Guitar tutorial

Guitar tutorial for beginners

Well, dear readers, here we come directly to the beginning of your learning to play the six-string guitar.

Now you already know the history of the guitar, its structure and the name of all its components (I hope). The tool has been purchased and configured.

Let's just agree on some things right away.

I made this site to help beginning guitarists gain basic playing skills and perhaps discover something new for hobbyists.
I myself am quite passionate about the art of playing the guitar, and believe me, I made a lot of mistakes during the learning process.
Therefore, try to be careful guitar lessons which I offer you. There is not a single extra word in my course.
Brevity and clarity even for a child - this is the meaning of this guitar tutorial.
Everything I am going to talk about was not invented by me. This is only my understanding of the essence of what is happening and the result of translating incomprehensible texts from textbooks and tutorials, of which I have read a considerable number.

I write articles myself, so if you want to use my material for yourself, then the link to mine guitar lessons required. I will do the same.
Don't jump from lesson to lesson. I understand that the desire is great, but this will not achieve anything. Be patient, and in a few days we will learn the first piece.
In order for you to fully learn to play the guitar, you will need to devote at least 1-2 hours a day to it.
Take your time!!! - This is the most important mistake I made. As soon as you learn a part of a piece, you just want to play it back at the speed of light, so that the fretboard starts to fire. I beg you, don’t fall for this, although it’s probably inevitable - such is human nature;)
At the beginning of class, stretch your hands by clenching them into a fist to increase blood flow. Before playing serious pieces, spend some time on scales and simple pieces.
For successful learning, you can use special guitar programs, which can be downloaded in the section of the same name.

Well, that's basically it. You will learn the rest as you read my self-instruction manual. Some lessons will be accompanied by videos for a better understanding of the material. Click the link to the FIRST guitar lesson and go!

Many people consider mastering the guitar an impossible task that takes them long years. This is partly true, but only if you want to master the instrument at a professional level.

Much more often, people want to learn to play the guitar in order to perform their favorite songs in a company or just for fun. In this case, training will not take much effort and time: in two to three months you can easily learn the basic chords and ways of playing.

Don't give up, even if you've already had a bad experience. Talent is only a tenth of success. Determination and regular practice are much more important.

What you will need

Guitar.
Wish. It is even more important than the instrument itself.
Time to study. You can do it easily too, if the desire is strong enough. Moreover, 30 minutes a day will be enough for you.
Teaching aids. There are no problems with them at all: you can buy a tutorial in a bookstore, watch video lessons on YouTube, and find chords on the Internet.

As you can see, nothing supernatural.

Choosing and purchasing a guitar

Let's assume that you have the desire and time. All you have to do is get the tools. They say that any guitar is suitable for a beginner, but this is not true. When the strings touch the frets and cut into your fingers, and the guitar does not stay in tune, there can be no talk of any progress.

A bad instrument will almost certainly discourage you from learning.

Therefore, it is better to find a good guitar. At first, you can borrow an instrument from one of your friends, and then, if things work out and you like it, get your own. Not necessarily expensive and branded, the main thing is more or less high quality.

There are two main types of acoustic guitars: classical and dreadnought (western). There is an opinion that classical guitars are more suitable for beginners due to the wide neck and nylon strings. The first feature reduces the chances of accidentally touching an unnecessary string with your fingers, because the distance between the strings is greater than that of a dreadnought. Yes, and ourselves nylon strings softer than metal ones, so they don’t dig into your fingertips so much and cause less calluses.

On the other hand, if performing classical compositions is not part of your plans, it is better to immediately take a dreadnought. This guitar sounds louder and more resonant due to metal strings, and on a narrower neck it is more convenient to play chords. Again, when playing on metal strings, your fingers will become rougher faster and there will be no more calluses.

As a compromise, you can take the dreadnought and replace metal strings nylon ones at least for the duration of training.

When going to the store to buy a guitar, take a friend with you who knows how to play: each instrument has many little details and a beginner may simply not notice them. Choose a guitar not only by appearance, but also for convenience. Pay attention to the possibility of adjusting the neck, the tuning mechanism, and the strings.

Getting to know the guitar

The tool is purchased (or borrowed from friends), and you are one step closer to the goal. Take a close look at the guitar.

