GREAT! The guitar is one of the coolest instruments around! (I guess I'm a little biased.) The first thing to do before you even get a guitar, is to decide what you want to accomplish.

- What style of music do you want to play?
- Do you want to sight read sheet music?
- Do you want to WOW your friends by playing the latest song on the radio?
- Do you want to be a rhythm guitarist? (play mostly chords)
- Do you want to be a lead guitarist? (be able to do chords and notes)
- Do you want to play with a pick or with your fingers or both?

Answering these types of questions should determine what kind of guitar to get. If you're into rock and metal or jazz, you SHOULD get an electric guitar. If you like classical music, you should get a classical guitar. (they are the acoustic guitars with wide neck and nylon strings.) Maybe you are into country and you could start with an electric OR acoustic. (steel string acoustic.)

The reason I recommend getting an electric guitar even if you are just beginning (that is if you want to play rock or metal) is that the electric and acoustic guitars often are quite different in the way they feel when you play them. Electrics tend to be easier to play when pressing on the strings. The acoustic strings are usually a heavier gauge (fatter) which requires more pressure from your hand.

Also, you want to STAY INTERESTED. For example; if you have an acoustic guitar and want to be the next metal king, you will soon become discouraged because that heavy sound that you love will never come through on an acoustic. You need to have the rock / metal sound under you fingers so that you can feed off of it and learn to control it. (I'm NOT suggesting that if you are a rock / metal player to forsake the acoustic all together. Acoustic guitar obviously has it's place in rock and will also help you in becoming a "cleaner and stronger" player.

Although I can read sheet music, I always play by ear. What that means is that everything I play comes from memory and I always take the songs I have in my head and find them on the guitar myself. Everyone will have a different level of aptitude. Some individuals will naturally be more musically inclined than others. Some of you will have to work harder.

You MUST commit to practice time. Discipline is 99% of success. The discipline to keep going no matter what. If you can, take an hour each day. If you are really just starting out, 1/2 hour might be better because your fingers will get sore. If your fingers are sore and really bothering you, STOP PLAYING and go to the movies or something. Wait till the next day to play again. Your fingers will soon get accustomed to the strings and will stop hurting.

OK enough talk. Let's play! Here are some basic chords that every guitarist should know how to play. Your job is to practice forming the chords with your left hand (right hand if you are left handed) and strumming the appropriate strings with your right hand (left - right yeah...yeah). Once you get a feel for forming these chords, you will need to practice changing from one chord to the other.

The numbers on the frets are the corresponding fingers that you should use to form the chord. Your left hand fingers are numbered as follows looking at the palm of your hand from left to right: T, 1, 2, 3, 4. An O above the string means play that string open. An X above it means don't play that string at all.

           D Major            E Major              A minor
         6 5 4 3 2 1        6 5 4 3 2 1          6 5 4 3 2 1
         E A D G B E        E A D G B E          E A D G B E

         X X O              O       O O          X O       O
Fret 1   | | | | | |        | | | 1 | |          | | | | 1 |
         - - - - - -        - - - - - -          - - - - - -
Fret 2   | | | 1 | 2        | 2 3 | | |          | | 2 3 | |
         - - - - - -        - - - - - -          - - - - - -
Fret 3   | | | | 3 |        | | | | | |          | | | | | |
         - - - - - -        - - - - - -          - - - - - -
Fret 4   | | | | | |        | | | | | |          | | | | | |
         - - - - - -        - - - - - -          - - - - - -
Fret 5   | | | | | |        | | | | | |          | | | | | |
         - - - - - -        - - - - - -          - - - - - -

Now, you can obviously search the web and find all of the guitar chords in the world and I encourage you to do that. I have just chosen these three chords to get you started. The E Major and A minor chords are great for practicing your changes because they are so similar. Just strum (with your pick or your thumb)

4 down strokes for each chord and then change. Be sure to strum the appropriate strings and make sure you hear every note clearly.

GREAT! You're on your way to musical satisfaction!
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