Learning acoustic guitar is an extremely broad topic. One that would no doubt fill many books. The following guide focuses on some of the most important aspects of playing guitar providing you with an excellent starting point. This guide was written for the right handed, absolute beginner using a steel string guitar. My apologies to all of you left handed guitarists in advance.

ABOUT THE STEEL STRING GUITAR

The steel string guitar is a masterpiece of musical instrument engineering. Before the steel string, the acoustic guitar was very limited. The guitars of old were very quiet when played, so much so, that a guitarist was not able to play along with other musicians as the sound produced was simply too low. In order to overcome this shortcoming, the steel string guitar was born. The steel string produced a louder sound, but also caused too much stress on the instrument because of the added weight. The body construction therefore needed to be altered to accommodate the heavier strings. These changes not only made the guitar stronger, but they also increased the life of the guitar.

GUITAR STYLES – WHAT STYLE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Guitars are available in a variety of different styles and sizes and it really depends on what is most comfortable and enjoyable for you. Popular guitar styles include the Dreadnought, Nex, Artist, Classic and Jumbo. Each guitar has its own unique look, feel and sound. The larger styles like the Jumbo and Dreadnought produce more bass and are more difficult to hold and play. The smaller models like the Nex and Artist favor the midranges and treble and are much easier to hold and play. The Classic guitar is a whole different animal. It can only be played using nylon strings and produces a sound that is noticeably different than steel string guitars. So if you aren’t sure what guitar style is right for you, then head over to your nearest music center and give them all a test drive.

Need a reliable, high quality and  affordable acoustic guitar? Click here for our list of the top best selling acoustic guitars!

HOW TO HOLD THE ACOUSTIC GUITAR

Holding your acoustic guitar is not an exact science.  Everyone has different body types, finger lengths and there are a variety of different sizes and shapes of guitars.  There are many points to keep in mind and it really comes down to how comfortable you are when holding and playing your guitar.

I posted an excellent video on this topic not too long ago that demonstrates and explains how to hold your guitar in detail.

Follow this link to view this video on how to hold your acoustic guitar.

HAND, FINGER AND THUMB POSITIONING

How to position your hands, fingers and thumbs may seem obvious to some, but there is a right and wrong way to do this.  It would be very difficult for you to visualize how to position your hands when playing guitar if I were to explain it here.  A video would do a much better job, so I included a link below to an excellent video.

Guitar Lesson – Hands, Fingers & Thumb Positioning

LEARN HOW TO TUNE YOUR GUITAR

Make certain that you spend time learning how to tune a guitar. Purchase a guitar tuner at any local music store and practice tuning your guitar with the guitar tuner. Or if you do not own a guitar tuner, there are plenty of lessons and tools online that will guide you.  I have posted several videos on this topic that I recommend you watch:

How to keep your electric or acoustic guitar in tune

Get Your Guitar In Tune

LEARN HOW TO CHANGE YOUR STRINGS

Learn how to change your strings and change them often. I know the idea of changing your strings on your own is intimidating, but it really isn’t that difficult and eventually it will become second nature. I put together a post not too long ago that includes video instructions on how to change strings on both an acoustic and electric guitar.

Click here to reach that post on changing your guitar strings.

GUITAR MUSIC THEORY

Guitar music theory is where all of your scales, chords, progressions, notes and more come into play. It is such a huge topic and would fill many books all on its own. Music theory is extremely important to your growth as a musician and should not be overlooked. Many beginners frown upon guitar theory and completely ignore it. They would much rather take the short route and learn tablature and start playing their favorite songs. There is nothing wrong with learning tablature and playing your favorite songs, but don’t make that your only form of study.

There are a plethora of free sites online that teach guitar music theory, but not all are created equal. One of the best sites I have found on this topic is: TheoryLessons.Com. I highly recommend you start there. The owner of that site starts at the very beginning and covers all the major bases. Your guitar is like a challenging puzzle and guitar music theory is a key that will open up many new doors for you.

SHOULD YOU HIRE A GUITAR TEACHER OR LEARN ON YOUR OWN?

Learning on your own

With the right home study course, teaching yourself how to play is quite possible, assuming you are dedicated to working hard and practicing. Teaching yourself how to play will save you a ton of money in the long run and allow you to learn at your own pace. You also have the option to access the same information whenever you want and for as many times as you want. There are several excellent home study courses available that can be just as effective as hiring a a good teacher. Courses can cost anywhere from $30 to as much as a few hundred dollars, depending on the quality and content of the home study course.

Here are our picks for the best Home Study Courses For Guitar:

Learn & Master Guitar – Our #1 Pick!

