Here’s a link to an interview I recently did for an on-line radio show. Lots of fun.

Enjoy,

John

Here’s the deal I’ve spent much of my life studying the guitar and how it is used in several style of music (rock, pop. classical, blues, bluegrass and a bit of jazz). The music I’m most conversent with is fingerstyle acoustic guitar. You can find sample of my music on www.freesologuitar.com and http://myspace.com/morganguitar. 

Along the way I’ve picked up a few things - some large and some small that may help you become a better musician and guitarist. If you ask a question that I can answer I’ll be happy to do so. Feel free to give it a shot and I’m sure we’ll both learn something along the way.

John

- yasmin

Yasmin,

Congratulations on getting a guitar for Christmas. The guitar is a great instrument – lots of fun to play but it takes a little effort to figure it out.

Here some good starting points:

Do you know how to get in tune? An electronic tuner will be very helpful.

Do you know how to play a chord? A chord is made up of three or more notes played at once. Learn G, C and D and you will be off to a good start.

Do you understand the concept of rhythm? Most songs are written in 4/4 (pronounced “four four”) time. That means there is a pattern of four beats (1-2-3-4) that repeats throughout the song. When you clap your hands or tap your feet, you are responding to this underlying rhythm in the song.

Do you know what strumming is? Strumming occurs when you use a pick or your fingers to set multiple strings in motion at the same time. The strumming motion of your hand (up and down) should correspond to the up and down motion of your foot when you are tapping your feet in time to the rhythm.

All of these concepts are fairly easy to demonstrate in person but are a little cumbersome to explain in print. Here are a couple of ideas:

• If you have a friend who knows how to play ask him or her to show you a few things (chords and strumming). Every time you see a guitarist, watch closely and try to pickup an idea or two.
• I don’t know where you live but if there is a good teacher in the area a few lessons would help you get you get started in the right direction.

Happy Pickin’…
John

Western music is based on a system of 12 distinct tones. If you begin with an open (unfretted) string on the guitar and play each note, one fret at a time up to the 11th fret, you will have played all 12 tones. This is referred to as a chromatic scale. When talking about the distance between any two notes the correct term to use is interval. The interval (musical distance) from one fret to the next, up or down a string, is a half step. An interval of two frets, up or down a string is a full step. The study of intervals is fascinating and key to understanding chords. After playing all the notes of the chromatic scale the next note, played on the 12th fret, will sound like the starting note. The interval between the open string and the 12th fret is an octave. When the string is fretted at the 12th fret the length of the string by reduced by half. This doubles the frequency (vibrations per second) and produces a tone that sounds like the beginning tone, only higher.

Memorizing the Notes of the Fretboard
First things first: Learn the names of the open strings. The thinnest string, which sounds the highest, is the high E string. The thickest, lowest sounding string is also an E string, logically called the low E string. Strings are also identified by number. The thickest string is called the 6th string and the thinnest string is called the first. Below are the names and numbers of the open strings. This is the first thing to memorize:

String Number: 6 5 4 3 2 1

String Name: E A D G B E

Musical tones are named after letters of the alphabet. (Side Note: Technically speaking, tones are the sounds made by a vibrating musical instrument. Notes - notation - are written representations of those tones.) There are seven notes that are called natural notes. These are A, B, C, D, E, F and G. There is a full step (two frets) between all of these tones except B to C and E to F. These two sets of notes are next-door neighbors, a half step (one fret) apart.The notes in the frets between the full step notes are called enharmonic notes. Enharmonic means that these notes can have different names depending on the key. In other words, the note located in the fret between G and A could be called G#(sharp) or A flat. The pound sign is the symbol for sharp “#”. This is easy to remember because it looks sharp. If you sat on it, you would immediately jump up, but don’t jump higher than one fret! The symbol for flat (which my computer keyboard won’t make) looks like a spear plunged into a volleyball. Of course, the punctured ball went down, but not entirely, only by one fret.

