FAQ

Won’t Any Guitar Work To Learn On?

No. This is a big issue with beginner guitarists. Really, the cheaper the guitar, the harder it will be to play. You see, cheap guitars usually have poor actions, low quality woods, glues and go out of tune a lot.

The action is the distance between the fret board and the strings. The further away the strings are from the fret board the harder you will have to push down to make the note sound. This can also make strings seem out of tune since in a way you’re bending the string down to hit the fret which will make the string sound out of tune. Here you can find help on Choosing A Guitar.

· Why Do I Need To Know The Parts Of The Guitar?

As you start to become better at playing the guitar you will start to notice things you either like about your guitar or dislike. When you know the parts or names of the guitar parts you can either inquire about different options with your music store or find replacements or improvements online. Also, it’s important when talking to other guitar players that you know what you’re talking about so you can get help or you can help them. Here you can find help on naming the parts of the guitar

· Is There Really A Right Way To Hold The Guitar?

Yes. Learning how to hold the guitar correctly will help in a couple of areas. For one, posture. Having the correct posture will help you play the guitar for longer periods of time without becoming fatigued. Also, you can set yourself up with a bunch of bad habits if you don’t hold the guitar correctly. In your journey of learning the guitar you will be introduced to many different chords and scale shapes that will make in imperative that you hold the guitar correctly to sound the notes. Here you can find help on how to hold your guitar.

· Should I Use A Guitar Pick Or Not?

Yes, No & Maybe… ) This really depends on what style of guitar you’re going to play. When finger picking so to speak, you will not be using a pick. However, if you’re strumming and playing lead guitar you will want to use a pick. A pick with make the guitar sound bolder and will also help you with your guitar speed while playing lead guitar. So, using a guitar pick will be a preference. But, I highly recommend it if you want to play all styles of guitar in the future. Here you can find help on How To Hold A Guitar Pick.

· Does It Matter Which Guitar Chords I Learn First?

Yes. Open chords in the key of G & C, plus two more open chords A & E will give you the proper foundation for learning more guitar chords in the future. Plus, most songs have these chords in them. These are the two keys that every guitar player must know if they’re going to learn how to play guitar. You can find more help to Learn Guitar Chords here.

· Do I Need To Know All The Different Strums On Guitar?

No. However, I would try to learn as many as possible. Once you learn how to play guitar, these new strums will become very easy for you. You will just be able to listen to a song and pick up the strum like it was nothing. But, there will always be more complicated strums involving muting, raking etc…. Strumming and rhythm really make the song. So, always make a good effort in learning as many different strums as you can using a metronome to keep time. You will find many strums as you learn guitar online. Here you can find more help with Strumming Lessons.

· When Will I Be Able To Play Songs?

As soon as you learn about 7 open chords. Now, you can always try to play songs right away. However, you might become frustrated that you’re not getting it fast enough. This is common as you learn guitar online. Just take your time and learn these basic open chords switching fluently between them and you will be well on your way to learning songs. Always try to learn songs where you effortlessly know the chords. This will make it a lot more fun while learning to play the songs on the guitar. Here you can find help on Easy Guitar Songs To Learn.

· What Are Scales & What Are They For?

This is how I’ve become to see guitar scales. Guitar scales are a tool to learn patterns within any key on the guitar solely used for practicing and becoming more fluent in hitting the guitar notes. After you memorize different scale patterns in all keys…. This is where you will be playing them to backing tracks and learning how to improvise your own guitar solos and playing the notes in different orders. This way you don’t have to memorize every note on the guitar, just the patterns within the scale types. Here you can find more help to learn guitar scales.

· Do I Need To Know All The Notes On The Guitar?

No. But, it would be nice. I believe the most important notes to memorize are on the 6^th and 5^th string of the guitar. Most of the time you will learn your guitar scales by starting out on the root note (key of song) and if you have them memorized, all you need to know then are the scale patterns and you can play in any key without knowing all the notes on the guitar. However, I cannot stress enough how important it is to at least know all the notes on the 6^th and 5^th string of the guitar. This will be your foundation. Here you can find more help on learning the Notes On The Guitar.

· What Are Barre Chords & Do I Need To Know Them?

Barre chords are a lot like open chords. However, they’re just open chord shapes ran up and down the neck while using your index finger as the nut of the guitar to “Barre” the fret before the chord shape. By changing the position of the nut (your index finger becomes the nut) you’re changing the name of the chord. For instance, if you’re playing an open E chord and you move it up to the fourth fret using your index finger as the barre (or nut) on the third fret… That chord then becomes a G instead of an E chord. I know this might be hard to understand. But, here you can find a more detailed explanation on How To Play Barre Chords.

Yes. I think you need to know them if you’re going to become a fluent well rounded guitar player. However, there are many guitar players who don’t play barre chords. Believe me; you’ll need them some day. So, after you’ve learned all the open chords, I’d move on to learning barre chords.

· What Is Tablature & Do I Need To Know It To learn to play guitar?

Tablature is an alternative to music notation designed especially for the guitar. It was designed to make it easy for anyone to learn how to play lead lines and chords for that matter. It’s really quite simple. However, it might be a little difficult for me to explain it here. Here you can find out more about how to Learn Guitar Tab.

No. You don’t need to know tab to learn to play guitar. But, it will make it easier to learn your favorite songs if you do. Don’t worry, not many guitarists can pick up tabs and play them right off the bat. They’re used as a reference. You will get better at them as you play them. But, they’re not necessary.

· Why Are There So Many Variations Of The Same Chords?

This one gets asked a lot. It’s really just to give you different variations from tones to sounds on the guitar neck. A road map so to speak. You can play 3 different variations of the same chord down the neck and they will almost sound identical. However, they will be just a little different in pitch. It’s really how they’re played in context to other lead guitar lines and chord progressions that make them sound so different.

· How Do I Play Lead Guitar Solos?

This one goes back to learning guitar scales. When you learn how to play guitar scales fluently you can then use backing tracks or other musicians to practice your own unique guitar solos. Lead guitar is like a signature. It’s very unique to you. No one can really truly teach you how to improvise. Sure, you may learn a few guitar licks that someone can teach you. But, it’s really up to you to make your own unique sound. This is why the guitar is so awesome in my opinion! You’ll find a lot of help here as you learn to play guitar online.

· Is Learning Finger picking Hard?

Well, like anything else it takes practice. This is something I would definitely recommend as you learn to play guitar online. Finger picking styles are a great way to break up a boring song of just open chords. You can play the same 3 chords strumming and then play them finger picking and it will sound totally different. It can be a little difficult to navigate at first. But, when you pick it up you won’t even have to think about it. It will just come natural. Again, I think it’s a must, but, it can be difficult at first. Here you can find more help with Guitar Finger picking Lessons.

· What Are Guitar Licks?

Guitar licks are like little signature lines that have been improvised by other guitar players in the past. They’re like short little scales played in various order. There are so many famous licks out there. Some are a must to learn to play guitar solos. Here you can find out more information on Pentatonic Guitar Licks which are my favorite and I believe they’re the easiest.

· How Do I Strengthen My Fingers & Hands?

Man have I heard all kinds of advice on this one. In my opinion…. Just play the guitar. You will develop your hand and finger strength from just doing this. But, if you want to gain strength fast? Here you can learn more about Guitar Finger Exercises. Make sure this is a part of your practice schedule as you learn to play guitar online.