Guitar for dummies

Learn and Apply Music Theory for Guitarists. Play

Guitar In A Week Or Less Even If You've Never
Seen (Or Heard) A Guitar Before In Your Life
[Lisa Din]
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 Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: Understanding The Structure Of Guitar
Chapter 2: Parts of the Guitar
The Body of the Guitar
Mahogany
Alder

Basswood

Walnut
Ash

Poplar

Cedar

Rosewood

The Bridge
Truss Rod
Passive Single Coils
Pick Guards
Fretboard and Frets
Pickup Arrangements
The Neck
The Body Top
Active Humbuckers
Sound Hole
Electric Guitars
Active Single Coils
Passive Humbuckers
Tremolo Bar
 Pots

Names of the Strings

Chapter 3: Tackling the E and A Strings
Understanding the Inlays
The Natural Notes
The E Strings

The A String

Filling In the Gaps

Chapter 4: 3 More Strings?
The “L” Rule: Octaves
The B String
Chapter 5: Basic Major and Minor Chords
The first 5 chords
Which chord changes to practice
Introduction
Before you start learning to play the guitar, it helps to know what all the
terminology commonly used actually refers to. Each part of the guitar plays
an important part in creating the sound, including the volume, the key and
the tone. Once you are an established player, you will be able to better
understand what type of guitar you are looking for if you want a particular
type of sound, if you know what job each part plays.
Guitar lessons for absolute beginners is the book which contains all the
information required for becoming a good guitar player. You can start as a
beginner and become a professional guitar player with the help of this book.
This book is very easy to understand.
Pleasant melodies can be played, composed and enjoyed with help of guitar.
You don't need to be a professional musician to learn or play the guitar.
Each and everyone can easily learn and play the guitar by practicing
simples lessons included in this book.
Guitar is the most popular music instrument in the world and playing the
guitar has become a style statement in the modern life. Guitar is the music
instrument which can be played and enjoyed whenever and wherever you
want to.
Anybody with almost no knowledge of guitar can easily understand and
learn the guitar with the help of this book.
I wish you all the best for this enjoyable journey of learning the guitar.
Thank you.
Chapter 1: Understanding The Structure Of
Guitar

