Introduction to Beginner’s Guitar

This book is aimed at the entry-level and developing guitarist. I wish to offer a series of lessons that help solve problems I faced as a beginner and developing guitarist. I have written the lessons in this book primarily as supplementary material for my students. I hope the book also assists others guitar students.

Understandably, the lessons in this book will cover some similar ground found in other instructional materials. However, the core of my teaching approach is to focus on relaxation (avoiding tension) while playing; breathing correctly; and developing freedom, a sense of space, and good musical phrasing in one’s playing.

While the book begins with lessons on finger-style nylon-sting acoustic guitar, it also covers electric guitar plectrum technique. I recommend that you start at chapter one and work your way through the book progressively, as early lessons will set you up for subsequent ones. All of the material in this book can be played on either type of guitar. However, I would recommend using an acoustic guitar for the first two sections of the book.

The book aims to help you develop as an independent guitarist capable of constructing musical ideas based on a sound understanding of melody, harmony, rhythm, music reading and theory. However, the book is a hands-on approach filled with many practical exercises and tunes, with elements of music theory introduced when necessary to support and clarify practical examples.

Where possible I have tried of provide fresh material not available in other guitar methods, but copyright restrictions

• Introduction to Beginner’s Guitar • finger-style > plectrum

Beginner’s Guitar Copyright 2012 Donald J Porter Fretted Music 1

force me also to use the general pool of public domain material.

I wish you the best in your musical journey as a budding guitarist, and trust my lessons assist you in that journey and offer you a fresh take on learning guitar.

This book is provided for download on:

www.fretted-music.com

Introduction to Beginner’s Guitar


http://www.fretted-music.com

http://www.fretted-music.com

Incorporating relaxation into your daily guitar routine is an important means of avoiding injuries caused by repetition and the build up of muscular tension.

Before you begin playing guitar it is wise to spend five minutes relaxing your muscles.

Start by sitting upright in your chair and close your eyes;

imagine that you are a puppet with an invisible string pulling the top of your head skywards;

allow yourself to rise from the waist up while planting your feet firmly on the floor pushing downwards from the waist;

drop your arms to your side and tell your neck muscles to relax;

feel them relaxing as your shoulders drop lower;

take a deep breath in and as you breathe out through your nose allow your shoulders to drop further;

repeat this action several times then;

relax your elbows;

relax your hands and;

relax your fingers to the tips.

Chapter one: Nylon-string acoustic guitar - relaxation and the right hand

The ability to relax is the most important aspect of guitar playing.


The right hand is an important early focus of any guitar method. The right hand is the plucking hand, which initiates sound and regulates the rhythm and flow of music. Guitarists often focus most of their attention on the left hand, or note-playing hand, while neglecting their right hand.

However, problems attributed to the left hand are often caused by poor right-hand technique. Stiffness in playing, the build-up of muscular tension, and the missing of notes by the left hand are often the direct result of a failure to relax and play freely with the right hand. The right hand causes problems between the hands because it is the regulating hand and because playing guitar is a matter of the coordination and syncronisation of the fingers between both hands.

Practise routine and warm up

Try to focus on your right hand, wrist and fingers remaining relaxed throughout playing. Practise sessions should be kept short with ample breaks between each session. I play for 20 minutes and take 10 minute breaks. A beginner should probably play for no more than 10 minutes a session. Stretching and exercising between breaks is a good idea.

Before you play, stand up and stretch. Shake your hands letting them become flabby and loose. Then shake your arms, elbows, shoulders, torso, hips, and legs. Other warming up and stretching exercises might be worth considering.*

*I do not provide recommendations as I do not work within the health and fitness industry nor do I know your physical condition or history. It is best to get the advice of your GP, fitness and other professionals to tailor a program to your specific needs.

Relaxation and the right hand

Playing with a relaxed right hand is key to your success as a guitarist.


Keeping your arm relaxed lift it and and lightly place your fingers over the top three strings over the sound hole (almost behind it).

The note names for the six open guitar strings are in descending order from the top of the fingerboard to the bottom, beginning on the lowest note to the highest in pitch: EADGBE. In the photo (above), the thumb nail is pictured on the bass (bottom) E while the index, middle and ring fingers are on the treble strings G, B, and E respectively.

The right hand


EADGBE

Every action on guitar involves a combination of pressure and release. After plucking the string the index finger releases towards the palm of your hand by bending at the top knuckle.

To execute a pluck, the top E, B, and G strings rest between the finger nail and the flesh of the finger tip.

The fingers apply a small amount of downward pressure on the strings before lifting towards the palm of the hand.