The larger part is called the soundboard. A neck is attached to it, ending with a head with pegs: with the help of them the strings are stretched.

The neck is divided into frets by metal sills, against which the strings are pressed to produce sound. The first fret is at the headstock, the last is at the soundboard.

There are only six strings. The countdown starts from the bottom, thinnest one.

Guitar tuning

Before you try to play, your guitar needs to be tuned. Don't be alarmed, even a beginner can do this. And without this skill you will not be able to play.

By tuner

You will need a tuner as a separate device (can be purchased from music store or on the same AliExpress) or smartphone applications. In both cases, tuning consists of alternately tightening or loosening all the strings in accordance with the tuner's prompts.

By the fifth fret

This method does not require any additional equipment. Its essence is that the strings, clamped on certain frets, sound in unison and can be adjusted relative to each other.

According to the rules, the first string should be tuned to the note E, using a tuner (for example, its online version) or another tuned instrument as a reference. However, this only makes sense when playing in a group, so that all instruments sound in the same key.

If you play alone, or even just learn, then the first string can be adjusted arbitrarily, approximately selecting its tension. All others are configured like this:

Press the second string at the fifth fret and loosen or tighten until it sounds the same as the open first string.
Press the third string at the fourth fret and tune it in unison with open second string.
Press the fourth string at the fifth fret and adjust it to the open third string.
Press the fifth on the fifth fret and adjust it to the open fourth.
The sixth fret is clamped in the same way on the fifth fret and tuned in unison with the open fifth.

It sounds complicated, but in reality everything is as simple as shelling pears. Each string pressed at the fifth fret should sound in unison with the previous, lower string. The only exception is the third string: it must be clamped not on the fifth, but on the fourth fret.

The setup process itself is also extremely simple. For example, to tune the second string, you need to loosen it, and then pull the open first string and gradually rotate the second peg until the sound of both strings merges into one tone. That's all.

Let's try to play

Finally we got to the most interesting part - the game itself. It seems there is nothing complicated here. Know to press the strings with your left hand and hit them with your right: you’ve seen this a million times and probably tried it yourself. Why then doesn't it work? The strings rattle, the pads of your fingers burn, and your joints become tired and stiff.

It's all about experience, which comes with practice.

Take your guitar and sit on the edge of a chair or sofa, crossing your legs or placing your left foot on a low stand, such as a stack of books. This way the instrument will not rest against the chair and slide off your leg.

The right arm should be relaxed and the hand should not be twisted. The left one covers the fretboard, but thumb at the same time it is always parallel to the frets. There is also no need to squeeze the bar as hard as you can, otherwise your hand will quickly get tired.

You already know that fret numbering starts from the headstock, and strings - from the thinnest, bottom. Try playing random notes by pressing the first string with your index finger on different frets. Try to fully press the string so that it sounds clear. It won't be easy, but over time the technique will improve.

Try playing on other strings, as well as using other fingers, letting them get used to it.

Playing melodies on one string

Just making sounds is boring. Therefore, to make it more interesting, you can learn simple melodies on one string and practice on them. Here are some example tunes.

Classic “A grasshopper sat in the grass”:

"Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple:

Introduction to “ Iron Man"Black Sabbath:

Melody from the movie "Boomer":

"Imperial March" from Star Wars:

Spend some time playing on one string. Bring your actions to automaticity and achieve coordinated work of both hands. Practice until the melodies sound smooth and clear, without stopping or stuttering.

During this time, your fingers will get used to the loads, which means you can move on to more complex things.

Playing chords

The next step you have to climb is playing chords. This is much more difficult than single string melodies, but don't be discouraged. Once you learn the chords, you will be able to play full songs.

The principle here is the same, but you will need to press not one string, but several at once: usually three, less often two or four. There are many chords. However, to perform most songs, only five to seven are enough. First, let's learn the three main, so-called thieves chords: Am, Dm, E.

All chords are designated by Latin letters depending on the main note:

C - before;
D - re;
E - mi;
F - fa;
G - salt;
A - la;
H - si.

If there is a small letter m next to the chord symbol, this means that the chord is minor. If there is no such prefix - major. The chords are read either by letter designation, or by name. For example, “a-um” (Am) or “G major” (G).

