st string. If possible, tune that string to pitch, then use that same string to start tuning all the other strings relative to the 1st string, which you started with. Similarly, you can use the 5th fret method to check if two strings are in tune. Because each string is related to each other, the sound of an opened string and the string above it on the 5th fret should resemble each other. As we proceed in this method, you'd get to understand better. Below are steps to use to tune your guitar using the basic tuning method: 1. Know the Name of Each String
First, you need to be able to identify each string and their names. As we said in previous chapters, there are six strings on an acoustic guitar. The strings are named E, A, D, G, B, and E in order of their thickness. The fattest string is the 1st string, which is the one closest to the ceiling when you hold the guitar in a playing position. The 1st string is called the low E string. The 2nd string is next to the 1st string, and it is called the A string.
Similarly, the 3rd string is called the D string, 4th string the G string, 5th string the B string. And lastly, the thinnest string, which is closest to the floor when you hold the guitar in a playing position, is called the high E string.
2. Identify the Tuning Pegs for Each String
The next thing you need to do is find a way to identify the peg for each string. To achieve this, follow the string from the neck to the corresponding peg to make sure you are turning the right peg for the string. Before you start tuning, pluck the string a few times and turn the peg clockwise and anticlockwise, you'd hear the pitch of the string go up and down.
3. Pluck Each String to Match the Correct Pitch
This is the point of tuning a guitar using the most difficult method. Your ears need to be well trained to know when the string hits the right note.
Pluck the string and adjust the peg. If the string's pitch is higher than the pitch of the note, the string should play, turn the peg such that it loosens the tension of the string. Similarly, if it is too low, turn the peg to taut the string.
Repeat this step for all six strings on the guitar until you are satisfied with the sound of each string.
4. Use the 5th-Fret to Match the Sound of the Strings Immediately Below
To check if each of the strings is well-tuned, we are going to be using the 5th-fret method. On the 5th fret, the immediate string below it sounds the same when you play it open. The only exception is the B string, which must be held on the G string's 4th fret to tune it. In other words, when you pluck the low E or 1st string along with the immediate string below it i.e., the B string on the 5th fret, they should sound similar. Similarly, when you pluck the B string and hold the G string on the 4th fret, they should sound similar.
Do this for all the strings and adjust as you see fit.
5. Strum a Few Notes Finally, strum a few notes to check the intervals. You can play the C chord or any other first position chord to make sure the guitar is well-tuned.
Tuning Your Acoustic Guitar Using a Chromatic Tuner Another all too common method you can use to tune the guitar is with a chromatic tuner. Using the chromatic tuner, it tunes your guitar more accurately than when you use your ears. Moreover, this is the recommended method for beginners and intermediate players who haven't trained their ears to detect the sound of each string. The only downside is that you have to spend extra to buy the chromatic tuner to use this method, and it only comes in handy when you have it on you when you need to tune your guitar.
Apart from the accuracy in your tuning this method offers, they can also quickly tune your guitar. Newer models of these tuners, especially the ones for guitar, can tell the string you are playing, as well as the current pitch of that string. If the string is too sharp (too high) or flat (too low), it would be indicated on the chromatic tuner. Follow the steps below to use this step to tune your guitar: 1. Turn On the Chromatic Tuner
The first thing you should do when using this method is to turn on the chromatic tuner. You need to place the tuner close to your guitar so that when you pluck the string, it will be able to pick the right pitch. You can set the tuner on a table and place the table close to the sound box. Also, ensure you set the chromatic tuner to measure the right instrument. The chromatic tuner isn't meant for tuning only a guitar. Some tuners are so versatile you can use it to tune guitar, piano, violin, and even woodwind instruments. So, set the tuner to tune acoustic guitar and not bass or electric guitar.
2. Pluck a String
Starting from the 1st string, pluck it firmly. As the string sounds, the chromatic tuner will read the pitch of the sounding string. On the digital screen, the name of the string you pluck will be displayed together with information whether the string is too flat or too sharp. Depending on the type of chromatic tuner you are using, but most tuners come with a graphlike screen. As such, you get the flexibility to tune your guitar in real-time. 3. Tune the String Down or Up
When you pluck the string and reads too flat on the tuner, you need to increase the string's tension. Keep plucking the string as the chromatic tuner keeps reading the pitch as you tighten the string. Keep tightening the string until you get to the middle between the flat area and the sharp area.
