If you've just gotten your hands on
your first guitar, chances are you're not entirely sure what to do next.
The following suggestions should offer some guidance about how to
prepare and maintain your instrument, as well as provide you with the
foundational knowledge required to start learning guitar.
Learn the Parts of the Guitar
Although there are many different types of guitars (acoustic, electric, classical, electric-acoustic, etc.), they all have many things in common. This brief tutorial outlines all of the primary parts of the guitar you'll need to know in order to get started playing the instrument.
Learn How to Hold the Guitar
When you want to play the guitar sitting down, the first thing you need to do is find yourself a straight-back chair without arms. Now get yourself comfortable and sit up nice and straight. Pick up your guitar, and rest the dip of the guitar on your right thigh like this. Now, rest the back of the guitar flat against your chest. Make sure that the neck of the guitar is more or less parallel to the floor.
Learn How to Tune Your Guitar
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of learning guitar is that it initially seems impossible to play anything that actually sounds good. While it is true that it takes some time to learn the techniques needed to play songs well, the real reason most new guitarists sound bad is because their instrument isn't in tune. Here is a guitar tuning tutorial that, with a little practice, should allow you to keep your instrument in tune.
Learn How to Hold a Pick
Hopefully, you've found, bought or borrowed a guitar pick. If not, you'll need to buy yourself some. Don't be stingy, go and pick up at least 10 of them - guitar picks are easy to lose. You can experiment with different shapes and brands, but I highly recommend medium gauge picks to start - ones that aren't too flimsy, or too hard.
Learn How to Clean and Care for Your Guitar
It goes without saying that good guitar maintenance will go a long way. Take care of your guitar and it will take care of you. If you buy a guitar online, chances are when you get it, it's going to need to be set up. The reason for this is there are different climates around the country. If you buy a guitar from California and you live in Texas, you're guitar is going to adjust when it gets to it's new home and you’re going to need to set it up for your new climate.
How to Read Chord Charts
Guitar chord charts are almost as commonly found in guitar music as tablature. The information these chord charts convey, however, is different than guitar tablature. Some of you might look at chord charts and understand them right away, but it doesn't always "click" for everyone. For the sake of being thorough, let's examine what exactly these guitar chord charts tell us.
How to Read Guitar Tab
Guitarists are a unique breed. Chances are, if you play guitar, you are either self-taught, or have learned the basics from friends. If you were a pianist, you would have learned the instrument through years of private study, which would include both music theory lessons, and heavy focus on "sight reading". Although it may seem complex, learning to read guitar tab is quite simple, and you should find yourself reading tab easily in no time.
