Beginning Guitar Podcast - How to Play Guitar

New chords

A, Am, Dm, D7, E7, C7
Find the guitar chord diagrams here

Some suggested progressions - try these and then make up your own.
Use any strum patterns I’ve taught or try creating some new progressions.

E Am E Am
C7 G7 C7 G7
C Am
G Em C D
C Dm G7 C

Blues lead to play over blues rhythm from episode 10

|-3---3---3-0---0-|-3---3---0-------|
|-------------3---|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|

| | | | | | | |

|-2---2---2-0-----|-3---3---0-------|
|-------------0-3-|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|

| | | | | | | |

Getting distortion out of your amp

Turn guitar up all the way

Push the drive, overdrive, lead, or distortion button in if you have one

Turn pre knob (if you have one) up all the way
Turn post knob down all the way.
Slowly turn post up until you get the volume you want or at least the volume that will be tolerated by anyone near you

Turn gain/drive/distortion/crunch knob up all the way if you have one

If you don’t have any of these controls then your only choice may be to turn your amp up very loud until it distorts.

Another option is to use a distortion pedal. Here are some that I use:

Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer Effects Pedal

Line 6 POD 2.0 Guitar Multi Effects Processor

Dunlop Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face Pedal

 

 How to play guitar free [17:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Three string F chord

Four string F chord

Video - hints for playing bar chords on guitar

Finger strengthening exercise

|-7--7--7--7--|-7--------------|
|-7--7--7--7--|-7--------------|
|----7--7--7--|-7--------------|
|-------7--7--|-7--------------|
|----------7--|-7--------------|
|-------------|-7--------------|

Finger dexterity exercise

|-1-2-3-4-2-3-4-5-|-3-4-5-6-4-5-6-7-|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|

| | | | | | | |

- Use alternate picking (up, down, up, down...)
- Focus on clean playing
- Once you are playing it cleanly focus on steady timing
- Repeat this on all strings

Korg MA-30 Metronome. You can buy this or something similar or you can even find some free metronomes that run on your PC if you search the internet.

Blues Shuffle
Play with a shuffle feel

|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-2-2-4-4-2-2-4-4-|-2-2-4-4-2-2-4-4-|
|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|

| | | | | | | |

|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-2-2-4-4-2-2-4-4-|-2-2-4-4-2-2-4-4-|
|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|
|-----------------|-----------------|

| | | | | | | |

Repeat after me answers

Tip

Change your strings regularly (about every couple of months or so). New strings sound better, are easier to play and stay in tune better. You should keep extra strings in your guitar case. One can (and will!) break at any time.

Elixir Light Polyweb Acoustic Guitar Strings These are the strings I use on all of my acoustic guitars and the ones I recommend to my students. The coating on the wound strings cuts almost all string noise and I love the feel of these strings.
.

 

 Free Guitar Lessons - Beginning Guitar Podcast Episode 10 [17:07m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Left-Hand percussive muting
Apply percussive muting to strum pattern
1 2 & & 4, percussive mute on 2

Percussive Muting Video

Review of note names
Review two or three neighboring strings at a time.
spell words using letter A through G such as:
FEED, CAGE, BAG, FACE. BED, etc.

Major Scales
Sounds like do re mi fa sol la ti do

Here’s a C major scale. It starts and ends on a C note.

|-----------------|-----------------|
|-------------0-1-|-1-0-------------|
|---------0-2-----|-----2-0---------|
|---0-2-3---------|---------3-2-0---|
|-3---------------|---------------3-|
|-----------------|-----------------|

| | | | | | | |

Play ascending and descending
Say the name of the note out loud or in your head as you play it

Why practice scales?

- After you play the scales for a while, your fingers begin to memorize them
They automatically know which notes to go to. This makes it easier to play songs that are based on that scale

- Gets the sound of the scale in your ears. This will help quite a bit with ear training. It will make it easier to figure out things by ear and later to improvise your own music.

Special discount link to ear training course - only $10 for Beginning Guitar listeners

Repeat after me answers

Tip - How to play a pulloff

 

 Free Guitar Lesson - Beginning Guitar Episode 9 [17:01m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

How to play sharps and flats on guitar

#=sharp
b=flat

1st string - F# on second fret
2nd string - D# on fourth fret, Db on second fret
C#=Db

How to Read Music for Guitar - free eBook

Shuffle Feel
Long-short, long-short...

Boogie Beat Bass Line

PART A
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|---------0-0-2-2-|-3-3-2-2-0-0-----|
|-----2-2---------|-------------2-2-|
|-3-3-------------|-----------------|

| | | | | | | |

PART B
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|---------0-0-2-2-|-3-3-2-2-0-0-----|
|-----2-2---------|-------------2-2-|
|-3-3-------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|

| | | | | | | |

PART C
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-------------0-0-|-1-1-0-0---------|
|---------2-2-----|---------2-2-----|
|-0-0-4-4---------|-------------4-4-|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|

| | | | | | | |

Whole song: A A B A C A G7 Chord

Tip of the week

Keep your entire body as relaxed as possible. You should periodically check yourself. For example, each time you finish a part in boogie beat.

Your mind should also be clear. Leave your worries and preoccupations outside of the practice room. You can always return to them when you are done practicing.

Repeat After Me Answers

 

 Beginning Guitar Episode 8 [16:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download