Learning Guitar - Lesson One

Part 7: Playing a Scale

Now we're getting somewhere! In order to become skillful on the guitar, we'll need to build
the muscles in our hands, and learn to stretch our fingers. Scales are a good, albeit a not
very exciting way to do this. Before we start, look at the diagram above to understand how
fingers on the "fretting hand" (the hand that plays notes on the neck) are commonly
identified. The thumb is labelled as "T", the index finger is the "first finger", the middle
finger is the "second finger", and so on.
The Chromatic scale

Hear the chromatic scale (mp3 format)

The above diagram may look confusing... fear not, it's one of the most common methods of
explaining notes on the guitar, and is actually quite easy to read. The above represents the
neck of the guitar, when looked at head on. The first vertical line on the left of the diagram
is the sixth string. The line to the right of that is the fifth string. And so on. The horizontal
lines in the diagram represent the frets on the guitar... the space between the top horizontal
line, and the one below it is the first fret. The space between that second horizontal line
from the top and the one below it is the second fret. And so on. The "0" above the diagram
represents the open string for the string it is positioned above. Finally, the black dots are
indicators that these notes should be played.

Start by using your pick to play the open sixth string. Next, take the first finger on your
fretting hand (remembering to curl it), and place it on the first fret of the sixth string. Apply
a significant amount of downward pressure to the string, and strike the string with your
pick.

Now, take your second finger, place it on the second fret of the guitar (you can take your
first finger off), and again strike the sixth string with the pick.

Now, repeat the same process on the third fret, using your third finger. And lastly, on the
fourth fret, using your fourth finger. There! You've played all the notes on the sixth string.
Now, move to the fifth string... start by playing the open string, then play frets one, two,
three and four.

Repeat this process for each string, altering it only on the third string. On this third string,
play only up to the third fret. When you've played all the way up to the first string, fourth
fret, you've completed the exercise.

TIPS
 When playing a note, place your finger at the "top of fret"
(the area of the fret farthest away from the headstock). This
will produce a clearer sound.
 Try to use alternate picking while attempting this exercise.
If this is overwhelming, try using only downstrokes with your
pick, but learn properly once you've gotten used to the scale.
 Once you've finished the scale, try playing the scale
backwards, by starting at the first string, fourth fret, and
playing all notes in exactly the reverse order.
Next page > Learning Chords > Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Learning Guitar - Lesson One
Part 8: Playing Basic Chords

Although practicing the previous chromatic scale will certainly provide you with
great benefits (like limbering up your fingers), it is admittedly not a whole lot of
fun. Most people love to play "chords" on the guitar. Playing a chord involves using
your pick to strike at least two notes (often more) on the guitar simultaneously.
The following are three of the most common, and easy to play chords on the guitar.

Playing a G major chord

This diagram illustrates the first chord we are going
to play, a G major chord (often simply called a "G
chord"). Take your second finger, and put it on the
third fret of the sixth string. Next, take your first
finger, and put it on the second fret of the fifth
string. Lastly, put your third finger on the third fret
of the first string. Make sure all of your fingers are
curled, and are not touching any strings they're not
supposed to. Now, using your pick, strike all six strings in one fluid motion. Notes
should ring all together, not one at a time (this could take some practice). Voila!
Your first chord.
Now, check to see how you did. While still holding down the chord with your fretting
hand, play each string (starting with the sixth) one at a time, listening to be sure
each note rings out clearly. If not, study your hand to determine why it doesn't. Are
you pressing hard enough? Is one of your other fingers touching that string, which
is preventing it from sounding properly? These are the most common reasons why
a note does not sound. If you're have trouble, read this feature on getting your
chords to ring clearly.

Playing a C major chord

The second chord we'll learn, the C major chord (often

called a "C chord"), is no more difficult than the first G
major chord.
Place your third finger on the third fret of the fifth string.
Now, put your second finger on the second fret of the
fourth string. Finally, put your first finger on the first fret
of the second string.
Here's where you have to be slightly careful. When
playing a C major chord, you do NOT want to strum the
sixth string. Watch your pick to make sure you only strum the bottom five strings when you
are first learning the C major chord. Test this chord as you did with the G major chord, to
make sure all notes are ringing clearly.

