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What is music

Set up

Tuning

Practice routine

Sore fingertips

Strings

Tension

Barre chords

Fingers too big/too small

Picks

Should I start with electric or acoustic?

I'm left-handed but should I play right-handed?

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What is music?

First things first, as the guitar is a musical instrument it's a good idea to know at least some basics of music. This knowledge will help you come up with your own licks and chord progressions which sound good or transcribe your favourite recordings. Read an introduction to music here.

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Set up

It is essential that your guitar is set up properly. A set-up is where adjustments are made to various parts of the guitar (truss rod, bridge, nut, etc) that allow it to play and sound its best. While many of these adjustments can be learned without too much difficulty, in the first instance it’s probably best to have an experienced guitar tech do it for you. Prices vary but will probably be in the region of $US50-60.

One of the most important reasons for having a set up done is to obtain the best possible action for your guitar. The action refers to the distance the strings are from the fretboard. If the action is high it is more difficult to press down the strings. This makes it difficult to achieve a clean sound when playing chords and it can also place stress on the fingers, shoulder, etc making the guitar more difficult to play. On the other hand if the action is too low the strings when plucked will come into contact with the fretboard causing an unpleasant ‘buzzing’ sound.

If your guitar was passed on to you by someone who may not have used it regularly it’s a good idea to have it set-up properly. Most new guitars should be set up by the shop before being sold but some stores, especially the larger chains, don’t do this as standard - so even a new guitar can need a set-up. If you ask nicely the guitar tech might talk you through it so you have an idea of what to do in future.

Read more about guitar set up in our tech forums

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Tuning

The first thing you should do every time you pick up your guitar is check the tuning. You might think that once you tune your guitar it will stay in tune for a while, but it doesn’t take much for a string to detune slightly. New strings tend to stretch a lot which affects the tuning, bending the strings can affect it, even a slight change in temperature can knock out the tuning.
One thing it’s important to do when you start tuning is to ‘switch your ear on’ and actively listen to the intervals between each string. Relative tuning is an important skill to learn. It’s not absolutely essential for a guitar to be at concert pitch, (as long as you’re not playing with other instruments); if the strings are in tune relative to each other then it will still sound good.
A good exercise is to tune the sixth string, the thickest string, to E using a tuner. Once this is in tune proceed to tune the rest of the strings by ear using relative tuning which works as follows:-

Tune the open fifth string (A) to the note made by playing the fifth fret of the sixth string.
Tune the open fourth string (D) to the note made by playing the fifth fret of the fifth string.
Tune the open third string (G) to the note made by playing the fifth fret of the fourth string.
Tune the open second string (B) to the note made by playing the fourth fret of the third string.
Tune the open first string (E) to the note made by playing the fifth fret of the second string.

Once you feel you have the strings tuned relative to each other (it will probably take a couple of passes through the strings), check how close you were by using a tuner. You may find that when you first start this method your attempts to tune by ear are quite a bit out. This is perfectly normal and will improve with practice. Soon you will be able to hear instantly when your, or anyone else's, guitar is or isn’t in tune.

To read more about tuning and access the site’s online tuner click here.

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Practice routine

You may find it helpful to develop a warm-up routine when you pick up the guitar. Before you pick up the guitar to play, gently stretch the fingers on both hands and roll the wrists, elbows and shoulders a little. When you then start to play, run some scales to stretch and warm up the fingers. Some good stretching exercises can be found here and here.

It’s useful to have some structure to a practice routine. Here are some ideas you might find useful:-

• Play some scales, arpeggios or licks you already know, incorporate some new ones, try some that you know in different parts of the fretboard.

• Practise old and new chords. For chords that you already know, learn different positions for them on the fretboard. Practise rhythm playing, strumming, timing, etc. Play progressions that use a mixture of open and barre chords (Hotel California is a good example). Here is a good lesson on changing between chords.

• Practise techniques such as bends, vibrato, harmonics, tapping, muting, etc

• Improvise and record yourself over a backing track (Some Backing Tracks can be found here). Listen to previous recordings and listen for the parts that sound good and the parts that don’t. Try to understand why they sound good i.e. what intervals were you playing? Which notes over which chords?

