Warm Ups!

Doing some kind of warm up before playing is essential before playing guitar. I really notice the difference when I don't warm up before playing.

If you play finger-style guitar, then you will need to work out some kind of strum pattern that helps loosen your fingers up on your strumming hand (i.e. right hand if you play right handed). Maybe in the future I can post some suggestions for that.

Your fretting hand (left) will need to be loosened up as well. I find that my ring finger and pinkie finger are usually the stiffest. Exercises on the fretboard that involve all of your fingers, especially the ring and pinkie fingers, will be beneficial. Even switching back and forth between several chords that you know for a few minutes will probably help as well.

Stay tuned for more specific suggestions.

Feel free to leave a comment or email me at nativeguitarjoe@gmail.com

Guitar Basics 2 - The Left Hand

The left hand fingering in most books is marked as follows.

These numbers usually appear next to the note to help with difficult pieces of music. In learning books, there are usually a lot of fingering marks to help a guitarist learn a particular piece or to get used to common fingering.

The thumb of course doesn't get a number because it anchors on the back of the neck. There are times when your thumb can hook over the neck and press the 6th (E) string*, but the marking wouldn't be 1-4, so it isn't something to worry about.

*Note: I use my thumb for certain chords (i.e. F) so I can use some open strings and yet still play the 

(i.e. F) bass note of the chord.

Feel free to leave a comment or email me at nativeguitarjoe@gmail.com

Guitar Basics 1 - What are Frets?

This is some basic information that most people know, but I include it here just in case someone is wondering. The picture below has boxes with names to the left side. These are the nut, 1st fret, 2nd fret, 3rd fret, Etc.

When someone refers to the 1st fret, they are either referring to the metal piece that can be seen inside the box labeled "1st Fret", or the area right above it where one's finger would press down on the string as shown in the picture below.

In this picture, my index finger could actually be a little farther above the metal fret. This area is also referred to as the 1st fret. (See Hand Placement for more on 1st position hand placement)

Each fret is numbered 1 thru (however many frets the guitar has). My guitar has 19 (the 19th fret on mine is only a partial fret).

Some guitars have dots marking different frets. These are commonly 3, 5, 7, & 12. There are other combinations and some have double dots on certain ones for easier reference.

Hope this helps someone out there!

Feel free to leave a comment or email me at nativeguitarjoe@gmail.com

Ukulele = Miniature Fretboard on the Go

My brother gave me this small ukulele for Christmas last year. It has been a lot of fun, especially when I can't lug my guitar with me and I just want to strum or play some simple melodies. I wouldn't use it to replace any actual guitar practice though*.

There are varied tunings for the ukulele, but for practicing purposes, the tuning D-G-B-E works well as it corresponds to the strings 4-3-2-1 (D-G-B-E) on a guitar in standard tuning. I am not an expert on ukuleles, but I enjoy "plunking" out tunes on mine.

*No offense to ukulele players! http://youtu.be/puSkP3uym5k ;-)

Feel free to leave a comment or email me at nativeguitarjoe@gmail.com

How to Tune Using a Piano (Basic Overview)

This is a picture of my wife's piano that I fixed up for my guitar students. I have marked out which notes correspond to the guitar strings in relation to "middle C".

The middle C note is usually pretty simple to find on a piano or keyboard. Sometimes, there is a marking that helps distinguish it. (like an arrow that points to the key)

If there is no marking, then look at the pattern of black keys.

Notice that there are groupings of 2's and 3's. Find a grouping of 2 and locate the white key to the left of the 1st black key in the grouping (also see the arrow in the photo below).

This is a "C" note.

Now, find the "C" that is in the middle of the keyboard, and that should be "middle C".

In this style of tuning, the "ear" will need to be utilized.

In other words, the sound of the note on the piano is used to get the right note on the guitar.

(Acoustic pianos, uprights, etc. can be out of tune as well, so just keep that in mind)

Here are the basic steps:

1. The letters from left to right on the piano are E-A-D-G-B-E. These correspond to the guitar strings going from the thickest string to the thinnest. They are numbered: 6 (thickest)-5-4-3-2-1(thinnest)

2. Play the note marked E on the keyboard and listen to how it sounds. Now play the guitar string "6" which is also E. Repeat this a couple of times and see if the guitar note sounds higher or lower in comparison. If it's lower, then tighten the string. If it's higher, then loosen the string. Repeat this until they sound as close in pitch as possible. Ideally, they will be the same pitch when you finish. (this process can be really easy for some and close to impossible for others, so don't be too hard on yourself)*

3. Now repeat this process for each of the notes from left to right (E-E) on the keyboard with its corresponding note on the guitar (6-1).