Above figure illustrates different parts of guitar. Different parts of guitar

and their functions are as follows:
(1)Headstock: The uppermost part of the guitar on which tuning keys are
mounted.
(2)Tuning keys: Tunings keys are used for tuning the guitar by turning them
clockwise or anticlockwise as per requirement.
(3)Nut: Nut is small medium-hard strip made up of plastic, brass, graphite,
stainless steel or some other material present at the junction were Headstock
and Fretboard meet each other. It is meant to hold the upper end of the
guitar strings in position. It is also known as zero fret position.
(4)Neck: Neck is the middle wooden portion of the guitar which is present
below the Headstock and which is attached to the nut and fretboard on
which frets are present.
(5)Fretboard: Fretboard is a vertically long piece of wood on surface of
which guitar frets are embedded.
(6)Frets: Frets are the metal strips which are horizontally mounted on the
fretboard and are separated from each other at some specific distances.
(7)Strings: String are made up of metal, nylon, etc. They are present along
the fretboard, with one end coiled around the tuning keys and other end
attached to the Bridge.
(8)Body: Body is the lower part of the guitar on which Sound Hole, Pick
Guard, Bridge and Saddle are present.
(9)Sound Hole: Sound Hole is present on the surface of the guitar body as
shown in figure. It helps in more effective projection of sound.
(10)Pick Guard: Pick guard is the small piece of plastic placed on the
surface, near the sound hole on the right half of the guitar body (For the
right handed guitar). It protects guitar's finish from getting scratched by
guitar pick while playing the guitar.
(11)Saddle: Saddle is the part of Bridge. It supports the position of strings
and functions as the lower end point of the guitar strings. It ensures the
proper intonation of the guitar.
(12)Bridge: Bridge is present on the surface of the body of guitar. Bridge
holds the strings of guitar and ensures that they remain in their proper
positions. Bridge transfers vibration of the strings to the soundboard of the
guitar for amplification.
Chapter 2: Parts of the Guitar
The Body of the Guitar
There are three main parts of the body of the guitar - the upper bout (also
called the treble bout) which is the half closest to the neck of the guitar, and
the lower bout (also called the bass bout) which is the wider part of the
body. The third part of the body is the waist bout, which is the narrow area
between the lower and the upper bouts.
It is the body of the guitar that has the overall influence on the tone
produced by the instrument. The body provides resonance, and this alters
the quality of the tone. It also is responsible for the level of volume
produced in acoustic guitars.
The resonance of the guitar depends on:
The wood used to make the guitar
Whether the body is created by single pieces of wood or
layers
If the body is solid or hollow
The shape of the body
The size of the body
There are a variety of woods used in the construction of guitars, both
acoustic and electric. These are as follows:
Tone Wood
Agathis (aka Commercial Grade Mahogany or Poor Man’s Mahogany)
This comes from a tropical pine tree in south-east Asia. Usually Agathis is
used to construct cabinets, and is a cheaper wood often used in lower
budget guitars. The tone produced is similar to true mahogany but the
resonance is not as good.
Mahogany
A beautiful wood commonly used in musical instruments, mahogany is a
heavy, dense wood with a fine open grain. The tone is warm, mellow and
soft, and is of a thick and full quality, which makes it very popular. Because
it is such a hard wood, it doesn’t damage easily.
Nato (aka Eastern Mahogany)
Although it is often called Eastern Mahogany it actually isn’t a mahogany at
all. A native from South America and the Caribbean, Nato creates a tone
that is very similar to mahogany so it is used as a substitute.
North American Spruce (aka Maple)
The more expensive range of acoustic guitars are often constructed using
maple for the sides and the back of the guitar. It is more often used for
guitars with an arched top or violins. There are two main varieties of maple
used - the Eastern Hard Maple and the Western Soft Maple. The Eastern
Hard Maple is often called Hard Rock Maple, and is an exceptionally good
tone wood. It is a dense wood that makes it hard to work with so it is often
used just for the neck of the guitar. The Western Soft Maple is a more light-
weight variation that creates a bright tone.
Alder
This wood is lightweight, soft, and is similar to basswood. It has a tight
porous structure but a hard grain pattern which makes it more stiff and
robust. Alder creates a tonal response that is clean balanced, and the
resonance is good. It is usually recognizable as a light tan colored wood.
Basswood
This wood is even lighter than Alder, and has a tight grain pattern. It is a
very light-colored wood that requires finishes such as polyester due to the
softness of the wood. Guitars made from basswood usually have a tone that
is soft and warm. It is often used in creating both higher cost guitars and
lower budget guitars.
Walnut
Walnut is a very dense, hard wood, which is heavier than mahogany. It has
a warmer tone than maple, and it creates a good sustain.
Ash
Because the grain pattern of ash is open, it has to be sealed with a lot of
lacque4r which can affect the length of the ‘sustain’. Usually this wood is
used to create guitars in the middle price range. There are two main types of
ash - the Northern Hard Ash and the Swamp Ash. The Northern Hard Ash
is a heavy and dense wood which creates a long sustain and a bright tone.
The Swamp Ash is an underwater wood, so it is more porous and
lightweight. Early Fender guitars were built with Swamp Ash. This wood
creates a good resonance across the whole frequency spectrum.
Poplar
This wood is used almost exclusively for low budget guitars. The grain is
closed, and poplar is similar to the alder wood in the tone produced and the
weight of the guitar.
European Spruce
Considered a premium tone wood, European Spruce is used in a variety of
stringed instruments including the guitar, viola and violin. However,
resources of this wood have depleted and it is becoming scarcer, hence the
uses of substitutes like the red cedar and the Norm American Spruce.
Cedar
Originally used to replace the European spruce as it became scarce, cedar is
now considered to be one of the premier tone woods for guitars in the
world.
Rosewood
A high density wood, rosewood is often used for the sides, backs and
fingerboards of acoustic guitars.
The Bridge
Located on the lower bout, the function of the bridge is to enable the strings
to sit at a height relative to the fretboard. In some guitars, the strings may
end at the bridge. With electric guitars the bridge can be adjusted higher or
lower with two thumbscrews at each end of the bridge.
With an acoustic guitar, the bridge is comprised of two parts - the saddle
and the tie block. A saddle is a piece of bone or plastic which is used to
keep the strings at the right height from the fretboard. The top edge of the
saddle is smooth, and the base sits in a groove that has been cut into the tie
block. On a classical guitar, the tie block is attached to the lower bout, and
is where the strings are terminated. The guitar string is pushed through a
hole in the block and the string is brought back under itself a few times and
then pulled tightly to create a knot. The tension of the string clamps the
saddle to the tie block. However, with a steel string acoustic guitar, the ends
of the strings have end balls so the knot isn’t necessary.
The bridge design varies depending on the manufacturers of the guitar, so
the information above may not apply to all guitars. However, the job of the
bridge is still the same regardless - to keep the strings at a height relative to
the fretboard.
Truss Rod
Truss rods can be found on electric and steel-string acoustic guitars, and
they run under the fretboard through the neck. By strengthening the neck
with the truss rod, it allows the curve of the neck to be adjusted, and it
counteracts the tensions on the neck caused by the strings. Because classical
guitars typically use nylon strings, they don’t need a truss rod. Some of the
cheaper models of steel-string acoustic guitars don’t contain a truss rod.
Passive Single Coils
These are standard on Fender Stratocaster guitars. The sound produced is
clean but twangy, and because of the less output, the sound is thinner. The
design of the passive single coils means they pick up the background hum
from the induction of the AC current.
Pick Guards
Because guitars can be easily scratched or damaged, a scratch plate, also
known as a pick guard, is in place to protect the instrument where the point
of most contact is. Pick guards on electric guitars are sometimes raised. If
the pick guard becomes too damaged, it usually needs to be replaced.
Fretboard and Frets
On the front of the neck of the guitar is a piece of wood that is called the
fretboard. Most commonly the fretboard is made out of rosewood, though
sometimes other hard woods may be used, such as ebony. There are metal
frets, fret-wire, embedded in the fretboard, usually twenty to twenty-four.
When a string is pressed down behind a fret, the length that is left to vibrate
is longer, so a different sounding note is produced.
The fret that is in the twelfth position is the half-way point on the fretboard,
and if the string is pressed down at that point, the note produced is a whole
octave higher than if the string was open. Therefore, if an open string stays
in its original tension and is halved, an octave is produced.
Like guitars, frets also come in a wide variety of designs. Frets that are
wider and higher than normal are called jumbo frets, and a clear sounding
note is produced with less contact with the fretboard. However, with
medium frets they must be in firm contact to produce a clear sound, so a lot
of guitarists actually prefer the jumbo frets because it is much easier to play
faster and bend the strings. It is important to note though, that the fret size
has no bearing on your ability to play better, it is just personal preference.
The fret located closest to the nut is called the first fret. On some guitars
there is a zero fret first after the nut, which makes the open string sound
closer to the quality of a fretted note. Many fretboards have a decorative
inlay embedded, usually at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 12th frets. These are used as
markers to ensure the right position on the guitar. The more expensive the
guitar, the more elaborate the inlays may be, sometimes made from abalone
shell or pearl.