Chord patterns are called fingerings. A neck with strings is drawn on them. Frets are signed with Roman numerals. Arabic denotes the strings and - in circles - the fingers that should be used to press the strings (1 - index, 2 - middle, and so on). The zero opposite the string means open sound(unpressed string), and the cross means that the string should not sound.

Let's return to our thieves chords. Here are their fingerings:

To play an Am chord, you need to press the second string on the first fret with your index finger, the fourth string on the second fret with your middle finger, and the third string on the second fret with your ring finger.

The rest of the chords are taken using the same principle: we look at which frets and which strings need to be pressed.

With these three chords you can already play simple yard or army songs. But it’s better to learn three more chords, with which your repertoire will expand significantly. Here they are:

There should be no difficulties with the first two, but the third is a little different from the previous ones. It uses barre - a technique where the index finger is used to pinch all the strings on one fret. Barre chords are a little more difficult than open chords, but with practice you can get the hang of them.

As always, to make learning more interesting, you can practice on some song right away. For example, on the canonical “Pack of Cigarettes” by the group “Kino” or “Watchmen” by “Boombox”.

You can also find any other songs that you like on the Internet (for example, by searching for “Louboutin chords”). If you come across unfamiliar chords in the selection, you can try to find another one or simply learn something new.

Fight and bust

There are two ways of sound production: busting and fighting. Some songs are played only by fingerpicking or only by strumming, others by both methods. The same chords are used, the only difference is whether you pluck the strings with your fingers or hit them.

There are a huge number of battles, just like battles. And they are, of course, different in different songs. Usually, in the analysis, along with the chords, it is indicated which fingering or strumming should be played.

Let's look at some of the most common ones as an example. You'll learn the rest as you go.

What's next

Now that you have become acquainted with the basics, studied the chords and have gained some experience, the main thing is not to give up on your training. Your fingers will get sore and tangled when changing chords, and the strings won't always sound.

Don't stop under any circumstances and just keep playing. Every day you will do better and better, and in the end you will achieve your goal.

Finally, a few tips that will help you learn to play the guitar on your own and won’t let you despair:

Always use multiple sources of information to fill in possible gaps and inaccuracies from one teacher to another.
Play every day: Regular exercise will boost your confidence. Remember that talent is only a tenth of success, the rest is practice.
Once you've learned a couple of songs and are comfortable performing them, be sure to invite your friends over and play for them. Listeners will help develop and point out shortcomings.

Hello to all new and aspiring guitarists! So I finally decided to write an article that, I hope, will help you understand well how and where to start playing the electric guitar. You will also learn about processing guitar sound, various guitar effects, connecting a guitar to an amplifier, and also learn what straplock and tablature are.

Guitar sound

So, let's get started. If you pick it up and (without connecting it) play a couple of chords, you will be convinced that it sounds very quiet and poor compared to acoustic guitar. This happens because it is a solid piece of wood. Well, or several pieces glued together. There are, however, very cheap guitars made of sawdust, or plywood - with them you can amaze ignorant friends with your cool look, but it is not recommended to play them.

A real “guitar” sound can be obtained through one or through a chain of several (for experienced guitarists the number reaches almost a dozen) so-called (“gadgets”) in a special combo amplifier (in common parlance “combination”).

A beginner's amp usually has a transistor amp. Its main advantages are reliability and low price. Tube combo amplifiers, as a rule, are an order of magnitude more expensive than transistor ones; in addition, the electric lamps in them must be changed periodically (about once every six months). What are the benefits of tube amplifiers? I’ll tell you a secret - the topic of “tube sound versus transistor sound” has been the cause of more than one holy war, we’ll just note that tube amplifiers give a more “correct” guitar sound. Moreover, as the volume increases, the sound of a tube amplifier becomes more and more “correct,” while the transistor one becomes more and more desirable to turn off.

Effects pedals

When it comes to effects pedals, there really is a wide variety of them. And each gives its own unique sound. They are called pedals because they are small boxes on which, in addition to various controls, there is a power button (also known as the power button), which the guitarist presses with his foot. Well, the box itself, accordingly, lies on the floor. This button is often designed in a manner somewhat reminiscent of a car pedal - hence the name.

Perhaps the most popular type of effect is distortion(English distortion - “distortion”). It is used a large number musicians playing music various styles- from pop rock to heavy, aggressive styles like thrash metal. To get an idea of the sound distortion produces, I suggest listening to the beginning of the song “Break Stuff” by Limp Bizkit.

