Guitar Playing
When learning to play the guitar, there are a few basic things you need to know before you start. You should keep your fingernails cut short so that you can hold the strings firmly. At first you will have really sore fingers from pressing on the strings, but as the skin hardens, you won’t have any problems. When you learn a new song or technique, you have to practice it until you master it.
Some of the terms you need to know for guitar playing are:
- Strings. Each of the six strings are named according to notes. Starting from the bottom they are E, A, D, B, G, E
- Frets. These are the bars that are evenly spaced on the neck of the guitar. Pressing the same string in each fret will give you a higher or lower sound.
- Headstock. This is the part of the guitar where the tuning pegs are located.
- Nut. This is the small part of the guitar that is grooved out to accommodate the strings attached to the headstock.
- Tuning pegs. Holding these and turning them will give different sounds to the strings.
- Neck. This is the long, skinny part of the guitar.
- Body. This is the round part of the guitar with the hole in the middle.
- Bridge. This is small piece of hardware the anchors the strings to the body.
When you get ready to start playing the guitar, choose a chair that doesn’t have any arms. The back of the instrument should touch your chest. You can rest the guitar on your legs in this manner. Start practicing by holding down strings in various frets so that you get a feel for the sound of the instrument.
Start by plucking the sixth string without pressing on any strings. This is called an Open Fret. You can play each of the strings in this manner to know what they should sound like. Now you can press on each string and pluck that same string on the body of the guitar. Repeat this until you can tell the difference between the sounds.
Now you are ready to start learning to play the chords. In Western music there are 5 major chords – C, E, A, D and G. To play the C Major chord you would do the following:
- Place your ring finger on the 5th string of the 3rd fret
- Place your middle finger on the 4th string of the 2nd fret
- Place your index finger on the 2nd string of the 1st fret.
Strum the strings with your other hand, but do not play the 6th string. Your fingers will be placed like a staircase. This is the first chord learners start with and practice.