An Introduction to Guitar
This free course is for the absolute beginner to get a good foundation in learning the guitar to be able to play various genres of music. This course includes videos, materials and exercises.
The Guitar is a beautiful instrument to learn, I hope this free course helps you to achieve your goals!
We're going to be starting from ground zero, so let's get started!
INTRODUCTION: Starting to Learn the Guitar
No. 1
What type of guitar should you learn with?
- Nylon string Guitar
- Softer string, easier to play without forming calluses
No. 2
Learning with fingers or pick?
- Learning with fingers first, then learn the pick if desired
- Develop strength in fingers first
No. 3
The Parts of the Guitar
- The body
- The neck or fretboard
- The head
Purpose of this Course
- Build a strong foundation to play any genre of music
2 reasons why students may stop learning the guitar
1) Bored
- set goals
- practice
- understand that any skill takes time
2) Bad Technique
- prohibit you from learning songs
- causes injuries
- discouraging to start over
LESSON 1: Holding the Guitar
The Footstool
- prevents injury
- Elevates the Guitar; avoiding a hunched back
- Natural curve of spine
- LH freedom
- RH comes around to the soundhole
Right Hand (RH) Technique
P I M A C
1) keep slight bend in wrist
2) Keep thumb in front
3) always keep fingers bent
4) always alternate fingers
Left Hand (LH) Technique
1 2 3 4 5
1) Never show thumb; keep behind the neck of guitar
2) Always have space between the left hand and the side of the fretboard
3) keep knuckles parallel to fretboard
4) always have curved fingers
5) always play with finger tips
6) always place your fingers close to the fret
LESSON 2: Using the Right Hand and Left Hand on the Guitar
In this Lesson 2, I talk about the following:
1)Using the Right Hand on the Guitar
- Thumb is always in front fingers
- Fingers are always curved
- Slight bend in wrist
- Fingers control the treble strings
- Thumb controls the bass strings
2) Using the left hand on the Guitar (1st Position)
- The 1st position guideline
- 1st fret = 1st finger
- 2nd fret = 2nd finger
- 3rd fret = 3rd finger
- 4th fret = 4th finger
LESSON 3: THE POSITION RULE
LESSON 4: A Brief Emphasis on the 9 Simple Things Before Playing the Guitar
1] Don't let your left hand thumb show
2 Always keep a space between the neck of the guitar and your left hand
3} Use your finger tips on your left hand to press down the strings
4} When holding a string down, always press down right before the fret, not directly on the fret or too far
5} Keep your right hand thumb in front of your fingers at all times
6} Don't let your right hand rest on the body of the guitar at any time
7} 1st position is a guideline to keeping your fingers within a certain fret range
8] The first string of the guitar is the bottom string
9] The first fret of the guitar is the fret closest to the head of the guitar
LESSON 5: How to Read Tabs?
LESSON 6: Reading Chord Chart
LESSON 7: The 10 Open Chords
FULL VIDEO:
Or you can learn these important chords broken up into 4 parts.
PART ONE
PART TWO
PART THREE
PART FOUR
The 10 Open Chords
LESSON 8: The 12 notes of Western Music
Did you know? That there are only 12 notes in Western Music
Those notes are
A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G#
The note A# is said as: 'A Sharp'
Everyone note has a sharp except for B and E
- There is no B#
- There is no E#
The distance between one note and the next is called a SEMITONE
For example,
The distance from A to A# is ONE (1) SEMITONE
The distance from A# to B is ONE (1) SEMITONE
The distance from B to C is ONE (1) SEMITONE
The distance from C to D is TWO(2) SEMITONES
The distance from A to B is TWO (2) SEMITONES