However, if you want to play a solo (if anyone doesn’t already know what “playing a solo” means, let me explain - when playing a solo, the sound is produced using only one string at one specific moment in time). So, distortion would be a bad choice here, this effect distorts the signal too much. Another very common type of effect is good for soloing - overdrive(English overdrive - “overload”). It distorts the signal minimally, and when used solo, it sounds intelligible and melodious.

When the pedal is off, it allows sound to pass through without making any changes. This makes it possible to include effects in a chain - sequentially, so that you can quickly switch from one to another - turn off one, turn on the other and that's it - no switching wires.

IN real life A guitarist often needs to switch entire groups of effects while playing, but he only has two legs. For such cases, they came up with a special switch pedal - the so-called footswitch(English footswitch - “foot switch”).

Another very common effect is delay(English delay - “delay”). It works in conjunction with other effects. Its essence is that the sound of one note becomes longer, as if stretched out in time. As a rule, delay works in tandem with overdrive, but options are possible here, because people’s imagination is limitless, and if these people are also guitarists...

Also, there are more complex devices - effects processors. These are digital devices that can emulate sound large number various and combo amplifiers. With their help, you can play directly “in line” (that is, into a regular amplifier or the input of a computer sound card). Their main advantage is their size. A small processor is much more convenient than a suitcase of gadgets and a huge combo to boot. But, firstly, emulation is emulation, no matter how high-quality it is, and secondly, you cannot press your foot on the processor - you need to turn its numerous switches, and this is not always acceptable due to lack of time.

Don't forget that the effects pedal requires its own power - usually a 9-volt Krona battery. Instead, you can connect a network adapter to almost all gadgets.

How to connect everything?

Both the guitar and the effects are connected using “ ” type connectors at the ends. It should be said that the shorter the cable, the better, the less sound distortion there will be, the less your combo will pick up the radio, and combos, oddly enough, really like to listen to the radio. This is especially true for the cable connecting the guitar and the “gadget”. Its best length is 2-3 meters, no more.

Also, a lot depends on the quality of the plugs and the wire itself. The law here is simple: the more expensive, the better (by the way, anyone who knows how to solder can easily make a cable for the same money, using components of higher quality than in a ready-made factory cable). Thus, if your chain looks like “guitar - effects pedal - amp”, you will need two jack-to-jack connecting cables.

Safety precautions: belt and straps

Let's say that we have already connected the guitar, and our hands immediately reached out to play something on it. Now, now, one more note regarding safety precautions. Inspect your guitar, see how it is attached to it. Most likely, you will see such “hats”, to which the belt is attached on both sides.

The belt has holes with slots into which the “hats” fit and the guitar is held on the belt by its own weight. The most common mistake beginner guitarists make is throwing the strap over themselves without checking to see if the end of the strap is twisted.

Ironically, very often the belt is locked in the wrong position. When this happens, the guitar falls to the ground as soon as you let go, which is quite unfortunate.

In order to protect guitarists from such collisions, and expensive instruments from irreparable injuries, the so-called streplocks(English straplock - “belt lock”). The straps are built in (or rather, screwed in) in place of the “hats” and securely fasten the belt in any position. Most new guitars are released by manufacturers without straplocks, as if leaving the guitarist a choice - to put on the guitar those straplocks that he likes best.

Let's play rock!

So, I sincerely want to believe that you got to this point in the article with already connected and. Let's try to play something!

To be honest, I feel bad for those beginners who are forced to play immortal things like “A grasshopper sat in the grass” when getting acquainted with the instrument. The man decided to play the electric guitar, he has already stocked up on “Metalzone”, he wants something louder and heavier, and you give him “Grasshopper”.

Therefore, I propose to learn how to play a simple, but at the same time nicely driving riff from the song “Fight For Your Right” by the Beastie Boys. At the same time we will find out what “ power chords” and how tabs are written.

First, let's listen to a fragment of the song, the riff to which we will learn to play.

In this song, the guitarist uses a distortion type effect. I recommend not turning on the distortion at first, but simply playing directly into the amp (guitarists call this “ clean" - clear sound). Playing on a clean sound will let you understand what mistakes are being made, where your finger went in the wrong place, where else what happened. It is important for beginners to remember that playing through distortion will cover up individual mistakes. It’s not that they are invisible, it’s just more difficult to understand where you made a mistake.

