Guitar Mastery Simplified: How Anyone Can Quickly Become a Strumming, Chords, and Lead Guitar Ninja Read online

  FINGERTIPS!!! This is THE #1 rule for ALL beginner guitar players. For the fretting-hand, play on your fingertips! Playing on the “pads” of your fingers, is bad practice and will make for sloppy playing and all sorts of frustration later down the road.

  A good rule of thumb to remember is: ALWAYS keep your top knuckle of the fretting-hand curved. The more, the better as a hard, fast rule. The only exception to this is if you are doing bar chords or double-stops.

  Click here to receive free videos on right and left hand techniques and exercises that will quickly boost your guitar playing ability.

  How to Play Guitar Tablature – Part 1

  Guitar tablature is a system of notation that graphically represents music by showing you the strings and frets that are to be played. It also can show some degree of “feel” or technique with slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, slurs, vibrato, etc.

  Since tablature is somewhat of a shortcut system there are not a lot of official rules to this notation. In fact, transcriptions vary from tab to tab as one transcriber may illustrate something differently than another.

  That being said, I’m going to try to be as thorough as possible regarding the subject so that you have a good grasp of how to interpret it. A note is represented by placing a number (which indicates the fret to play), on the appropriate string.

  One thing that tablature does not illustrate is the duration of notes. It does not tell you how long a note should be held out. Sometimes tab transcribers will specifically put longer spaces between notes on the line to denote duration, but it’s not quantifiable; it is simply a basic idea.

  That being said, most people don’t use tablature unless it’s a song that they already know and can hum, so that part becomes less of an issue, except with more intricate parts.

  Also, even though tablature has been around for centuries, some of the techniques used by rock/pop guitar players are fairly new. Here’s some free tablature paper that is on my website.

  In tablature, each line represents a string on the guitar. The thickest string is the bottom line and the thinnest string is the top line. So basically, it’s the opposite of the way that you think it might be. One way to remember this is to think of the higher lines as the higher pitched strings and the lower lines as the lower pitched strings.

  The numbers placed on those lines represent the frets, NOT which finger is used. Tablature does NOT tell you what fingers to use. That is where a good guitar instructor or proper technique comes in handy!

  When numbers are placed vertically like below, you will play them like a chord (all at once), as in a strum.

  Below is a G major chord. (By the way, tablature notation is typically plain black and white - I’ve merely added the red to help you zero in on what I’m referring to)

  Part 2 of this section can be found later in the book. For now, you will only need to understand the principles in Part 1.

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  Dexterity

  “Getting your fingers to do what you want them to do...”

  According to Webster's dictionary, dexterity is, “the readiness and grace in physical activity; especially the skill and ease in using the hands”. Well that obviously applies to us guitar players; the more you do a particular exercise or movement, the better you become.

  In fact, our brains are designed in such a way that it's impossible for you to not get better when you practice. That means that any amount of playing on the guitar whatsoever is beneficial. Now when we practice specifically, deliberately and with repetition, we end up gaining a lot of control over our fingers - or anything else that we set our mind to, for that matter.

  Since our thumb is located so closely to our first and second fingers, our third and fourth fingers don't get called on for the same amount of tasks throughout the day.

  For this reason, EVERYONE’S third and fourth fingers tend to be lazy when playing guitar. You thought it was just you? Nope! Hendrix, Van Halen, Vai and any other player that you can think of, had to develop their third and fourth fingers with exercises, many times, these exact same exercises. The only guitar players that don't have this issue are those that are born with a thumb that grows straight from the middle of their hand. :)

  Yes, I’m toying with you!! Everyone has this issue, so let's find out how to undo it!

  The following three exercises were specifically designed to strengthen your fingers and hands, increase your speed and sharpen your technique. I have used these exercises for years and have found them to be extremely beneficial.

  Exercise one is a warm-up just to get your fingers moving.

  Exercise two is an intense workout that develops both left and right hands. You will especially feel the third and fourth finger of your fretting hand being worked out through this one. Make sure that you're using the appropriate finger on the appropriate fret throughout the exercise. For instance, when you start playing frets two and three, make sure you are using fingers two and three. When you're playing frets three and four, make sure you are playing with fingers three and four.

  Exercise three is a unique exercise that will seriously challenge you and require you to play on your fingertips. Don't be concerned if you can't do this exercise right away. It's definitely one you want to work up to doing. This third exercise can be fingerpicked or sweep picked. If you are going to use a guitar pick to do the sweep pick, pick the first three notes down and the second three notes up. Also make sure that when you do pick each string, it's done in a sweeping motion - NOT picking each note individually. It should be a smooth motion, allowing the pick to do the work. If you still have questions after reading this, please see the associated videos.

