Beginning Guitar Podcast - How to Play Guitar

In this episode I go over a new type of strumming pattern. This one adds bass notes to the chords and gives you some more polished, professional sounds than the more basic patterns we’ve done in earlier episodes.

Hold down a G chord with your left hand. Bass note is on the 6th string.

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

Hold a G chord for the first measure and a C chord for the second measure. Bass note for a C chord is on the 5th string.

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

Bass, chord, bass, chord pattern

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

The “cowboy” rhythm pattern

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

Bass, chord, alternate bass, chord pattern. The alternate bass for a G chord is on the 4th string.

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

How to do alternate bass with a cowboy rhythm

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

Adding a quick upstroke on the “and” between the 2nd and 3rd beat
|----3-3----3-3-|
|----0-3----0-3-|
|----0------0---|
|----0---0--0---|
|---------------|
|-3-------------|

Adding a quick upstroke to the cowboy pattern

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

The alternate bass note for a D chord is on the 5th string

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

D chord cowboy pattern with alternating bass

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

The alternate bass for a C chord is on the 6th string, 3rd fret. You need to move your third finger to do this.

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

 

 Beginning Guitar Podcast Episode 13 [16:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Blues Solo

Section A

|-----------------|-----3-0-3-0---0-|
|-----------------|-------------3---|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-2-2-4-4-2-2-4-4-|-2---------------|
|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-0---------------|

| | | | | | | |

Section B

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

| | | | | | | |

Section C

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

| | | | | | | |

Section D

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

| | | | | | | |

Play sections in this order:
A A B A C D

Repeat after me answers

Tip: Pick Strokes
Usually you will use very small (about 2-3 mm) pick strokes.
Anchoring the pinky on the pickguard will stabilize your picking hand and give you a point of reference which makes it easier to find the string you are looking for.

 

 How to play guitar - Beginning Guitar Episode 12 [14:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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

More complex chords

Vital to keep fingers arched. Use only your fingertips to play these chords. No flat fingers!

six-string G, G7, Em, E, Am
Five string C

This page has chord diagrams for the chords in this episode

Don’t get confused on the difference between E and Em. Remember, major is more than minor so E major needs one more finger than E minor.

How to count eight notes. Just like we did with chords. 1 & down, up
Eight note exercise. Use alternate picking (down, up, down, up...)

|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|
|------------------|
|------------------|
|------------------|
|------------------|
|------------------|

Another eighth note exercise

|------------------|-----0-0----------|
|------------------|-0-0--------------|
|-------------0-0--|------------------|
|---------0-0------|------------------|
|-----0-0----------|------------------|
|-0-0--------------|------------------|

Boogie Beat

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

| | | | | | | |

Repeat After Me Answers

 

 Begining Guitar 7 [16:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Apparently episode 5 became corrupted during the upload. The result was that half the episode was cut off. I fixed the problem and that episode is good to go now.

Sorry for the inconvenience,

Brian

 

 An Important Note [0:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this episode:

Chord Patterns

A more complex strum pattern for chords. I do this with the four-string G chord you learned earlier:

D DU UD
1&2&3&4&

After mastering the pattern try using it to play this progression:

G G7 C C

How to play Star Wars on Guitar (part 2):

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

Repeat After Me Answers

Links to some of the picks that I use:

Dunlop Gator Grip Standard Guitar Picks 2.0MM 1 Dozen

Fender 351 Standard Guitar Pick White Thin 1 Dozen

 

 Begining Guitar 6 [13:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this episode:

A new strum pattern:

1 2 & 3 4 Count
D D U D D Pick strokes (D=down, U=up)

How to play Star Wars on Guitar:

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

Repeat After Me Answer Page

Harmonics

My video lesson on playing harmonics

Links to Tommy Emmanuel CDs and videos

I found this video of Tommy Emmanuel doing some fantastic harmonics. Don’t try this at home!

 

 Begining Guitar 5 [15:14m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Review:

1st string - Open = E, 1st fret = F, 3rd fret = G

2nd string - Open = B, 1st = C, 3rd = D

3rd string - Open = G, 2nd = A

4th string - Open = D, 2nd = E, 3rd = F

5th string - Open = A, 2nd = B, 3rd = C

6th string - Open = E, 1st = F, 3rd = G

Remember, 1st and 6th string have same note names. 6th string is two octaves lower.

Four-String Guitar Chords

Chord progression used in this episode to practice timing:

G G G G

C C C C

D D D D

G

Article on “How to Play Guitar Chords”

Book where I first heard the idea of a “pressure meter”:

 

 Beginning Guitar Episode 4 [16:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this epsiode:

Notes on the 5th and 6th strings

5th string: open = A, 2nd fret = B, 3rd fret = C

6th string: open = E, 1st fret = F, 3rd fret = G

Playing with good timing

Recommended guitars for beginners:

Squier Stop Dreaming Start Playing Affinity Special Strat Pack With Fender Frontman 15G Amp Black This guitar and amp package includes a Squier Affinity Stratocaster and a Fender Frontman 15G amp, an electronic tuner, Hal Leonard instructional DVD, instrument cable, gig bag, guitar strap, pick sampler and stereo headphones. This is the electric guitar and amp that I recommend to my students. Great feel and sound for the price.

This is the acoustic guitar that I recommend to my students. I own the Wine Red version. Another great guitar for the money. I use it for gigging, teaching and playing around the house.

Washburn D100DL Acoustic Guitar Mahogany Mahogany Finish (Shown)

Washburn D100DL Acoustic Guitar Trans Wine Red Red Finish

Washburn D100DL Acoustic Guitar Black Black Finish

Repeat After Me Answers

 

 Beginning Guitar Episode 3 [15:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this episode:

Notes on the third string

Good left-hand Technique

Three String Chords

Happy Birthday Guitar Tab

Repeat after me answers

Practice Log

My Odeo Channel (odeo/3ac53f3f6455acb0)

Questions or Comments about the show? Please leave a comment here.

The Best Of Led Zeppelin For Guitar - Easy GuitarBy Led Zeppelin. Easy guitar tablature songbook (simplified guitar/vocal arrangements) for easy guitar and voice. 40 pages. Published by Alfred Publishing.

 

 Beginning Guitar Episode 2 [14:57m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In this episode:

How to hold the guitar

How to hold the pick

Article on how to read the fretboard diagrams below

Learn the names of the strings

The notes on the first two strings

Reading music and tab

Repeat after me answers

Intellitouch PT1 Tuner This is the tuner I use. It does great especially in noisy situations. It does not completely eliminate all interfering noises but it does do a better job than any tuner I’ve used.

Questions or Comments about the show?  Please leave a comment here.

 

 Beginning Guitar Episode 1 [15:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download