Jamorama Acoustic Guitar

Next Level Guitar

Hiring an Instructor

First and foremost, this option is expensive. Private guitar lessons, on average, can cost about $15 – $30 for a half hour lesson, and $20 to as much as $75 for an hour lesson, depending on the teachers experience and reputation.

Finding a good teacher can be a difficult task and you should choose one carefully if you decide to go that route. Even the most talented guitarists, that have been playing for decades, can make terrible instructors, so your criteria for choosing a teacher should not be based on experience alone.

One of the most common problems a beginner faces is developing bad playing habits. A good instructor will help you recognize your bad playing habits and help you correct them.

The choice is yours. Only you can determine which options is best for you. Some of us simply cannot afford to hire a teacher, so the choice is rather simple. Others are simply unable to learn on their own and need the guidance and encouragement that a teacher can provide.

PRACTICE

Whoever coined the phrase: “Practice Makes Perfect”, knew what they were talking about. Practice as many days out of the week as you can for at least twenty to thirty minutes, more if possible. The more often you play the faster you will learn. Be careful not to overdo it though and take breaks of course. Your brain can only absorb so much information before it needs a break and your hands and the rest of your body need time to recuperate as well. When you practice guitar do not rush through any of your exercises. Twenty minutes of quality focused practice is much more effective than an hour of sloppy practice.

Be sure to visit our section on acoustic guitar practice for more great tips on how to practice your guitar.

EASY GUITAR SONGS

As I explained earlier in this guide, there is nothing wrong with learning how to play your favorite songs.  In fact, it is an excellent and fun way to familiarize yourself with the guitar as long as your are not making this your only form of practice.

That being said, I put together a post that includes 20 easy guitar songs that you can start playing right away. This post includes free video lesson as well as links to chords, lyrics and tablature.

Follow this link to view this post on easy guitar songs for the beginner.

By Keith Dean

You can use it to hitch a ride. Roger Ebert has made a fortune using one or both – up or down. It’s universally recognized as the sign for a number of affirmatives – “okay”, “good job”, “looking good”, “it’s under control”, among others. It’s also the appendage that one would be inserting “where the sun don’t shine” in a well known metaphor for aimlessly idling one’s time away. We are, of course, referring to the thumb.

In terms of playing guitar, the thumb is like the “red headed step child” of the playing hand. More neglected than even the “pinky” finger (but that’s for another article).

The focus of our playing hand, the hand that attacks the fret board, is typically centered on the first three fingers. These are the easiest to use. They are stronger, longer and faster than the pinky or thumb, so they face the call to action much more than their “weaker” siblings.

But as guitar players, we would be wise to make full use of all of our appendages when playing. In fact, we might be surprised to find that the effort that goes in to incorporating the use of the thumb into our playing technique will result in making some tasks on the guitar neck even easier!

Here are some uses for the thumb when playing guitar:

1. Walk Downs

2. Chord Formations

3. Muting

4. Added Pressure

5. Playing Lead

Let’s take a look at some of these:

1. Walk Downs – The thumb can be put to good use when playing a “walk down”. This is when you start on one chord and “walk down” to a resolution chord, typically by way of a “passing” chord in between.

When the bass notes of a walk down occur on the 6th string (low E in standard tuning), it is often easier to use the thumb to play some or all of those bass notes, rather than trying to use the fingers.

A good example would be the commonly used walk down from an open G chord, down to an Em. The passing chord between these two chords is normally a D/F# (D over F#). The easiest way to play this chord is to form an open D chord as normal, then wrap the thumb up on to the 2nd fret of the 6th string (F#). This method makes for a smooth transition.

2. Chord Formations – The thumb can also be used to assist in the formation of chords. Many chords are conducive to using the thumb. For example, a minor 7th chord could just as easily be played with the thumb.

Jimi Hendrix was known for making use of the thumb to form chords where most of us would use barre chords. Rather than “barring” the 1st finger across a fret to make a standard barre chord, he would often use his thumb to play the bass note, form the rest of the chord like normal, and then play the remaining notes as necessary with the first finger.

Try this next time you pick up the guitar. Play an A barre chord at the 5th fret. Now lift off your 1st finger that is making the “barre”. Then take your thumb and use it to play the A root note on the 5th fret of the 6th string. Finish by placing your 1st finger in the 5th fret of the 1st and 2nd strings. You are playing the same identical notes as the barre chord version, just with a different hand formation. Try this with minor barre chords as well. It can be a little liberating once you get used to it!

3. Muting – The thumb is a great tool to use for muting strings when strumming rhythm patterns. For example, an F chord in the open position is normally played using only the first four strings. It would be difficult to perform some aggressive strumming maneuvers without striking the 5th and 6th strings. Using the thumb to lightly mute these two strings will solve the problem. The same can be said for many open chords that do not use all six strings, such as the C, D and Am chords in the open position.