Headstock
At the end of the neck is the headstock, and its main purpose is to support
the tuners, where the strings are terminated. The guitarist is able to tune the
guitar by turning the tuners which are attached to tuning pegs. Another
function of the headstock is as a place of logo and identification by the
manufacturer.
Pickup Arrangements
There are a number of different pickup arrangements, including:
S + S - the original Telecaster design uses two single coils. Telecasters have
a percussive twang with lots of treble. Even when using thick single coils,
as found on the Fender Jazzmaster and Gibson Les Paul P90, the tone is
more emphasized on the treble side.
S + S + S - three single coils are standard on Fender Stratocasters and
Stratocaster copies.
H + S + S - used on Stratocasters which are often called Fat Strats to
distinguish them from the standard three single coil Stratocaster. The pick-
up at the bridge is replaced by a humbucker. This is a favorite with
guitarists who want the clean tone of single coils, and the hum-free fat tone
of a humbucker.
H + H - the standard configuration for the Gibson Les Paul. Also known as
the Double Fat Strat configuration when mounted on a Stratocaster body.
H + S + H - found on the Steve Vai signature model by Ibanez and a
favorite pickup arrangement for metal guitarists. Stratocasters using this
configuration are called Super Strats.
H + H + H - the standard pickup arrangement for the Gibson Firebird VII,
SG Custom and Les Paul.
The majority of electric guitars have a pickup selector, and those with two
pickups have a three-way switch so the guitarist can choose either the
bridge or the neck pickup. The third choice is when the switch is in the
middle, and this enables both pickups to be used. Some guitars with three
pickups have a five-way switch, with the following positions:
neck pickup
neck-middle
middle pickup
middle-bridge
bridge pickup
The Neck
Some necks are made using many pieces of wood glued together then cut
into shape, whereas others are constructed from a single piece of wood.
When the neck is glued to the body, it is referred to as ‘set neck’. In some
guitars the neck is actually bolted on instead of glued, and these are usually
used in electric guitars rather than acoustic models. Although most of the
necks are made from wood, other materials such as carbon fiber composites
can also be used.

