Want to Learn Guitar? Start With the Basics

When learning how to play the guitar, knowing the basics is the key. You must learn all the notes that make up the neck, then learn the chords, then finally use the combination of notes and chords to make music.

But before any of that fun stuff can happen, one must know the guitar, all the parts that make it up, what purpose they all serve, and finally how to use them in the proper manner. That is what this article is going to teach you. It is going to break down the main parts of the guitar itself. This is the first thing any aspiring guitar player should read before even picking up the instrument. The next would be finding a good acoustic guitar instructor.

The standard guitar is made up of three main parts, the body, the neck and the head. For the sake of this article we will be talking about the acoustic guitar because it is better for beginners to get comfortable with this type of guitar as oppose to an electric guitar.

The Body - The body of the guitar is the heart of the instrument. It is where the sound is generated and where the strumming hand actually plays. The body consists of a hollow shell with a hole in it. The six standard strings run across the hole. Here is where the strumming hand does its work. When the strings are strummed, the sound echoes around in the body and leaves through the hole, thus generating sound. This use of echoes is known as acoustics, thus the name the acoustic guitar.

The Neck - Leading off of the body is the neck of the guitar. The neck is where the individual notes and chords are created. Running the length of the neck is what is known as the fret board. This board contains metal bars that run perpendicular to the strings. When the guitar player holds down a string between two frets and strums, a note is created. Most guitars have between 18-21 frets. The closer the frets are to the body, the higher the pitch.

The Head - The head is the last part of the guitar. This where the tuning knobs are. The standard six string guitar will have six tuning knobs, one for each string. It is here where the guitar play will adjust and set up their guitar for whatever tuning they wish to play in.

Though this is just a basic outline of what a guitar actually is, it is very crucial to the learning process. It is more important to lean guitar properly that quickly. Happy strumming.

Benjamin J. Cloyd is a guitar instructor and has a website called best acoustic songs where you can find and print great songs for beginners to intermediate to advanced. He also has a humorous clothing line for musicians at Music Tshirts ETC.

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