  At the bottom of these dexterity exercises, you will see I also cover four things that you always want to remember when playing these exercises. Let me give you a little bit of theory as to why we are doing each of these things.

  Playing on your fingertips makes a guitar player faster and more efficient. The more you play on your fingertips the lighter your touch will be and the less hand fatigue you will experience. It’s very important to also have control over what part of the finger you use. Since the fingertips seemed to be the hardest part to master, learning this first will make everything else seem easier. Guitar players that play on their fingertips tend to play chords cleanly. Guitar players that play on the pads of their fingers tend to play chords sloppily.

  Playing right behind the fret requires much less pressure than playing further back. Think about the leverage of a seesaw. The position of the fulcrum - that part under the center of the seesaw that balances it – determines how much leverage you have. On a see-saw, if the fulcrum is in the correct place, a small child can easily lift a large man off the ground. Similarly, leveraging your finger closer to the fret will allow you to play more quickly and efficiently.

  Playing with all your fingers is very important because, as you become a more accomplished guitar player, you will most likely be playing faster and/or more complex arrangements. Running out of fingers is no fun! So be proactive and use that third and fourth finger. I have had many students over the years thank me for insisting that they use their third and fourth fingers.

  Lastly, it's helpful to leave some space between the palm of your fretting hand and the guitar neck because it allows you to more easily play on your fingertips and ultimately have more control of your hand. At first, this can be a little awkward. Most beginners grab the guitar neck like a shovel and their thumb comes right over the neck. And that's perfect… if you are digging a hole with your guitar! But you’re not...so don't!

  What we do on the guitar requires a lot more finesse and a much different approach than digging a hole. If we have a guitar strap holding up our guitar or if our guitar is being cradled by our legs and/or arm
s, then the guitar is not going anywhere. Once you are truly aware of this, it will liberate your hand from grappling the neck.

  For new guitar players, grappling the neck can really limit your playing. Later on in your playing you may be able to be more carefree, but for now try to stick to good technique.

  I am often times asked, “How long should I practice this exercise?” To which, I pose this question, “how good do you want to get?” Obviously, the more you practice these exercises, the better you’ll become. If you want to become fast, you should practice it a lot. If you are perfectly fine with mediocrity, then you don't have to play as much. Alright, enough talk! Off you go!!!

  Play directly on your fingertips - make sure nails on “fret” hand are always trimmed.

  Play right behind the fret (this is for leverage). Remember the see-saw example.

  Play with ALL your fingers (each finger plays a specific fret)

  It is best to leave some space between the palm of your hand and the guitar neck. This will give you much needed leverage to play on your fingertips. Curling the last knuckle on your fingers is also helpful.

  Dexterity exercise #1 is a GREAT exercise for beginners to advanced players. You can practice it for long periods of time and is great for general agility and strength.

  Dexterity exercise #2 is designed for intermediate to advanced players and is a great agility and strength builder. You will especially feel a "burn" when using fingers 3 and 4. This will quickly get your 3rd and 4th finger to be as nimble as fingers 1 and 2.

  Dexterity exercise #3 is for ADVANCED players! It is a MAJOR strength builder and perfect for building chordal dexterity, stretch (reach) and strength. Take your time moving into this exercise. It's very challenging!

  Depending on where you are at in your playing, these different exercises will serve you in various ways. The more you do them, the more dexterous you will become. Bottom-line, more practice = better player, 100% of the time

  Alternate Picking Exercises using Exercise 1

  For some extra-special-bonus-points type practice, try using the following variations on the “1,2,3,4” picking exercise (use alternate - up/down - picking)

  Click here to receive free videos on right and left hand techniques and exercises that will quickly boost your guitar playing ability.

  How to Tune Your Guitar

  Guitar Strings and Tuning Your Guitar

  The thinnest guitar string is called the high or top string because it is the highest sounding string even though it is physically lower when the guitar is being held. It has a higher pitch than the other strings, which is why it is called the high E. Conversely, the thickest string is the low string because it has the lowest sound.

  You MUST learn the names of your guitar strings if you want to take the guitar to the next level. From the thickest to the thinnest it is: E (6th string), A (5th string), D (4th string), G (3rd string), B (2nd string), E (1st string). You'll need to know this to properly use a guitar tuner or keyboard to tune your guitar.

  An easy way to remember the names of the strings from low to high is:

  Eddie

  Ate

  Dynamite

  Good

  Bye

  Eddie

  Silly, I know! But you won’t forget it!

  When a guitar string is out of pitch, it will either be sharp (#), or flat (b). If a string is flat, then it’s lower than our desired pitch and would need to be tightened in order to sharpen the pitch. If a string is sharp, then it’s higher than our desired pitch and would need to be loosened in order to flatten the pitch.

