How to play guitar
Playing the guitar can be very challenging especially for beginners. Hiring a one-on-one instructor can be expensive and sometimes may not have time to schedule guitar lessons. This however does not mean that one cannot still learn to play guitar. Thanks to the internet there are many sites offering simple lessons on how to play guitar which you can access in the comfort of your home. With the following steps you will be able to enjoy the experience of playing your guitar.
Step 1
First every player has to familiarize themselves with all the parts of a guitar namely: headstock, fret, tuners, nut, neck, sound hole, body, saddle and the bridge. To play guitar you have to know all their functions and how they contribute to producing great music. You also need to learn as many songs as you can to help train your ears to know how good music sounds. This will require you to constantly listen to music if you ever hope to become an intermediate guitar player.
It is important to find a good place to sit, an armless chair or stool is ideal. Make sure you don’t slouch as it will compromise your progress in learning how to play guitar. If you have long finger nail you will have to cut them short as they will hinder you from plucking the guitar strings.
Step 2
Take the guitar and hold it up with the neck facing the left side and always parallel to the floor; this is assuming you are right-handed. If you are left handed get a left handed guitar and do everything in the opposite. To play guitar, the back of the guitar, that is, the part without strings has to be facing towards you in contact with your stomach and chest resting on one of your legs.
Now with your left hand lightly clasp the neck of the guitar with your thumb resting behind the neck. Make sure your fingers curl at the knuckles unless instructed otherwise. Your thumb will be resting behind the neck of the guitar while the rest of your fingers press on the strings, hence the reason why they call the left hand the “fretting hand”.
Step 3
To play guitar, your right hand will be your strumming and/or plucking hand as you will use it to pluck the strings. You can either use your hand or a pick to pluck the strings. Pluck the first string closest to the ceiling on the guitar. This is the E-string which is the thickest of all the strings on the guitar. Pluck the n the rest of the strings A, D, B and lastly the thinnest string which also happens to be called the E-string too. You will notice its higher in pitch if you don’t, do it all over again until you notice it.
Tips
Now using a pick, preferably the medium gauge pick, you have to play guitar by alternate between stroking the strings upwards then downwards. This will depend on the instructions given by the song you want to play.
