subject: Guitar Basics [print this page] Guitar Basics Guitar Basics
The guitar is the foundation of today's music. If it's pop, jazz, rock and roll, or classical, the guitar has always been a favorite musical instrument for numerous people. If you decide that you want to learn how to play the guitar, there are lots of things to learn first, you will need to start by looking at the guitar basics.
The essential things you need to know prior to starting on the road to becoming a guitarist, is that of course you will need a guitar, some say you don't have to purchase one, but if you're going to learn the guitar, you may as well own one, it can be second hand to begin with, but sooner or later you will either take it up, or abandon the whole idea. If you decide to take it up, and you should, because the amount of pleasure and fun you eventually get out of playing gives one a sense of achievement.
You will be able to buy a good guitar for around $ 300, which is a good investment if you want to develop your musical techniques and skills.
It is worth remembering guitar basicsto get a good quality guitar, buying an inferior instrument is false economy; a less expansive guitar will be harder to play because of the inaccuracies in construction and the cheaper materials used.
The six strings, 22 frets and numerous chord formations, advocate some degree of skepticism to the learner. It seems there are a variety of features to consider in mastering the sound of a guitar, but it does not take long to learn the guitar basics
Let's begin with some of the components and guitar parts
The machine head is where the pitch of the strings can be altered through the tuning the pegs. There is also the nut which also known as the headstock bridge.
There are markers to help you stay relative to various chord positions, one at 3, 5, 7, 9, and 12th frets respectively; this just helps you map out the fret board.
The main body of the guitar resonates all the sound, different shapes and sizes of instrument will produce sound qualities, some better than others; arch tops, flat tops, Spanish, acoustic, concert or auditorium guitars, will all have a unique timbre.
The superior types of wood used in the making of a guitar is said to have an impact on the overall sound. The top guitar makers often use the most expensive and exotic wood to ensure quality, Maple and rosewood are commonly used for the laminating of the neck.
Towards the back of the body's soundboard is the back bridge, this is where the strings are threaded or attached, the height of the bridge can be adjusted up or down to give variable action to the fret board, having a lower string action makes holding down chords and string bending much easier, having the strings too low may result in the strings catching frets causing unwanted string buzz.
There is also the pick guard or scratch plate below the sounding board hole, to protect the guitar from the rigors the picks movements.
Two to four hours a day is an average amount of time to spend practicing, starting with guitar basics, will go a long way in developing good repertoire, understanding and skill of learning the guitar.
