Learn Acoustic Guitar

A correctly tuned guitar is essential whether you are a beginner or an advanced guitar player.

This article will teach you how to tune your guitar every time you pick it up to play.

Acoustic guitars are made of wood, which is of course a natural material. Wooden guitars will

expand and contract depending on the temperature of the room and this will affect the tension on

the strings.  The tension on your strings is what dictates the tuning.

It is also possible that you may have knocked one of the tuning pegs as you put the guitar down

last time you played. You must get into the habit of always tuning your guitar every time you pick

it up.

So, how exactly do you tune your acoustic guitar?

First, you need a reference point; a note that you can use to tune the first string on your guitar

against. You will usually play the reference note and then play the same note on your guitar in

order to compare the two, and then make adjustments to the string until the two notes match.

In this example, we will use an E, as it will be the first string on your guitar regardless of

whether you start at the high or low end.

There are several ways of finding an E note as a reference:

Use another instrument such as a piano
You can use an E note from a piano, but you must obviously ensure that the piano is in tune. this

isnt always the most practical option, especially for beginners!

Use Pitch Pipes or a Tuning Fork
Pitch pipes and tuning forks are useful, but if you are just starting out, these might not be

available to you. Often, these devices can only play one note. if this is the case, you will need

to tune one string first, and then tune the rest of the strings against that tuned string. To do

this, tune your low E string against your tuning fork first. The next string played in the open

position is an A note. So, place your finger on the 5th fret on the low E string - this will give

you the A note that you can use as a reference to tune the A string. you can do this for most

strings, except the B (5th) string. in this case, you need to place your finger on the 4th Fret of

the D (4th) string.

Use an Automatic Tuner
An automatic tuner is a small electronic device that is placed on or near the body of the guitar.

When you strike the string in question, the electronic device will tell you which note you have

just played, and whether you need to increase or decrease the pitch of that string.

Use an online tuner
An online guitar tuner is a program or web site that can play notes to represent the 6 strings on

the guitar. Simply play each of these in turn, tuning each string as you go.

Tuning by ear using Pitch forks, other instruments or online guitar tuners takes a little bit of

practice and you may struggle for a while unless you have a particular talent for recognising

pitch. Its always worth trying to tune your acoustic guitar by ear first, and then using an

automatic tuner to check the accuracy of your manual tuning. pretty soon you’ll be tuning by ear,

no problem.

• Free online guitar tuner
• Automatic guitar tuner

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Cafepress.com are giving away a free copy of their acoustic guitar magazin, no strings attached.

Acoustic Guitar, is the player’s #1 resource for reviews, technique tips, sheet music, and much more. If you like it and decide to continue, you’ll pay just $32.95, and receive a full one-year subscription (12 issues in all). That’s a saving of $26.45 off the newsstand price!
Otherwise, just return the bill marked ”cancel” and owe nothing. The FREE issue is yours to keep to keep no matter what. Great, huh?!

logon to http://www.cafepress.com/agmerch, fill in the form and grab your free copy today. It’ll be another great helper as you learn acoustic guitar.

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When you start to learn acoustic guitar, you obviously aren’t going to know the names of the endless possibilities of chords. Have you ever been given a song or piece of music to learn with just the chord names scribbled on a piece of paper? Have you just stumbled upon a new chord and want to know its name or the key etc? Have you ever seen the chords to your favourite song in a book, but when you saw the artist play it, they played it in a different position? Do you just want to find some new chords that actually work?

If you play in a band, I bet that at some time one of your band mates has written a new song and just scrawled the chords on a piece of paper for you to take away and learn. Were you embarrassed to ask how to find G9sus4 or E7flat9?

Did you stumble across a new chord last time you were playing but forgotten it because you didn’t know which name to write down? I’ve been there before, and I know just how frustrating it can be!