Nuts
The nut located at the headstock end is where all of the strings pass through.
The function of the nut is to maintain the right alignment and spacing of
each string so they can be fed into the right tuning peg. The nut and the
saddle of an acoustic guitar are usually made out of the same type of
material. The nuts on electric guitars are often made out of plastic or other
synthetic materials, or occasionally, metal is used.
The Body Top
Body top is only ever used in electric guitars because of the way the wood
is layered which affects the resonance and the tone. The body top is an extra
top added to the body of the guitar which blends two different woods
together to blend the quality of the tones.
Active Humbuckers
The active humbucker also uses battery or phantom power like the active
single coil. Humbuckers have two magnetic coils that operate in opposite
polarity, which cancels out the hum. Humbuckers are typically used when
playing blues or rock because of the warm sound that is produced.
Sound Hole
All acoustic guitars have a sound hole, which allows the air pressure to
remain equalized which allows the vibration of the soundboard. The sound
hole is located on the front of the body of the guitar, and is often a round
shaped hole surrounded by a decorative pattern.
Electric Guitars
Pickup
A pickup is actually a magnet that has been wrapped in copper wire, and
when a string is plucked, it causes a vibration that causes a magnetic flux
which is then amplified through a speaker. There are a number of different
pickups, including active single coils, passive single coils, active
humbuckers and passive humbuckers.
Active Single Coils
The active single coil uses phantom or battery power to enhance the
sensitivity and longer sustain.
Passive Humbuckers
Passive humbuckers created a thick and rich distortion to the sound.
Tremolo Bar
The tremolo bar changes the pitch of the string, so by pushing the bar, the
pitch lowers, and by pulling the bar up, the pitch gets higher. When the bar
is rapidly pushed and released it creates vibrato, which is a modulation in
the pitch, often confused with tremolo which alters the volume modulation
effect on an amplifier. There are four types of tremolo as follows:
Vintage Synchronized Tremolo
This is sometimes referred to as the Strat-type tremolo, and the bar can only
be bend downwards, not upwards.
Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo
This tremolo locks the strings so the original tension is not affected by the
bar and that the strings return to their normal tension after usage.
Bigsby Tremolo
This bar is located at the bottom end of the body and the bend up and down
is limited. Typically found on archtop guitars, this type of tremolo is more
stable than the others and hold the tuning better.
Floating Bridge Tremolo
This bar can be bent in either direction to create wider bends of the tone.
Pots
‘Pots’ is actually an abbreviated term for the potentiometer, and there are at
least two pots on almost all electric guitars. These control the tone and the
volume, and some guitars have four in total - two for tone and two for
volume, which can be associated with individual pickups.

Necks
Bolt-on Neck
This neck is attached with bolts and a mounting plate to the body.
Set Neck
This type of neck is attached to the body with adhesive, and is not common
on electrics, more so on acoustics. When they are used on electrics, it is
usually only on the more expensive guitars.
Thru-Body Neck
The thru-body neck runs the entire length of the body of the guitar. The
fretboard, bridge, pickups and strings are all mounted onto the neck. This
type is usually only found on the higher-end guitars as they are not popular
with mass-production manufacturers.
Names of the Strings
Regardless of whether it is an acoustic or an electric guitar, unless it is a
bass, there will always be six strings. Each of these has a name, as well as a
number, and they are as follows:
6th String (the thickest string)E (sometimes called the low E)
5th StringA
4th StringD
3rd StringG
2nd StringB
1st String (the thinnest string)E
There are a lot of common phrases to help you remember the names of the
strings. One of these is:
‘Every Boy Gets Donuts After Eating’
Some people find it easier to come up with their own phrase, something that
will stick in their heads so they don’t forget. Here are some more:
Eat All Day Get Big Easy
Eddie Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie
Elvis Always Dug Good Banana Eating
Every Apple Does Good Being Eaten
Every Amp Deserves Guitars/Basses Everyday
Eat Apples Daily Grow Big Ears
Eric And Dave's Guitars Beat Everyone
Every Acid Dealer Gets Busted Eventually
Elephants And Donkeys Grow Big Ears
Eat A Dog, Get Big Ears
Even Average Dogs Get Bones Eventually
Every Apple Does Go Bad Eventually
Eat All Dead Gophers Before Easter
Chapter 3: Tackling the E and A Strings
In this chapter, we will place fixed reference points on various spots on the
fretboard and then simply fill in the gaps between them. We will be using
the inlays on the fretboard (usually dots or other geometric shapes) of your
guitar as reference points. These inlays are placed in strategic spots for
visual aid.
Understanding the Inlays
Let’s understand these inlays before diving head-first into making
references out of them.
Guitar inlays can usually be found at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 17th,
19th, 21st, and, if present, 24th frets. Here is an image of a 24-fret fretboard
to give you a picture:

Before we start making references, you should be comfortable with telling

the fret number using the inlays. Here is the picture you should build up:

Exercise: Take a minute and memorize the above table. Use your guitar to
count and make yourself familiar with the markings. It shouldn’t take long!
Now we’ll tackle the inlays after the 12th fret. I’ve seen many students
struggle with numbering and naming the frets after the 12th fret. For some
reason, those inlays are hard to understand and are not often required.
Here’s the solution to that problem: picture the 12th fret as the open strings
and consider the inlays that follow to be the same as the inlays up to the
12th fret. The inlays are at the same intervals after the 12th fret as they are
after the open string.
If you use the counting semitones technique, you’ll notice that the inlays
after the 12th fret are on the same notes as the notes before the 12th fret.
The first inlay after the 12th fret (E string) is a G note, and so is the first
inlay after the open string. The second inlay is the A note, and so is the
second inlay after the open string. This pattern continues up until the 24th
fret.
Exercise: Try to relate all the inlays after the 12th fret with their
counterparts before the 12th fret.
I hope this made you comfortable with numbering the frets. We’ll now start
using the inlays as reference points, but remember that we only need to
memorize the notes till the 12th fret—the pattern repeats after the 12th fret.
All you need to do is find the counterpart, and you’ll have access to all the
frets.
The Natural Notes
In this section, we’ll memorize all the natural notes on the first string (high
E string) and the last two strings (low E string and A string). This is the
only part of the whole process that needs outright memorization. Don’t
believe me? Well, you are about to experience the magic yourself.
If you have experience with power chords and bar chords, you’ll find the
memorization process easy. If not, then don’t worry. I have loads of weird
memorization techniques to make sure you nail this chapter as fast as a
humanly possible!
Do we have to memorize every string? Absolutely not! This is just a
foundation for all the other patterns to be found. Most players start by
memorizing the bottom E string and, subsequently, the adjacent A string,
and we shall do exactly that:
The E Strings
Because our open string is an E, we know that on our 1st fret will be an F,
the next note on the chromatic scale. Even though there is no fret mark on
this pitch, it is worth memorizing. Now, if we go up a tone to the 3rd fret,
we’ll be landing on a G.
Quick Tip: The G chord is called so because it’s root is the 3rd fret on the
E string—the G note!
Keep doing so for the 5th, 7th, and 9th frets, and you’ll obtain an A, B, and
C♯/D ♭ , respectively.

Memory Phrase: The Goat Ate the Bag on the E string, and that’s why the
3rd fret is G, 5th fret is A, and 7th fret is B. Remember the intentionally
weird picture below, and you’ll have no problem remembering the fret
names.

That C♯/D ♭ on the 9th fret sure does look out of place given that the
previous notes are all natural ones. Furthermore, there is a gap of a tone and
a half between it and the next fret mark at the 12th fret, making it slightly
harder to fill in the gap.
For this reason, many players tend to visualize the 9th fret mark as a
dividing line between the C and the D located on the 8th and 10th frets,
respectively.

Memory Story: I had 10 Dalmatian Dogs when I was in the 10th grade.
And they call the 10th Fret D. Coincidence? I think not.
Because the first and last strings of the guitar are both E, the high E is the
same notes as the low E. I see the high E as a bonus that comes along with
learning the low E. Here is a picture to give you a better idea:

To sum it up, you’ll only have to learn the location of 7 notes, and they’re
all just following the alphabet (mind the G going to A).
Pro Tip: The high E string is two octaves higher than the low E string.
The A String
Once you’ve got this down, let’s do the same with the A string. Easy!
Having learned the E strings, you’re already halfway there, really.
After our open A, the next natural note is a B, and you’ll find that on the
2nd fret followed by a C on the fret mark at the 3rd fret.
Quick Tip: The C chord is called so because it’s root is the 3rd fret on the
A string—the C note!
It won’t come as a surprise to learn that the notes on the 5th and 7th fret are
a D and an E, respectively. Now, at the 9th fret, we’re met with the same
conundrum we had for the E string: there’s an accidental in there!
By the exact same principle, simply imagine that F♯/G ♭ being a separator
between F and G on the 8th and 10th frets, respectively, and problem
solved.

Memory Story: The Cat lived on the 3rd floor, the Dog on the 5th, and the
Elephant on the 7th. But the Giraffe lived on the 10th floor thanks to its
neck! The animals were assigned floors based on their height! And that’s
how the frets on the A string were named.
Bonus Tip: Drawing books coming soon.... you should join the mailing list
to be notified. – www.theguitarhead.com/bonus
Just kidding....
Or am I?
Bonus Exercise: Refer to the bonus material for extra help memorizing
note names on the E and A strings.
Filling In the Gaps
Knowing the natural notes present on a string makes finding accidentals a
piece of cake! We’ll be using tones and semitones to find our way around
the remaining notes.
Say you’d like to find C♯ on the A string. You now know that the note C is
located at the 3rd fret of said string (the cat on the 3rd floor).

That means that a C♯ can be obtained simply by moving up a semitone or,

in fact, a fret.

Similarly, you could visualize this note as being a semitone down from the
natural note D, situated on the 5th fret.
Then it would make sense to call this note D ♭ , same note as C♯ just with a
different name.

To sum up, you are now aware of all the notes on the low E, high E, and A
strings. And that’s it. We’re all set! This is the only memorization you’ll
ever require.