Similarly, if it reads too sharp, it means the string is too tight, so you have to loosen it. Do the same thing for all the strings on the guitar.
4. Strum a Few Chords
Play a few chords on the guitar to make sure your guitar is well-tuned. You can strum the C chord or any other first position chord because they are easy and sound familiar.
Tuning Your Acoustic Guitar Using an Alternative Method Apart from using your ears and a chromatic tuner, or electric tuner, there are other ways you can tune a guitar. We call these other ways of tuning a guitar the alternative method. The alternative method of tuning a guitar is to tune it to a fixed source; usually, another instrument, say a piano or a pitch pipe, for example. This method of tuning is perfect when you want to play the guitar with another instrument. In other words, the guitar will be in sync with this other instrument. The following describes how to tune the guitar using a fixed reference.
● Using a Piano The piano is one of the most common instruments used to tune several instruments. People use the piano as a fixed source to tune other instruments because it holds pitch so well. Most often, a piano is tuned annually or biannually, depending on the conditions. Assuming you have a well-tuned piano around, or better still, an electronic keyboard, all you need to do is to match the open string to the appropriate keys on the piano. So, when you pluck the open low E string on the guitar, play the low E on the keyboard. Then tighten or loosen the tuners until the low E string is in tune.
Play the next string on the guitar and make sure it is tuned. Repeat this process until all the strings on the guitar are well-tuned.
● Using a Pitch Pipe You can easily tune your guitar without using a piano or an electric keyboard, using a pitch pipe. The pitch pipe can serve as a standard tuning reference when you need one. As a guitarist, you can use a special pitch pipe that plays only the notes of the open string of a guitar. One of the major advantages you have when using a pitch pipe to tune a guitar is the ability to hold it firmly in your mouth while blowing, freeing up your hands to tune the guitar properly. However, the disadvantage of using it is that sometimes it takes a while to get used to relating a wind-produced pitch against a struck-string pitch. In other words, it won’t be easy for beginners to tune a guitar with a pitch pipe because it is a wind instrument, and a guitar is a string instrument. Chapter 5: Developing Basic Playing Strategies In this chapter, we will be taking things a notch higher by going through some of the basics of playing the guitar. Being able to play the guitar goes beyond knowing the best guitar to pick out, or knowing how to string and tune it. Things like how to hold the guitar, how to manipulate your left and right fingers to make something melodious amongst others are what makes you a great guitarist. In this chapter, we will be going through the basic skills you need to possess. We will also be talking about some basic musicdeciphering skills to give you a better chance to play your first chord.
Posture: Standing or Sitting with the Guitar One of the first things you need to get comfortable with before we even proceed into the playing procedure is your posture. When playing a musical instrument, your posture has a significant impact on how well you play.
With the guitar, you have the flexibility to choose between a sitting and a standing position. Whatever position you decide to choose will not affect the sound you make, but it will affect how comfortable you can play. We cannot stress it enough that you need to take a position that feels the most comfortable for you to get the best sound possible. You don't want a scenario where you are struggling with your posture and, at the same time, with navigating between chords and strumming patterns.
A lot of people prefer to sit when practicing as it gives them the tranquility to understand faster. But when performing in public, many people love to stand to give the crowd a kind of energy and vibe. The one exception that doesn't give you the option to stand or sit is with the classical guitar, which normally requires you to play in a seated position. This doesn't mean you can't play classical music while standing, but a more serious pursuit of classical-style guitar playing requires you to sit while playing. Don't let a faulty playing position limit your potential. Below are important tips to note about standing or sitting while playing the guitar.
● Sitting Position Practicing how to play the guitar in a seated position lets you optimize your practice session by letting you practice more efficiently and precisely. Also, in a seated position, you get to overcome challenges like restriction in the range of hand movement, sloppy playing, and tension of your hand. Sitting while playing the guitar also gives you better accuracy and stamina, even while playing at high speed/tempo. Assuming you are right-handed, the correct way to hold the guitar will require you to rest the guitar's waist on your right leg.
