music4evr511 asked:


I’ve had an acoustic guitar for years, but I never got around to learning how to play. I’ve tried books, but they didn’t work for me. I especially want to learn how to play “make up smeared eyes’ by automatic loveletter. What’s the best or easiest way to start playing the guitar? any tips? thanks!

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Kimmie asked:


I have absolutley no experience with playing guitars. but I would love to learn. I mean like an acoustic guitar.
I don’t even own one, but theres a used guitar store down the street from my house and I’m thinking about buying one. I don’t have enough money to pay for lessons so I’m going to teach myself.
is it possible to learn to play on my own?

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kpchang2 asked:

Let me teach you how to play rockin’ music on the acoustic guitar. PS This is meant as a JOKE….. it’s not really meant to teach anyone!!!!!

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Mike P Hayes asked:




Cat Stevens songs are a favorite among guitar players of all ages. It’s hard to imagine a party or campfire sing along without a couple of Cat Stevens songs being played on acoustic guitar.

With songs like Father and Son, Moonshadow, Morning Has Broken, Peace Train … in your repertoire you simply cannot go wrong.

Cat Stevens are popular for number of very important reasons: 1. the melodies are easy for the public to remember / 2. the guitar chords are not very has to play and most importantly. / 3. Cat Stevens songs sound good with a solo acoustic guitar.

In recent times, studio effects have become a part of the overall finished product. The end result is that while a particular music production may sound interesting and be visually stimulating while watching the video clip it is extremely difficult to re- create that piece of music without and enormous amount of lighting, amplification, audio effects etc.

The original role of the recording studio was to capture the event, since 1957 however in many cases the studio has tried to “create the event”, by adding studio effect such as reverb, echo, distortion in an effort to make the piece of music more interesting.

The problem with this approach of trying to “create the musical audio event” is similar to watching a movie that has been created primarily to “showcase” or “showoff” the latest visual effect … the problem is often a weak story line.

Cat Stevens songs do not require anything more that an acoustic guitar, that is because Cat’s songs are structurally strong and stand up without any electronic props or tricks. That’s the acid test of a good song … does it stand up on it’s own merits?

Only a small number of artists like, The Eagles, Creedence, Cat Stevens etc, have the craftsmanship to write sound material that sounds great with one guitar.

Here’s three tips to help you play Cat Stevens songs:

Tip 1. Learn to recognize musical intervals

Musical intervals measure the distance from on note to the next, just as a builder must have a system of measurement to measure the length, width and height of their building materials a musician must be able to recognize the “sound” of an interval.

Listen to the introduction of “Peace Train” for a good example of the interval of a sixth. On the first hearing it may appear that only one single note is being played, subsequent listening sessions will reveal that a harmony note is being played also.

When you listen to “Peace Train” the first notes you will hear are: C – D – E – E – D – C , these notes are played on the second string of the guitar, a second note is played beneath each of these melody notes.

The harmony notes; E – F – G – G – F – E are played on the forth string. It’s a good idea to play the introduction with you right hand fingers (for right handed players).

If we measure the distance from the low harmony note (E) played on the fourth string to the melody note (C) played on the second string we will discover the distance is six E=1, F=2, G=3, A=4, B=5, C=6, hence the naming of the musical interval.

Tip 2. Understand how relative minor chords function

Each major chord has an related minor chord that represents the opposite musical effect, for example if we say that the major chord represents = bright then it’s relative minor chord would represent= dark.

Further examples:

major chord = happy / minor chord = sad // major chord = male / minor chord = female.

Musical examples: C major = A minor / G major = E minor / D major = B minor / A major = F# minor / E major = C# minor etc

Cat Stevens often substitutes the relative minor chord in place of the major to develop his musical story. Listen to “Father and Son” notice how he changes the second chord in each verse.

Verse 1: G to D/F# verse 2: G to Bm (relative minor to D major) verse 3: G to D major.

Tip 3. Learn to read music standard music notation

Although many artists do not read music if you wish to play a variety of music being able to read standard music will help to research and understand where many of the popular artists get some of the material from.

For example, Cat Stevens popular hit “Morning Has Broken” was originally a traditional Gaelic melody by Mary MacDonald written in 1880.When it was translated into English by Lachlan Macbean in the 1888 book “Songs and Hymns of the Gael”, the translator gave the melody the name “Bunessan”.

Cat Stevens understands that a song is a 3 minute story and Cat knows how to tell that story.

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Ricky Sharples asked:




For many guitar students DVDs are the ideal way to learn to play guitar. DVDs make more noise and hold the attention better than books, plus they are easier to store. But in general, most people who want to learn to play the guitar would prefer a video of their teacher showing them how to play. Plus the kind of graphics available on DVDs are much more guitar newbie-friendly when it comes to learning chords or tabs. There are many DVDs out there that say they will teach you guitar but I prefer two that have actually been around for a few years, and I thought I would share them with you.

“Fender Presents: Getting Started on Acoustic Guitar – A Guide for Beginners” is more of a major work for any student who feels that he wants to take his guitar playing to the limit. The DVD is complete with backing tracks using real instruments instead of MIDI so you can get the feeling of playing along with a band, and 3D graphics are made good use of in the section that takes you through the basics of which string is which and learning to play basic chords.

Once you have moved out of the beginner stage the DVD takes you through soloing techniques, using a capo and some fingerstyle playing. The teacher, Keith Wyatt knows what he needs to do to explain how to play guitar in a clear, easily understood manner. This DVD id for the ambitious acoustic guitar student who does not want to have to buy another DVD after learning the basics.

