Learn the Names of the Guitar Notes

In order to learn how to play guitar, you need to learn how to play chords, riffs, and songs, and first and foremost, you will have to first know the names of the notes of the guitar.  Learning the notes of the guitar is an annoyance to most beginners, and so many people never learn this, but it is something that every guitar player must eventually do in order to become very proficient with their instrument.




A sharp/B flat
B
C
C sharp / D flat
D
D sharp / E flat
E
F
F sharp / G flat
G
G sharp / A flat
And repeat.


And repeat.




A – 5th
D – 4th
G – 3rd
B – 2nd
E – 1st

The fingerboard of the guitar and the names of the notes of the guitar are not so mysterious, once you learn to recognize the patterns.  Essentially, the notes move upward, in alphabetical order, from the head of the guitar toward the body, until you arrive at G, then they start over again with the letter A. Easy enough, right?  Not so fast.  There are a couple of wrinkles in this otherwise straight forward pattern.

For example, some of the letter notes or 'naturals' as they are sometimes called, have other notes in between them called 'sharps' or 'flats.'  For example, the notes named 'A' and 'B' have a note in between them called 'A sharp or B flat.'  'Sharp' just means 'one half step higher', and 'flat' just means 'one half step lower.'   So A sharp and B flat are actually two names for the same note.  A half step is just one fret on the guitar.  Thus the note 'A sharp' is one fret higher than the 'A' note, and/or one note lower than the note ‘B flat’.

Because only some of the note shave sharps and flats in between them, you’ll have to memorize which ones do and which ones don’t.  All the notes in ascending 'chromatic' order (From lowest to highest) starting from A, look like this:

A

Notice that the notes are in alphabetical order, but some (not all) notes have sharps and flats between them.

Once you know this information, all you need to know in order to figure out every note of the fretboard is the names of the open string notes of your guitar.  Then you can use this information to count upward to figure out all of the rest.

The string that is closest to your mouth when you play is called the low E string.  It is called the low E string because it is the lowest string and because the note that you play when you play it is an 'E.'   Below are the names of each of the open strings:

E – the low E string, also known as the 6th string

To have all of this information really sink in, study the guitar notes chart located on this page.  One image is that of a guitar, which has the names of the notes printed on stickers placed on the frets. The other is simply a helpful diagram. Read over the information, above, and compare it with what you see in the picture until it all starts to make sense. If you like, you can purchase stickers that have all of the names of the notes printed right on them.  This is a very useful tool for beginners and intermediate or advanced students who never bothered to learn the names of the notes. Fret daddy manufactures removable fret stickers for guitar and bass and have the guitar notes as one of their sticker sets.  I’ve included a link below.

How to Hold the Guitar Pick

If you want to learn to play guitar, you need to learn how to hold a guitar pick, or 'plectrum' as it is sometimes called. Holding a guitar pick and holding ONTO a pick while you play, is often a challenge for beginners. But if you form good habits early on, it will become second nature for you, and you will excel a lot more quickly. This article provides the information you need to properly hold the guitar pick.

There are a lot of different teaching methodologies regarding how to hold a guitar pick, but most of them share a common deficiency: they don't take into account the fact that every human hand is different. The method detailed below will provide you with the best, most natural way to hold a pick:

The first thing to note is that there are two ways to hold a guitar pick, depending on what you are trying to accomplish. The first way is typically reserved for playing 'lead guitar', 'soloing,' or playing many individual guitar notes in quick succession.  The second way is reserved for strumming guitar chords and is particularly useful for light strumming. Both techniques will take advantage of your unique physiology to form nature's perfect pick grip.

The first thing to do is to form a loose hook shape with your right (strumming) index finger. Notice that by bending the finger slightly, your finger automatically forms three crevices or 'nooks', where the joints are located. The first nook (closest to the top or end of your index finger) is where the pick should rest when you are strumming chords. The second nook is where the pick should rest when you are playing lead solos or individual notes or playing loud heavy chords.

In both cases, the proper way to hold the pick requires three additional steps:

First, gently place the widest part of the pick (the top of the pick) in the appropriate nook (the second nook for soloing, or the first nook for light strumming).

Second, place your thumb over the middle of the pick, allowing just a small amount of the tip of the pick to peek out below your thumb.

Finally, bend the index finger in which the pick is placed upward toward the middle of your hand until it is just above the tip of the pick. This will ensure a clean contact with the string.

Now, if you are trying to play lead, as mentioned before, make sure you place the pick in the second nook.  If, on the other hand, you are trying to play chords or strum, make sure you place the pick in the first nook.  You should have done this step already, but this is just to make sure.  

Congratulations! You've done it! You've found nature's perfect grip.

For the first month or so of practicing, you should go through all three steps slowly and methodically, in order to form the proper habits.  Once you get used to forming the pick grip in this way it will soon become second nature, and you will not even have to think about it ever again.

Want to learn guitar? Try Fret Daddy's Guitar Stickers.

