How To Play The Guitar

Time Needed To Master Guitar: 250 days

How To Play The Guitar

1. Anatomy of guitar – acoustic parts and electrics and amps

   Neck, body, frets, strings, nut, fretboard, truss rod, soundhole, bridge, pickups, tuning pegs, fret marker dots (including 12th fret octave double dot), struts, strap pins, headstock, cutaway to reach higher up the fretboard, bridge pins hold the strings into the bridge on the body of an acoustic, saddles help intonate and keep each string in tune over the length of the string (adjustable on an electric and static on acoustic), output jack where you plug your guitar lead in to connect to an amp or PA, volume knob the first control on a strat, tone knob affects the brightness and high frequencies of a guitar rolling them off and sounding duller the lower the number. This is a passive control and cannot boost brightness, pickup selector switches 5 positions on a strat, 3 on a Les Paul, whammy bar, springs in the back of the guitar in a cavity plate to be adjusted to keep the floating bridge flat. scratchplate to stop scratches and cover-up electronics and hold pickups in, preamp to boost the low volume level signal from an under-bridge pickup called a piezo (notch filter, batteries, the bass is low frequencies, sweepable (adjustable frequency) mids, treble is high frequencies, blend between mic and preamp for a trade-off between more stage volume with less feedback Vs natural quality)

2. instrument history

   The guitar family is based upon the lute from back in 2000BC, From then on, Classical Guitars reigned until in 1926 the metal National Resonator Guitar was created allowing more volume acoustically. 1931 the first electric guitar ever was made the Rickenbacker Frying Pan, then in 1941 the Les Paul Log, 1948 Fender Broadcaster (later converted into the Telecaster), 1952 Gibson Les Paul, 1954 Fender Stratocaster all the way up to modern things like in 2008 the Guitar Hero Controler.

3. How to hold the guitar

   Don’t slouch, breathe deeply, just around belt buckle height if standing. If seated keep right hand underneath of your forearm rested on the top right corner of guitar body where it meets the sides. The palm of the right hand to rest around the bridge of the guitar. Angle the headstock slightly upright and keep your thumb on the left-hand roughly on the back middle of the neck of the guitar with the rest of your hand forming a letter C shape or an okay sign with your hand.
   

4. string numbers and names
   E = Thick string = 6 closest to the sky = called the bottom string as it sounds lower
   

   e = Thin string = 1 = closest to the ground called the top string as it sounds higher
   
   
   EADGBe from Low to High (or Thick to Thin).
   
   Mnemonics to remember string names (from String 6 to 1):
   Elephants And Donkeys Grow Big Ears
   Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie
   
   or if you prefer the opposite way of counting:
   String names from String 1 thinnest and closest to floor to String 6 thickest closest to ceiling: 
   Easter Bunnies Get Dizzy At Easter
   
   Here is my video explaining string numbers and names numbers on guitar this in more detail.

5. tuning the strings

   Play one string only starting at the thickest string (E) playing it once every 3 seconds. There are free apps in the app store for a tuner if you don’t own one. Get the note to the middle of the dial on the tuner by moving the tuner pegs on your guitar away from you to go higher in pitch (on a “les paul” styled guitar with 3 strings per side of the headstock strings 1,2 and 3 tuning peg goes opposite way as upside down.) An easy to use and free guitar tuner app is https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ovelin.guitartuna

6. finger numbers

   on the left hand it is:
   1 = Index, 2 = Middle, 3 = Ring, 4 = Little (pinky), and also rarely used but T=Thumb.
   
   On the right hand, it is:
   P = Thumb. I = Index, M = Middle, A = Ring, E = Little (pinky)
   
   Here is my video explaining finger numbers on guitar this in more detail.

7. explain high and low on the same string

   higher up neck, higher fret numbers to the right (on a right-handed guitar) and lower notes and frets and open strings to the left. The lower frets are wider and the higher frets are higher due to the mathematics to divide the string frequency and get the correct pitch for western 12 tone equal temperament pitch.

