First steps for learning to play guitar

To learn chords, at first you need some basic knowledge about what they are.

A chord is a set of tones usually sounded together at once when played on a guitar. The chords of a guitar can be made up of different notes that are played either one, few or all strings at a time whether doing it by a plucking or strumming method.

As far as categories go, there are basically two kinds of chords - minor and major. Basic primary chords are C,A,G,E,D or CAGED. When you start learning to play guitar, mastering the CAGED pattern is the first and foremost thing you should do. Many artists who mastered these basic chords have said that it paved the way for easy manipulation of the other difficult chords.

Reading a Diagram

When learning the chords you need to know how to read the chord chart or chord diagram. It is an illustration on how to play a particular chord. On the picture on the right you can see 6 vertical lines - these represent strings, the low E (thickest string) is on the far left and high E (thinnest string) is on the far right. Horizontal lines represent frets, except the one on the top, which is the nut. The empty or white circle means open string, it is played, but not pressed down with a finger. The black circle with a number in it shows where you need to press down the string and the number means, which finger you need to use for doing that. Number 1 is an index finger, 2 is a middle finger, 3 is a ring finger and 4 is a pinky. X means that this string is not played at all. There can be slight differences on how the diagrams are written. Often times the numbers of the finger are not marked, so you'll see just a black circle. Also, sometimes X is not marked either, that string is then left without any kind of mark.

Here are some of the most common symbols used in tabs. Guitar tabs are not standardized, so conceptions vary among the publishers.

h - hammer on

p - pull off

b - bend string up

r - release bend

/ - slide up

\ - slide down

~ or v - vibrato

t - strumming (right) hand tap

s - legato slide

S - shift slide

* (asterisk) - natural harmonic

[n] - artificial harmonic

n(n) - tapped harmonic

tr - trill

T - tap

TP - trem. picking

PM - palm muting

\n/ - tremolo bar dip; n = amount to dip

\n - tremolo bar down

n/ - tremolo bar up

/n\ - tremolo bar inverted dip

= - hold bend

<> - harmonic

x - muted string

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Oftentimes a lot of beginners complain how sore their fingers are after finishing one session with their guitar. It's a normal. You should be surprised if you're not hurting even a bit, this means that you're not playing it right. The proper way to carry out fingering is pressing your fingertips hard enough on the strings. When you notice that there is a buzzing sound or the echo is not going the way it should sound, try to press harder on the strings.

Few more tips:

1) Cut those long fingernails. They will make it difficult for you to press the strings correctly.

2) Don't let your fingers lie down while playing for they tend to mute some strings. This is the most common mistake done by newbies.

3) Be sure that your fingertips are the ones that are in contact with the strings and not the place where fingerprints are taken. Maintain the straight arch. Aside from the fact that this is exhausting, this is also painful and difficult but will pay off as soon as calluses are produced.

4) Remember that you should press the notes altogether not in a row.

5) Practice. Memorize each chord pattern.

6) Don't rush yourself. If you do, it'll just frustrate you if you don't get it. Choose songs that are easier to play.