subject: Learning to Play Electric Guitar [print this page] The first step in learning to play electric guitar is to familiarize yourself with the parts of the electric guitar.
The parts of an electric guitar are basically the same as the classic guitar with only a few minor additions. Let's begin.
The basic parts:
Body - the biggest part of the guitar
Neck - The long horizontal bar attached to the body
Tuning pegs - Used for tuning the guitar
Headstock - Where the tuning pegs are attached
Bridge - The hardware in the body where all strings are attached
The add-ons:
Controls - To adjust volume and tone
Pick-up switch - Like microphones that amplify sound
Tremolo - Bar connected to the bridge of the guitar. When you move this tremolo bar up or down, you can move the bridge which results to a change in the pitch
The next step in learning to play Electric Guitar would be to learn chords. There are only 4 main chords you have to master because majority of rock songs only use these chords: the E major bar chord, A major bar chord, E minor chord, A minor chord. Major and minor chords have slight differences. Major chords are more upbeat while minor chords are lower toned and more dark. Also learn the other basic chords, the major, minor, 7th, major 7th and minor 7th of every note. But rock songs are composed of basically those 4 chords so master those 4 first.
So now you know the basics. Now all that's left for you is to figure out your method of learning. There are a lot of informational sources available out there, from videos, to internet, to personal tutor to books and self-help guides; it all depends on which way you want to learn. The last step to learn to play Electric guitar would have to be practice. Practice always makes perfect so practice your skills daily. Also incorporate patience into your routine. It takes a while to get used to but once you do, it's a lot of fun so enjoy playing music!