Furthermore, ensure your feet are slightly apart to give the guitar a good balance by resting your right arm lightly on the bass bout. Do not support the guitar's neck with your left hand; it only restricts your hand from moving freely. You should also balance the guitar so that you can take your left hand completely off the fretboard without the guitar falling. Your back should be kept straight as you sit on the chair and shoulders relaxed. Avoid leaning back into the chair, even if you can still keep a straight back. Lastly, you can sit in front of a mirror so you can monitor your posture.
● Standing Position You can also play the guitar in a standing position. To play the guitar in this position, you need to strap the guitar to your shoulder to give you balance.
When you fasten the strap to the pin on the guitar, you can then stand upright to avoid any tension while playing, giving your arms freedom so you can play many octaves with precision. While playing the guitar strapped to your shoulder is cool and gives you a Rockstar feeling, you must adjust the strap securely to comfortable playing height.
Playing the guitar with the strap being too high or too low will severely limit your playing ability. So, adjust the guitar such that it should be hanging high enough to give your hand the flexibility to move around.
When you strap the guitar around your shoulder, the neck should be included upward at a 30 degrees angle. If you like, you can strap the guitar lower, but if you do, place your left leg on a box during a passage to allow you to extend your playing hand to access more octaves with ease.
Positioning the Hands Perhaps you might already know this, but your left hand is your fretting hand, while your right hand is your strumming hand while playing the guitar. It takes skills to manipulate your fingers efficiently to form chords and move from one string to another smoothly and precisely. You also need to be music-oriented to understand the strumming patterns that suit what you are playing. Below are some tips to get you on the right path to properly positioning your hands.
● The Left-Hand Position
The left hand, as we said earlier on, is the fretting hand, or fingering hand.
To get an idea of the correct way your left hand should hold the guitar, stretch out your left hand, loose fist, and palm up, place your thumb roughly between your second and first fingers. Note, all of your knuckles should be bent. Your hand should look like that when you hold the guitar neck. Your thumb glides to the back of the guitar's neck, just like when you are making a fist but not as rigid. Your finger knuckles should stay bent, whether you are relaxed or fretting.
Left-hand fretting requires strength. So, don't be tempted to ignore the strength when you try to speed up; it will only affect your sound. Building up the strength of your left-hand takes a lot of time. Note, taking shortcuts mostly never works or may only worsen the case in the long run. The best way to build your left-hand strength is by playing the guitar consistently.
The main thing to remember is keeping a good left-hand position that keeps you playing naturally and comfortably. Remember to stop and rest for a while when your hand starts to ache or hurt. As with any other activity involving muscle development, resting for a period to enable the body to catch up is important.
● The Right-Hand Position On the other hand, the right hand is where the actual rhythm is produced on the guitar with strums. The best position to have your guitar while strumming it, either in a sitting or standing position, is at a 60 degrees angle to the strings. This position gives you an advantage when playing with a pick. But on the other hand, if you were using the fingerstyle playing, then you may want to turn your right hand more perpendicular to the string, bringing it as close to 90 degrees angle as possible. When playing an acoustic guitar, you can use either strum with a pick or your fingers. Using a Pick Whether you are playing pop, jazz, blues, rock 'n' roll, or country, using a pick produces a strong sound. Using a pick is often recommended when playing songs that involve strumming or striking mainly chords. The pick is held between the index finger and thumb, and the tip of the pick sticks out perpendicular to the thumb. When striking the string, your middle finger, ring finger, and pinky finger rests on the pickguard. You strike the string with the pick by using your elbow and wrist motion. The more vigorous you need to strum, the more elbow you must put into the mix. Try not to grip the pick too tightly while playing. Note, picks come in different gauges (gauge indicates how stiff or thick the pick is). Thinner picks are easier for beginners than heavy-gauge picks, which are mainly used by professionals.
Using Your fingers You can also play the guitar with your right-hand fingers, especially when you fingerpick strings and not strum the strings. While fingerpicking, the thumb plays the bass or low E string. Also, when you are fingerpicking, play the strings with the tip of your fingers. Position your hand over the sound hole and keep the wrist stationary, but not rigid. Furthermore, maintaining a slight arch in your wrist so that your finger comes down more vertically on the string also helps. For example, when playing classical guitar, you must hold your fingers almost perpendicular to each other to enable you to draw against the string with enough strength.
