Playing the guitar is an enjoyable hobby.
Playing the guitar can be an extremely fun and rewarding hobby. You can use the guitar to play all sorts of musical genres from country to blues to hard rock. One of the hardest parts of learning the guitar is simply getting started. Many people are so intimidated by the thought of learning to play an instrument that they don't even try. If you have the desire to play and the time to commit to learning, you can begin playing the guitar by learning a few basic concepts and techniques.
Instructions
1. Place the guitar in your lap with the neck of the instrument in your left hand. If you are left-handed, you can buy a left-handed guitar. In this case, you would hold the neck in your right hand. Make sure that the sound hole is facing outward and the guitar is resting on its side.
2. Pluck the strings, beginning with the thickest one (which is nearest to your face). Watch your electric tuner to see if the strings are in tune. The pitches should be E, A, D, G, B and E (moving from the low E string that's nearest to your face to the high E string that's nearest to the floor). Tighten the tuning keys to bring strings up to pitch when they are flat (too low in pitch). Loosen the tuning keys to bring strings down to the correct pitch when they are sharp (too high in pitch).
3. Learn the notes on the fretboard (see Resource section). The lowest string is E. If you hold down the E string in the first fret, you will raise the note by one-half step to F. Each fret moving toward the body of the guitar that you raises a note by one-half step. The half-steps in music are comprised of the following notes: E, F, F#/Gb, G, G#/Ab, A, A#/Bb, B, C, C#/Db, D, D#/Eb. For instance, if you hold the second string (A) in the third fret, you would be playing a C, since C is three half-steps up from A.
4. Practice simple chords. You play chords by playing (and usually fretting) multiple strings at the same time. Some of the most basic chords are G, C, D, F, A, E and B. You can study chord charts (see Resource section) to learn the formations for these chords. Use the pads of your fingertips to hold down the strings. Make sure you hold them down firmly in the center of the fret so that they don't buzz.
5. Practice strumming. You can strum with a pick or with your fingers. Your strum should fit the rhythm of a song. You can strum all of the strings at once or you can alternate between playing a bass note and strumming the other strings. For instance, if you're playing a G chord, and the song has a 1,2,3,4 beat pattern, you might pick the first string on the first beat, strum the other strings on the second beat, pick the second or third string on the third beat and strum all of the strings on the fourth beat.
Tags: hold down, beat strum, , keys bring, keys bring strings