The riff of our training song is entirely built on the so-called power chords(English: power chords – “power chords”). Although in the generally accepted musical sense they are not exactly chords, they sound really unusually powerful even without overdrive, which is why they got their name. Power chords are ubiquitous in rock music. There is even a special guitar tuning for playing power chords - Drop D. More about it below.

What is tablature?

Musicians write down how to play a particular composition using notes. For guitarists, a more convenient form of recording is tablature(""). On the tabs, each string has its own line. Here you go, clean tablature:

1) —————————————-

2) —————————————-

3) —————————————-

4) —————————————-

5) —————————————-

6) —————————————-

The top line corresponds to the thinnest string, the bottom line corresponds to the thickest. You can also find this version of tablature - with letters - everything is the same here:

E|—————————————

B|—————————————

G|—————————————

D|—————————————

A|—————————————

E|—————————————

And now, please love and favor, here they are - tabs for our educational song:

E|————————————————-

B|————————————————-

G|———————5-7——5-7————

D|—7—————-7-5-7-7-7-5-7——-

A|—7—————-7-3-5-7-7-3-5——-

E|5-5—————-5——5-5—————-

E|—————————————————

B|—————————————————

G|———————-5-7——5-7————-

D|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7—7-5-7-7-7—5-7

A|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7—7-3-5-7-7—3-5

E|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5—5——5-5———

x x x x x x x x x

The numbers on the corresponding line indicate the number of the fret that needs to be pressed while pulling the string. If the numbers are located at the same level vertically, then the corresponding frets need to be clamped simultaneously, i.e. play . The number 0 means that the string should be pulled without pinching.

So, we see that the first number in the tablature is 5 on the bottom line. Those. you need to clamp the fifth fret on the thickest one. The letter “x” under the number means that the note should be muted. This means that when you pluck a string with a pick, the edge right palm(if you are right-handed) you need to lightly press the strings at a distance of 3-4 cm from the tailpiece.

The string at the fifth fret must be clamped thumb left hand. We need to pluck this way for the reason that immediately after we hit the first note, we need to hit a power chord. The thumb remains in place, and the middle and index fingers move to the seventh fret. “we ride” along three strings at once (namely the lower three, we should not touch the remaining strings). In this case, there is no need to mute the notes - there is no cross (the letter “x”) under the numbers.

Clamp the power chord

After a pause we start playing the main riff. The power chord on strings three to five is plucked in the same way:

We press a power chord on strings 3-5. After the main riff comes the following fragment:

E|——————————

B|——————————

G|——————————

D|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7—

A|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7—

E|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5—

x x x x x x x x x

I think it’s already clear to you how to play it. The result should be the “j-j-j” sound, which is extremely beloved by all fans of heavy music.

I advise you to first practice playing at a slow pace. Then, when you get some skill, you can turn on the sample and try to play along with the Beastie Boys.

Now, as promised, a few words about the system Drop D. It differs from the standard tuning only in that the thickest (sixth) string is weakened by an additional two frets. That is, if in standard tuning the sixth string, clamped at the fifth fret, sounds like an unclamped fifth, then in Drop D tuning it should sound like the fifth, being clamped already at the 7th fret.

What does this give? Now all power chords that are played on the last three strings can be pressed with just one finger. Consequently, you can move between chords much faster than with standard tuning. Metalheads really like this fact, because... they often have to move quickly from chord to chord in a low key.

I hope that the article will be useful for beginners. In it, I tried to answer the questions that arose in my mind when getting acquainted with the electric guitar. Good luck in mastering the instrument!

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Having set ourselves the goal of mastering something new, we often run into the same question: where to start? The same problem arises for a person who decides to learn to play the guitar on his own. Our article will tell you how you can learn the basics of playing the guitar at home from scratch and quite quickly.

What is important is that below is the easiest and fastest way to learn to play the guitar. Here we will not suggest you study notes and theory. Just practice!