Playing a D major chord

Some beginners have slightly more difficulty playing a D major chord

(often called a "D chord"), since your fingers have to cram into a fairly
small area. Shouldn't be too much of a problem, however, if you can
comfortably play the other two chords.
Place your first finger on the second fret of the third string. Then, put your
third finger on the third fret of the second string. Lastly, place your second
finger on the second fret of the first string. Strum only the bottom 4 strings
when playing a D major chord.

Spend some time familiarizing yourself with these three chords... you will use them for the
rest of your guitar-playing career. Make sure you can play each of the chords without
looking at the diagrams. Know what the name of each chord is, where each finger goes, and
which strings you strum or do not strum.

We now know three chords: G major, C major, and D major. Let's see if we can put
them to use in a song. At first, switching chords will take far too long to be able to
play any songs properly. Don't give up, though! With a bit of practice, you'll be
playing away, sounding great (this tutorial onswitching chords quickly might also
be of some help). In our next lesson, we'll start learning about strumming, so you
can come back to these songs, and be able to play them better.

Here are a few of the songs you can play with G major, C major, and D major
chords:

Leaving on a Jet Plane - performed by John Denver

NOTES: when playing the G and C chord, strum them 4 times each, but when
playing the D chord, strum it 8 times
MP3: iTunes download
(the strumming pattern is different in the mp3, but it should nonetheless give you an idea of how the song
sounds)
The Gambler - performed by Kenny Rogers
NOTES: these aren't the exact chords for the song, but they'll do for now. Try
strumming each chord one time, letting them ring. 
MP3: iTunes download 
(the mp3 of The Gambler is in a different key than the guitar tab, but again, it will give you an idea of how the
song sounds)

Brown Eyed Girl - performed by Van Morrison

NOTES: There is one chord in this song that we don't know yet, but it's only used
briefly. Skip it for now. Try strumming each chord four times. 
MP3: iTunes download
Next page > Practice Schedule > Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

A New Scale

To play this scale, we need to review which fingers to use to play which notes on the
fretboard. In the following scale, we will use our first finger to play the all notes on the first
fret of the guitar. Our second finger will play all notes on the second fret. Our third finger
will play all notes on the third fret. And, our fourth finger will play all notes on the fourth
fret (since there aren't any in this scale, we won't use our fourth finger at all). It is important
to stick to these fingerings for this scale, because it is an efficient way of using our fingers,
and is a concept we will continue to use in upcoming lessons.

E phrygian (fridge-ee-n)

Listen to an mp3 of the E phrygian scale shown above.

One of the best ways to start working on the co-ordination in your fingers is to practice
playing scales. Although they may seem boring, they will certainly help build the strength
and agility your fingers need to play the guitar well. Keep that in mind while practicing this
new scale.

Start by using your pick to play the open sixth string. Next, take the first finger on your
fretting hand, and place it on the first fret of the sixth string. Play that note. Now, take your
third finger, place it on the third fret of the sixth string, and play the note. Now, it's time to
move on to playing the open fifth string. Keep following the diagram, playing each note
indicated until you have reached the third fret on the first string.
Remember:

 To use alternate picking throughout. Try starting the scale with a downstroke, then
next time try starting the scale with an upstroke.
 Once you've finished the scale, try playing the scale backwards, by starting at the
first string, third fret, and playing all notes in exactly the reverse order.
 The key here is accuracy, not speed! Try playing the scale very slowly, making sure
that each note is ringing clearly.
Names of Guitar Strings

Just a little bit more technical talk before we get into playing more chords and songs. Don't
worry, this shouldn't take you more than a couple of minutes to memorize!

Every note on the guitar has a name, represented by a letter. The names of each of these
notes is important; guitarists need to know where to find these notes on their instrument, in
order to read music.

The image to the left illustrates the names of the six open strings on the guitar.

The strings, from sixth to first (thickest to thinnest) are named E, A, D, G, B and E again.

In order to help you memorize this, try using the accompanying phrase
"Every Adult DogGrowls, Barks, Eats" to keep the order straight.

Try saying the string names out loud, one by one, as you play that string. Then, test yourself
by pointing to a random string on your guitar, then trying to name that string as quickly as
possible. In following lessons, we'll be learning the names of the notes on various frets on
the guitar, but for now, we'll just stick with the open strings.