• Train your ear and practise some theory, try to work out some solos and chord progressions from your favourite songs (some useful theory information can be found here and here).

After practising though, make sure you leave time to actually play the guitar. This would be unstructured time where you noodle about, play your favourite pieces and basically just have great fun. This is, after all, the reason we pick up the instrument in the first place.

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Sore fingertips

As you’ve probably already experienced, learning to play guitar can cause some discomfort in the fingertips of the fretting hand. This is quite normal. The best way to deal with it is to keep playing. Regular playing in these initial stages will cause calluses to form on the fingertips. Once these have formed, probably after about two weeks or so of regular playing, the pain will stop. However if you find that blisters are forming instead of calluses then you’ve overdone it. Let your fingers rest for a while. In these early stages it’s a good idea to have regular breaks e.g. every half-an-hour or so.

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Strings

Another way to help with reducing finger pain in the early stages is to look at changing strings. Steel strings come in different gauges or thicknesses. Thinner strings will cause less discomfort in the fingertips and are easier to bend. The down side is they don’t have the same level of sustain and tone as thicker strings. However it is probably a worthwhile trade-off until the fingers have toughened up. Start off on Light or Extra-Light strings and then move up to Medium or more once you are more experienced.

Note well, changing to strings of a DIFFERENT gauge might require slight adjustments to be made to your guitar. Heavier strings could raise the action and lighter strings may lower it. This can usually be overcome by adjusting the truss rod. Check out the tech forum for more details.

Nylon strings are naturally easier on the fingertips but obviously they produce an entirely different sound than steel strings. Although the thicker nylon strings look like they are steel they are actually a nylon core wrapped in steel. It is not a good idea to put steel strings on a guitar built for nylon strings. The extra tension required to get the steel strings up to tune will probably cause serious damage to the guitar.

Owning a particular type of guitar shouldn’t restrict you to playing a particular style of music. You can certainly play classical pieces on a steel string guitar just as you can play pop/folk music on a nylon. If you want to specialise in a particular style then buy the most appropriate guitar, but if you just want an all-round guitar then either a nylon or steel string will do fine, go with what sounds best to you.

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Tension

Tension is the enemy of a guitar player and yet it can be very common. The earlier you eliminate it from your playing the better. Before you can eliminate it though, you have to be aware of it. Some common areas where tension might occur are in the shoulder of the arm used when strumming, the wrist of the picking hand, grabbing the neck too hard with the fretting hand (especially when using barre chords), in the neck and upper back (especially if you slouch over the top of the guitar).

Play in your normal fashion and try to be aware of any tension occurring. If there is then slow down, relax that area, adjust your posture if necessary. When you have eliminated the tension then try to increase your playing speed back to normal without re-introducing tension.
The classical position for playing guitar was refined over many years to provide the basis for comfort, good technique and ergonomics. Adopting this or a similar position will help reduce tension. Here are some ideas on posture that may also help:-

• Try not to slouch over the guitar. This can be difficult in the early stages as many people like to look at what their hands are doing. This can lead to sore neck/upper back.

• Try not to ‘tilt’ the bottom of the guitar towards you to provide a better view of the strings. This can cause problems for the wrist of the fretting hand and can make some stretches difficult.

• You may find it helpful to hold the guitar at an angle i.e. raise the neck and have the headstock point towards the ceiling. One common way to do this is to rest the leg on a footstool which will automatically raise the neck to a different angle. This can provide a better view of the fretboard, can allow for easier stretching in the fretting hand and can lead to better wrist position. Experiment to find an angle that suits you.

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Barre chords

Barre chord are a huge stumbling block for probably everyone who has ever picked up the instrument. It is well worth persevering with them though as they are very useful; like almost anything they will improve with practice. They are harder to play near the nut of the guitar so when you first start to practise them, try starting off around the 5th fret or so. Pay close attention to the position of the thumb on the back of the neck. Try to get it directly behind the index finger as this will help you to achieve cleaner sounding chords.

