GuitarPad

Basics of guitar

There are two main sections on the guitar.

Neck

1. The Headstock: At the end of the neck is the headstock, which is broken down further into more parts.
2. Tuning Keys & Tuning Pegs: We’ve got the tuning keys, which are used to tune the strings of the guitar. Connected to the tuning keys are the tuning pegs, or string pegs, and that’s where you attach your strings to the guitar.
3. The Nut: Working our way down from the headstock, the narrow white strip is the nut. The strings rest on the nut before they go to the tuning pegs.
4. The Frets: The skinny metal strips along the neck are called frets, and the frets are connected to the fretboard.
5. The Fretboard: The fretboard is the piece of wood that runs all the way along the neck of the guitar.
6. Fret Markers/Inlays: Most guitars have fret markers, which can add to the aesthetics of your guitar and also help you keep track of where you are on the guitar. You may have simple dots or something more fancy.
   

Body

1. The Pickguard: On acoustic guitars you will usually see a pick guard, which keeps you from scratching your guitar when you strum.
2. The Soundhole: Most acoustic guitars have a sound hole in the middle of the guitar, though some guitars may have the sound hole in a different spot or not have one at all.
3. The Bridge: The black part of the guitar on the other end of the strings is the bridge, and is usually glued on top of the body.
4. The Saddle(s): The thin white strip on the bridge is the saddle, which is where the strings rest before they go into the holes on the bridge.
5. Bridge Pins: When you put the strings into the holes, you put bridge pins in the holes to hold the strings in place. Some bridges don’t have pins at all, and those are called pinless bridges.
6. Strap Buttons: Most guitars have a strap button on the side, and on the back. Your acoustic may not have strap buttons, so you would want to buy a strap that has a shoelace so it can be tied around the neck of your guitar.

String Numbering

 

String Names: 'Eddie Ate Dynamite Good Bye Eddie'

  

 

Fret Numbering

 

The Musical Alphabets

You’ve already learned the names of the open strings on the guitar, which were E-A-D-G-B-E. The next thing you need to learn is the natural musical alphabet, which is simple but a must-know. The natural musical alphabet is the first seven letters of the alphabet, so A-B-C-D-E-F-G.

 

Flats

The symbol that looks like a lowercase ‘b’ is the flat symbol, and when it’s next to a natural note, it means the note is flat. When we talk about being flat while tuning the guitar, this means the note needs to come up a bit.
 

Sharps

The symbol that looks like a tic-tac-toe grid ‘#’ is the sharp symbol. When we talk about being sharp while tuning, this means the note is a little too high and it needs to come down.
 

Tuning 

• One tip I have for you is to tune up to a note instead of down to it. If your note is sharp, come back down and tune up to it, which helps your strings stay in tune longer.
  

The 5th Fret Tuning Method

1. The Low E String: For this tuning method, the E string must already be in tune. You can use a piano, another guitar, or an online tuner to find the reference pitch to tune to. Else it isn't necessary to first tune your low E string. Even though your instrument may not be to concert pitch or absolute pitch, the strings will be tuned to each other. Anything you play will "sound right," as long as you're playing by yourself and not with another instrument tuned to concert pitch.
2. The A String: Start off by going to the fifth fret of the low E string, which is an A note. Since your fifth string is an open A string, it should sound exactly like the note on the fifth fret of the E string.
3. The D String: Next we need to tune the D string, so we’ll go to the fifth fret of the A string which is a D note. Once again, the open D string should sound just like the D note on the A string.
4. The G String: To tune the G string, I follow the same method using the fifth fret of the D string.
5. The B String: Tuning the B string is a little different. We need to use the fourth fret instead of the fifth fret because that’s where the B note is, so match the open B string to the fourth fret of the G string.
6. The High E String: Tuning the high E string gets back on track though, so you use the fifth fret of the B string to tune this last string.

Double Check Your Tuning:

Once you have the guitar tuned by ear, go through the strings again to tune just like you would if you were using an electronic tuner. This allows you to fine-tune and double-check that the strings are where they should be.

Strumming The Guitar

Use a Pick and practice with closed strings by putting hand on strings.

How To Read A Chord Diagram

1. Before we start playing any chords, you need to know how to read a chord diagram. If you look at a chord diagram, you’ll see six vertical lines that represent the strings on the guitar. The line on the very left represents the low E string, and the line on the far right represents the high E string.
2. The horizontal lines on the chord diagram represent the frets, and the chord diagrams in this lesson have a rectangle at the top of the diagram. That rectangle, or box, represents the nut of the guitar so you can keep track of where you are.
3. The dots on the chord diagram tell you where to put your fingers. If a dot is colored in, it represents the root note of the chord you’re playing. If the dot has a number inside of it, it’s telling you which finger to use when you make that chord shape.
4. For example, with the A minor 7 chord, you can see on the chord diagram a circle with a ‘1’ in it on the first fret of the B string. This means you need to use your first finger to play the first fret on the B string.
5. Another part of chord diagrams to understand is if ‘X’ appears above the nut at all. If you see an ‘X’ above a string, that means that you won’t play that string at all. For A minor 7, you’ll leave the E string out when you strum.

Memorizing Chords

• When you’re learning new chords, if you can study them and memorize them in multiple ways, you’ll have a better chance of remembering it. 
• One tip I have for you is to look at the chord and memorize what the chord shape actually looks like. You can also try looking away from the chord and concentrate on what the chord feels like.
  Another tip to help you memorize chords faster is to practice them several times a day. If you can, practice your chords four or five times a day, for five minutes at a time. The more times in one day you can practice the chords, the faster you’ll learn them and the sooner your hands will remember them.
• As you start practicing, your fingers may be sore for a while, but that will pass with four to six weeks. 
• One thing I want to warn you about is that new guitar players can get frustrated when they can’t play clean chords because they try to switch between chords too soon. Often, they try to switch chords before they’ve really learned and memorized each chord shape. For now, don’t worry about switching chords and just work on each shape, getting them down, and going right to them.
• Chord Tip: Go through your process of committing this chord to memory. Make the chord shape for thirty seconds, take it off, shake out your hand, and repeat. If it takes you a few seconds to make the shape, that’s okay. Take a look at the chord shape when you make it to remember what it looks like, and remember what it feels like as well.

 

• The reason I recommend using your second, third, and fourth fingers to make this chord shape is because changing from a G chord to a C chord is very common. If I’m using my first, second, and third fingers to make the G shape, changing to the C is a big movement. If I make the G shape with my second, third, and fourth fingers though, the change is easier because it isn’t as big.

Garage Band Chords:

Picking

When you play each string individually. It is used to play melodies.

 

Strumming

When you play along the strings all at once it is called strumming. Strumming is used to play chords.