Using A Pick

Let’s try using a guitar pick. You can experiment with different shapes and brands. Picks come in different thicknesses and are made out of different materials. Some are sold in millimeters and some just thin, medium and thick. Picks of different thicknesses produce different tones depending on whether you are playing acoustic or electric guitar and what guage of strings you are using. Experiment with different ones until you find ones you are comfortable with. Personally I use thin picks with acoustic guitars and medium with electric but you need to make that decision for yourself. Keep in mind that your "picking hand" is the hand which is nearest to the bridge of the guitar.

Follow these instructions to learn how to use a pick correctly:

1. Open your picking hand, and turn the palm to face you.

2. Close your hand to make a very loose fist. Your thumb should remain beside your index finger.

3. Rotate your hand until you are looking at it's profile, with your thumb's knuckle facing you.

4. With your other hand, slide your guitar pick between your thumb and index finger. The pick should be located behind the knuckle of the thumb.

5. Be sure the pointed end of the pick is pointing directly away from your fist, and is protruding by about a half an inch. Hold the pick firmly.

6. Position your picking hand over the soundhole of your acoustic guitar, or over the body of your electric guitar. Your picking hand, with thumb knuckle still facing you, should hover over the strings.

7. Do not rest your picking hand on the strings or body of the guitar.

8. Using your wrist for motion (rather than your entire arm), strike the sixth (lowest) string of your guitar in a downward motion. If the string rattles excessively, try striking the string a bit softer, or with less of the pick surface.

9. Now, pick the sixth string in an upwards motion.

10. Repeat the process several times. Try and minimize motion in your picking hand: one short picking stroke downwards, then one short picking stroke upwards. This process is referred to as "alternate picking"

Try the same exercise on the fifth, fourth, third, second, and first strings.
Tips: Holding the pick in this manner will invariably feel awkward at first. You will initially have to pay special attention to your picking hand whenever you play guitar.
Try and create fluidity in your alternate picking. Your downstrokes should sound virtually identical to your upstrokes.

Practice this until you get a “feel” for how tightly you should grip the pick.Believe me this can really affect the sound/tone of your guitar. As you develop you will begin to “know” how to change how you hold the pick to get different sounds but for now just hold it “comfortably firm”.

Holding the Guitar

Now, pick up your guitar, and hold it so the back of the body of the instrument comes in contact with your stomach/chest, and the bottom of the neck runs parallel to the floor. The thickest string on the guitar should be the closest to the ceiling, while the thinnest should be closest to the floor. If this isn't the case, turn the guitar the in other direction. Typically, a right-handed person will hold the guitar so the headstock points to the left, whereas a left-handed person will hold the guitar so the headstock points to the right. (NOTE: to play the guitar as a lefty would, you will need a left-handed guitar or you can do what Jimmy Hendrix did and just play a right handed guitar upside down. If you decide to do the latter, you will need to have a qualified guitar technician put a new nut on it because you will also have to string the guitar opposite of a right handed person and the strings will cross the nut exactly inverse of normal. There have been a number of left handed guitarists who have left the guitar as is and just learned to play it “upside down” so to speak. Though this is certainly possible and there is nothing “wrong” with it, to my knowledge there exists no learning materials to address this method, so you would be on your own to adjust accordingly.)

When playing the guitar sitting down, the body of the guitar will rest on one of your legs. In most styles of guitar playing, the guitar will rest on the leg farthest away from the headstock. This means, a person playing the guitar in a right-handed fashion will typically rest the guitar on his/her right leg, while someone playing the guitar in a lefty manner will rest it on their left leg.
For those times you may want to play standing up, such as when you might be playing in a band or leading a group of people, try and find a strap that is comfortable for you and distributes the weight of the guitar evenly. Be sure the holes in the ends of the strap fit snugly over the guitar “knobs” so the guitar will not suddenly fall off your body because the strap slipped off. Strap locks can be purchased to prevent this from happening.