A Long View of the Neck
If you started on the open (unfretted) A string the sequence of notes going up the neck is:A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G# at the 12th fret the sequence begins again. So that’s it… there are all the notes…what more do you need? have a great time playing the guitar! Ah, but this is just the beginning. All those notes are on every string in the same sequential order. However the order begins at a different point with the other stings. On the E strings the sequence begins with E and goes E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#. On the D string the sequence begins with D (D, D#, E, F, F#, etc.). On the G string it begins with G and on the B string the sequence begins with B. To sum up this concept: every note of the chromatic scale can be found on every string. If you understand how the sequence works, you will know where to find it.

Compared to a Piano
Compared to a piano a guitar is a lot easier to move! On a piano the sequence of notes is also a lot easier to see. The white keys are the natural notes (A, B, C, D, E, F and G). The black keys are the enharmonics (sharps and flats). When you locate an A on the keyboard the next white key to the right is always a B. The white key to the left is always a G. This sequence repeats as you go up or down the keyboard. The black key between A and B is an A# or B flat depending on the key.

A Sidelong Glance
Another way to look at the guitar is across the neck. There are two chromatic octaves, plus a few notes, between the open strings and the 4th fret. That means within a space of five frets - you have to count the open position as a fret for this to make sense - you have every note in the chromatic scaletwice! A person of less ambition and drive than you, dear reader, could spend their whole musical career in the confines of these five frets. The great news is that there are two chromatic octaves is each and every set of five frets!

So What Does This Mean to You?
This is where the “patterns and forms” concept begins to come alive. All the chord forms and scale patterns that are used in the first 5 frets, can be used anywhere on the neck. Some forms work better than others. The E chord form is pretty versatile. It can be used handily at the 6th and 8th frets with wonderfully “guitaristic” results. If you modify that chord form a little by moving you index finger down a fret and using fingers 3 and 4 for the other to notes (this is an E minor form) you will find several more locations on the neck that will resound with that wonderful jangle. Move these forms up and down the neck while leaving the E strings and the B string open. Find out where these forms sound good. Now do the same kind of noodling with the A and A minor forms and when you tire of that begin experimenting with the D and D minor forms. All of this can provide hours of entertainment but you won’t have any idea what chords you are playing until you memorize the names of the notes on the fretboard.

Taking Your Medicine
If you want to learn to speak the language of guitar you are going to have to “take your medicine” that is memorize the names of the notes up and down each string. The good news is you don’t have to take all the medicine at once! Learn the names of the notes in chords that you already play. Once you’ve learned the names of the strings begin working on the names of the notes in the first three frets. When you are ready to begin playing barre chords, it’s time to begin memorizing the names of the notes up the neck. This isn’t exactly fun but with a little effort you will begin to see patterns that will open up the fretboard to your creativity. You already have a bit of and understanding of “the sequence”. Here are a few other ideas that will make the process less painful.

Start with the natural notes - Begin with the 6th string and see where the natural notes occur. It won’t be long until you understand why those little dots are inlayed into the face and side of the neck!

One string at a time - Actually with the E-strings you get two for one - memorize the notes on the sixth string and the notes on the first string are exactly the same. Once you’ve done that you’ve completed a third of the memorization process. Hey, that wasn’t so bad! These notes are the roots for the barred E form.

Two strings over, two frets up - Notes that are an octave apart have the same name. Remember that repeating sequence? Once you learn the names of the notes on the low E string you will find that nearest octave occurs two strings over and two frets up, on the D string. This same is true for the relationship between the A and G strings. Once you memorize the names of the notes on the A string it’s, two frets over and two frets up, and you’ve master the G string.

Other octave references - Only one string left! It’s easy to learn the names of the notes on the B string by applying what you already know about the A and D strings. If you are confident of the names of the notes on the A string use that as your reference. The 2nd fret of the A string is a B. This is an octave lower than the open B string. The 3rd fret of the A string is C this corresponds to the 1st fret of the B string. The same sequence of notes continues as you go up the neck. When using the A string as a reference, you will find the octave 3 strings over and 2 frets down. When you use the D string as a reference the rule is 2 strings over and 3 frets up.