8. chromatic scale – all 12 notes possible in western music (uses 7 letter names)

   
   A
   A# (or Bb)
   B
   C
   C# (or Db)
   D
   D# (or Eb)
   E
   F
   F# (or Gb)
   G
   G# (or Ab)
   
   *(then back round to the note ‘A’ but an octave higher and it goes in a continuous cycle all the way up and down forever)
   
   *Notice that the note B goes straight to C, and also E goes straight to F
   
   There are such notes as Cb (which sounds the same as B) and C double sharp (which sounds the same as D) but these are only used when written in context to match theory not spoken out of context to describe a single note.

9. warmups – 1234, spider, caterpillar finger stretches

   fret 1 on 6th string, then fret 2 then 3 then 4 then move to string 5 and repeat pattern all the way up and return back down, play as singles, doubles, triplets and 16ths with down and up alternating plectrum and play with accents on the downbeat.

10. reading tab

    there are six lines each representing a string on the guitar. the lowest drawn line = the lowest sounding string = string 6 = the one closest to the sky.
    
    The numbers represent the fret to play and the line it is on represents the string to play.
    
    0 = open, x = don’t play or mute
    
    you can have chords in tab although they are hard to read
    it doesn’t tell you the fingers to use and it’s difficult to display the timing of the notes correctly in tab compared to traditional notation. It’s usually done by spacing notes further apart for longer notes but you can have note tails like a quaver with a flick drawn out of the number to help and mix tradition notation with tablature)

11. reading rhythm and tapping in time (fruits as rhythm indicators)

    tap your foot on every beat to a metronome at crotchet = 120bpm in 4/4 time signature (standard tempo for a pop song) (This is 2 times a second for reference). practice clapping in time with your foot taps. practice clapping on every other foot tap. practice clapping 2 times every foot tap (evenly spaced out in time)

12. reading notes

    learn the mnemonics FACE for spaces (low to high in treble clef), Every Good Boy Deserves Football, All Cows Eat Grass, treble clef (hooks around G line) and bass clefs (the 2 dots go in the top two spaces), time signatures, key signatures, accidentals last for a bar, repeat bars, codas, musical directions, 1st-time endings, bpm (beats per minute) speed markings, staccato = short, crescendo (gradually get louder) instructions, Piano = Quiet = P vs. Forte = Loud = F. The more F’s or P’s there are the more extreme it is. E.g. FFF very, very loud!

13. accidentals – “sharp” = # = 1 higher and “flat” = b = 1 lower. Like a sharp or flat pencil held in the air

    to right on guitar is 1 higher for example take open A string and go to right to the 1st fret now you get the note A#.

14. finding note names on guitar and octaves

    use the chromatic scale starting at an open string name that you know and count up to start with.

15. using a strap and plugging the guitar into an amp for standing at rehearsals

    Place strap hole over the metal pin on the bottom of the body in the centre and the other end of the strap just above where the neck connects to the body of the guitar. (sometimes on the side or back depending on make)
    
    if no strap pin on an acoustic, mandolin or ukulele you can use a shoelace and tie it under the strings just above the nut on the guitar to hold it up
    
    I recommend getting strap locks to stop the guitar falling. I personally prefer the plastic spinning type over the metal Jim Dunlop strap locks as the latter tends to pull the screw out of the body meaning you have to repair it with wood dust or matches and glue and it eventually becomes loose again, defeating the point of keeping the strap on.

16. left-hand positioning

    Up the right of the fret wire and thumb position and hold on back of the neck like a clamp for better grip. in the middle of multiple fingers if stretch past “one finger per fret”

17. scales

    open position scales for CAGED shapes. learn them vertical and horizontal, minor pentatonic in 5 positions, 3 notes per string major scale vs classical, 1 octave, 2 octaves and moving between positions.