4. Added Pressure – There is a natural tendency when playing guitar to keep the thumb in a position that is wrapped over the top of the neck. There are times, however, when you may need some extra finger pressure on the strings to form a chord or play a lick. That extra pressure can often be found by bringing the thumb down to a position where the ball of the thumb is planted firmly on the middle of the back of the guitar neck. This increases the amount of pressure for the fingers and provides extra pivoting power.

In terms of conventional guitar instruction, this thumb placement position is often considered to be the accepted way to play guitar.

5. Playing Lead – There are some players who incorporate the thumb into playing lead runs and solos. It is really a matter of personal preference and what you get used to. I have never mastered this approach to playing leads but have seen other players use it effectively.

Regardless of your guitar playing style or approach, there are probably times when using your thumb when executing chords and licks might make good sense, and, make life a little easier. So when your fingers go out for a “dance” on the fret board, don’t forget to take the thumb along for the ride!

Keith Dean is founder of AdultGuitarLessons.com and a 30 veteran of stage and studio. He toured extensively as a road musician throughout the US and Europe, was a former lead guitarist for Jason Aldean, and has shared stages with Little Big Town, Wild Rose, Winger, Confederate Railroad and more. He is a published songwriter, owned and operated a successful music store, and has instructed numerous students in guitar. http://www.adultguitarlessons.com

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By Kevin Sinclair

You may find it frustrating when attempting to play chords and notes for the first time. When you are not accustomed to using your hands and fingers in this way, it will of course, take a while to adjust, and to build up the correct muscles and increase the suppleness in your hands and fingers. It is possible for your hands and fingers to feel a little stiff after your first practice session, especially if your first session was rather lengthy. However, it is imperative that you do not allow this to prevent you from continuing. Your fingers will become strong and agile in no time at all to enable you to tackle the most difficult riffs and licks.

Notes are very different to chords. When striking a note, only one single tone is produced from one string. When playing chords, then three or more notes are generally used in order to produce the tone. When a piano is played, only one key is pressed to produce a note. When a guitar is being played, then you need to push down one string onto the fret. Assuming that your guitar is tuned correctly, you can pick the low E-string without fretting, which will result in your playing the E note.

The frets of your guitar produce different notes, such as:

- Using the first fret with the E-string, will produce an F note,
- An F# (#means sharp) is produced when using the second fret,
- When using the third fret on the E-string, you will produce a G note, and
- By using the fourth fret you will produce a G#.

This is continued right up to the B note. It is important to note that there is no B# or E#.

Each specific note can be produced on a guitar in many different ways. It is always advised to learn how to read the tablature format, or guitar tab. The strings of the guitar are resembled in the tablature format, making it easier to learn and read. The guitar tab will point out to you which fingers should be used on which frets.

It is essential to begin with your thumb in order to hold your fretting hand in the correct position for playing notes. You should place the ball of your thumb flatly on the back of the guitar neck, as if you were attempting to create a thumbprint on it. Your other four fingers should then be curled around up and over the strings, ensuring that you are touching the top string lightly, which is the thickest string. Position them comfortably without allowing them to brush against the bottom string, which is the thinnest string. The position of your thumb can now be changed to make it more comfortable.

It is important that you do not place your fingers directly onto the fret when you are fretting. In order to push the string against the fret, you need to use your fingertip. However, ensure that you keep your finger slightly to the topside of the fret. This can be practiced by holding all four fingers on the topside and above the first four frets on the top string, otherwise known as the sixth string. The sixth string should then be picked, then your index finger should be lowered onto the fret, remembering to keep your finger just above it. Pick the string again and you will notice a clear difference in the sound that is produced. The other fingers should be used in a similar manner. You may find it difficult initially, but remember that with time, it will become easier.

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of MusicianHome.com, a site that provides information and articles for musicians at all stages of their development. http://www.musicianhome.com

By Daniel Lehrman

What is muscle memory and how does it work?

Is it the most challenging thing about learning to play the guitar and going from beginner to expert? Probably yes at least in the beginning.

In the world of guitars and related equipment, part of that learning process means memorizing how to use fingers, picks, and even pedals in a coordinated way to play a guitar and produce desirable sounds.

How does this memorizing phenomenon take place?

At first, you need to learn to concentrate or focus with great intensity on the subject, in this case music in order to make your fingers, hands, arms (and feet) move in just the right way.

What you’re learning is a precision oriented skill, that is, how to make the guitar perform the task (make music) properly.