More Helpful Reference Points

5th freto The 5th fret of the 6th string is an A, the same as the open 5th string (A). o The 5th fret of the 5th string is a D, the same as the open 4th string (D) o The 5th fret of the 4th string is a G, the same as you open 3rd string (G) o The 4th fret of the 3rd string is an B, the same as you open 2nd string (B) o The 5th fret of over 2nd string is an E, the same as you open 1st string (E).

7th Freto The 7th fret of the A string is an E, an octave higher than the 6th string. o The 7th fret of the D string is an A, an octave higher than the 5th string. o The 7th fret of the G string is a D, an octave higher than the 4th string. o The 8th fret of the B string is a G, an octave higher than the 3rd string. o The 7th fret of the high E string is a B, an octave higher than the 5th string.

A Final Word About Memorizing
Don’t try to memorize everything at once. You can make a lot of great music without know the names of the notes. However, if you are serious about understanding the beauty and complexity of the guitar, it is important to make a commitment to “knowing your notes.” It takes some time. It’s worth the effort.

Tablature (Tab for short) is a kind of musical notation that works very well for guitar and other fretted instruments.  Unlike the piano and single note instruments such as the trumpet, flute and clarinet, the guitar can play the same note in more than one location.  An “A” note can be played on the fifth fret of the low E string or on the open A string. If you see “A” written on a piece of music, which location will you choose?

The location you pick could make a big difference in the ease with which you play that part of the song. Tab is written on a series of parallel lines, which look like a standard musical staff, but with some significant differences. A musical staff has five lines and both the lines and the spaces between the lines contain musical information. Tab has six lines, which represent the strings of the guitar. The top line corresponds to the 1st string  (the high E string) of your guitar; the next line corresponds to the B string, etc.  The spaces between the lines don’t have any musical significance. Instead of musical notes, tab uses numbers, which are written on the lines.  These numbers indicate which string and fret to press down to play the desired note. By playing the fret and string indicated you should be able to get something like the song you are trying to play - assuming that the person who wrote the tab was accurate!
 
One of the shortcomings of tab is the difficulty in showing time values. A good solution is the combination of musical notation and tab. Much guitar music is written with parallel lines of standard notation and tab.  My preference is to concentrate on understanding the notation — it contains the most musical information (time and pitch). I use the tab to clarify where a note should be played if it isn’t obvious from the notation. There are some kinds of tab, which I’ve found all over the Internet, which look like they were typed out on an old-fashioned typewriter. If you want to read this type of tab, good luck. It gives me a headache. A tab program that I have used for the past several years is Tabledit. You can download a free demo at www.tabledit.com. This is a fairly intuitive program. If you work with it a bit the whole concept of tab and notation will begin to make sense to you. You can download quite a few songs from that site.  Tab for several of my songs in a Tabledit format is available from morganguitar.com.

Happy exploring, John

Natalie,

I’m not sure what specific problems you are having with stretches but one of the advantages of the guitar is that there are lots of “work-arounds” once you learn something about how the fretboard works. Here are a couple of thoughts:

In every 5 fret section of the fretboard you can find every note of the chromatic scale – twice. (The chromatic scale is the scale that includes all 12 notes that are used in Western music. 12 notes doesn’t sound like a lot but when you begin to explore the combinations available on six strings you’ll find there is plenty to keep you busy for a long, long time). Here is the tricky part: You need to know the names of the notes on the fretboard so you can find a more convenient place to play a hard to reach note.

For Example: to play an E2 chord you add an F# to the normal E chord. There are three options for adding this note to an E major chord: the 2nd fret of the 6th string (low E-string), the 4th fret of the D string or the 2nd fret of the 1st string (high E-string). Adding any of these notes will create an E2 chord. The F#’s on the E strings are fairly easy to play but the F# on the D string is a “pinkie-killer”. Each of the notes will have a different sound because of where they are placed in the chord (high, low or middle). You might prefer the sound of the F# on the D string but the other notes will be easier to play and will come reasonably close to the sound you are looking for.

Not all notes are created equal. In a chord some notes carry more musical weight than others. Listen to the chord and determine which notes are most important. Play them and leave the other notes out.