18. techniques

    hammer-on, pull-off, slides (legato and re-pick), tapping (with finger or pick), vibrato (speed and depth), whammy bar, bends (pre-bend, unison bend, pre and release, 4 semi-tone like Pink Floyd, behind nut bend), glissando, harmonics (natural, artificial, pinched, slapping, harp)

19. pick technique and plectrum type choice

    standard plectrum is jim dunlop 0.88mm dark grey in colour and has a texture to stop you dropping it so easily.
    
    alternate picking, economy picking. sweep picking. legato. angle to create more attack. hold looser for more tone.

20. intervals with names and song memory examples 4th = the wedding march, b5 = the Simpsons etc

    famous intervals can help memorise the intervals better for instance octave is the first 2 notes in somewhere over the rainbow.

21. modes with drones for context and chord examples like Justin Timberlake song

    hear the different intervals better with a constant low note.

22. how to play guitar chords

    open and barre with double finger barre tips and rolling index finger. (C, D, G, Am, Em. A. E, Dm, FMaj7 (4 strings), A7, D7, E7, C7, G7, Em7, Am7, Dm7, DMaj7, CMaj7, B7, Bm (4 strings) B diminished,) – which is root note on each and where to strum from.

23. strumming in 4s, 8ths, 16s,

    pendulum motion must be continuous down then up including the rests, learning to miss out some notes, accenting beats

24. tilting thumb when strumming, changing the tone with the pick angle, travis picking, hybrid picking

    various right hand techniques

25. how to play guitar phrasing it like a singer with breaths and not repeating yourself to be monotonous

    leave gaps. call and response. don’t reapeat yourself 3 times in a row. finish a story/melody on the last line to create a home feel.

26. ear training

    memory and melody recall, major or minor test, higher lower test, timbre test, rhythm change test

27. sight-reading

    from notation and from tablature. useful for musicals or cruise ships

28. recording

    order of instruments, typical mics to use, doubling tracks, tuning tips, mic technique on amps and vocals, load boxes, latency, di boxes, studio monitors and decoupling, compression and eq, aux send for reverbs, condensers vs dynamic mics, dithering, limiting, headroom, gain staging, audio interface, studio monitors, DAWS and brands, external hard drives and backup, sound treatment

29. arpeggios

    splitting up the notes of a chord to be monophonic. A useful way to play across chord changes and find the note different between chords for voice-leading.

30. CAGED – with chords, scales, arpeggios

    Linking the shapes C, A, G, E and D together using the nearest root note to move across the fretboard quickly and easily.

31. how to play guitar terms

    staccato (short), legato (smooth), economy picking (least changes of direction in pick), alternate picking (always down then up with pick), sweep picking (smooth, slow, defined strumming through strings allowing fast passages to be played over many strings)

32. jamming a 12 bar blues

    Using pentatonic scales over the 1111 4444 1154 chords

33. style studies

    Hendrix – rock, joe Satriani -virtuoso solo rock, Simon and Garfunkel – Acoustic Folk, BB King – Blues, Thin Lizzy – twin harmony guitars, Wes Montgomery – Jazz, Nile Rogers- Funk,

34. famous guitars

    Lucille bb kings, Blacky = Eric Clapton’s / John Mayer’s, Number 1, Frying Pan = the first ever electric guitar

35. which cheap starter guitars to buy

    Squier, yamaha

36. setting fx

    delay tap tempo (using triplets) (get the Brighton rock guitar solo tone), crunch zone without fizz, using volume knob for gain on the guitar. Tip for fuzz purity.

37. famous brands – Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, Taylor, Martin, Yamaha, Squier

    just because expensive doens’t make it good.
    
    image can win or loose you a gig. don’t turn up to a jazz gig with a metal hot output guitar or vice versa.