Next, concentrate on your "fretting hand" (the hand closest to the neck of the guitar, when sitting in proper position). The thumb of your fretting hand should rest behind the neck of the guitar, with your fingers in a slightly curled position, poised above the strings. It is extremely important to keep these fingers curled at the knuckles, except when specifically instructed not to do so. There are some times this will differ, but for now get in the habit of playing this way.

If you are brand new to this, you will notice your fingers will hurt from the contortions you are putting them through and from trying to fret the notes against the metal strings. As far as the latter goes, callouses will eventually form on the ends of your fingers to pad them. To strengthen your fingers, get a rubber ball and keep it with you always. Continually squeeze it when watching television or just sitting around. This will strengthen your fingers making playing easier.

Parts of a Guitar

Although there are many different types of guitars (acoustic, electric, classical, electric-acoustic, etc.), they all have many things in common. We will now talk about the various parts of a guitar.

At the top of the guitar in the illustration is the "headstock", a general term which describes the part of the guitar attached to the slimmer neck of the instrument. On the headstock are "tuners", which you will use to adjust the pitch of each of the strings on the guitar. At the point in which the headstock meets the neck of the guitar, you'll find the "nut". A nut is simply a small piece of material (plastic, bone, etc.), in which small grooves are carved out to guide the strings up to the tuners.

The neck of the guitar is the area of the instrument you'll concentrate a great deal on: you'll put your fingers on various places on the neck, in order to create different notes.
The neck of the guitar adjoins the "body" of the instrument. The body of the guitar will vary greatly from guitar to guitar. Most acoustic and classical guitars have a hollowed out body, and a "sound hole", designed to project the sound of the guitar. Most electric guitars have a solid body, and thus will not have a sound hole. Electric guitars will instead have "pick-ups" where the sound hole is located. These "pick-ups" are essentially small microphones, which allow the capture the sound of the ringing strings, allowing them to be amplified.

The strings of the guitar run from the tuning pegs, over the nut, down the neck, over the body, over the sound hole (or pick-ups), and are anchored at a piece of hardware attached to the body of the guitar, called a "bridge".

Examine the neck of your guitar. You'll notice there are metal strips running across it's entire surface. These pieces of metal are referred to as "frets" on a guitar. Now, here's what you'll need to keep in mind: the word "fret" has two different meanings when used by guitarists. It can be used to describe:
1. The piece of metal itself
2. The space on the neck between one piece of metal and the next
To further explain, the area of the neck between the nut and the first strip of metal is referred to as the "first fret". The area on the neck between the first and second strip of metal is referred to as the "second fret". And so on...

Now, that we know about the basic parts of a guitar, it's time to get our hands dirty, and start learning to play it. Get yourself an armless chair, and take a seat. You should be sitting comfortably, with your back against the back of the chair. Slouching significantly is a no-no; you'll not only end up with a sore back, you'll develop bad habits on the guitar.

Purchasing the Right Guitar

Buying A Guitar - Take Your Time!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but my guess is that 95% of us don't have the funds to run out and buy a $3000 acoustic guitar right about now. You should be able to get a decent guitar that will serve you well for between $300 and $600. One that you can learn on without getting frustrated. Below you will find 10 different acoustic guitars of various makes to get you started on your search for the perfect guitar. I’ve purposefully left the prices off because costs keep changing. It’s easy enough when you find one you like to simple do a search on the internet and find your best price. When you're shopping for an acoustic guitar, there are a few things you should be keeping in mind.

Make sure that the guitar has a straight neck. This is important for sound quality and comfort. You can judge this by bringing the neck to eye level and looking for any obvious bows. This takes a relatively trained eye, so you might want to bring along someone with experience to assist you. If the neck needs to be straightened, the shop should do it for you free of charge or for a small fee. Insure that the guitar has good action. Action is the string height above the fretboard. If it's too low it buzzes but if it's too high you'll have a very hard time playing the guitar and you may become frustrated.

Make sure it has a solid top. This will give you a much nicer tone. Spruce is the most common but go for what you like the best. If your guitar has electronics, test them out. Make sure you like the amplified sound before you buy the guitar.