As you become more comfortable with them move gradually closer to the nut. Practise songs that have a good mixture of open and barre chords. Hotel California is a good example. Also take songs that you have always played using open chords and play them strictly with barre chords. For more hints and tips on how to play barre chords read this and this. For details on strumming read this

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Fingers too big/too small

This is another common complaint when people first take up the guitar. On occasions it feels like the fingers are too big for the instrument as they can unintentionally mute adjacent strings. Other times they can feel too small e.g. you may find yourself really stretching to form certain chords and in some cases you may find it impossible initially.

The good news is that with regular practise these problems are normally quickly solved. As you practise chord shapes you will find muscle memory will gradually set in. Your muscles will automatically ‘remember’ the exact position they have to be in to form a certain chord without catching any of the other strings by accident. This is one of the reasons why, when you practise, accuracy is more important than speed.

If you still don’t believe your fingers can get to grips with the fretboard then check out this guy. If he can get his big fingers to coax some great sounds out of his ukulele, which is much smaller than a guitar remember, then you’ll almost certainly be able to get to grips with a guitar. However if, after regular practise you still feel that you’re struggling then you have a few options available.

You could try a different guitar. If you didn’t already know, guitars come in various different sizes. Dreadnoughts and Jumbos are guitars with a large body size which you may feel more comfortable with or you could try some smaller bodied guitar such as a folk, ‘0’ or ‘00’ body size. There are also ¾ sized guitars available.

Some guitars come with a wider nut than standard which would provide more room to fit the fingers on the fretboard. Classical guitars have probably the widest fretboard of all.

If you find yourself unable to stretch for certain chords then you could try learning alternate fingerings for them. For example the ‘A’ chord is normally shown in books to be fingered with the index, middle and ring finger. Many people find this to be a squeeze and so finger it using middle, index and pinky instead. Others finger it using just the index finger as a barre. You can read more about alternate fingerings here.

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Picks

It's hard to believe these small pieces of plastic can generate so much discussion isn't it? Here's some basics to get you started.

Thankfully picks are one of the few guitar-related accesories that aren't expensive. Which is just as well because, in the early days of learning, you'll probably lose quite a lot, mostly into the soundhole. Experiment with them and find a shape and thickness (and colour ) that you like.

Obviously people's preferences can differ greatly but a general rule of thumb is that thinner gauge picks are better for strumming and thicker picks are better for high-speed picking.

For best results it is recommended that you hold the pick between index and thumb and only allow a small amount of pick, just a few mm, to protrude.

It's very common to keep losing control and to drop the pick when just starting out beginning to use them. It's important not to lose heart and to keep using them. This exercise may be useful. Your control will gradually increase and, as it does, so too will your speed. Some people like to improve their grip on the pick by punching a hole through them, lightly sanding them, etc.

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Should I start with electric or acoustic?

It is often said that it is more difficult to learn on an acoustic than on an electric. This may be a factor in your decision. However the most important factor is probably the style and type of music that you want to play. If you're a rock/metal/blues fan then you probably won't be satisfied with an acoustic and vice versa. Another factor you might need to consider is cost. If you're buying an electric you will also need an amp and possibly some effects pedals into the bargain.

When all is said and done you are more likely to stick with the instrument if you can play the styles of music you most enjoy. Buy the kind of guitar that allows you to do just that (if you can't decide then buy one of each ).

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I'm left-handed but should I play right-handed?

Unfortunately there's probably no definitive answer to this question I'm afraid. Some people say learn left handed as that feels most natural, other people say that, as both hands are weak and untrained when starting out, then it's just as easy to learn right-handed. As the old saying goes 'You don't get left-handed pianos'. You do, however, get left-handed guitars. The trade-off is that there is a lack of choice and they are more expensive. Probably the best advice is to visit a gutar store and try both left and right handed guitars and base your choice on that.

If you do decide to play left-handed then do yourself a favour and buy a left-handed guitar. Although it's possible to re-string a right handed guitar, for best results you will also need to change at least the nut and bridge also.