38. using a looper pedal live

    (Practice the part with volume off to get tempo steady) First then step on the button on beat 1 of bar 1, then beat 1 of bar 5.
    Using Ableton for more advanced use with midi triggering

39. wrapping cables correctly and why it’s important to quality and endurance

    over and under twist technique

40. breaking it down

    slowing down music and videos of players and looping sections without changing the pitch of the music.
    using apps to extract just the guitar part

41. guitar setup

    intonation and maintenance.
    Adjusting the truss rod
    Tools to keep in your gig bag

42. String Gauges

    standard for electric is ernie ball 10’s
    standard for acoustics are martin 11’s
    standard for classical are d’addario pro arte medium tension
    
    replace strings evert 8 weeks.

43. neck note name challenges

    For example: Find all F#’s from low to high moving across the neck in every position on every string

44. top guitar riffs for beginners

    Seven Nation Army
    Smoke On Water
    Day Tripper
    I Gotta Feelin’

45. songwriting tips

    lyrics or melody first, themes, brainstorming, rhyming techniques, Copywrite help

46. song structure

    Typical pop pattern, typical jazz form (head), Bluegrass solo choruses. Pre-chorus vs Bridge vs Middle 8 vs Breakdown vs Interlude

47. Nashville Number System – NNS

    1564, split barres underlined, held chords as diamond, specific rhythms, layout tricks,

48. fingerpicking patterns

    naming fingers and changing chords with an example like the boxer, Fleetwood Mac – The Chain
    
    Pattern example 1. = T 1 2, T 1 2, 1 2

49. how to play the guitar using a capo to change key and make songs easier to learn or for imitating a 12 string

    Pretend the frets are now counting from zero and refer to everything as if the capo wasn’t on. So a G shaped chord with a capo on fret 1, you’d still call G, even though it will actually sound as a G#.

50. Complex chords and chord theory

    How to figure out the name of any chord, how to know when to use altered chords and the scale that goes over it. How to guess the next chord choice. Explanding on Jazz standards chord changes.

51. Ebow for sustain

    uses magnets to help vibrate the metal in the strings and pickups then hear it. can be used to play the harmonics also to get octave above.

52. alternate tunings

    DADGAD, open D, open G, Nashville tuning, stacked 4ths, mandolin, ukulele, banjo, fiddle tuning,

53. using a slide,

    glass vs brass makes a tonal difference.
    
    Put the slide on the ring finger of the left hand and mute with index and middle finger rested to the left of the slide across strings to stop bad overtones.
    works well with fading in a volume pedal to achieve steel pedal tones.
    For intonation aim to be above the metal of the fret
    Use a rizla packet to raise the action of the strings at the nut to get a more authentic slide guitar setup as these tend to be much higher to stop the clunking on the frets as the slide glides across the neck.

54. quiet practice with headphones

    using a line 6 pod of phone app to rehearse in your bedroom at night time

55. modeller vs amps

    kemper can profile your amp and sounds great on recording but not the same sound as a live amp in a room

56. feedback

    Change guitar angles for different harmonics in the same sustain, resting headstock on the amp can cause feedback by purpose if amp at low volumes on stage or in rehearsal rooms.

57. pickup types

    to suit the genre, cancelling hum by changing angle with single coils. pickup height, capacitance and output power. lining cavity with foil to stop hum.

58. buying a case – soft case vs hard case

    softcase easier to walk through crowd. hard case if someone else handling your guitar.

59. flying a guitar – detune strings, put in dehumidifier pack in acoustic guitar and special soaked tube,

    try to buy a second seat if small enough to fit in.
    check specific airline terms and conditions and print off and take with you.

60. teaching tips

    patience, lesson structure, summarising a lesson on how to play the guitar, focussing on a short term and long term goal, constructive criticism, safeguarding.

61. pro looking business card and email address and logo to give out to people you meet face to face

    correct dimensions.
    keep simple and bold
    don’t get cheap quality paper.
    follow up within 24hours of giving out.
    

62. build a promo pack – photos, video, audio, logo, news press clippings, – correct formats, good lighting to email to cold callers and new contacts on your mail chimp list

    get the specific dimensions and check in with agents every now and again.