Understanding Guitar Notation Unlike other instruments, you don't need to read music to be able to play the guitar. Musicians have devised an easier and simpler way to communicate basic ideas like song structure, chord progression, chord construction, and rhythmic figures. Understanding this shorthand device for tablature, rhythm slashes, and chord diagram sets you on the fast lane to playing the guitar in no time.
A Chord Diagram Reading a chord diagram for a guitar is different from that of music; it's far simpler. All you need to do is understand the frets, strings, and where to put your fingers to form the chord. A chord is a simultaneous sounding of three or more notes. Below is an anatomy of a chord chart, and following after it is a briefing of what the different parts of the diagram mean: ● The grid with vertical lines and horizontal ones represents the guitar fretboard. It is more or less the guitar's view, as if you stand on a chair and place the guitar on the floor.
● The horizontal lines represent the frets. The thick line at the top of the grid is the guitar's nut, where the fretboard ends. Meaning, the 1st fret is the second vertical line from the top.
● The vertical lines represent the strings of the guitar. The vertical line at the far right is the high E or 1st string, while the vertical line at the far left is the low E or 6th string.
● The dots on the grid represent the notes that you fret.
● On the dots, there are numbers assigned to each dot. The number indicates the finger you are to use to fret that note. Since you can only fret the guitar with four fingers, the index finger is represented by 1, the middle finger by 2, the ring finger by 3, and the little/pinky finger by 4.
● Lastly, the O and X symbol above some strings indicates the strings that you should leave open or not play. The O symbol indicates an open string, while the X symbol indicates a string you don't pick or strike.
Rhythm Slashes Rhythm slashes are slash marks musicians use to indicate how to play a rhyme but not what to play. So, after determining a chord to play, the slash mark tells you how to play it. For example, see the picture below.
For example, the G chord with four slashes beneath it shows you that you are to finger the G chord and strike it four times. Following that is the D and A chords, beneath it are four slashes. You are to strike the D chord twice, then change to the A chord and strike that twice as well. With the rhythmic slashes, you can easily know when you need to change chords and how many times you are to strike the strings.
Tablature
Lastly, let's take a look at tablature. Tablature is a notation system that is used to represent the strings and frets of the guitar graphically. While a chord diagram shows you what finger to use and where the finger should go, tablature shows you how you play music over some time. The picture below shows two staff, a tablature, and a standard music notation staff. The second staff shows exactly what is going on in the regular musical staff above it. Tablature, sometimes called the guitar tab, does not show you what notes to play as in Eb or F# or C, but it, however, tells you what string to fret and where exactly on the fretboard to fret that string.
The picture below shows us some examples of sample notes and where to play them on the guitar. From the treble clef, you can see that the first note to play is the low E, which on the guitar tab reads 0. The 0, in that case, indicates the 6th string or low E being played opened. Next is the F note on the tablature, which is being played on the second fret with the index finger held with the 6th string. The G note on the tablature is played with the ring finger on the third fret of the 6th string. The same procedure is applied to all the notes on the tablature.
How to Play a Chord After understanding what the guitar notation describes in the preceding section, your best bet is to jump in and play your first chord. Chords are the building blocks of songs. By strumming chords, you can make a song with the guitar. You can't just smack any group of notes; you must play a group of notes organized in some meaningful arrangement. To begin, you can start with a fairly simple chord like the C chord because it is particularly guitarfriendly. When you get the hang of playing a chord, you will find out that you can move several of your fingers into position simultaneously. It is alright to place your fingers one at a time on the frets and strings for now.
Use the instruction below to hold a C chord properly: Chapter 6: The Fretboard From the preceding chapter, you must have learned one or two things about the fretboard. Understanding the fretboard is quite important to understanding chords and progressions on the guitar. As a beginner, learning a couple of notes on the fretboard is quite important. But learning all the possible notes that can be formed on the fretboard is another ball game entirely. Learning all the notes on the fretboard is an arduous task, but it is worth it in the long run. Knowing the fundamentals of the guitar makes the learning process a lot easier to tackle.
