Guitar Instruction Guide

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.

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Playing The Guitar Sitting Down
There are two sitting positions for holding the guitar; classical and casual.
1. Pick up the guitar and make sure that the guitar body is supported by your leg.
2. Position yourself at the edge of your chair.
3. Ensure that your back is relaxed but straight.
4. Lean the guitar back towards you slightly.
Playing The Guitar Standing Up
1. Pick up the guitar and place the strap over your shoulder. Adjust the strap so that the guitar is positioned mid-body.
2. Use your left hand to support the neck of the guitar.
3. Rest your right hand over the bridge of the guitar.

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Hand Positions

It is important that you relax your wrists
and hands. Straining them can cause injury.

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 unneccessary strain on your wrist and thumb.

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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.
2. Use only the tips of your fingers to press the strings.
3. When making a chord, be sure that each fingertip is placed directly behind the fret.
We will cover chords in lesson one.
4. 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:

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

Your aim in this lesson is to learn the A and D major chords and to introduce yourself to reading guitar tablature.
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.com.

Have a look at the guitar neck diagram below and make note of all the relevant pieces of information.


Frets

The guitar neck is divided into what we call frets, making a
fret board. Most guitars have around 20 frets. For now, we will focus on the first four, also known as the first position. Later, we will move beyond that. Notice that we number each fret starting at 1 at the head of the guitar.

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 lesson, 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). If you don't know how to tune your guitar, then download my free guide to tuning your guitar from: http://jamorama.com/tuning/howtotune.pdf.
Or if you are already a member of Jamorama.com, you can use our guitar tuning software to help you tune your guitar.

**Note: To open the above tuning.pdf file
you'll need a copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader. You can download
a free copy of this from: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

We will stick to standard E tuning throughout this lesson,
but you can find other tunings to play with in our member’s
area at www.jamorama.com.

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.

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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 lesson 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 diagram.
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

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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.

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"):

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Dial Up
Broadband

QuickTime
- A Major (1.56MB)

WindowsMediaPlayer
- A Major (1.76MB)

QuickTime
- A Major (4.00MB)

WindowsMediaPlayer
- A Major (5.87MB)

Audio
A Major Mp3 (0.75MB)
 

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.

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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"):

Dial Up
Broadband

QuickTime
- D Major (1.51MB)

WindowsMediaPlayer
- D Major (1.97MB)

QuickTime
- D Major (3.91MB)

WindowsMediaPlayer
- D Major (4.05MB)

Audio
D

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Guitar Playing Lessons
If you start your practice with a nylon string guitar, you will get callouses on the tips of your left fingers, which will protect you from those nasty old electric guitar strings.

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The book you are holding is a fun, easy and highly effective method for quickly learning to play the great sounding guitar music of our day. This music book is a radical departure and an innovative improvement in playing the guitar. Quickly learning how to play great sounding guitar is both fun and highly educational. Guitar buddy yields astonishing results with keen insights into the actual craft of writing and making music. Guitar Buddy is the only method available with a live, interactive website dedicated to your sucess! When you log on to our website, you'll find scores of animations, videos, diagrams and sound files which will make playing and learning an ever more exciting interactive experience.
Contents:
Introductory Pages
Guitar Terminology
Guitarists Numbering System
Guitarist Technique
Musical Notation
Recommended Equipment
Tuning by Ear
The Big Picture
Chapter One - Making Friend with Your Guitar
Making Basic Chords Musical
Developing A Chord Vocabulary
Understanding Chord Changes
Playing Rhthyms with a Band
Chord Quality
Reference & Review
How To Read Tab
Counting Eighth Notes
Chapter Two - How To Play in a Rock Band
The Big Back Beat
Introducing Power Chords
Power chord Practice & PRegressions
Power Chord Tricks & Grooves
Classic Rockin' Blues
Chord Refernce Charts & Diagrams
Chapter Three - Classic Rock Technique
Fingering Hot Licks & Riffs
Learning Famous Phrases
Power Chord Practice & Progressions
The World of D, C & G
House of the Rising Sun
Conclusion & Review
Essential Music Theory
The Major Scale
How To Read Scale Diagrams
Position Playing
Chapter Four - Scales & Lead Playing
Essential C Scale with Melodic Study
Essential G Scale with Melodic Study
A Major vs. A minor with Melodic Studies
E Major vs. E Minor with Melodic Studies
Rock & Blues Scales with Melodic Studies
Chromatic Scale with Melodic Study
Flight of the Bumblebee
Conclusion & Review
Chapter Five - Universal Guitar Repertoire
Bach's Minuet in G
Greensleeves
The Star Spangled Banner
Malaguena
Sailor's Hornpipe
Blank Tab Template
Guitar Buddy

Electric guitars have made their home in our universe. There are even classical pieces composed for electric guitar. This is a new kind of musical instrument. Not only is the sound amplified by electronics but the sound itself is MADE by electronics. Soooo . . . is playing electric guitar as easy as it looks?!
Well first of all it is best to start to learn guitar using a nylon string acoustic guitar. Steel strings are rough on the fingers when you are just learning how to play. So whether you get it from ebay or the local music store, you need an acoustic guitar that's halfway decent. It doesn't need to be expensive, just playable.
When it comes to buying an electric guitar, you can easily start off with one of the less expensive models. You can get the buzz from playing a real honest to goodness electric guitar on whatever no-frills Stratocaster copy your music store has, and it will get through your initial guitar playing experiences.
If there's one single lesson that all guitar students of all styles of music need to learn, it's TAKE IT EASY - SLOW DOWN. The music will still be there, you don't have to rush out to meet it. If you have a tendency to go too fast, to try to force your body to do chord changes before the muscles have learnt them properly, ask youself if you want to be still sounding crappy in a year's time. Because if you don't slow down when you are learning you are going to be sounding like a hat full of baby seals in one year - and probably twenty years time!
An important aspect of learning to play electric guitar is how you are going to be holding the guitar during your long hours of practice. If you do not pay attention to this stuff now, you could end up with back, neck and shoulder problems later from straining your muscles and skeleton.
Now you have your guitar, and of course a decent amplifier. A practice amp is good for use when playing near loved ones if you want to remain loved yourself. Another good idea is to get some kind of guitar effects program for your computer but be aware that some of them can be very hard on your cpu.
A tuner and a metronome are essentials. These are two bits of equipment which are part of the discipline of electric guitar playing. Get into the habit of tuning your guitar from time to time during practice sessions - you might be surprised how far out you can get without being aware of it! While you are first learning how to play electric guitar you probably won't be able to do too much jamming with friends until you develop a familiarity with your instrument. So once you feel you have gotten the hang of a song or a riff, try it out with the metronome. As slowly as you need to; you are not doing anybody any favors by rushing.
Do you need a teacher for electric guitar? Can you get all you need from books in your local music store or off the internet? It's true that looking for a person who can teach you what you need to know in a way that you can handle it is a bit of a trial. It's like any relationship, alot better without the other person, but what can you do? If you want to try learning without a teacher then make Google your friend. If you are not used to using search engines, just type any questions into the search box in your own words, and the results you get will at least point you in the right direction. Start by looking for guitar forums. This is where you will find people like yourself who have questions together with people who have answers. There are many ways online to learn to play guitar, some involve buying packages of videos and books which will be delivered to your house. Some give the less expensive option of downloading the videos and instructions. For the most part these guitar teaching methods are excellent. Another way to go is an online course where you can interact with your teacher and ask questions by email or on a forum. This is by far a better way to go because it can't be quite as easily forgotten about as a course that consists of physical goods or computer files.