Fig 01 // Structural Posture and Arm Alignment Map
First of all, we must forget everything we’ve ever thought about how complicated playing music is. I compare it to ‘math anxiety’. Many people fear music and think that it takes a genius to be a good musician. To be a master it might take a genius, but to play songs on the guitar, sound good and have a great time is only a lesson or two away!
I have been playing piano, guitar, bass, and some drum patterns. I have taught many friends and family members how to get started playing songs on the guitar practically overnight. When you are dedicated enough and passionate about learning the guitar, it comes a lot easier than you may think. A friend is also excelling at the guitar and the bass guitar since I’ve shown her a few methods and tricks. I hope this gives you the kick start you need to get started rockin’ and rollin’! Enjoy.
Grab your guitar! I am assuming that prior to reading this you have a pretty good idea of how to hold a guitar and pluck the strings either with your finger(s) or with a guitar ‘pick’. If not, here’s the rundown: (For Lefties, do everything opposite, i.e., left upper thigh, etc.)
Playing guitar for hours can strain your back if you do not maintain an upright posture. Pick up your guitar and place the back of the guitar against your stomach. If you are right-handed, the guitar neck should be pointing towards your left. Rest the guitar body on your right upper thigh.
Now place your left hand around the guitar neck and place your right arm around the body so that your hand is lying by the strings. Adjust your body positioning so that you are completely comfortable.
If you're left handed, don't worry. You have two options here. The first option is to buy a right-handed guitar and re-string it, so that the order of the strings is reversed. The second option you have is to buy a left-handed guitar. If you're right handed, you will use your left hand to construct chords.
The left hand fingers are bent and pressing down on the strings on the fretboard. The back of the neck is curved, so that your hand molds into the shape of the neck. Your thumb is arching over the top of the neck. This is a common thumb position for constructing chords.
It is also ok to press your thumb into the back of the guitar neck when constructing chords, although this is more common when playing scales. Try out both thumb positions and use the one that is most comfortable for you.
This is the hand that you will use to "strum" the strings to make the different chord sounds. Rest your right arm over the guitar. Your right bicep should be resting on the top of the body of the guitar. Your hand should be positioned directly above the sound hole in the guitar. This is where the sound is produced.
You should grasp the pick between your thumb and forefinger of your right hand. Traditional methods emphasize long, tedious paths, but we are here to jump right into active execution to learn the guitar overnight! That leads us directly to the core shorthand utility...
This system allows you to get propelled into playing songs and ‘riffs’ on the guitar almost immediately! Guitar Tab is a universal language among musicians and even professionals use it as a reference. After this lesson, you will be able to Google the Guitar Tab for pretty much any song that you want and be playing the melody line or main riff within minutes!
It is an alternative way of reading music. Instead of reading notes on staff paper which can be quite tricky, it is made up of a number system that makes execution simple.
The blueprint layout tracks 6 lines. These 6 lines represent the 6 strings on your guitar. The Top Line represents the thinnest or ‘highest pitched’ string on your guitar—the string closest to the floor. The bottom Line represents the lowest sounding string on the guitar, which is the thickest and closest to the ceiling.
Frets are the metal strips that go up and down across the fingerboard. They separate the notes on the guitar. When you place your left hand finger in between two frets and hold down the string, you shorten it, making the pitch higher and changing the note. Moving to the right increases the pitch. Normally, dots on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 12th frets act as markers.
Music and TAB are read from left to right. The numbers represent the frets, and a 0 means to strike the string wide open. This classic riff is played entirely on your lowest, thickest string.
This melody requires switching between your lowest string and the second string right above it. Pay attention to the rhythm pauses in the melody!
This classic pattern runs through three full strings. It serves as a fantastic finger coordination and strengthening exercise.
You have successfully parsed and executed your first overnight guitar configuration workshop! You can read tabs, handle posture alignment, and play through basic musical structures. Click the action link at the top of the window to continue to Lesson 2 for structural open chords.