Naming the Notes on the Fretboard On the guitar and in the western music generally, we have seven notes ranging from A to G. These notes can be sharp or flat depending on how you are counting the notes. If you are going up the scale, you often count the notes as sharp. It is always seen as a flat if you are going down the scale. In some cases, a single note can be referred to as a flat or sharp at the same time. For example, C#/Db, which reads C sharp, or a D flat. You can play either of the notes, and you will get the same sound.
Guitar playing is more interesting when you have a firm understanding of the notes of the fretboard. A standard classical acoustic guitar has 19 frets, but the frets can go as high as 21 or even 24 frets on some models. But for the sake of this section, we will be explaining how the notes on the first 12 frets are formed to give you all you need to advance your playing skills.
Below is a picture that summarizes it all, and after the picture, you'd understand the reason behind each note naming. From the picture above, you may wonder why the octave is on the 12th fret.
One would expect that the octave should be on the 8th fret, so why the 12th? On the guitar, the octave is not just the notes spread out over eight notes, but eight naturals. That means you are not going to be counting the flats and sharp when counting the octave. Take the 1st string; for example, the first note is the E, followed by F, G, A, B, C, D, and E, which makes a total of eight notes of an octave different. In other words, on the guitar, it takes 12 frets to get you an octave higher than a particular note.
● 1st String The 1st string is the thinnest string on the guitar, as you already know. And the 1st string is the E string, as you should also already know. When you play the 1st string without holding anything on the fret, you'll produce an E note sound. Things get a little different when you depress the 1st string on the first fret; you'll get an F note sound. Normally, you should have expected to hear an E# or Fb sound, but these notes do not exist, at least not on the guitar.
Moving to the next fret, depressing and striking the 1st string on the second fret will produce an F# or Gb note. In this case, we get an accidental note, which we didn't get in the first fret. This is because the F#/Gb note exists.
The third fret is the G note; you guessed it right. And the fourth fret is an A because there is no H note in music generally. As we said earlier, you move from A to G, then go back to A; repeat the same cycle over and over again.
After the A on the fifth fret, we have an A# or Bb note on the sixth fret. Now, take note, on the seventh fret, things get a little tricky again, as the note moved from B on the seventh fret to a C on the eighth fret. This is because there can't be a B# or a Cb note. After the C note on the seventh fret, the next note on the ninth fret is the C# or Db note. On the tenth fret, we have the D note and, on the eleventh fret, the D# or Eb note. Lastly, we have the E note on the twelfth fret. The E registered on the twelfth fret is an octave higher than the open high E string.
● 2nd String The 2nd string is the next thinnest string or the B string, as you already know. When you play the 2nd string without holding anything on the fret, you will get a sounding B note, hence the name the B string. Based on our explanation, when you move from the first fret on the B string to the second fret, you shouldn't expect to hear a B# or Cb note, but a sounding C. As we explained earlier, the B# or Cb notes do not exist on the guitar. It can be a bit confusing because of the nature of the guitar's fret, which is a half-step apart, you would expect to encounter an accidental after every natural note, but in the case of the B to C, there are none.
When we move to the third fret, depressing and striking it should produce a D note. Similarly, when we move from the third fret to the fourth fret, you will get a D# or Eb note. And on the fifth fret, you will get the E note.
Things get a bit different again when we move from the fifth fret to the sixth fret on the 2nd string, as there are also no accidentals between the E note and F note.
Moving from the sixth fret to the seventh fret, you'd get a sounding F# or Gb note. And as you can already guess, the note after the flat is the natural; on the eighth fret, you'd get a G note. On the ninth fret, we have the G# or Ab note. Likewise, on the eleventh fret, we have the A# or Bb note, which brings us to the last fret the twelfth fret. On the twelfth fret, we have the B note, which is an octave higher than the open B string.
● 3rd String The 3rd string is also known as the G string, and it is located just above the 2nd string. The technique we used in counting the notes on the 1st, and 2nd string also applies to this string. In other words, the notes still vary from A to G, and there are no accidentals between B and C, as well as E and F. So when you play the G string opened without pressing anything on the fret, you should hear a G note, hence the name of the string. But when you press the 3rd string on the first fret, you should hear a G# or Ab note.
With that being established about the 3rd string, the second fret is where the A note begins, not the first fret as you may have presumed because after G is A. But next time, try not to forget about the accidentals. Moving from the second fret to the third fret, we have an A# or Bb note. On the fourth fret, we have the B note. But moving from the fourth fret to the fifth fret, there are no accidentals. In other words, on the fifth fret, we have a C note and not a B# or Cb note.