63. design a music website Wix or WordPress

    SEO, speed, amp, cache, headers, call to action buttons, insights, plugins, themes

64. soundcheck tips

    its not a rehearsal and do not touch the volume after starting the gig ask for more in the monitors or in-ears to allow the front of house (FOH) to mix the gig.

65. social media tricks, live video vs video vs photo vs words engagement, text in the video must not be more than a certain percentage, video format, mono audio for live video,

    video will always get more views.

66. programming setlists on paper with a sharpie or using technology like mainstage or the app onSong for iPad and triggering midi pedals or true bypassers with it.

    prepare sets before hand for people who need to program sounds or transpose keys etc

67. stage lighting tips – 3 point lighting, colours to avoid, sound to beat, programming to match click, DMXIS, ARTNET, Ableton, light type names

    yellow and green lighting make you look sick

68. pa help and mixer intro – digital vs analogue mixers live especially for quick changeovers with in-ear monitors, wifi issues and use 5ghz exclusively, ringing out monitors, setting reverb, speaker height and angle, line in front of stage at small gigs, cable management, backups, toolbox, spares, organisation and cable ties to not loose “your gear”. Famous speaker brands RCF, Yamaha, Bose, HK audio, EV, Mackie SRM450m. K and M mic stands, Shure Mics, Sennheiser IEM’s, Audix drum mics.

    learn how to mic a kit using headphones. flip phase on snare if double mic’d,

69. using click tracks live for percussion, backing vocals, keys. using stems, performing solo – automating lights, lyrics, Dmx smoke machine etc.

    click to the left, track to the right.

70. background music in between sets with BlueTooth dongle

    wireless music can make it easier to control and look more professional not bending down on stage touching a phone in between sets

71. getting a wedding gig and building the right set, learning the first dance, template emails, taking deposits and contracts

    read the crowd from first few gigs. don’t use your best songs in the first set.

72. getting a pub gig

    have a reference from a similar gig to mention to them
    take a laptop in with you with headphones and the song preloaded on the screen. (make sure you don’t need internet access for it)

73. Going to a jam session a being prepared, typical songs – Valerie, Superstition, etc. Etiquette.

    go down the first week and just actively listen, say hi but don’t play. make a note of names and then learn a few standards that were played so you are prepared next time.
    
    be okay using gear that isn’t yours
    treat it with respect.
    don’t get drunk.

74. getting on to the cruise ships, auditions and agencies, etiquette, clothing, setlists and not crossing over with other bands on board, ban on certain material, cabin rooms, using a straw for drinks, trousers at all times, fire drill, no alcohol, boarding, internet expensive and slow,

    can’t repeat any song. songs must be polite.

75. cable types – jack to jack, XLR, midi, stereo vs balanced TRS, 3.5mm vs 1/4″, digital quality, SMPTE for time locking
    
    Guitar jacks are normally the bottom example (unbalanced) TS.
    
    1=Sleeve: usually ground. 2=Ring: Right-hand channel for stereo signals, negative polarity for balanced mono signals, power supply for power-using mono signal sources. 3=Tip: Left-hand channel for stereo signals, positive polarity for balanced mono signals, a signal line for unbalanced mono signals. 4=Insulating rings
    

    

76. Streaming video live with OBS – using NDI, spout, single-use keys, Syphon, ASIO drivers, delaying audio to match video synchronising, colour grading, auto screen switching, Dante, SDI, webcams, using a mic for speech not built into the laptop.

    streaming gigs live

77. Advertising yourself for a band – first meeting, just be nice,

    make eye contact. get down local jam nights.

78. Soldering a cable – flux, not heating directly on the cable, heatsink, bumblebee capacitors, using a multimeter to check earth cables, continuity and capacitance.