Learning an E Minor Chord

Last week, we learned three types of chords: Gmajor, Cmajor, and Dmajor. In this second
lesson, we'll explore a new type of chord... a "minor" chord. The terms "major" and "minor"
are terms used to describe the sound of the chord. In very basic terms, a major chord sounds
happy, while a minor chord sounds sad (listen to the difference between major and minor
chords). Most songs will contain a combination of both major and minor chords.

Playing an E minor chord

Easiest chord first... playing an Eminor chord only involves using two fingers in your
fretting hand. Start by placing your second finger on the second fret of the fifth string. Now,
place your third finger on the second fret of the fourth string. Strum all six strings, and,
there you have it, an Eminor chord!

Now, like last lesson, test yourself to make sure you're playing the chord properly. Starting
on the sixth string, strike each string one at a time, making sure each note in the chord is
ringing clearly. If not, study your fingers, and identify what the problem is. Then, try to
adjust your fingering so the problem goes away.

Learning an A Minor Chord

Here is another chord that gets used all the time in music, the Aminor chord. Playing this
shape shouldn't be too hard: start by placing your second finger on the second fret of the
fourth string. Now, place your third finger on the second fret of the third string. Lastly,
place your first finger on the first fret of the second string. Strum the bottom five strings
(being careful to avoid the sixth), and you'll be playing an Aminor chord.

As with all previous chords, be sure to check each string to make sure all the notes in the
chord are ringing clearly.

Learning a D Minor Chord

Last week, we learned how to play a Dmajor chord. In lesson two, we'll examine how to
play a Dminor chord. For an inexplicable reason, newer guitarists have a hard time
remembering how to play this chord, perhaps because it doesn't get used as often as some
others. For this reason, you should make an extra effort to memorize a Dminor chord.
Start by placing your first finger on the first fret of the first string. Now, put your second
finger on the second fret of the third string. Lastly, add your third finger to the third fret of
the second string. Now, strum only the bottom four strings.

Check to see if your chord is ringing clearly. Watch the Dminor chord... be sure you are
only strumming the bottom four strings... otherwise, the chord might not sound so nice!

Learning to Strum

A guitarist with a good grasp of strumming can bring a two-chord song to life. In this first
lesson on strumming, we'll examine some of the basics of strumming the guitar, and learn a
widely used strumming pattern.

Grab your guitar, and, using your fretting hand, form a G major chord (review how to play a
Gmajor chord).

The pattern above is one bar long, and contains 8 strums. It might look confusing, so for
now pay attention to the arrows at the bottom. An arrow pointing down indicates a
downward strum. Similarly, an upwards arrow indicates that you should strum upwards.
Notice that the pattern starts with a downstroke, and ends with an upstroke. So, if you were
to play the pattern twice in a row, your hand wouldn't have to vary from it's continual down-
up motion.

Play the pattern, taking special care to keep keep the time between strums the same. After
you play the example, repeat it without any pause. Count out loud: 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and
1 and 2 and (etc.) Notice that on the "and" (referred to as the "offbeat") you are always
strumming upward. If you are having problems keeping a steady rhythm, try playing along
with an mp3 of the strumming pattern.

Make Sure:

 if playing an acoustic guitar, you strum over the sound hole

 all strings ring clearly
 Make sure the volume of your downstrums and upstrums are equal
 Be careful not to strum too hard, as this produces an undesirable sound
 Be careful not to strum too softly, as this will produce a "wimpy" sound. Your pick
should be striking the strings with a relatively firm, even stroke
 Think of your elbow as being the top of a pendulum - your arm should swing up and
down from it in a steady motion, never pausing at any time.
 Most of the picking motion should come from a rotation of the wrist, rather than
from the forearm. Be sure not to keep your wrist stiff when playing.
Learning to Strum - cont'd

By removing only one strum from the previous pattern, we'll create one of the most widely
used strumming patterns in pop, country, and rock music.

When we remove the strum from this pattern, the initial instinct will be to to stop the
strumming motion in your picking hand. This is exactly what we DON'T want, as this alters
the on-beat downstrum / off-beat upstrum pattern we've established.