The right hand


Open strings

To read music you need to understand how notes look and where they are on a musical staff (represented by five lines and additional ledger lines for low and high notes below and above the staff.) The open string notes of the guitar from bass to treble are shown on the staff (below).

The staff is usually divided into bars with a time signature at the beginning of the music. The staff below is divided by a line into two bars with the time signature 4/4. The 4 above means there are four beats per bar. The 4 below means the note value of each beat is one quarter note or a crotchet.

The right hand


Walking the fingers

Exercise 1 shows only the top open E string at four beats per bar counted as 1 2 3 4. In this exercise, move your index (i) and middle (m) fingers at the top knuckle in a walking motion as you alternately play the indicated notes.

Exercise 2 uses i and m fingers on the adjacent strings E, B, G, D and return G,B,E.

The right hand


Exercise 3 uses i m on adjacent strings B E, G B, D G, A D, E A and in reverse order from low notes to high notes A E, D A etc.

As your fingers move across the guitar strings your forearm should follow at the same speed in a swinging motion, while your elbow remains rested on top of the guitar.

Exercise 4 - crossing strings. This exercise is in 3/4 time, so there are three beats per bar counted as 1 2 3. It is important

to place fingers on each string before releasing the note

The right hand


Exercise 5 - crossing strings, is similar but more challenging.

The thumb

The thumb usually plays bass notes but can also be used to play all six strings. Exercise 5 shows the thumb (p) alternating between bass strings A E, A D, and A E.

When playing a string you can use the flesh of your thumb or place the string between the thumb flesh and nail in similar fashion to the i and m fingers for a clearer sound. The thumb rotates counter clockwise in small circles between one note and the next.

The right hand


Exercise 6 combines p m i thumb and fingers. Play the thumb-finger patterns p i m i and then p m i m as indicated above the staff.

Exercise 7 uses the same notes as exercise 6 but adds the ring finger (a). Start by placing your thumb on the bottom note and your ring finger on the top note. Play slowly and deliberately.

Count 1 as you release p, 2 as you release a, 3 as you release m and 4 as you release i.

Try to place p on its next string straight after you release i, and place a just after you release p.

Open String Waltz

The right hand


This piece combines some of the right hand challenges practised to date but in a more tuneful or lyrical manner. Count the waltz 1 2 3 with greatest emphasis on the first beat, less on the second beat, and even less on the third.

Let the strings ring out and try to achieve a light bell-like sound. Experiment by playing some bars louder and others softer for effect. Each eighth bar has a longer dotted note which lasts for three beats.

The right hand


ArpeggiosExercise 8 introduces arpeggios. Arpeggios are the notes of a chord played one after another instead of together in the same beat. You will notice there are now more notes per bar. These notes are eighth notes or quavers. There are two quavers to a crotchet or two notes per beat in 3/4 time and they are counted: 1 + 2 + 3 +.

To do this exercise, first plant your p i m a fingers on the strings E G B and E. This is called a full plant. First release all the fingers together as a chord. Then release each finger separately to the count 1 + 2 +.

On the last two counts 3 + the m i fingers return to B and G. On the return journey back down an arpeggio a full plant cannot be used. Instead, use the same finger placement technique taught earlier in the chapter. That is, place the m finger on the B string as you release a, and place the i finger on the G string as you release m.

The right hand


Arpeggios and relaxation

Exercise 9 illustrates how arpeggio practise can help you relax your muscles and keep your right hand loose. This is a two bar arpeggio that keeps repeating. The double dots at the beginning and end of the bars are repeat signs.

The idea of this exercise is to play repeatedly in meditative fashion. It helps to plant the fingers i a on the last two notes of each first bar of the two-bar pattern. Otherwise just relax into it and let the fingernails lightly contact the strings.

Relaxation routine 1:Ensure your posture is correct and spine straight but comfortable. Take a deep breath in as you play the first bar up the strings, then exhale through your nose as you play back down them. Emphasise the first beats of each bar, being E and B.

The right hand


Relaxation routine 2:Actively think about relaxing the muscles down your back as you play as you continue exhaling and inhaling. Keep doing this throughout the exercise, incrementally relaxing further into arpeggios. Also relax your shoulder, arm and wrist muscles.

Do not over do the exercise. Stop and rest. If you notice tension building then stop altogether and come back to it another day.

Another helpful way of playing the arpeggio is to vocalise a rhythm such as da di da di da di da di da, remembering to stress the first beat of each bar.

There are at least three ways of stressing a beat: the first is to play the note a little louder; the second is to lengthen the first note slightly like so - daa di da di; the third is to play the note more softly.

The right hand


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Introduction to Beginner’s Guitar