Misinformation on the Internet About Learning to Play the Guitar

I spent the last 30 minutes at some of the article directories reading the articles. What I noticed most was the uninformed opinions of some of the people posing as experts, passing advice.

I saw one suggestion that advised people to start with a classical guitar. I've also seen other people advise that a beginner should start with an acoustic rather than an electric guitar.

Both of of these suggestions are misleading in that there is only one best guitar to begin on. And that guitar is the one, that when you close your eyes and visualize yourself playing, what type of guitar are you holding? A classical? A steel string acoustic or an electric? Take that vision and buy the best guitar you can afford. This doesn't mean that you need to spend a thousand dollars. You can get good entry level guitars for approximately $150.00 - $300.00.

The best guitar to learn on is the one that best suits the music you want to play and that will inspire you to practice.

However...

What is crucial to you learning to play is that the strings are easy to press on the guitar, that the guitar has decent tuners so that the guitar will get in tune easily and hold it's tuning and that the guitar is in tune at different positions on the neck. The department store brands don't usually qualify unless they are carrying main brands that the music stores carry.

Quick advise - don't buy a guitar from someone who doesn't know how to tune it or play it. The second thing to consider when learning to play is that you are willing to practice. You'll need to practice everyday for at least 30 minutes. This is advised by any teacher that is worth their salt. If you practice more you'll get better even quicker. Your fingertips will build callouses within a month.

You might wonder how long it will take to learn. Naturally that will depend on how much you practice and if you have good direction. You'd be surprised how much you could learn in 6 weeks. In fact, I teach my own students how to play songs on their first lesson. I start them with a song that has 3 or 4 easy chords and a basic and easy to do strumming rhythm. The second song I teach is a guitar riff such as TNT by AC/DC.

Because...

If you like what you are learning and if is within your current capabilities you'll practice more. And practice is the key.

I've seen forums and questions asking what is a good beginner song to learn. I saw one response that suggested they learn a certain song and it had C, F and G for the 3 chords. F is certainly not the chord to begin with. Let me suggest that you learn Em, A7 or A, C, D and G first. You can play 1000's of songs with these chords.

A couple of examples would be 'Boulevard of Broken Dreams' by Green Day. Play two downward strums on using these chords. Em - G - D - A. There is a little more to it than this, but this will get you started.

Another example would be Last Kiss which was redone again by Pearl Jam. The chords for this song are G - Em - C - D. You would strum V V V^V^ (down, down, down, up, down, up). If you're not sure how to do this and other rhythms check out my 5 Easy Guitar Lessons book or Easiest Way Guitar which begins with the easiest guitar basics that teaches you the 28 essential chords and 14 different ways to strum the guitar.

YouTube is a great resource. I use it with most of my students. They tell me what songs they want to learn and then I call it up on YouTube, listen to the song and then show them how to play it (if it is within their current capabilities).

Guitar tabs are also a great resource if they are right. Remember that the information on the Internet is only as good as the person who put it there. Some of the tabs are just plain wrong. As you gain more experience you'll be able to know what is correct.

The ideal way to start learning to play the guitar is with the type of guitar that you want (acoustic or electric) and some good instructions on how to learn to play.

The above mentioned books will teach you guitar strumming and chords.

There are other resources that teach guitar as well. Some focus on playing lead, electric guitar or acoustic guitar.

Let me say one thing in conclusion. If you want an electric guitar but there is an an acoustic guitar available. Start with what is available. Don't wait and say I'll get started when I have my guitar.

Start now and have fun!

Easiest Guitar Basics - The Parts of the Guitar

Easiest Guitar Basics - The Parts of the Guitar

By Brian Hawthorn

If you are absolutely new to or are just thinking about learning to play the guitar, it is very possible that you don't know the names of any of the parts to a guitar or even the difference between an acoustic and an electric guitar. So let me start at the very beginning by giving you explanations on the easiest guitar basics.

First, there are two general types of 6-string guitars - The acoustic and the electric.

Both of these guitars have 3 major parts; the head, the neck and the body.

The acoustic guitar has a hollow body with usually a round sound hole just under the strings. A few acoustic guitars have "f" holes shaped the same as the "f" holes on a violin.

The electric guitar usually has a solid body with one to three "pick-ups" on the body under the strings. They are designed to be plugged into an amplifier.

The head of the guitar has six tuners. These are what are turned to get the guitar in tune. There can either be three tuners on one side and three on the other or all six tuners on one side. On some electric guitars they also have metal guides on the head. These are called "string trees."

The next part of the guitar is called the neck. This is where you your place your fingers to play.

The strings naturally run the entire length of the neck. The strings are lined up and evenly spaced being separated by the grooves in the nut.

The nut is the piece of plastic or other material that is where the head of the guitar finishes and the neck begins. It runs the width of the neck.

The back of the neck is where your thumb is placed. The front of the neck, where you place your fingertips is called either the fingerboard or the fretboard. Both names are correct. The frets themselves are the thin steel pieces that run the width of the neck. You'll notice that the fretboard has between 20 - 24 frets, depending on the style and make of the guitar.

Also, all guitars except for the very inexpensive ones have a steel rod called a truss rod going through the inside of the neck. It is not visible. This truss rod allows a technician to adjust the height of the strings by adjusting or eliminating the curve in the neck.

Finally, the dots that are on the fingerboard and along the edge of the neck are called position markers. This is to let the player know where any fret is at a glance.

The third part of the guitar is the body. As mentioned earlier, the guitar can either be acoustic or electric.

The acoustic guitar body has the top board which is also called a soundboard, the sides and the back. Inexpensive guitars have a laminated soundboard, the sides and the back.

Laminated means it's plywood. For a beginner this is just fine providing the guitar strings are easy to press.

As guitars get more expensive the top board is solid (usually spruce or cedar). In very expensive guitars, the top, sides and backs are all solid woods. Solid woods give a richer tone.

The final part of the body is where the strings attach. This is called the bridge. The strings go into a hole on the bride and are held in place with the bridge pins which look like six little round buttons. As the strings rise out of the body they cross a thin usually white piece of plastic or other material know as the saddle.

The electric guitar body is usually solid wood although there are semi-acoustic as well as full acoustic, electric guitars. There are a number of different body shapes. Also a number of different woods and mixes of woods used to build the bodies.

Instead of a sound hole the electric guitar has pick-ups. These are rectangular shaped and sit below the strings. Electric guitars have a toggle switch to turn the different pick-ups on and off which will change the sound of the guitar when it is plugged into an amplifier. There are also volume and tone controls as well.

The final part of the electric guitar is the bridge. Again, this is where the strings attach to the body of the guitar. There are a number of different designs of electric guitar bridges.

Now to go to the next step, download my free guitar basics e-book, "Guitar - How to Get Started" which is available at http://www.easiestwayguitar.com You'll also receive my Getting Started Mini Course - 7 Useful Tips for Beginners." Brian Hawthorn began playing the guitar in the mid 60's and is a professional musician, guitar teacher, author and consultant.

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Welcome to My Blog

Hi There;

I just set up my blog an posted my first blog (although short) at www.easiestwayguitar.com/blog.

Please stop by when you get a chance.

Brian