Guitar. First of all, you will need the guitar itself. But don't rush to spend money. If you have the opportunity to borrow a guitar from friends, then by all means take advantage of it. What if you don't like it? You will always have time to buy a guitar, but selling an inexpensive instrument is very problematic. But if you still have a burning desire to become a great guitarist, then this article will help you with choosing a guitar: How to choose an acoustic guitar?
Settings. In order for a guitar to delight you and your neighbors with its sound, it must always be in tune. Therefore, you need to learn how to configure it yourself. The process is not particularly complicated and is well described in almost any tutorial. You can find an online tuner on the Internet. If you have a microphone in your computer, then using it it is very easy to tune each string to the appropriate note. If not, it doesn’t matter: look for a tuner online that produces the sound of each string. It is very easy to tune your instrument based on the sounding string.
Correct posture and hand placement. Please pay SPECIAL attention to correct posture and hand placement. This is very important because... playing incorrectly will not only hinder your progress in the future, but can also cause overwork, muscle tightness and other unpleasant “sores”. There is a lot of material on the Internet with photos and videos on hand placement and landing. But ideally, it is better to take 2-3 lessons from a professional guitarist. No matter how hard you try yourself, you can see better from the outside. A good professional will easily detect all your mistakes in the bud, which will have a beneficial effect on your training in the future. Correct landing is a big asset for future progress.
In general, there are 2 types of landing: classic and fatal. Each type of planting has its pros and cons; we will not describe them here. It’s easier to position your hands - there are several unshakable rules that will help you easily pinch the strings, play with strumming and plucking.
Regarding sound production, it is worth paying attention Special attention right hand. Proper sound production - necessary condition for the purity of your music. The tutorials contain many exercises for right hand. First, perform them separately, only with your right hand. Then - together with the left, changing chords. This will help develop hand coordination. As a result, it will not be difficult for you to play the rhythm with your right hand and press the chords with your left.
Chords. Now that the guitar is tuned, you can start learning chords. They are in all tutorials and on the Internet. Start with simple ones, for example Am, Em, Dm, etc. After learning a few chords, try changing them. For example, Am to Dm, etc. A quick change of chords is practiced as follows: take 2 chords and within one minute move from one to another: Am-Dm-Am-Dm... And so on for a minute. At first it will be difficult, your fingers, as if made of wood, will reluctantly search for the right place on the frets. But after a few days of consistent practice at home, you will feel progress.
Right hand technique. If you are not an ardent electric guitar fan, then forget about the pick at first. You need to master the finger technique. There are 2 options for playing with the right hand: combat and bust. Accordingly, there is different types battles and various searches. Mastering them yourself will not be difficult, it’s just a matter of time.
Songs. So, we have a minimum set of knowledge and skills. What's next? The simplest thing is to start practicing chords, strumming and strumming on songs. Find a few easy songs that you like and play them. Slow songs are sung with strumming, fast songs with strumming. At first it will be difficult to remember the chords and move your fingers in time. However, this skill develops quite quickly. And in just a few weeks it won’t be difficult for you to play more than half of the repertoire of the average “drive-in” guitarist. Yes, and don’t try to sing on the guitar right away. And don’t be too upset that you can’t sing and play at the same time - we’ve all gone through this stage :) First, practice the accompaniment until it becomes automatic and only then start singing along.
Performance of compositions. How to learn guitar compositions? Education musical notation requires serious effort and time. A simpler option is to play using tablature. These are schematic images that show which string to press on which fret. Today there are many computer programs, which represent music in the form of tablature. The most popular is Guitar Pro. Download a few simple tablatures and practice them. This will allow you to learn new playing techniques and take your game to the next level.
So, how to learn to play the guitar from scratch on your own and at home? Of course, the path described in this article is not the only correct one. If you already have some musical experience, or there is irresistible desire If you approach the issue thoroughly, you can immediately begin training with theory. Learn notes, scales, modes, and how they all apply on the guitar. However, for a person who picks up an instrument for the first time, such an abundance of theoretical information will most likely lose any desire to study music in the future. I would like to immediately learn the minimum basics.
I wish you creative success!

It’s hard to imagine a friendly hike without a fire, favorite songs and warm company. And here there remains one unsolved problem: “how to learn to play the guitar from scratch on your own?” If you are already ripe for such practice, if your hands are ready to play, if your soul is torn by familiar motives, and your fingers are looking for support for picking - congratulations, you are ready to learn to play the guitar. We will try to guide you!

