When you start with something new, you are usually so eager to jump into this new venture with both feet that you forget that every subject has its own basic information and way of doing things. When you start learning guitar playing, you want to be the new sensation on the hit charts within one day. Woa – pull in the reigns. Learn the guitar basics first. Why? You will be a better guitar player later on. Even the masters of the guitar started off with the basics and progressed from there. There are many things that are included when you learn guitar basics: the chords, the scales, the fingering, but perhaps most importantly, you need to learn all of the different parts of the guitar.
How is a guitar constructed?
One of the basic reasons to learn guitar basics, is to know the different parts of a guitar. As you progress, you will meet different terms for the parts of a guitar and if you do not know those terms, you can find yourself struggling to learn the guitar. First of all, you should know what the body of the guitar is:
1. The guitar’s body is the large wooden part of the guitar.
2. The thin part of the guitar that is connected to the body of the guitar is called the neck.
3. The bridge is located on the body of the guitar near the hole.
4. The strings of the guitar begin at the bridge and end at the pegs, which is located on the head of the guitar.
5. The head of the guitar is on the end of the neck not connected to the body.
6. There are small metal pieces located at various intervals along the neck of the guitar. These metal pieces are called the frets. When the player presses the strings into the frets at various intervals, the strings vibrate and produce different pitches.
The way you hold the guitar differs for nearly every type of song you play on a guitar. If you are right handed, your right hand is your strumming hand. Thus, you hold your guitar so that your right hand rests on the strings of the guitar above the hole. This means that your left hand is your picking hand, and your left hand should rest on the neck of the guitar. If you are left handed, then you should use these directions as well, only reversed.
Take time to learn the guitar basics and you will be richly rewarded not only with money, but also with a life long relationship with a wonderful instrument.