 music. An example of a famous classical guitarist is John Williams.
Bass guitars have four strings, which are tuned: E, A, D, G (the same notes as the lowest four strings of a standard guitar, but tuned an octave lower). Bass guitars generally provide the bass lines in rock, pop and jazz music, but they can also be used to play lead lines.
An example of a famous bass guitarist is Sir Paul McCartney.
Other Types Of Guitar
There are many variations within each of the main types of guitar. Some guitars have 7 or 12 strings. Some bass guitars have five or more strings. Some electric guitars are ‘semi-acoustic’. Some acoustics are ‘electro-acoustics’. However, because this article is dealing with the guitar basics, these variations will be covered elsewhere!
Guitar Basics – Tuning
A standard guitar has six strings, which are tuned E, A, D, G, B, E, from low to high. The strings are numbered 6 to 1 from low E to high E.
There are other ways of tuning a guitar, but this is by far the most common. Guitar notation is written an octave higher than it is played.
Playing Notes And Chords
Pick Or Fingers?
A pick (or plectrum) is a small rounded triangular piece of plastic which is held between the thumb and index finger of the right hand. It is used to pluck or strum the guitar strings.
Classical guitarists and ‘fingerstyle’ acoustic (and some electric) guitarists use their fingers to pluck the strings.
The left hand is used to ‘fret’ the notes, by holding the string down at the desired position on the fingerboard.
The right hand is used to sound the strings by causing them to vibrate, either by using a ‘pick’ or by using the fingertips or nails.
Guitar Basics – Left Or Right-Handed Guitar?
‘Left-handed’ guitars are available, which means that each hand’s role is reversed. However, people who are left-handed do not necessarily have to use left handed guitars.
(As a left-hander who has played standard, right-handed guitars all of his life, the writer of this article would discourage the automatic use of left-handed guitars by left-handed people unless they have tried very hard to play a standard instrument.)
Guitar Basics – Playing Styles
Classical & Fingerstyle Guitar Playing
Classical and fingerstyle guitarists, as has already been stated, do not use picks. This gives more control over the notes and chords being played. A solo classical guitarist can produce self contained music, made up of separate elements such as bass lines, chords and melody lines, without relying on other musicians. However, it is harder to play fast solo lines with the fingers than with a pick. Another drawback is that it takes more effort to produce as much volume with fingers as with a pick, and strumming can also be harder.
Rhythm Guitar Playing – Chords
A chord is simply a group of notes played at the same time. There are many different types of chord, each with the own individual sound. The three most common types of chord are major, minor and dominant seventh. Chord symbols are often used instead of the full names. The root note of the chord is given first, then the symbol for the kind of chord to be played. If there is just a letter with no symbol, then a major chord should be played. E.g. C = C major, Cm = C minor, C7 = C dominant seventh, D = D major, Dm = D minor, D7 = D dominant 7th, etc.
Guitar chords are often shown as chord boxes. There are diagrams representing the fretboard that show where the fingers should be positioned to play a particular chord.
Strumming means rhythmically playing chords to provide an accompaniment for other musicians or singers. Chord playing is one of the main guitar basics. A pick is generally used to strum chords, although the fingers or thumb can be used. Most non-classical players start off by learning chords. Many famous songs can be played using as few as three chords, so chord playing is a good way of introducing beginner guitarists to playing music.
Lead guitar usually means improvising guitar solos, but it can also mean taking the main part, rather than an accompanying part, in a song. Lead guitar solos are usu