Furthermore, on the sixth fret, we have C# or Db note. And as you would guess, the note after the sixth fret with the flat, the D note, is the note on the seventh note. The D# or Eb note is the note on the eighth fret. And on the ninth fret, we have the E note. And as you would have it, between the ninth fret and tenth fret, there are no accidentals between you are moving from E to F note. On the eleventh fret, we have the F# or Gb note. And lastly, on the twelfth fret, we have the G note, which is an octave higher than the open G string.
● 4th String The 4th string is also known as the D string, as you already know, and it is a pretty thick string. It is located between the G string and the A string. When you play the 4th string without pressing any fret, it will produce a D note sound, hence the string's name. But when you on the first fret of the D string is a D# or Eb note. Similarly, on the second fret of the 4th string is the flat's natural note on the first string.
To move from the second fret to the third fret, use the same technique we have been using to name and count notes from the 1st string so far. Moving from an E note will always be to an F note because there are no accidentals between these two notes on the guitar's fretboard. Moving forward, on the fourth fret, we have the F# or Eb note. Next to that, on the fifth fret, we have the G note. After the G note, we have the G# or Ab note on the sixth fret. On the seventh fret, we have the A note, and on the eight frets, we have the A# or Bb note. On the ninth fret, we have the B note. But moving from the ninth fret to the tenth fret, there are no accidentals. As we explained earlier, moving from B will always be to a C note because there are no accidentals between these notes. So, on the tenth fret, we have the C note. Furthermore, on the eleventh fret, we have the C# or Db note. Lastly, we have the D note on the twelfth fret, which is an octave higher than the open D string.
● 5th String The 5th string is the second thickest string on the guitar, and it is also called the A string. When you play the 5th string without holding any fret, the sound produced is an A note, hence the name. But when you press the 5th string on the first fret, you will produce an A# or Bb note. And after that, the second fret produces a B note sound. And as we have been saying after the B note is supposed to be a B# or Cb note, but there is no such note on the guitar. So, moving from the second fret to the third fret is a C note.
After the note on the third fret is the C# or Db note on the fourth fret. On the fifth fret, we have the D note. If a fret has a flat, the next fret will be the flat’s natural fret. If we have a D# or Eb note on the sixth fret, you should be able to guess the note of the next fret with ease. If you think the note on the seventh fret is the E note, then you are correct.
Following the same naming pattern, the note after the seventh fret is the F note on the eighth fret because there is no accidental between the E and F notes. On the ninth fret, we have the F# or Gb note, while on the tenth fret, we have the G note. On the eleventh fret, we have the G# or Ab note, which brings us to the last note on the twelfth fret, which is the A note. The A note is an octave higher than the open A string.
● 6th String Lastly, the 6th string, otherwise known as the low E string, is the thickest string on an acoustic guitar. Playing the 6th string open, without pressing any fret, will produce a low E note, hence the name. Since it is an E string, it will have the same naming pattern as the high E note, but we would still love to work you through the naming pattern, so you have a better understanding. After an E note, we always have an F note following after and not an accidental. So, on the first fret, we have the F note. On the second fret, we have the F# or Gb note. Moving to the next fret, which is the third fret, we have the G note there. On the fifth fret, we have the G# or Ab note and on the sixth fret, we have the A note. Following that, we have the A# or Bb note on the sixth fret and on the seventh fret, we have the B string. Take note of the movement from the seventh to the eighth fret as there are no accidentals between B and C notes. So, on the eighth fret, we have the C note.
Similarly, on the ninth fret, we have the C# or Db note. After that, on the tenth fret, we have the D note. On the eleventh fret, we have the D# or Eb note. Lastly, on the twelfth fret, we have the low E note, which is an octave higher than the opened low E string.
To sum things up, when counting notes on the fret of a guitar, moving from B – C and E – F does not have any accidents, i.e., there can't be a flat or a sharp in-between them. With this in mind, you can master the notes of any fret with ease. We have named the first twelve notes on the fretboard of all acoustic guitars; you can follow this same naming technique to name the full notes on your guitar's fretboard. When you are done, you can compare it with materials you can find online