How to Play the Guitar

The guitar is a wonderful musical instrument which has influenced many music lovers to learn to play it. If you are thinking of learning to play the guitar; you need to have a liking for music, a strong determination, and most importantly have to practice a lot. For beginner guitar players, it is suggested to get the basics right on an acoustic guitar and later move on to play the electric guitar.

Tuning

Typically, in a rhythm or a lead guitar, there are six strings, with each one possessing its thickness and individual open sound. Contrary to the belief, the thickest string is called the 6th string which gives out a bass sound, while the thinnest is the 1st string with a sound of a high note. Each string gives out its respective open sound, which can be changed by pressing on particular positions on the fretboard. And this is what chords are all about. The standard guitar tuning pattern is as follows.

e (1st)-------------------------------
B (2nd)------------------------------
G (3rd)------------------------------
D (4th)-------------------------------
A (5th)-------------------------------
E (6th)-------------------------------

In the above diagram; the 6th string has an 'E' bass sound, the 5th string has an 'A' sound, the 4th string has a 'D' sound, the 3rd string has a 'G' sound, the 5th string has the 'B' sound, and finally the 1st string has a high-pitched 'e' sound. For beginners, this is the standard tuning that is to be used for learning. There are also other alternate guitar tunings which you can be experiment on after being proficient in playing with a guitar of standard tuning.

Chording

In order to play chords, you first need to learn the structure of guitar tablatures. A guitar tablature consists of a set of six horizontal parallel lines, which represent the six strings to be strummed. On every tablature, you will find some numbers or symbols noted on individual strings. A number on a string shows the fret which is to be pressed on that particular string. If there is a symbol such as an 'X', you are not supposed to fret that string in the specific chord. If there is a '0' on any string, that string is to be played in an open manner, without holding a note on the fretboard. Refer to the following diagram to understand clearly.

'C' Chord

e-----0----------------------
B----1-----------------------
G----0-----------------------
D----2-----------------------
A----3-----------------------
E----X----------------------

• 1st 'e' string - To be played open.
• 2nd 'B' string - Chording hand's fingertip to be placed on the 1st fret of the fretboard.
• 3rd 'G' string - To be played open.
• 4th 'D' string - Chording hand's fingertip to be placed on the 2nd fret of the fretboard.
• 5th 'A' string - Chording hand's fingertip to be placed on the 3rd fret of the fretboard.
• 6th 'E' string - Not to be strummed or plucked at all.

Note:- To get a view of how the aforementioned 'C' chord will look on a guitar fretboard, you can see the diagram of this article.

This was only the basic concept of playing the guitar. For further learning, you will have to refer to other major and minor chords which are usually used in guitar songs. Remember, along with understanding how to read guitar tabs, you also have to put theoretical knowledge in practical use. Putting guitar lessons to practice is the main key to excel in the skill.