[Jess20]

Originally Posted by Spyder F16

The White dots to me are references to different frets on the fretboard. the dots usually are in this order on a standard guitar.

3/5/7/9/12/15/17/19/21

It makes things easier when playing songs, as you can easily get a reference on where you are at on the fretboard.



As far as tuning, I'd say invest the few bucks in a QuikTune or a similiar tuner from a local music shop, they'll make sure you're better in tune. When trying to use the online tuner, you have to tune by ear, and if you are not acustomed to matching pitch, you will be either sharp or flat when you tune the note, but cannot tell. With a tuner, it eliminates most of the error.



As far as reading standard sheet music, I'd reccommend getting a Hal-Leonard book for basic guitar lessons, It does give lessons on what notes on the fretboard are equivalent to what note on the music. I myself only tend to read full sheet music for vocals only. For guitar I tend to use the TAB system, which is a representation of the guitar fretboard and strings with fret positions (Lower strings are on the bottom of the TAB, Higher pitches up higher) (And what order to hit them in too, it's read left to right). For example, for Metallica's "Nothing Else Matter's" you would do this:
[code]E-------0-----|-------0-----|-------0-----|-------0---7-|
B-----0---0---|-----0---0---|-----0---0---|-----0---0---|
G---0-------0-|---0-------0-|---0-------0-|---0---------|
D-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
A-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
E-0-----------|-0-----------|-0-----------|-0-----------| [/code]

So those circles on the lines, do i play those all at once in one fret, or do i play them seperate. if that makes sense. those five circles in that first fret i play all together? i was gonna go get lessons but i have no idea how much they vary to...im very broke right now, and i just want to learn the basics of playing the guitar and the basic notes, and how to read them...because on one site, it showed what you have above, but instead with numbers on the lines. so i was trying to figure out if that meant first fret then, second fret to the third fret....because it didnt really explain what everything meant. so i went through all the possible ways it might sound. it also had a sound bite on what it should sound like. but thanks for the help. i need it!