subject: Learn To Play The Electric Guitar [print this page] Many people do not know how easy it is to learn to play the guitar. With online lessons so readily available you can even learn how to play the guitar for free. If you want to learn to play the guitar there are two things you must do first: decide what type of guitar you want to play and learn the various parts of your instrument. There are two main categories when it comes to guitars, acoustic and electric, and each kind has its merits. Listen to a variety of guitar music and maybe pay a visit to the local music store to try out several models to help you make your decision. If, in the end, you decide to go with the electric guitar then the next thing you need to do is learn about your instrument.
The large bottom portion of your electric guitar is called the body and this is the part of the guitar which holds the bridge, anchors the strings, houses the pickups and volume controls, and it is also the place to which you attach your guitar strap. The bridge is the place to which the strings connect and the pickups are the electronic devices which pick up the magnetic fluctuations produced by the plucking and strumming of strings to amplify them. The volume controls on the guitar can be used to change how loud the sound you produce is and also to adjust the tone. The next main part of the electric guitar is the neck which houses the fretboard, frets, and it is the long, narrow part of the guitar over which the strings are stretched. Frets are small, metal strips placed at intervals along the fretboard and, when a string is pressed down at certain frets it changes the pitch of the resulting note.
At the opposite end of the body is the head of the electric guitar. The head, also called a headstock, holds the tuning pegs. The strings are strung through the tuning pegs, thus anchoring them, and when a tuning peg is turned to the left or right (tightened or loosened) the pitch of that string changes. Once you have gained an understanding of the parts of the electric guitar you will be ready to learn how to play the guitar. There are many resources available to help you along the way from private instructors and guitar classes to online guitar lessons and easy guitar tabs. If you dedicate yourself to practicing you can become a great guitarist.