Learning to play the guitar: how to choose an instrument?

Of course, a great desire is already half the battle, but you also need a guitar. We really hope that you know that there are guitars today:

Classic.
Acoustic.
Electrical.

The guitar may have:

Six strings.
Seven strings.
And even twelve strings.

In order to learn to play the guitar, beginners will only need to master a classical instrument with six strings. It is advisable to use nylon strings first. They will help you keep your fingers safe - and this is extremely important in the first stages.

So, we've decided on the guitar, all that remains are the accessories. Since we study on our own, we must be fully prepared that no one will tune the instrument for us every hour. In this regard, we need a tuner. You can also buy a case to easily travel with your instrument, a pick, and a stand for your left foot.

How to learn to play guitar from scratch at home? For newbies:

So, you got your hands on a guitar, where do you start to get beautiful music flowing out of it?

Or, in other words, how to learn to play guitar from scratch? Of course, you will need video tutorials for beginners. But even this is not a guarantee of success.

Get ready that between your statement “I want to play the guitar” and the real “I already play the guitar” time will pass. Before your chords form a full-fledged melody, you will have to learn many basics. But don't worry, all aspiring guitarists have gone through this. The main thing is to devote at least half an hour a day to studying. Practice regularly at home and you'll soon surprise your friends with a decent game.

So, first learn what elements a guitar consists of. Now this is your comrade, friend, assistant, adviser, and also the best outlet in life. Thus, you just need to know what a guitar is made of.

Any guitar has a head, body and neck. Take a close look at the photo of the structure of this musical instrument: pay attention to the frets, strings, fret nuts and sound hole - you will need all this to produce sound. In order to hold your guitar correctly, it is very important to know where the shell, bridge and saddle are located.

Correct fit

First of all, you need to understand how to properly hold the instrument in your hands. Of course, you need to take the right attitude. It consists of always keeping your back straight, without leaning your elbows, without throwing your body back. Wherein left leg is located on a hill. The base of the instrument always rests on the right leg. Next we will tell you how to learn to play the guitar, and there will also be video lessons at your disposal.

Correct hand placement

You and I have not yet learned how to extract sound from a guitar. After all, a guitar definitely requires a special approach.

Let's look at the hands:

The left hand covers the bar well.
The right hand is responsible for producing a clear, clear sound. In order to do this, you need to relax her.
Place your right elbow at the intersection of the bridge and the side of your guitar. To do this, you need to draw a conditional line from the stand to the shell.
Get your fingers ready for fingering.

It is impossible to quickly learn to play an instrument until you learn the position of your fingers. Each finger has own position, and is also responsible for its string. All strings are numbered from bottom to top, that is, in the order of sound decay: from the highest to the lowest. Since we have five fingers and six strings, the distribution will be like this:

Thumb – fourth, fifth, sixth string (p).
Index finger – third string (i).
Middle finger – second string (m).
The ring finger is the first string (a).

Now is the time to learn what the rhythmic pattern of the right hand is. This is the way you produce sound. Let's say you touch the sixth string with your thumb (p). You place your index finger (i) on the third string, middle finger (m) on the second, and ring finger (a) on the first. Notice that your thumb and index finger form a cross, with your thumb leading the way.

How to learn to play the guitar yourself from scratch: exercises!

Help you learn to play the guitar simple exercises for the right hand:

Let's try bass 3, 2, 1, 2, 3.
Get your fingers ready to play.
Hook your thumb on the sixth string and you get a low, hollow sound.
Now pluck strings No. 3, 2, 1, 2, 3 alternately.
Repeat the picking, hooking your thumb on the fifth string.

Bass pluck 3, 2, 1. Hook your thumb on the sixth string, and then pluck three strings together: first, third and second.

Learning chords

All we have to do is install it on the guitar left hand, which will help you extract chords or sounds that form the pleasant sound of a musical instrument. At first, it will be unusual to pinch the strings that are located on the fingerboard, but with regular practice your fingers will quickly get used to it.

Bend your thumb and place it parallel to the frets.
At the same time, you also need to keep your hand slightly rounded, placing all your fingers closer to the frets.
The fingertips touch the strings of the guitar only with their upper part, so it is better for girls to cut their nails.