    

79. Come to rehearsal knowing all parts, yours and their parts, with lyrics highlighted for harmonies, on an iPad if needing cues, not paper. Do not bring new guitars, toys fx to play with as you are there to practice together, sit opposite your amp not on top so you can hear everyone, bring earplugs, take breaks, all eat first, book a slot where you are all relaxed. Bring a pen and pencil, there will be changes and you will forget them as it’s new so keep a visual reminder for your practice at home later.

80. Muting technique, palm mute, left-hand rest, right-hand stop place hand on or strike like a snare beat

    

81. how to play guitar body percussion on an Acoustic

    As a solo guitarist to add more variety and percussion you can imitate the drums like this:
    kick = hit where the bridge just meets the lowest strings with wrist bass/thumb bottom bone,
    snare = slap bout or cutaway or use fingernails underneath on bottom-right on the body
    high-hats =slap left hand to deaden strings and add in the ghost notes in between kick and snare.

82. Getting a hole cover for acoustic to stop unwanted stage feedback and rumble when playing live with a pickup

    

83. Practice effectively routine

    example:
    10 minute warm up,
    20-minute practice a song you find easy,
    10 minutes practice a part you find particularly hard,
    30 practice new random rhythms,
    5 minutes practice alternate picking scales to a metronome
    15 minutes sight reading an unknown song melodically so you can’t use your ear
    30 minutes interval recognition use an amp or pre-recorded notes and check answers to see if getting the same wrong

84. Changing strings

    stretching in strings, keep the string tight whilst winding, over/under technique. 3 winds for thin strings, 2 for thick or wound strings. Replace one string at a time to stop bridge falling off on some guitars and also less strain on the truss rod in the neck. Check intonation after changing all strings especially if changing gauge. Check springs in guitar cavity at back on a fender strat type guitar

85. Bass vs Guitar and imitating bass

    Bass is the octave lower and sometimes has a 5th string which is a Low B

86. Pick vs Fingers vs Thumb

    differences in tone and attack. speed differences. ability to play seperated strings easier

87. how to play guitar harmonies or figuring out vocal harmonies

    3rds skip a note in the scale. use NNS

88. Scale theory – only use each letter once, and don’t mix sharps and flats in the same scale. Usually, 7 different notes before an octave being the 8th.

    Example A B C# D E F# G# (a)

89. Re-fretting guitar

    using a soldering iron to remove frets
    re-crowning the frets
    masking off in between frets to use the sanding paper

90. An octave is the same letter note but higher or lower in pitch such as C3 to c4 on a piano.

    8va below standard notation

91. Different tonewoods and their changing sound characteristics

    Affects acoustic quality alot including the direction of the grain of wood and how the wood is air dryed and cured and how it is glued together or laquered

92. how to play guitar Pickup switch position

    On a Fender strat type guitar, it’s usually
    1 = neck
    2 = neck and middle
    3 = middle
    4 = middle and bridge
    5 = bridge
    
    On a Les Paul Style guitar, it’s usually
    Lead = down = bridge = bright sound
    Middle = both pickups
    Rhythm = up = neck = warm

93. Neck radius and fret thickness differences to get more vintage type sound and bending or intonation vs more modern and easier for faster playing etc.

    Standard scale length of a strat is longer than a les paul making the les paul strings feel thinner and easier to bend.

94. FX pedal order

    Wireless unit -> Fuzz -> Tuner -> Pitch Shift -> Noise Gate -> Wah-Wah -> Volume pedal -> Compression -> low gain overdrive -> high gain distortion -> EQ ->modulation like chorus or flange -> Short Delay -> Long Delay -> Reverb

95. Circle of Fifths

    C (0# 0b)
    G (1# 0b)
    D (2# 0b)
    A (3# 0b)
    E (4# 0b)
    B (5# 0b)
    F#/Gb (6#/6b)
    Db (0# 5b)
    Ab (0# 4b)
    Eb (0# 3b)
    Bb (0# 2b)
    F (0# 1b)

96. Order of Sharps and mnemonic

    Farmer Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle (F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E# B#)
    Saying just goes in the reverse order for flats