“Fender Presents: Getting Started on Electric Guitar – A Guide for Beginners” is of the same quality as its acoustic guitar counterpart. The attention to detail and the sense that I, as a guitar learner, am important stand out as the DVD helps you learn to play guitar. The section dealing with teaching you to become an electric guitarist teaches muting, arpeggios, string bending, solo playing, the differences between country, rock and blues, plus the care of your guitar and amp.

The Fender DVDs offer the ultimate solution if you want to learn to play guitar, and have a lot to offer the newbie who wants to learn to play guitar on DVD but wants to do it in baby steps.

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Kristyy asked:


i rele want to learn how to play guitr i have a acoustic guitar is there any techniques of learning how to play without getting an instructor?

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Mark Chapman asked:




The top of the guitar consists of a slim neck and the “headstock”. The headstock’s main function is to hold the guitar strings. The headstock is placed at the end of the guitar and is farthest from your body.

The headstock consists of tuners that allow you to change the pitch of your guitar strings. At the bottom of the headstock is the “nut”. A nut is a piece of material where there are grooves carved out. These grooves guide the strings to the tuners.

The nut is usually made of plastic, bone, brass, stainless steel, graphite or other material. The nut is found where the fret board meets the headstock. A fret board or fingerboard is wood that is embedded with the metal “frets” that make up the top of the neck.

The guitar neck will be the focal point as you begin to learn how to play the instrument. The neck joint or “heel” is where the neck is glued or bolted to the guitar body. The majority of acoustic guitars have necks that are glued while the majority of electric guitars have glued and bolted necks. Your fingers will be placed on different parts of the neck and this will create various notes. Solid body electric guitars have a neck through body construction.

These types of necks are built so the head down through the bridge is on the same piece of wood. Next there is the body of the guitar. The body of a guitar will be different depending on what type of guitar you use. In an acoustic guitar the body of the instrument determines the quality of the sound. The vibration of the strings is passed through the bridge and saddle through a sound board. A sound board is usually made of spruce or cedar and is about 3mm thick.

There is a sound hole in the body of the acoustic guitar. The sound hole is designed to project the sound of the instrument. The sound hole is typically a round hole on the front of the guitar, under the strings. The sound of the guitar is projected through the sound hole. The air inside the body of the guitar vibrates as the guitar body and top is vibrated by the instrument’s strings.

Guitar strings go from the pegs on the headstock and over the nut. They then go down the neck and over the body and then over the sound hole or pickups. The strings are then anchored to a “bridge”. A normal guitar has six strings. These strings are all different sizes and represent different notes. You can check the resource box at the end of this article to actually see graphic representations of the structure of a guitar.

The bottom string is usually the skinniest and has the highest sound. It is an E note. The bottom string is also known as the first string. The second string is a little thicker than the first string and is the B note. The third string is G, the fourth string is D, the fifth string is A, and the final, sixth string is an E, just like the first string. This sixth string is the thickest string of the set. It has the lowest sound and is the one that is closest to you. If the guitar is tuned correctly, the first string and the sixth string should give you the same note but in different pitches. If you want to memorize the string position and values you can use a mnemonic devise such as Eat All Day Get Big Easy.

Frets are strips of metal that cut the guitar in sections from top to bottom. The combination of strings and frets form a grid. This grid covers the guitar neck. If you put your finger in between two frets, this allows you to play a note. The higher you place your finger on the fret; the notes will have a higher sound.

In our next article we will get into more aspects of this online course on How To Learn To Play The Guitar, particularly, we will cover how to play acoustic guitar.

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Rich Matthews asked:




With the increased pressure to “go electric,” many artists who played the guitar at the height of the Rock n Roll movement switched their acoustic instruments to electric versions. Unlike bass guitars, which can often be converted into electric basses, a purely electric guitar will not produce melodic sounds without the help of an amplifier which carries the tune produced through an electronic current. Electric guitars also allow the player to partially manipulate the sound coming to the amplifier through equalizing, distorting, and other methods.

If you want to teach yourself the electric guitar, you are going to first have to choose which type you want to play. Many versions exist and it is up to you to decide which one fits your style or how much dedication you really want to put into your practice. If you want to learn using classical pedagogy, lessons will probably be essential. Choosing this route will allow you to choose a five-, six-, seven-, or even twelve-stringed instrument. Similar to a regular bass or acoustic guitar, the electric guitar comes in various styles with different string options.

If you are learning to play an electric guitar from a professional instructor, then you will learn using the classical method, where learning the exact difference between notes, chords, and octaves is essential. This will allow you to read sheet music, even if you have never heard the music before. While this is a slower process, the foundation you are laying for future guitar success is greater because you will have already mastered reading music. Many guitar enthusiasts, who simply want to learn the electric version for fun almost never choose to learn to read music. Instead, they generally learn the four-stringed electronic guitar in chords, which allows them to “play by ear”. A four-stringed instrument is made up of regular note progressions, and switching in and out of different chords as well as training your left hand to switch and hold a chord in a certain fret as you strum in rhythm to the song of your choice is a lot easier.

The electric guitar is a great choice for those who want to play rock and roll, jazz, blues, and even modern versions of classical or contemporary music. If you haven’t bought an electric guitar yet, then you’ll have to consider what version you’d like. Some models have hollow bodies, while others are solid in their make up. A hollow-bodied guitar uses its inner cavity to bounce the sound around before it is emitted for amplification. This allows the resonation to be greater. A regular solid electric guitar emits the sound without any sort of resonation before it hits the amplifier.

Learning to play the electric guitar is as fun as learning to play a regular bass guitar. For those wanting to learn the fundamentals of guitar playing then an instructor might be the best option. But, if you simply want to learn for fun, practice using a four-stringed instrument by learning to play in chords and strum according to what you hear. This method is not only reserved for those who might be gifted in music, but for anyone who has patience, dedication, and a little time everyday to practice.

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