COMMON MYTHS FOR BEGINNER GUITARISTS TO BE AWARE OF

Myth Number 1 - Spending a lot for a guitar will solve all your problems

One of the common myths that people just starting to play guitar fall into is the myth that paying a lot for a guitar will solve all your problems.  This couldn’t be further from the truth.  While it’s of course necessary to have a guitar that sounds decent to YOU (sounding good to other people helps too), it is isn’t completely necessary to spend thousands of dollars to achieve this goal.  People just starting to play guitar can expect to spend somewhere between 2-$400 dollars in order to be able to find a guitar that will work well for typical beginner goals. 

This being said and meant, there are a few things to watch out for in this department.  Do NOT spend less than $75 for a guitar.  The chances are you will NOT be happy with your choice, and your it will not sounds good at all, and you will never pick it up and, therefore, will never learn how to play it.  There are a lot of cheapo guitars out there trying to get beginners to fall into the trap of buying something because it is cheap.  Quality sound requires quality production and materials.  Spend some extra cash to get something that will last.

Myth Number 2 - You need a big amp to be a rock star

These days, buying a humungous amp is not necessary to learn guitar or even to be a professional.  It helps if you are planning on playing shows in big venues, but chances are, if you are beginner you will be playing open mics at least for a little while before you make it into the bigger venues.   The ‘big sound’ you are used to hearing from your favorite bands can be accomplished these days in garage band and other similar software for your computer.  These days even the professionals are using digital amp replicating software when recording and even playing out rather than dealing with the hassle of lugging around huge amplifiers.  Save yourself some money.  You don’t need it.  Be content with a small amplifier, or else just plug into your PC and turn up the reverb!

Myth Number 3 - You need a million bucks to sound like a million bucks

The digital revolution has completely completely changed how recording is done.  Some of the major studios still use analog equipment, but it is increasingly rare.  Digital sounds have a number of benefits that cannot be overlooked over their analog counterparts.  Perhaps the biggest perk is the low cost.  You can sound like a rock star for hundreds of dollars rather than tens of thousands of dollars these days.  And you can even outfit a modern studio with professional amenities for less than $10,000. 

While it used to be the case that you actually needed a million bucks to sound like a million bucks, these days this just is no longer the case.  Many platinum records have been recorded with a budget under 10K.  Take advantage of the times.  Do yourself a favor and avoid the trap of spending more than you have to sound great.  Focus more on developing your skill sets.  That is the rare and valuable commodity these days, not gear.

Myth Number 4 - Learning to good at guitar takes many years

While it is true that mastering any instrument takes thousands of hours of practice and some natural talent helps, no one needs twenty years to become a legendary rock God.  I recently had the pleasure of gigging with someone who had only been playing for four years.  He was ten times better than me at guitar, despite the fact that I had been playing much much longer.  The key is practice and dedication.  Most people’s guitars collect dust for 99.9% of the time their owners claim to have been ‘playing guitar.’  Don’t buy into the hype.  Instead, Devote yourself to learning the guitar based on your personal goals and work hard to find time to practice in order to meet those goals.  Dedication will win over experience any day.

If you are a beginner guitarist, you can learn the notes of the guitar at fret daddy's website.

You also can learn more about guitar myths here.

Fret Daddy Announces the Release of New Guitar Chord Stickers

Fret Daddy announced the release of a new chord sticker set for electric and acoustic guitar on Friday.  "The Basic Chords" combination pack will include 4 sticker sets designed to teach nine of the most essential chords for beginner guitar students: The G major chord, the C major chord, the D major chord, the F major chord, the A minor chord, the D minor chord, the A major chord, the E minor chord, and the E major chord.

"So far our focus has been on teaching guitar scales and the fretboard notemap," observes CEO David Jacobsen of San Diego. "We are excited to expand the reach of our product line and serve an entirely new segment of the market.  While both scale and chords are important, most beginner guitar players don't even know what scales are.  Most are interested in learning chords, which will allow them to play songs without accompaniment.  The Basic Chords Sticker set gives players everything they need to learning the essentials."

You can check out the new basic chords sticker set on Fret Daddy's official website.

How to Strum Your Guitar

How to Strum your Guitar

Having a smooth, steady, consistent strum, is one of the keys to making beautiful music with your guitar.

Before learning any chords, or learning any notes, you should familiarize yourself with the mechanics of strumming, so you can focus on other things without worrying about strumming.

Proper Strumming Mechanics

The key to a good clean strum is a loose wrist . And the key to solid rhythym is an active controlled elbow. All motion should, ideally, originate from the elbow, not the wrist, when strumming. To practice this, put down your guitar, and strum the air gently, up and down, as though you were playing a guitar.  Concentrate on keeping your wrist extremely loose and fluid, and originating all motion from your elbow. When, you strum downward, use your elbow, when you start back up again, use your elbow. Allow your hand naturally with the motion of the forearm, as though you didn't have any muscles in your wrist at all.

Once you think you have the hang of that motion, the next step is to apply the technique to a guitar. Pick up your guitar, make sure it is in tune, and make sure you are holding the guitar properly as discussed in the lesson on holding the guitar. If you like, use a pick, making sure to hold the pick properly as discussed in the previous lesson. Now, without forming any chords or doing anything at all with your left hand (the note articulator hand), give your guitar a nice clean downward strum using the technique you just practiced in the air. Feel how the strings naturally give way, and allow your wrist to move naturally slow down and allow your hand to gently respond to the force of hitting the string. Add a little speed and power, using your elbow, and you'll notice that you will form a nice clean strum. The less 'deep' your strum penetrates the strings (toward the body of the guitar), the smoother, lighter, and cleaner it will sound. Do this a few times, experimenting with different speeds and power levels.