Scientists have discovered that there are a large number of internal brain regions which work together with the input and output brain sensors that make the mental images of the music you see in your minds eye.

Using these images, we learn to interpret the input signals, process them, and turn them into output responses of a set pattern such as the study of musical patterns. The twelve bar blues is an excellent example.

After a while, the seeing-thinking-doing disciplines gradually turns into seeing and doing because your muscles start learning how to know and remember just what you are doing, so you actually have less thinking to do as your muscles start to do these patterns instinctively.

What is the goal? Increase your speed, and how to perform the skills drills more carefully and accurately. When you start to think less and do more by instinct you start to develop muscle memory.

Of course, during the drills and practice sessions, your muscles aren’t really memorizing anything (all memories are stored in your brain).

Instead, what you see with your eyes is interpreted instantly by your brain in the form of nerve signals and sends the signals to your muscles to make your fingers and hands move instinctively.

As I mentioned earlier, by making the same movements over and over in response to the same image/s such as your music lesson, the nerve to muscle connections gradually start to remember the pattern, that is, the transmission of the signals becomes more efficient and easier, and this is how the thinking part in the seeing-thinking-doing is gradually replaced by seeing and doing or by muscle memory.

And this is exactly what takes place when people spend time practicing certain exercises. At first, their body language tells you if the pupil is concentrating carefully while working hard to watch and learn.

Believe this, when you come back later (the next day) the same person is more relaxed and making the same precise movements, but now much faster! A miracle? No, hard work!

Note: As elementary as the concept of muscle memory seems to be, any skill requires development of muscle memory, surgeons have great muscle memory.

You would not want a surgeon that had never practiced an operation or procedure before cutting you open for the first time, would you? Hopefully that surgeon had a lot of practice in medical school first.

In the world of playing the guitar, muscle memory is especially important because it’s the combination of precision and speed that make players truly different. And muscle memory also let’s you turn your attention to the bigger picture, to go to the next step in the teachings being learned by eliminating a large part of the mental load.

But there’s a major prerequisite to learning the new skills and acquiring muscle memory, you must be practicing regularly, diligently and properly.

This means lots of observation and input right from the start from your teacher (an expert and your guidance), since beginners don’t always know enough about doing things properly and notice and correct their own mistakes! (If they could, they’d be experts.) What is worse is not practicing properly, you’ll learn to do things wrong and eventually you’ll need to forget those bad habits.

That’s why we say lots of practice produces the fastest way to move towards great playing ability. And this is where players who put the most time into practicing the proper techniques and scales over and over, outperform, outplay and continue to make gratifying gains in their playing skills over people who are not as aggressive about their discipline to become a top notch player.

Guitar Players Center is a site committed to distinguishing itself from the pack by providing our readers with real world unbiased, no holds barred guitar and gear reviews, articles and videos. For more information visit http://www.guitarplayerscenter.com/

By Kevin Sinclair

When you begin to study how to play the guitar, it’s not all about strumming chords. You have to learn which are the best songs to play on the guitar. As a beginner this can be quite a difficult task. Listed below are some simple tips to help you get to the stage of choosing the correct songs to play.

1. The time to select the songs to play comes after the fundamental skills of guitar playing have been mastered. It may sound very basic but you should be aware of how to hold the guitar correctly, tune the guitar up and strum a few chords prior to advancing to song playing on the guitar.

2. Practice makes perfect and the you need to go over and over all the chords shifting from one to another, continuously moving your fingers, encouraging flexibility within your hand movements.

3. Once you are familiar with the basic chords as well as some of the more complicated chords, a song can be chosen based on the knowledge you have gleaned so far.

4. So now you know the chords and you can move from one to the other without much difficulty, choose a song which only uses maybe two or three chords for the whole song.

5. The song selected should not be too fast, enabling you to easily follow the chords at the correct speed for the song. Starting with a slow song and progressing to faster tunes will prove to be less difficult as a beginner.

6. Songs with simple chords such as “Day Tripper” by the Beatles, “Daydream Believer” by The Monkees, “As Tears Go By” and “Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones are an ideal speed for beginners to learn to play songs on the guitar.

You should remember that as a beginner, patience is required to get to the stage of actually being able to play a song on the guitar. It will prove to be a great achievement when you reach this level, so start slowly, choose easy songs at first and this will make you less likely to feel frustrated with your learning process.

Once you have mastered the easier songs, you can then progress to harder ones to play. As you do this, you will be very pleased with your progress and continue to be motivated to learn. Remember that the guitar players that you idolize all took many years to learn their craft.

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of MusicianHome.com, a site that provides information and articles for musicians at all stages of their development. http://www.musicianhome.com