Let’s go all the way back to the basics of guitars and guitar playing, since there’s a fair number of beginners reading this blog. Today’s post comes from Stephanie.

The guitar has been a very popular instrument for decades. More and more people seek to learn the guitar every day. Are you interested in learning the guitar? Don’t know about guitars? Here are some basic things to know:

guitars

Types Of Guitars

The two main types of guitars are acoustic and electric. Basically, an acoustic guitar can be played without any electrical device and an electric guitar needs to be plugged into an amplifier (a large speaker) to be able to make a very loud sound. But sometimes, even an acoustic guitar needs the help of a microphone when playing for a large audience. Some acoustic guitars can be plugged into an amplifier.

There are also a difference between a regular guitar and a bass guitar. A regular guitar has six strings, whereas a base guitar has four strings. Why does a bass guitar have fewer strings than a regular guitar? A bass guitar’s strings are patterned after the upright base, which is like an oversized cello. Bass guitars are always electric (well, mostly).

Parts Of A Guitar

The body of the guitar is the main wooden part. The neck is the part that extends outward. The fingerboard runs along the neck and has the strings laid along it. The fingerboard also has metal strips called frets, which guide your fingers when you press on the strings to play. At the tip of the neck is the headstock, which has pegs for tuning the strings. To strum a guitar, you usually use a triangle-shaped guitar pick.

When holding the guitar, you either need to sit down and support it with your legs or stand up and use a shoulder strap. To play a guitar, wrap your left fingers around the neck close to the headstock and use your right hand to strum it with the pick.

Tuning A Guitar

To tune a guitar, you need to know a little bit about musical notes. Just in case you don’t know, musical notes follow the letters A-G and start over again but on a higher octave. The letters get progressively higher-sounding—for instance, a B is higher-sounding than an A. The strings on a regular guitar need to be tuned the notes E, A, D, G, B, and a higher E. The strings on a bass guitar need to be tuned to the notes E, A, D, and G. You can tune the guitar using a keyboard (by ear) or with an electric tuner.

Playing The Guitar

The basic way to play a guitar is to play chords. A chord is a group of notes played together at once. The easiest chord on the guitar is an open chord, when you’re not pressing down on any of the strings. There are different kinds of chord combinations, and you can find chord charts on the internet or at a local music store.

Be aware that as you start playing the guitar, your fingers will get very dented by the strings, which will hurt. If you’re serious about playing the guitar, you’ll need to be patient while your fingertips build calluses so they’re tough enough to push down on the strings.

To learn more about playing the guitar, you can search the internet, ask a friend, or ask questions at a local music store.

Stephanie Frasco really enjoys writing and one of her favorite things to write about are different hobbies. She finds inspiration for her hobbies at myreviewsnow.net.