  So when you turn your tuning pegs and the pitch lowers, you are flattening the pitch of the string. When you turn your tuning pegs and the pitch raises, you are sharpening the pitch of the string.

  Tuning Your Guitar to Piano or Keyboard

  Find middle “C” on the piano

  Go 1 octave lower than that “C” and play the “A”, two white keys to the left.

  Strike the “A” on the piano and hold down the sustain pedal while you hit your “A” string.

  To play the low “E”, play the “E” that’s 3 white keys to the left.

  For the remaining strings D, G, B and E, find the notes according to the diagram below.

  How to Read Chord Stamps

  The above diagram is called a Chord Stamp. It allows us to easily read chord shapes. Many chord stamp illustrations vary, but for our example, let’s go over the following:

  The red/black dot represents the root of the chord; the note that we build the chord upon. Essentially, it’s the note that the rest of the chord is based on (i.e. “D”, “D-“, “D7” chords would all have different “fingerings”, but would all have the same root, D). Often times, the root is the lowest sounding note in the chord.

  The number within the black circle represents the fretting hand finger that should be pressed down on that particular place on the neck. “O” means open, or play that string without a finger on it. Sometimes I will put a “T” if I want to bring your thumb up and over the back of the neck to play certain notes. However, you should not attempt that technique for quite some time as you will need to understand the “proper” way of playing chords before you try this “rogue” method.

  Your fingers are notated:

  Index=1, Middle=2, Ring=3, Pinky=4. The semi-circle/arc located above the three 1’s on the chord represents a bar. A bar is when you lay your finger across several strings – like a bar. This can be tricky in the beginning, but don’t over-think the process! Typically, a new player will only be able to bar 2 or 3 notes at a time. As your hand gets stronger and your technique increases, you will be able to bar all 6 strings when necessary!

  The “X” means “don’t play that string”, or “mute that string”. It should not vibrate or make any sound when you play the chord. The “(X)” means that you can play the note, but for practical purposes, you usually would not. Technically, this particular note could be played in the chord without any “dissonance” (disagreeable notes/sound). If you do choose to play it, the chord will still sound “harmonic” (agreeable notes/sound).

  Click here to receive free videos on right and left hand techniques and exercises that will quickly boost your guitar playing ability.

  How to Play Open Chords

  Playing open chords can seem like a daunting task for new players, but remember EVERY player goes through this. SO HANG ON!

  First of all, remember the importance of playing on your fingertips. If you play on the pads of your fingers, you will NOT be able to play chords well! Observe your hand when you are playing. If something does not sound right, it’s PROBABLY NOT! Play with the specified fingers to start off.

  If you want to change fingerings after you have mastered these chords, then great! But for now, stick to the specified fingering and you will quickly see your discipline pay off. Arpeggiate (pick slowly) through the chord so that you can hear each note as it is being played. You will only cheat yourself by being sloppy, so pay close attention to your fingerings and technique.

  When transitioning from one chord to the next, be aware of your fingers; which ones need to move where and what fingers stay in place, (i.e. the 3rd finger never moves when going from a D to a G chord, or from a G to a D. For E to A-, all the fingers move together.)

  Click here to receive free videos on right and left hand techniques and exercises that will quickly boost your guitar playing ability.

  Talent vs. Practice

  Have you ever seen your favorite guitarists tear up a fret board without even seemingly trying?

  Do you think they got that way because they were lucky, or because they were born into it?

  Let me both disappoint and liberate you at the same time with the answer. One guitar player isn’t any luckier than another or born into playing licks easier than another. If you were to take the top guitar players of each genre and find out how much they have practiced and how much they continually practice, it would be quite
mind boggling. Is it a coincidence that only the great players are the ones that practice so much?

  Obviously, you can see where I’m headed with this. Guitar players who have been playing for a long time and still have not progressed past a certain point, have not done so because of lack of talent; they’ve not done so because of their lack of practice!

  If it makes you feel better to believe that Eddie Van Halen or any of the other great guitar players were born with a gift that you were not born with, then believe away only to the detriment of your own playing.

  However, it’s NOT the truth and that type of small thinking will hinder your playing exponentially. Don’t believe the lie!

  This is a subject that is rarely addressed or, often times, misunderstood completely. The definition of “talent” is a natural aptitude or skill. As far as practice goes, we all know what practice is and that doing more of it makes us better at whatever skill we are trying to improve. I know I’m going to step on some toes with this portion of the book, but bear with me because I promise you that what I am going to share with you in this section will only empower you to become the best player that you allow yourself to be.

  Simply put, the point of this section is that the belief that you must be born talented or have some natural inclination to excel above the herd is not only completely false, but also extremely limiting to your playing… and your life!