Don’t believe me? Let’s advance onto the next chapters—the patterns
themselves!
Quick Tip: Spend some time memorizing the E and A strings. This is the
hardest part of the book.
Chapter 4: 3 More Strings?
The “L” Rule: Octaves
With everything in place, we can finally get to the core of the question,
“What is the key to unlocking the fretboard?” The answer is “octaves”.
I interviewed multiple guitarists for this book, and almost all of them used
octaves as their primary way of identifying notes. Therefore, I decided to
skip the numerous techniques out there and give you just the meat of the
topic by directly getting onto octaves at this part of the book.
Because absolute recall would prove to be an absurd computing effort for
anyone—especially during an artistic performance—we must resort to
visualization and association.
The interval of an octave proves to be the most effective tool because it
allows us to transpose our familiarity with the pitch of a fret and its
neighbors on any given string to other regions of the neck. Luckily, the
nature of the guitar makes it quite easy for us to work out a system to do so.
Pro Tip: The guitar is tuned in perfect fourths, meaning that between the
pitch of a string and the next one up (higher in pitch), there are exactly 5
semitones, or 2½ tones. That means that if we go up two strings, we will
have traveled 10 semitones, or 5 tones. Travelling further up by 2 semitones
will give us the next octave—that is, 2 frets higher along the same string.
(Remember the 12-semitone chromatic scale?)
For those who don’t want to go through the whole theory behind it, this
means that from any given note, we can locate its octave just by going up
two strings and then up two frets, effectively shaping an “L”. If you’re still
confused, let’s look at the pictures below:
This is how an “L” is created on the fretboard. Pretty easy, right? Let’s look
at how we can use this technique.
Memory Tip: There will always be a one-fret and one-string gap between
the octaves here. Use your index and ring finger to locate them easily. I like
to call it the “claw”.
The G and D Strings
Finding the notes on the G and D strings is a piece of cake if you know the
notes on the E and A strings. We can use our “claw” and almost
instantaneously find any note.
Say you want to know what the 5th fret on the D string is. All you need to
do is place your ring finger on the fret and your index finger with a gap of
one string and one fret. You get the 3rd fret on the E string, which we know
is a G.

The same applies to the G string too. Find the fret, place your ring finger on
it, place your index finger with a gap, and voila! Magically, you know all
the notes!

Bonus Exercise: Refer to the bonus material for additional exercises on

using the “claw”
Here are all the natural notes on the D string for your reference and study:

And all the natural notes on the G string:

At this point, you should be familiar with using the claw rule. You don’t
need to memorize anything else. That was easy, wasn’t it?
Congratulations! You just nailed 2 more strings. If you do the math, you’ll
find that you are already fluent in 120 frets on the guitar! How long did that
take? Surely, you didn’t need “years of experience,” as my uncle put it.
Give yourself a pat on the back as we progress onto the last step in
unlocking the fretboard.

If you’ve been powering through the book in one sitting, I would advise
you to take a break before getting into the next section. This is to solidify
the concepts you’ve learned up to now.
The B String
Your last string! There is a catch with the B string—it works slightly
differently. For the curious, here is the reason:
Pro Tip: The B string is tuned a major third up from the G string, or just
four semitones up instead of the five found in the other pairs.
This means that we cannot locate the notes on the B string using the same
“L” shape we used for the previous strings. We need to modify it slightly.
To locate the octave of a note on the B string, we’ll use something called
the “Reverse L”—a whole step higher and 3 strings lower. Here is a picture
to give you a better idea:

Memory Tip: The reference note will always be on the A string with a one-
fret gap between them. Use your ring finger to find the note and connect
using your index finger. This is what I call the “reverse claw”
Here are a few more examples to give you a better picture:

For reference, here is a clear picture of all the natural notes on the B string
with reference to the A string:
Bonus Exercise: Refer to the bonus material for extra help with the
“reverse claw” technique.
Chapter 5: Basic Major and Minor Chords
In this chapter, we’re going to be going over basic chord shapes. There are
five main chords that you absolutely need to know, so we’re going to be
going over those first. You need to be reading these chord charts in the same
way that you would read tablature. The p, i, r, and m just indicate which
fingers are used (pinky, index, ring, and middle, respectively) - a zero
indicates an open string.
Regarding hand positioning, you want to place your fingers on the fret on
the side closer to you, against but not on the metal strip. So not in the
middle of the fret, but pressed against the side of the metal strip. This
reduces the “buzzing” sound you may experience if you play in the middle
of the fret.
The first 5 chords
It may surprise you, but with just these 5 chords, you can play hundreds of
well known songs. Heck, even with just the first 3 there are a number of
well known tunes that only use G, C and D.
The first chord is G major, which can be played like this:
G major
e |---3-------| p
B |---0-------|
G |---0-------|
D |---0-------|
A |---2-------| i
E |---3-------| m
The second chord is C major, which can be played like this:
C major
e |---0-------|
B |---1-------| i
G |---0-------|
D |---2-------| m
A |---3-------| r
E |---x-------|
The third major chord is D major, which can be played like this:
D major
e |---2-------| i
B |---3-------| r
G |---2-------| m
D |---0-------|
A |---x-------|
E |---x-------|
The fourth important chord is A minor, which can be played like this:
A minor
e |---0-------|
B |---1-------| i
G |---2-------| r
D |---2-------| m
A |---0-------|
E |---x-------|
The fifth and final important chord is E minor, which can be played like
this:
E minor
e |---0-------|
B |---0-------|
G |---0-------|
D |---2-------| r
A |---2-------| m
E |---0-------|
There are many more important chords, and we’re going to be going over
those as well, but this are the most important to know as a beginner. Why?
Because as a beginner, by using these chords you will be able to play most
simple songs. There are a huge number of songs which can be played using
only these chords. The majority of folk songs, for example, are based
around these chords as well as F and D minor.
When you’re referring to a major chord, you normally don’t say major in
the name. For example, instead of saying C major, you would simply say
“C”. However, as a new guitar learner, it’s important that you say major in
order to learn the distinction between these chords and their minor
counterparts.
So what is the difference between a minor and a major chord? Well, from a
musical standpoint, there’s one small difference that can completely change
the meaning and tone of the chord: the third. The third is an important
interval in music because it can really impact the overall sound of a chord.
The perfect third is the note which is three full tones apart from the root,
which is the note that the chord is based around. Major chords have a
perfect third, where minor chords have a flat third.
However, in layman’s terms, the basic difference between minor and major
chords is that minor chords sound depressing where major chords sound
joyful.
This is an arbitrary and classical distinction, though, and doesn’t really
apply to modern music where the horizons have been massively expanded
due to the last century of pop experimentation. For example, In My Life by
the Beatles is a sad-sounding song that is written in a major key, where a lot
of rock songs are more cheerful and uplifting while being written in a minor
key. (This is due largely to the usage of the pentatonic scale in rock and the
heavier sound of the minor key, but I could write a whole other book about
that subject.)
Anyway, the reason I differentiate between the two in a musical aspect is
because you’re going to find that in order to form a minor chord from a
major chord, you are usually just moving one finger. The fret that you are
changing is a shift from a perfect third to a minor third.
This is important for you as a new guitar learner because knowing this
distinction will help you with connecting the early dots of guitar learning.
Now, we’re going to talk about more open chords that you really need to
know as a beginner guitar player. Hopefully, we’re going to cover all of the
major open chords that you are going to need as you keep pushing forward
on your continuing journey to become a masterful guitarist.
D minor
e |---1-------| i
B |---3-------| r
G |---2-------| m
D |---0-------|
A |---x-------|
E |---x-------|
A major
e |---0-------|
B |---2-------| r
G |---2-------| m
D |---2-------| i
A |---0-------|
E |---x-------|
E major
e |---0-------|
B |---0-------|
G |---1-------| i
D |---2-------| r
A |---2-------| m
E |---0-------|
F major (not an open chord, but still important)
e |---1-------| i
B |---1-------| i
G |---2-------| m
D |---3-------| p
A |---3-------| r
E |---x-------|
Using these chord, you’re now able to play a huge number of different
songs which rely upon open chords - which, coincidentally, is most songs.
You can practice switching between the different songs too, if you’d like.
There’s yet another chord type that we really need to talk about in this book,
and those are barre chords. Barre chords are chords which take open chord
shapes and then move them all over the guitar neck. The cool thing about
barre chords is that they correspond to the different root notes on the guitar.
For example, if you wanted to play an F as a barre chord, you would just
take the shape of the open E chord and play it on the first fret. It’s really
cool!
These aren’t something to jump into on day one, and they’ll be incredibly
frustrating to you, especially if you’re trying to learn to play on an acoustic.
However, they are without a doubt an important part to introduce into your
practice regimen and practicing them in the first several days is the absolute
best way to build skill with them, so don’t hesitate to start using them as
soon as you feel confident with other chords. The cool thing about barre
chords is that they literally allow you to play any chord you want, once you
have perfected working with them. The hard thing about them is that you
have to press an entire fret down with one finger!
Here is the shape of an E-shape barre chord on the second fret, which would
be an F# major. To do this, you have to press the second fret down with