*You can check yourself with an electric tuner, until you are comfortable enough with the process. Of course for some people, if you have an electric tuner why bother, right? Well, for what it is worth, I think it is a very valuable skill.

If you have a guitar teacher, take his/her advice on these topics.

Once again, feel free to leave comments, suggestions, or questions or email me at nativeguitarjoe@gmail.com. Thanks.

How many loops do you use to tie classical strings to the bridge?

Here is a picture of my last set of strings and how I tied them. This is an experimental process for me. I learned on a steel string acoustic guitar, and restringing a classical guitar is different. Since I am in the process of learning classical guitar, I have been experimenting with different styles of restringing.

This "style" has several loops for all of the strings. The closest fully visible string in the above pic is the "A" string and you can see the loops give it a kind of ribbon type look. I've found this to be a little excessive for the three wound strings (E-A-D) which are a little more "brittle" or stiff. You can actually get by with only one real loop, as long as the loop extends over and below the bridge.

 In the above pic, you can see a one loop version on the three strings to the left, and also the several loops I used for the nylon string to the right. The important part is to make sure the end of the loop is below the bridge, as you can see in the side closest to the camera. This helps keep the string anchored properly. If it isn't anchored properly, it can slip when you start to tighten the string with the tuning pegs.

Here is another view of the three wound strings, utilizing one loop.

The three clear, smooth strings (G-B-E) need several loops in order to keep them from slipping back out. Once again the last part of the loop needs to be over the back and below the bridge in order to have a good anchor on itself, as mentioned before.

Here is what mine look like with two loops for each of the nylon strings. If they keep slipping out, you may have to leave more string out in order to hold it in place until the string's pressure can properly clamp down on itself.

You can explore other methods by searching online for companies that sell classical guitar strings. They will sometimes include an instructional video on their site. Just remember that you have choices and can work out your favorite method.

If you have a guitar teacher, take his/her advice on these topics.

Once again, feel free to leave comments, suggestions, or questions or email me at nativeguitarjoe@gmail.com. Thanks.

Tuning Your Guitar with an Electronic Tuner (Basic Overview)

Learning to tune your own guitar (by ear) is a valuable skill, in my humble opinion. That being said it isn't completely necessary. For example, I use an electronic tuner when recording or playing with other instruments in groups. This ensures that we are all tuned to the same frequency. (I regrettably don't have perfect pitch!) So here is an overview of an electronic tuner (this one is made by Korg)

1. In the upper left hand side of the digital readout is the number 440Hz. This is a common standard frequency for the note A (the one above middle C on a piano*). My son likes to get a hold of this tuner and set it to other frequencies without me knowing, and it does affect the sound!

2. Right below the frequency (440Hz) you can see the letter "D". This is the note that the string is closest to in pitch. They should be (from the thickest string to the thinnest string) E-A-D-G-B-E. You may have to tighten the string or loosen the string in order to get to the right pitch for the right string.

3. Next you see the "needle" that swings back and forth over the number zero (some tuners only have the light indicators which are above the digital screen). This is how you fine tune the string that you are on. The left side of the "0" is lower or flat (b) and the right side is higher or sharp (#). The light indicators work the same. (b) is lower and (#) is higher in pitch. Tightening a string raises its pitch (#) and loosening a string lowers its pitch (b). You can pluck the string, tighten or loosen it, then pluck it again to see how close it is. Keep this up until the "needle" or light stays mostly on the "0" or between the "b" and "#" lights.
(My guitar teacher's advice is to let the note ring. In other words, don't pluck the strings in rapid succession as you try to get them in tune, give time for the note to sound clearly.)

If you have a guitar teacher, take his/her advice on these topics.

Once again, feel free to leave comments, suggestions, or questions or email me at nativeguitarjoe@gmail.com. Thanks.

Joe

*Wikipedia contributors. "Concert pitch." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 28 Sep. 2011. Web. 2 Nov. 2011.

Hand Placement!

This is a photo that I took for a lesson example of proper hand placement (not 

exactly the best picture, but it gets the point across, I hope).

The thumb rests on the back of the guitar neck almost directly across from

the middle finger. The palm of the hand is close to the neck of the guitar enabling

the fingers to be at an arc in relation to the frets (the horizontal metal strips).

This is considered the first position, and all that really means is that the index finger

plays notes on the first fret and the hand stays in that position.

Feel free to leave a comment or email me at nativeguitarjoe@gmail.com