How do you feel when you’re trying to follow along a lesson from your latest song book, but they assume that you already know how to find the elusive Faug9. It used to make me feel a little stupid, and I’m sure you’ve felt the same at some point as you start out on your path towards learning acoustic guitar.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could just have a handy reference for every chord you’ll ever need, and one that was so simple to look up it would take only a matter of seconds to find each chord? Wouldn’t it be great if it would come categorised by the root note? Wouldn’t it be great if you could also hear the chord in real time on both electric and acoustic guitar, so you can check that you’re playing it correctly?

Well, you guessed it, there is such a thing! I found an excellent interactive chord web site that solves these problems once and for all! It’s a must visit site for all guitarists, especially beginners and will help you immensely as you learn acoustic guitar. It comes with a range of settings, and the chords are grouped by the root, so if you’re looking for all of the variations of the G chord, you can do so with the click of a mouse. This works just as well for all of the other chords – A, B, C, D, E, and F.

“Where do I find this fantastic resource?” I hear you ask. Well, fret no more (pun intended!) budding acoustic guitarist. Simply visit http://www.chordbook.com/guitarchords.php, and never be caught out again.

It’s definitely a great tool to help you learn acoustic guitar chords.

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Everyone trying to learn acoustic guitar is likely to come up against a common problem - their fingers hurt like hell when they are just starting out!

I came across an article today that highlights this issue. Its written by a guitar teacher who can tell hows much his students practice by how much their fingers hurt during lessons. The pain will start to lessen the more you practice, so the key is to just practice through the pain. My fingers never hurt any longer unless I’ve been playing for more than a few hours in one go, as i have developed callusses on the tips on the fingers on my left hand (most guitarists develop these calluses!).

I was also interested to learn that the author shared my views about how it is better to learn acoustic guitar before learning electric. Yes, acoustic guitar is a little more difficult to learn (not much more, though), but it will make playing and learning electric guitar much easier when you decide to make switch.

Read the article here.

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Acoustic Guitar Vs Electric

I believe that it’s better to learn acoustic guitar before switching to electric. Acoustic guitars are often cheaper and don’t need extra equipment such as amplifiers and effects pedals. They often have wider necks and the strings are further from the fretboard, making them more difficult to play in the beginning, but this will build vital finger strength that is essential as you progress.

Get a good guitar

As you learn acoustic guitar, there is nothing more discouraging than a guitar that sounds bad. It is vital that you get a good guitar that sounds good, but you don’t need to spend the Earth! Your acoustic guitar should also be the right size for you otherwise you will have unnecessary trouble with learning the correct technique. Make sure you try out lots of guitars before committing, and don’t be afraid to ask a knowledgeable friend or sales assistant for advice. Choosing the right instrument for you is essential as you learn acoustic guitar.

Practice, practice, practice

As with any musical instrument regular, systematic practice is key to learning acoustic guitar. Regular, short sessions are better than one long, weekly session. Aim for 20-30 minutes a day when starting out. Your fingers will hurt for a while but the more often you practice, the quicker the discomfort will disappear forever. Remember also - Theory and technique are both very important if you want to get the most out of your acoustic guitar playing.

Always tune your guitar

Always tune your guitar before playing. No excuses. Even great players will sound terrible if their guitar isn’t in tune. Electric or automatic tuners do work but you must learn to tune by ear. There are many free online tuning web sites that play the note while you try to match it with your guitar. Try tuning by ear using one of these sites, then use an electric tuner to double check. Do this every time you play, and it will improve your sense of pitch. Pretty soon, you’ll be playing songs by ear – a great way to impress your friends!

Always practice to a rhythm

Developing your timing is crucial, especially if you want to play in a band. Bad timing can ruin the whole song. Always practice along to a backing track if possible. For difficult songs or techniques, use a metronome or click track. There are online metronome sites, but they don’t keep good time so buy a good one. You won’t regret it.

Make it fun

The fundamentals give you a solid foundation, but you probably want to learn acoustic guitar to play real songs. Get a beginners guide that helps with fundamentals and shows you how to play some popular songs.

The Ultimate Beginner Series: Acoustic Guitar Basics by world-renowned guitar teacher Keith Wyatt is a must have. Its the ultimate book to help you learn acoustic guitar. Guitar greatness awaits you!

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