Music Tweak Blog

Beginner Guitar Lesson - Holding your guitar.

Here is a basic tutorial aimed at beginners, demonstrating how to hold your guitar. If you've been playing guitar for quite a while, you have most likely already worked out a comfortable position. When playing guitar, it's important that you find what feels comfortable for you. Everyone is different, so use this lesson as a guide only. Also note, that guitar positions can change depending on the type and size of guitar you are using.

Now you know the basics of how to hold your guitar, it's time to move on to the next lesson: How to play G major chord

Tuning Your Guitar

This lesson shows you how to tune your guitar by ear. By ear, I mean without the use of electronic equipment like a guitar tuner. Even though it is easier with a guitar tuner, you may not always have one close by. For example, your batteries might be flat or if your playing in a live band, you don't want to be messing around with a tuner on stage. So it's always a good idea to learn how to tune your guitar manually by ear as well.

The lesson below is also useful to demonstrate how to use a tuning fork. If your a beginner, you'll find tuning becomes easier with practise and time. A few months down the track, you'll easily be able to pick up any guitar and recognise straight away if it needs tuning.

To learn how to tune your guitar by ear, press the go arrow:

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be adding downloadable tuning tools to the main website. They will help you to get an ear for guitar tunes, so return often and keep an eye out for them.

How to play G major chord

This guitar lesson will show you how to play a G major chord. For those that are are new to guitar music, a chord is a collection of tones played together to make one sound. Don't worry if you find it hard at first. With a bit of practise and over time, you should find they become second nature to you.

As shown in the demonstration below, to play G major chord on your guitar, you need to place your second finger on the 6th string / 3rd fret. Then place your first finger on the 5th string / second fret and lastly put your third finger on the first string / 3rd fret.

Here is an image to help show you where to place your fingers on your guitar:

Note for beginners: When it says the 6th string, that refers to the one on the top, closest to your head when your holding the guitar. So you need to stretch your hand up and over the bottom strings, then up onto the very top one. On the other end of the scale, the first string refers to the bottom one.

Press the go arrow to start this lesson:

Once again, this is how G major chord is seen on a music tab.

Now you know how to play G Major Chord on your guitar, it's now time to learn A Major Chord.

Are you looking for some good guitar lessons for when you buy your first acoustic guitar? Or maybe you were going to get an electric guitar to play some real cool musical tunes. A Fender guitar is a really nice musical instrument pick if you need a suggestion.

Making sound on guitar

This video will show you the basics of how to make sound with the guitar.

How to play individual notes

This video shows you some more basics on how to stroke the string and how to play guitar. The video starts by showing you what frets to press on and goes through all the strings. Remember to press hard on the strings with the fretting hand, and also place your finger as close to the fret as possible to avoid string buzz. When plucking the string make sure you strike them rite in front of the sound hole to give it the most volume. Also make sure you have a firm grip on the pick to ensure it doesn’t move around or you don't drop it.

The lesson will help alot when it comes to picking individual strings at different points on the fret board.

Below is the lesson in Tab form, the notes in the lesson when played together also resemble the A bar chord.

Constructing guitar chords

This video will show you how guitar chords are constructed and how to play them

Parts of the guitar

This video will show you the different parts of the guitar and how they work.

Guitar strings and finger numbering

This video will show you the numbering of string and numbering your fingers to make other video lessons easier.

Finger strength for guitar

This video will show you how to strengthen your fingers and also give you some exercises to practise.

Guitar strumming pattern and exercise

This video will show you how to strum the guitar and also give you an exercise to practise with.

Guitar strumming basics

This video will show you the basics of strumming the guitar.

Practising guitar chords

This video will show you a good way to practise strumming and also changing between guitar chords without stopping.

How to play a guitar strumming pattern

This lesson will show you how to basically strum a music pattern as well as how to use it with A major chord.

While watching this lesson, notice how the strumming always happens straight over the sound hole. If your a beginner to acoustic guitars, this is a good habit to get into from the start. If your using an electric guitar, strum over the body. Try numerous positions as each one will give you a different sound.

Also notice in the lesson, how the volume of the strums, both up and down are equal. As a beginner, this is also what you should be practising and aiming for.

If you find your strings sound odd or rattle, then your most likely strumming too hard. On the other hand, you don't want to strum too softly either or it will sound wimpy.

Another good tip is to make sure you keep your wrist flexible and not too stiff when strumming your guitar.

To start the lesson press the go arrow:

The next lesson teaches you how to use the A7 chord to strum a pattern for swing or blues rythym.

Guitar strumming pattern for blues or swing rhythm

This lesson continues on from an earlier post: How to play a guitar strumming pattern.

This time however, you will be learning how to create a swing or bluesy strumming pattern.

To sing it, the pattern goes something like:
Down up down up up down down up down up up down

The sound of the rthythm or pattern is best demostrated by example. To listen to the guitar rthythm for blues and swing, as well as learn how to play the pattern, click the go arrow on the video below.

If you follow along with this lesson, you'll also learn how to play the A7 chord. The image below shows you where to place your fingers on the guitar for an A7 chord.

How to play an A major chord

This next video will teach you how to play an A major guitar chord and show you what strings to strike while playing it. Once you learn how to play this chord, you might also want to check out another tutorial that teaches you how to play a strumming pattern using A major.

As demonstrated in the lesson, you need to place your first finger on the 4th string / 2nd fret. Your second finger needs to be placed on the 3rd string / 2nd fret and your third finger on the 2nd string / 2nd fret.

This is a tricky chord for beginners to grasp so may take a bit of practise to start with. It's also important to keep your thumb up and out of the way so it doesn't accidently sit on the top string.

To start the lesson below, press the go arrow:

This is how an A major chord is shown on a tab.

Now you know how to play A major, here are a couple of other useful guitar chords you should learn as well:

G Major guitar chord

D Major guitar chord

Guitar Lesson - How to play a D major chord

The next chord you need to learn about is an important chord to know as it is used a lot while playing songs. The chord is D major. This lesson will visually demonstrate what strings to strike while playing the chord so you can follow along.

Your first finger goes on the 3rd string / 2nd fret.
Your third finger needs to rest on the 2nd string / 3rd fret.
And lastly put your second finger on 1st string / 2nd fret.

Here's an image to help demonstrate strings and frets on your guitar and where your fingers should be placed:

Then you can either play strings four through to one OR strings five through to one. Once you get into writing your own music, you'll find a mixture of both is always nice to experiment with.

To start this video lesson, press the go arrow:

This is how a D major chord is shown on a tab.
Like shown in the video, The first finger is on the second fret, 4th string, 2nd finger 6th string 2nd fret and the 4rd finger 5th string 3rd fret,

This chord might be tricky at first, but keep practising and you will get it in no time.

Listed below are a couple of other guitar chords for those who may have missed our earlier lessons:

G Major chord

A Major chord

How to restring a guitar

Every guitarist will have to re-string there guitar sooner or later, this video will teach you the proper way to do this.

So what you first need to do is unwind all the strings from the tuning keys, then put your hand down through the sound hole and push out all the pins holdings the string in place. Make sure you put the pins somewhere safe, you'll need them again later.

Now get your new set of strings out, they could be in individual wrapping or all together depending on the brand you buy. Take the end of the string and place it back into the hole at the bridge and put the peg in with the groove facing towards the headstock. Run the string up to the tuning peg and put it through the hole, make sure there’s enough slack so you can wind the string around the peg a few times. Wind the key so its roughly the rite pitch and move onto the next string. Do that for all 6 strings.

Cut any access string at the headstock and then tune it up. If you don’t have a tuner you can use our online tuner
Online guitar tuner