The key to this playing this strum successfully is to keep the strumming motion going while
slightly lifting the hand away from the body of the guitar momentarily, on the downstroke
of the third beat, so the pick misses the strings. Then, on the next upstroke (the "and" of the
third beat), bring the hand closer to the guitar, so the pick hits the strings. To summarize:
the upward/downward motion of the picking hand should not change from the first pattern.
Deliberately avoiding the strings with the pick on the third beat of the pattern is the only
change.

Listen to, and play along with, this second strumming pattern, to get a better idea on how
this new pattern should sound. Once you are comfortable with this, try it at a
somewhatfaster speed. It is important to be able to play this accurately - don't be satisfied
with getting MOST of the up and down strums in the right order. If it's not perfect, it will
make learning any harder strums virtually impossible. Be sure that you can play the pattern
many times in a row, without having to stop because of an incorrect strum.

This is a tricky concept, and it can be guaranteed that you will have some problems with it
at first. The idea is, if you introduce basic strumming patterns early, within a couple of
lessons, you'll have gotten the hang of it, and will be sounding great! It is important to try
not to get frustrated... soon, this will become second nature.

Learning Songs

The addition of three new minor chords to this week's lesson gives us a total of six chords to
learn songs with. These six chords will provide you with the opportunity to play literally
hundreds of country, blues, rock, and pop songs.

If you need to refresh your memory on which chords we've learned so far, you can review
the major chords from lesson one, and the minor chords from lesson two. Here are a few of
the songs you can play with G major, C major, D major, E minor, and A minor chords:
Take it Easy - performed by The Eagles
NOTES: You know all of these chords, but this song will take you a while to play well. For
now, use a basic strum (only slow downstrums), and switch chords when you reach the
word that the new chord is above. 
MP3: Amazon MP3 download
Mr. Tambourine Man - written by Bob Dylan
NOTES: this tune will also take a while to master, but if you keep at it, you'll make
progress quickly. For strumming, either strum four slow strums per chord, or, for a
challenge, use the hard strumming pattern that we learned in this lesson. 
MP3: Amazon MP3 download
(this mp3 is the more famous version of the song by The Byrds.)
About a Girl - performed by Nirvana
NOTES: Again, we won't be able to play the entire song, but the main part we can do rather
easily, as it only contains an Eminor and Gmajor chord. Play the song as follows: Eminor
(strum: down, down up) Gmajor (strum: down up down up) and repeat. 
MP3: Amazon MP3 download
Brown Eyed Girl - performed by Van Morrison
NOTES: We learned this song last lesson, but try it again, now that you know how to play
the Eminor chord we didn't know before. 
MP3: Amazon MP3 download

Practice Schedule
Practicing at least 15 minutes per day on the guitar is recommended. Playing every day,
even for this small amount of time, will get you comfortable with the instrument, and you'll
be amazed at your progress. Here's a schedule to follow.

 Make sure your guitar is in tune (how to tune)

 Go over material from lesson one. Concentrate on the chromatic scale and major
chords.
 Review the open string names.
 Play the E phrygian scale several times. Play the scale forwards and backwards,
slowly, in an even tempo. Concentrate on accuracy!
 Spend at least five minutes on strumming. Try these patterns with different chords.
Try playing the strumming patterns with one chord, switching chords, and playing the
pattern again.
 Play this week's minor chords. Say the name of the chord as you play it, to help with
memorization. Practice switching from one minor chord to another, or from a minor to a
major chord.
 Try playing some, or all of the songs listed. Review songs from lesson one.They
will certainly not sound very good at first. Try only to think of the songs as a way in
which to practice playing chords.
You can see that we are quickly building a large amount of material to practice. If you find
it impossible to practice the above in one sitting, try playing them over several days. Be
sure not to ignore any of the items on the list, even if they're not a ton of fun to practice.

You will undoubtedly sound pretty rough when you first start playing this new material.
Everyone does... that is why we practice. If you can't seem to get something right even after
a lot of practice, shrug your shoulders, and leave it for tomorrow.

We're done lesson two! When you're ready, move on to lesson three, we'll discuss even
more about chords, more strumming patterns, the basics of reading music, plus new songs
and more. Hope you're having fun!