Guitar Learning FAQ

Below I have listed some of the most commonly asked guitar questions that I have been asked across my guitar teaching career. Feel free to contact me if you do not find the questions you are looking for.

Q. What are the Guitar Strings Names?

A. The typical guitar has 6 strings. The string closest to your head, also the thickest string of the 6, is considered the 6th string. You then count down from 6 to 1. Ultimately, the thinest string is string 1, while the thickest is string 6. The 6th string also produces the lowest tones while the 1st string produces the higest tones.

The guitar strings names are as follows, starting with the 6th string, it goes, E, A, D, G, B, E. An easy way to remember the names is to use an old phrase which you've probably heard before; Every Adult Dog Growls Barks Eats.

Q. What are the Parts of a Guitar called?

A. Guitars of all sorts come in different sizes, shapes and colors. There are classical accoustic guitars, folk guitars, electric guitars, bass guitars, etc. However, they all have a similar and distinguishable look and share almost every single guitar part listed on the picture to the left.

Guitar Parts The general term used to describe the top portion of the guitar which is attached to the long skinnier looking neck piece, is the headstock. On the headstock is where you will find the tuners, small knob devices used to tighten or loosen the guitar strings and achieve a perfect guitar tuning.

The part where the headstock meets the neck of the guitar is called the nut. The nut is pretty much just a piece of plastic, metal, or bone which has a few carved indentations used to guide the strings up to the tuners.

The guitar neck is the guitar part which has all the frets and which your fretting hand is usually holding. All the guitar strings lie on the neck of the guitar.

Moving further down the neck of the guitar we arrive at the body of the guitar. This is the guitar part that varies from all the different guitars in the world. Accoustical guitars have more of a hollow body with a sound hole carved on it which is designed to protect the sound produced by the guitar. Electric guitars on the other hand have a solid body and instead of a sound hole, use pick-ups to capture the vibration of the strings and produce the sound. Pick ups are like small microphones which allow the captured sound to be amplified when connected to an amp.

Finally we arrive at the bridge of the guitar. The guitar strings run all the way from the tuners, are guided over the nut, down the long neck, over the body, over the pick-ups or sound hole, and are finally tied down or anchored at an attached piece of hardware which is fixed at around the bottom half of the guitar body.

Q. What are those metal things on the Guitar Neck?

A. Those metal strips on the neck of the guitar are referred to as frets. Now, pay close attention because 'frets' has 2 distinct meanings. The first meaning of the word guitar fret I just gave you; It is those strips of metal on the guitar neck. The second meaning is given to the space in between two metal strips.

Guitar Frets For example, the space in between the nut and the first piece of metal is called the first fret. The space in between the first strip of metal and the 2nd strip of metal is called the second fret and so on.

Usually when guitarists mention frets they are referring to the spaces in between the metal strips. That is the area where you hold down the strings to create a tone when strumming.

Q. How to Play Guitar Chords?

Playing guitar chords can be quite tricky for a beginner, but we have to start somewhere. I have chose the 3 basic chords to get you started and have diagrammed each individual chord in tablature format for your convenience. Things to keep in mind when looking at the chord chart diagram is that it is read from left to right like this: the first string on the left is the 6th string, then 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st. THe numbers on the bottom represent what finger you are going to place on the strings, 1 meaning your index, 2 is the middle, 3 is the ring finger and 4 is the pinky. If there is no dot on a string, it means to play the string 'open.' If there is an X it means that string is NOT to be played.

Open C Major Chord Chart The first basic guitar chord that I am going to discuss is the C chord also known by its complete name as the C Major Chord. As most basic chords, the C chord is rather easy to play. Simply place your 3rd finger on the 5th string on the 3rd fret; place your 2nd finger on the fourth string second fret; and your first finger on the second string first fret. Now when strumming this chord, you have to becareful NOT to play the 6th string so make you that you are only strumming strings 5 thru 1.

Open D Major Chord Chart The second basic chord that I want to teach you is the D chord, also known as the D Major Chord. Now, as a beginner you may have a little trouble finding confort playing this chord because it involves cramming your fingers into a small area on the fret board. However, it is important that you develop flexibility so that you can later on learn how to play advanced chords. Ok, to play the D chord simply put your 1st finger on the third string second fret; then place your 3rd finger on the second string third fret; and finally place your 2nd finger on the first string second fret. Make sure to only sturm the bottom 4 strings when playing this basic D major chord.

Open G Major Chord Chart Finally, the last basic guitar chord I want to cover is the G Major chord or G chord. This one for me was the most difficult to learn and progress from, but once I got the hang of it, it become one of my favorite guitar chords to play. You will want to place your 2nd finger and put it on the sixth string second fret; then put your 1st finger and place it on the fifth string second fret; and finally put your 3rd finger on the third fret of string one. Pay close attention that your fingers are not accidentally touching any other strings or they will block the sound. When strumming the G chord, you want to include all six strings. To test the chord for clarity, strum each string one at a time to make sure that each individual strings sounds clear. Now go ahead and practice changing from a G chord to a D chord and to a C chord in any pattern you like to develop coordination, speed, and technique.