With these simple tips in mind, remember the most important element when shopping for an acoustic guitar. Make sure you like the way it sounds. All acoustic guitars sound differently, even guitars of the same model. So make sure the sound is pleasing to your ear. You will probably be hearing it for a long time.

OVATION CU247 Solid Top Acoustic/Electric
AA Grade Solid Sitka Spruce Top
Two Piece Mahogany neck
Dark Rosewood Fingerboard
Abalone Dot Inlays
Gold Tuners With Pearl Buttons
Thinline Under Saddle Pickup
OP-30 Preamp
Editors Comment: This is a very interesting guitar that isn't for everyone. Ovation uses a composite material for the body and wood for the top. It’s actually the same material helicopter blades are made of. They have a unique tone when played unamplified, which you may or may not like. But when played through a sound system they sound quite good and very natural. If you haven't played one before, try it first before buying.

TAKAMINE EG124SC Classical Solid Top Acoustic/Electric
Top: Solid Spruce
Back & Sides: Natural
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Tuners: Gold
Preamp: N4B
Limited Lifetime Warranty
Editors Comment: Great guitar! Truly unique and a great value. It's made by a name that you can trust for quality and tone. In my opinion, it's a must have for any classical guitar enthusiast.

FENDER DG-22S Dao Back & Sides Natural Finish
Body Style 6-String Dreadnought steel string
Top Solid Spruce
Back and Sides DAO
Gloss Finish
Neck Maple
Tuners Gold Diecast
Markers Dot
Fingerboard Rosewood
Editors Comment: Affordable and a nice sound for the money you pay. Perfect for those who are on a budget.

TAKAMINE TF341DLX Cool Tube Black Solid Top w/Case
Top: Solid Spruce
Back and Sides: Mahogany with solid back
Rosette: Abalone
Preamp: CTP-1
Editors Comment: Very nice guitar. It's built to last a lifetime and has all of the characteristics of a great acoustic. On the higher end of the price scale but it's worth it when you hear the end result. Great electronics and beautiful looks. What more could you ask for?

Martin LXM Little Martin Acoustic Guitar One of the most highly esteemed guitar makers has provided this 3/4 size guitar, designed for guitarists with small hands and small pocketbooks. The LXI features a solid spruce top, back and sides.

Taylor (Baby) This is a 3/4 size dreadnought guitar, making it a good choice for younger guitarists with smaller hands. Taylor has a reputation for being one of America's greatest guitar makers, and although they've cut a few corners here to meet a low-price point, this is still a solid instrument.


Seagull The Original S6 Acoustic Guitar (Natural) These Canadian-made instruments are terrific guitars - very highly regarded, both for their beautiful sound, and their excellent value. The S6 features a solid cedar top, and mahogany back and sides. Although the price may be slightly above what some might be willing to pay for a first guitar, it should be considered an investment.

Epiphone DR-100 Acoustic Guitar The DR-100 features a spruce top, with mahogany back and sides. This guitar can usually be found at a rather cheap price, which makes it attractive to beginners. Most consider this a strictly beginner instrument, however, so it may not be long before you'll want to trade up.

Washburn D10S Acoustic Guitar This low-priced acoustic guitar is one of the best selling guitars in the world. Acoustic Guitar magazine even went so far as to name this their top guitar under $500. I can't fully agree, but the D10S certainly is a bargain!

Blueridge BR-40 Contemporary Series Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar This is a low-priced acoustic guitar with a focus on fine craftmanship. The top of the guitar is solid spruce, with mahogany back and sides. The BR-40 even includes mother-of-pearl inlay. A particularly impressively constructed guitar for an instrument in this price range.

Good Luck in your search for your first guitar. Please take your time and purchase a quality instrument. In the long run you will be so glad you did.