your index finger, like a metal bar across it:
F# major
e |---2-------| i
B |---2-------| i
G |---3-------| m
D |---4-------| p
A |---4-------| r
E |---2-------| i
And here is the shape of an A-shape barre chord on the second fret, which
would be a B major:
B major
e |---2-------| i
B |---4-------| m
G |---4-------| p
D |---4-------| r
A |---2-------| i
E |---x-------|
Now that we’re talking about barre chords, there’s one more really
important one that we need to talk about: B minor. B minor is important
because it’s extremely common. F# minor is as well. You’ll notice that both
B minor and F# minor are just barred versions of their open chord
counterparts:
B minor
e |---2-------| i
B |---3-------| m
G |---4-------| p
D |---4-------| r
A |---2-------| i
E |---x-------|
F# minor
e |---2-------| i
B |---2-------| i
G |---2-------| i
D |---4-------| m
A |---4-------| r
E |---2-------| i
The last kind of chord that we’re going to talk about is easy: 7th chords. 7th
chords, musically, are actually called dominant 7ths, and this is because
they have a natural seventh in the chord. There are a few different ones that
you need to know, and they usually involve a small change to a given root
chord:
E7
e |---0-------|
B |---0-------|
G |---1-------| i
D |---0-------|
A |---2-------| m
E |---0-------|
A7
e |---0-------|
B |---2-------| r
G |---0-------|
D |---2-------| m
A |---0-------|
E |---x-------|
D7
e |---2-------| r
B |---1-------| i
G |---2-------| m
D |---0-------|
A |---x-------|
E |---x-------|
C7
e |---0-------|
B |---1-------| i
G |---3-------| p
D |---2-------| m
A |---3-------| r
E |---x-------|
G7
e |---1-------| i
B |---0-------|
G |---0-------|
D |---0-------|
A |---2-------| m
E |---3-------| r
So at one point or another, unless you’re just reading straight through the
book, then you’ve probably tried playing a chord or two from this book.
You should be, if you’re trying to learn to play guitar fast! But, you may
have found that it didn’t sound exactly like you wanted. Here are some of
the biggest mistakes that I run into when I’m working with new guitar
players that can put a damper on their sound:
- Check your finger positioning. If your chords aren’t coming out crisp
and clear, it’s possible that you’re accidentally muting some strings that you
aren’t meaning to. How do you check for this? Just look at your fingers. If
you’re touching any strings other than the ones you are supposed to, just
adjust your hand. It’s a straightforward process but makes a big difference.
It’s really easy, as a new guitar player, to play with too relaxed of a hand
position, which can then inadvertently lead to you playing poorly
altogether. You don’t need an extremely stiff grip either as doing that will
just lead to you inadvertently killing your fingers, but you need to have
some kind of authoritative grip and confidence on the strings you’re
fretting.
- The second mistake goes somewhat hand-in-hand with the last: ensure
that you’re pressing down the strings with the proper pressure. It’s really
easy to press down either too much or too little. If you press down too
much, then your tone is actually going to go sharp, which isn’t a good thing;
this will lead to notes being too high, and this will make you sound bad
altogether. However, do note, too, that you can really easily not press hard
enough. If you do this, the notes will be muted, and no sound will come
out. This can be really difficult to make better at first because you haven’t
quite developed the finger strength that you need in order to play chords
consistently, especially on an acoustic. However, just stick with it and
you’ll start to get better.
Your fingers are going to hurt after you play guitar, for a while. You aren’t
used to pressing strings down, most of the time, so you’re going to have to
build proper resistances to doing so. These resistances are called calluses,
and they’re the natural result of using your fingers constantly. Your
fingertips become much rougher and stiffer; it’s the same effect that women
who sew by hand will often experience on their sewing hand because of
accidental pricking. You can develop calluses faster by dipping your fingers
in rubbing alcohol after every practice.
The next thing that we need to talk about is chord changes.
Learning to play chord changes is extremely important. Chord changes are
the crux of all music. Fluid and fast chord changes are therefore the key to
being a good acoustic guitarist. So how, then, can one train their ability to
make rapid chord changes? The process is simple: practicing chord
changes.
The best way to practice chord changes is to find a metronome online and
set it to a relatively slow tempo. You can go to onlinemetronome.com - or
Google actually has one set up if you type in “online metronome”. Practice
strumming quarter notes of chords. Do whatever it takes to be ready for the
next measure, even if you have to skip the fourth or even third beat of the
current measure. Keep doing this until you are proficient at your given
tempo, then move up.
Eventually, you can incorporate strum patterns into this mix. This is a great
way to build up your skill as a rhythm guitarist from the get-go; however,
you may not be terribly creative with strum patterns when you’re starting
out, so do this at your own discretion. Learning new strum patterns will
come naturally as you work with more and more music and start to have a
better understanding of how everything works rhythmically.
Which chord changes to practice
You’ll be a little lost at first about what chord changes to practice, and the
truth is that there is no right answer. Depending on the style of music, chord
changes can be almost random, seemingly. However, there are many
different patterns that they tend to deviate towards. Here are a few of those,
so that you can practice switching between these common patterns and
becoming a better guitarist:
1. G major, C major, D major, C major
2. F major, C major, G major, C major
3. E major, A major, D major, A major
4. E minor, A minor, C minor, D major
5. C major, A minor, F major, G major
I would recommend setting a metronome to 80 beats per minute then
playing through these one at a time, doing what you can to get up to tempo
at a decent rate without flubbing between chord changes. The really hard
ones will be the ones involving F - the rest are pretty easy to do. However,
at any rate, these are legitimate chord changes and aren’t far off from what
you’d hear in a lot of pop music. Try to become intimately familiar with
them and get to a point where you can do them rather flawlessly.