We already know the numbering order of the strings, now let's study the numbering of the frets (usually they are designated by Roman numerals). One fret on a guitar occupies the space between two iron lines, which are located on the fingerboard perpendicular to the strings. These are called fret saddles. All frets are numbered starting from the beginning of the guitar head. Beginners typically draw chord diagrams starting with the very first three frets (i.e. the Am chord in the key of A minor). In the diagrams, the guitar strings are numbered from top to bottom (1, 2, 3...).

On a guitar it looks like this: you put your forefinger left hand (first fret), and the middle finger on the fourth string (second fret). For ring finger there is also space on the second fret, but on the third string.

By analogy, the other chords are taken to the Am chord: Dm, E, G, F, C. Their diagrams can be easily found in any tutorial for beginners. You can also watch a video with an analysis of small nuances of chords and frets.

Once you can play chords with confidence on the right strings without touching the ones next to you, you can move on to strumming, picking, or soloing on the guitar using your right hand.

It's like the guitar best friend and, as befits any creativity in general, it will set you up for the most best mode, will calm you down in difficult times. Many of those who picked up a guitar for the first time believe that it is very difficult to make friends with it, but if you imagine all the problems on the way to mastering this instrument, you will easily succeed in this matter.

Problems in mastering the guitar

The opinion is that learning to play the guitar is very difficult. This confidence is formed from someone else’s negative experience, the fear that you will have to learn a lot, and your fear of starting. Well, you still have to learn the notes. As a result, you need to pick up a tutorial, or even more than one, and study a bunch of completely unnecessary information.
How to learn to play the guitar at home? The opinion is that to play this musical instrument talent is required. Perhaps you were instilled with fear of your efforts as a child, told that you had no voice or hearing, so now if you dare to sing, it is only in front of the mirror.
Confidence that you can learn to play any guitar. A beginner tries to learn from everything that comes to hand, but the wrong guitar, which is suitable only for experienced “grandfathers,” can discourage him from learning.
The opinion of teachers is that it is necessary to start with classical guitar. An outside experience, when your friend had to study unsuccessfully and for a long time, discouraged you from learning anything new.
Inconvenience and pain after the first steps in mastering the instrument. The first stages of the training are the most difficult, because you develop the motor skills of your fingers, the skin on them begins to ache, the hand quickly gets tired from constant tension, and your back begins to ache from the incorrect position of the body and arms. Pain can definitely turn away the most resistant.
Repulsive sound. Perfectionism prevents you from easily exploring new horizons. And also maximalism, which pushes you to study complex songs, while bypassing the easy ones. And as a result, you will study only one song for months, achieving the most better sound, pick up the instrument by force and, in the end, just give up the whole thing.
It’s impossible to play and sing at the same time. Once you learn to play and sing separately, you will immediately want to try to combine these skills, but without practice, your first attempts will be quite disastrous.
No listeners. There are many reasons why they may not listen to you at all, but the main thing is your lack of love for your work and self-confidence.

We solve problems

Don't listen to others. To play the guitar, three months of hard training is enough for you, and you don’t need to know the notes, but ear for music Everyone has it. Unless it needs to be developed, just like the voice.
Forget what you were told. Regular training will give results after a month or two. Your singing will change a lot. The guitar will speed up progress, as it is a great stimulus.
Choose a guitar for yourself. For beginners, it is better to take an instrument with a small resonator, as well as steel strings for later replacement with others, approximately 10 thick or less.
Get ready to work. Remember that your fingers will definitely hurt for the first two months of training. It’s better to exercise every other day, and after exercising, dip your fingers in a little warm water. Your posture should be extremely straight. Never lean over the instrument, do not raise your right elbow, and do not wrap your thumb around the neck of the guitar.
Play a variety of simple melodies first. Choose those with a maximum of six chords. When you start playing more confidently, diversify your game and start improvising.
Metronome. Get a metronome and play your favorite song slowly. The most important thing is the rhythm. After that, try singing with a metronome, adjust your rhythm to the beat of the metronome. When you realize that you don’t need a metronome, play without it, along with the original recording of the composition.
Reflection is your best friend. Tune the instrument and start playing while looking in the mirror. Remember that the singer must be open, look directly at the viewer, and not at all hunched over his guitar. Of course, for this you will need to learn the chords to the point of automaticity.