Not all notes in a chord have to be sounded at the same time. You may be able to break a chord into two playable sections. Play the first part then roll into the second part.

Use open strings whenever possible.

The good news is, as you continue to play your hand strength, dexterity and will increase. Things that may be very difficult today will be easier a month or two from now (assuming you continue to practice them a little each day.

And as much as I hate to admit it there maybe things that are beyond your reach. The important thing is to keep playing and enjoying music. You don’t need to play exactly like the person whose tabs you are figuring out. Find your own guitar voice and develop it. There are many great guitarists who don’t have “guitar hands”.

Happy exploring,
John

Matt, glad to be helpful.

Guitars can be wired in different ways but generally speaking there are two knobs for each pickup on an electric guitar. One controls the volume, the other controls the tone.

For the volume control zero turns the pickup off and 10 is full volume.

For the tone control zero is the most bass setting and 10 is the most treble.

Many guitars also have a switch of some sort that lets you use different pickup combinations.

Stratocasters have a five position switch that uses pickup combinations in and out of phase. Les Paul’s have a three position switch. Treble uses the pickup closest to the bridge. The bass-ier uses the pickup close to the neck and the middle setting combines both.

If you are messing with the knobs and everything sounds the same, something is not working right. You may want to take it to a music store and ask them why the knobs aren’t making any difference in the tone.

Regarding action: there is a middle of the road height that most shops will use when they are setting up a guitar, but determining the best action has to do with playing style and the guitar. If you have a light touch you can have lower action. If you really “dig in” you will need a higher action. Since the actual difference in height is mere fractions of an inch most of us can get along just fine with that middle of the road setting. If you are playing a lot you may have your guitar set up once or twice a year. In that case the person who is doing the work will get to know you and be able to set the action where you prefer it.

All the best,
John

Ellyn,

The first thing you want to do is get in tune. If you have some kind of reference point (i.e. a piano, keyboard, a pitch pipe or an electronic tuner) that would be very helpful.

The strings of the guitar can be called by name (the name of the note the string is tuned to) or number (1 through 6 counting from the thinnest to the thickest).

The thinnest string (1st string) is tuned to E. The 2nd string is tuned to B. The 3rd string (this is the first wrapped string) is tuned to G. 4th string to D. 5th to A. 6th to E (two octaves lower than the 1st string).

There are two basic approaches to learning the guitar. The approach used by most instructional books for beginners is to have the student learn the natural notes found in the first 3 frets of the 1st string (high E) and play a melody with those notes. Next they learn the natural notes in the first three fret of the second string. They follow this pattern until they know all the natural notes on all six strings. As the students hand strength and coordination increase they will be able to learn to play chords after playing individual notes for a period of time.

I have most often used the Hal Leonard Level 1 book for teaching young students. It costs $9.95 and comes with a play-along CD.

The other approach begins with strumming and basic chords. Once the student know 3 chords well enough to change from chord to chord. Then they can begin playing simple songs.

For an eight year old, I would recommend finding a good teacher in your area who uses a method that requires note reading. Learning to read music is very similar to learning a language. Because of the way the brain develops children are able to assimilate this information more readily than adults. Much of what your daughter already knows from her previous musical experiences will carry over (i.e. time values of notes, the concept of music written on a staff, pitch - how high or low a note sounds - etc.)

There are also a number of topics on “Instruction” page of www.playtheguitar.com that you may find helpful.

Wishing you and your daughter many wonderful years of musical enjoyment,
John

The letters on the left side of the diagram are the names of the strings - the notes that each string is tuned to. The lower case “e” is the 1st string (unwound), the B is the 2nd unwound string, G is the thinnest wound string, etc.

I think the “x2″ on the right side of the diagram means to play the phrase twice.

The numbers on the strings tell you which fret to push down to make the note you need.

The “4p2″ on the D string means that you play the note on the 4th fret of that string then do a “pull off” to the 2nd fret. A pull-off is accomplished by plucking the first note then pulling your finger off of that fret while your finger is already pressing down on the lower fret. This enables the string to keep ringing without have to pluck it again.

Happy Pickin’
John