Keeping your guitar in tune is one of the most important things you’ll need to do (and redo often) as a guitarist. The most popular method of guitar tuning is standard tuning, I would estimate 95% of songs use this.
This video will let you listen to the correct pitch of each string in standard tuning. Each note will be plucked several times, so you have enough time to tune your own strings as well.
The tuning pegs you need to turn are also noted in the video, as are the scientific pitch notations, and the frequencies of each string.
One of the first things you’ll need to be able to decipher when starting to learn the guitar are chord charts, or chord diagrams. It is fairly straight forward, so have a look at the video if you’ve been having trouble reading guitar chord charts.
A chord diagram is a visual representation of a guitar chord. There are 6 lines going from left to right and six lines going from top to bottom.
The lines going from left to right represent the guitar strings, with the leftmost line being the thickest string of the guitar, the low E string, and the rightmost line being the skinniest string of the guitar, the high E string.
As you can guess, the lines in between represent strings A, D, G and B.
The lines going from top to bottom represent the frets. The top line is the nut of the guitar, the second line is the first fret, and so on.
String with no notation, so no open or black dots are not played in the given chord.
Of course, you could have a guitar chord diagram, where the topmost line is not the nut, but a fret further up the neck of the guitar. This would be indicated by “5 fr” for example, meaning that the upper line is fret 5, the second line fret 6, and so on.
One of the primary reasons that superior guitarists jump out from mediocre ones, is thanks to their capability to bring life and energy to not so extraordinary songs utilizing an exciting strumming pattern. This can be done on both acoustic or electric guitar, try it yourself on either.
Strumming Tips and Tricks
Here are a few things to keep in mind as you play the strumming patterns from the video:
In case you are playing an acoustic guitar, make certain to strum right over the sound hole.
On electric guitars, strum more or less in between the pickups. Strumming at different places over the body will give you various sounds.
Make certain all strings are ringing clearly.
Make certain the volume of your downstrums and upstrums are pretty much the same.
Be careful not to strum too hard or too soft, as it’ll frequently causes strings to rattle or sound too weak.
Your pick ought to be striking the strings with a fairly firm, even stroke.
Think of your elbow as being the top of a pendulum; your arm ought to swing up and down steadily and evenly, never pausing.
Once you’ve learned strumming patterns in this lesson, try listening for different patterns in music. Whenever you listen to your favorite music, attempt and listen specifically for the guitarists’ strumming pattern, and see if you can recognize the pattern they’re using.
Most people learn guitar while playing in a seated position. It is a natural and comfy position, which is good when learning the basics. It will also make the transition to playing while standing up feel awkward.
In this video, you’ll see some tips for using a guitar strap and playing in a standing position. It will help your posture and force you to concentrate on your chords with out looking at them. Great posture is what enables you to stand whilst playing guitar. To begin learning this essential element of being a great guitarist you will have to practice much more standing than sitting.
Make certain your strap sits on your shoulder and not on the end of your shoulder.
Do not let the guitar hang down too low.
Try not to look down. This is harder than it seems, but with some effort it won’t be that challenging.
Stand up straight and don’t slump your shoulders.
In case you have an acoustic guitar, you will have to get used to the bulkiness, its not as heavy as an electric but it still requires you to teach your body how you can stand.
Stand with your back against the wall and you’ll have a much better understanding of how straight you need to stand.
Be patient, it takes time to get utilized to standing while actively playing.
Consecutive hammer on and pull off exercises (legato) are excellent practice for strengthening our fingers and improving their coordination. We’ll make use of various finger combinations so we can physically get utilized towards the various note intervals we’ll come across within the scale patterns we learn in later stages.
One of the most typical method to apply both methods together would be to apply the hammer-on and instantly pull-off back towards the starting note. To get the most out of the exercise, try performing them at various speeds.
You will have to get used to consecutive hammer on – pull off combinations especially if you want to learn blues and metal guitar, but they are used generally in all genres to various extent.
The A major will be a challenge at first, due to the fact that all three of your fingers are scrunched together closely on the 2nd fret. Try playing this chord a few times to see how it feels and sounds.
Place your index finger on the 4th string, 2nd fret
Place your middle finger on the 3rd string, 2nd fret
Place your ring finger on the 2nd string, 2nd fret
Begin with the 5th string and play every single of the strings below in rapid succession. Don’t play the 6th string.
If you are still having problems, or your fingers are so big that they just don’t all fit on the 2nd fret at the same time, you may want to experiment with other fingerings.