Author’s note: Any of the above guitars will serve you well on your road to learning the instrument. If money is really tight and even these are out of your range I suggest you purchase an inexpensive electric guitar even if you cannot afford an amplifier. The reason is that an electric guitar will be easier to start on than a cheap poorly made acoustic guitar. The really low end acoustics will leave you frustrated and ready to give up as you struggle to press the strings down on the fretboard and try and tune it. Acoustic guitars cost more to make because of things like bracing, good woods, fretboards and pickup systems. So if you cannot afford a decent acoustic then please go electric!

A Guitar Lesson Primer

There are several ways to approach a course for beginning guitar students. I could just tell you what the names of the strings are, teach you how to tune your guitar and then start showing you some chords so you could get right to playing some songs. But I’ve learned through my own experience that really understanding music theory and other musical dynamics has helped me be a better musician and prepared me for the time when I lived in Nashville and needed that education in order to work in that environment. Now you may have no plans on moving to Nashville, New York, L.A. or any other major music city. But my intention is to give you all the tools you will need to be a well rounded musician and to be able to be productive and have a lot of fun no matter where you choose to live.

There are different styles of guitar music from classical to jazz, rock, blues, acoustic, and others but this course will assume several things. First we will assume that you have little or no experience playing the guitar. Secondly we will assume that your goals are to either just play for fun or maybe play with your friends maybe forming or joining a musical group. Some of you may have plans to teach or even to be the next Eric Clapton or Stevie Ray Vaughn. And for those of you who do want to move to the big time, I will give you invaluable tips and I can be contacted easily if you have questions.

The ability to read music is a wonderful thing. The problem with that approach is that in today’s real world of popular music there is little need for it. In fact even session players who play on the songs you hear on the radio don’t read formal music when they record these songs. They listen to a demo of the song, write out a chart (we’ll get to that later) and make up their parts on the spot using the chart, their experience and talent.

I really have come to believe that the great majority of people wanting to learn guitar these days just want to be able to play the songs they hear on the radio and on their CDs. They just want to play by ear! You see there is a real art to being able to play by ear. It takes talent to be able to listen to a song, and play it without music in front of you. Playing by ear comes easier to some than others. But except for those who are truly “tone deaf” the ear can be developed and I can teach you how to listen and play, listen and play. One more time, LISTEN AND PLAY!

You will learn things in this course that I have never seen in any other guitar course. Yes you will learn chords, scales, arpeggios and all the rest, but you will also learn things like how to play different chord inversions, how to use a capo to get different textures, how to use different tunings to get different sounds and how to use the Nashville Number System to change keys without having to change your chart. So get ready, dive in and remember I’m only an email away if you get stuck.

So You've Decided to Play The Guitar

So you've decided to learn to play the guitar. I'm going to throw some things out for you to think about first.

One of the first things you need to do even before you spend any money on a guitar or lessons is to be totally honest with yourself. Go somewhere by yourself where nobody will interrupt you. Think really hard about the guitar and why you want to learn to play. If your reasons are anything other than to satisfy a deep desire to express yourself musically and be great at something, admit it to yourself. Then realize it will just be a hobby for you. If you just want to play with your friends or around the house, your goals are not as high as the person who wants to play professionally and make it a career. But that's O.K. The important thing is to make that decision.

If you just want to play for fun then either find a teacher or get some CD's or videos and dive in. Before long you'll be playing all your favorite songs for yourself and all your friends. Soon you will have a hobby that you can enjoy for the rest of your life.

For those with dreams of a music career as a professional guitar player there are other things to consider. Once you've given it allot of thought and you've decided you want to "go for it" you need to think about exactly what you want to do. Whether you want to accompany yourself while you sing your own songs, play in an artist's band or be a session musician playing on other people's CD's you need to understand the road ahead of you.

If you want to play with the big boys you must be one of the best. Do yourself a favor. Take the time to prepare yourself. If you really want to be a professional guitar player you had better practice, practice, practice. You must be able to play any style you are asked to play, be it Rock, Blues, Country, Jazz, Disco or Hip Hop. When you get on stage you must be able to play any song in any key with no rehearsal. Can you do that? If not, keep practicing!

Whether you just want to play for fun or try and hit the big time check back here regularly for tips and lessons to help you in your journey. See ya then!