Finally, try strumming upward a couple times, and then alternating. Once you feel comfortable, tap your feet to a steady beat and try to strum rhythymically to that beat, first using all downward motions, then alternating strums, first upward then downward.

Pick up the guitar for at least 5-10 minutes a day practicing this technique, while you are watching tv, until it becomes almost second nature. Then you are ready to start learning chords.




Fret Daddy is the world's leading manufacturer of removable guitar stickers.  To learn more about Fret Daddy, or to learn guitar chords, guitar notes, and more, visit their official website.

How to Tune Your Guitar

Tuning the guitar is the first step in making beautiful sounds and beautiful music. It is the most essential aspect of creating chords and notes that sound good. Therefore it is extremely important. Nevertheless, it is often overlooked. You should tune your guitar EVERY time you play it. Get in the habit of tuning your guitar before you start, and if you are playing your guitar for long periods of time, every 15 minutes or so. 

Instructions For Tuning the Guitar 

Place the guitar on your lap. The string that is closest to your head is called the low E string. Starting with the low E string and tune each string, one at a time, progressing as you go toward the ground. Below are the names of each of the strings, which also indicates what notes each string should be tuned to: 

E – the low E string, also known as the 6th string 

A – 5th 

D – 4th 

G – 3rd 

B – 2nd 

E – 1st 

If you like you can tune your guitar by using the simple free online guitar tuner on located here. 

To use the tuner: 

Simply click on the appropriate letter and match the corresponding string of your guitar to the sound produced by the tuner. This tuner is always going to be on this page, so if you want you can bookmark this page now so you will always have a free tuner. 

Once you have the low E string tuned, you can use another method to tune your guitar, as follows: 

Standard Tuning Method 

Step 1: Make sure the low E string is in tune. 

Unfortunately, if you don't have a tuner, you are going to have to just 'wing it', meaning do your best to remember how the low E should sound when in tune. 

Step 2: Tune The A String 

Next, use the low E string to get a relative tone for the A string by playing the 5th fret of the low E string. Place your left index finger on the fifth ret of the low E string. Make sure to put adequate pressure to produce a nice clean tone, and pluck the string with your right finger. This will produce an 'A' note. The next string should sound exactly like this, since it should be tuned to an 'A'. 

Step 3: Tune The D String 

Next, use the A string to get a relative tone for the D string by playing the 5th fret of the A string. Place your left index finger on the fifth ret of the low E string. Make sure to put adequate pressure to produce a nice clean tone, and pluck the string with your right finger. This will produce an 'D' note. The next string should sound exactly like this, since it should be tuned to an 'D'. 

Step 4: Tuning The G String 

Now repeat the steps above on the D string. In other words, place your left index finger on the fifth fret of the D string and pluck. This will produce a 'G' note. The next string should sound exactly like this, since it is the G string. 

Step 5: The B String 

Now comes the curve ball. This time you're going to place the first finger of your left hand just behind the forth fret instead of the fifth fret. This will produce a 'B' note, which you can use to tune the next string. 

Step 6: Tuning The E String 

Finally, Place the first finger of your left hand just behind the fifth fret on the B string. That’s should create an 'E' note, which you can use to tune the final string. 

Remember to bookmark this page for your free tuner. 



Fret Daddy is the world's leading manufacturer of removable guitar stickers.  To learn more about Fret Daddy, or to learn guitar chords, guitar notes, and more, visit their official website.

How to Care For Your Guitar

How to Care For your Guitar

Caring for your guitar is an important part of maintaining the proper functioning, aesthetic appeal, and value of your instrument. This article provides some information about proper guitar care.

One very important aspect of maintaining your instrument is to keep it well protected when you are not using it. This typically means buying a guitar case, at minimum, if you don't already have one, and making sure to habitually put your guitar away when you are not using it. Another aspect of this point is to protect your instrument from the elements and, particularly, from changing temperatures and dry air. 

Dry air and changes in temperature are one of the quickest way to warp the wood that your guitar is made of. This warping will of course be subtle, but can effect the intonation of the fretboard - sometimes in ways that cannot be undone. Whatever you do, Do NOT leave your guitar in hot cars during the summer or out in the cold. And make sure that you have a humidifier in the room where your instrument is stored. Another measure you can take to keep the proper moisture in the air where your guitar is stored is to put a damp sponge anywhere in the guitar case. If you like, you can put the sponge in a container with small holes poked into the lid. This will help ensure your guitar always has proper moisture.

Another important aspect of maintaining and taking care of your instrument is to change your strings regularly. This will have the most noticeable affect on the actual sound of the guitar. If you play often, you should change your strings every two months. You don't need to change your strings quite as frequently if you don't play very often.

Finally, keep the neck of your instrument free of dirt buildup and grime by regularly cleaning your guitar neck.