This new edition of Guitar for Beginners is on hand to be your learning companion, guiding you through the basics and helping you lay firm foundations for future development. Our step-by-step tutorials are even accompanied by free online resources such as video tutorials and audio files to point you in the right direction and provide examples of how your guitar playing should sound. With plenty of practice, you will be finger-picking, string bending and making compositions of your own in no time. Featuring: Getting started - The ultimate guide and step-by-step tutorials will teach you the basics, from choosing the right guitar and knowing how to hold it to strumming and picking. Techniques - Learn how to play basic chords, the secret behind finger picking, and how your computer, tablet and smartphone can help your practise and record. Understanding music - Interpreting guitar tab and musical notation can be daunting at first, but it’s worth learning the basics to improve your technique. Play in the style of… - Discover how certain genres get that distinct sound and how you can achieve it.
Welcome to Guitar for Beginners
Getting started • The ultimate guide and step-by-step tutorials will teach you the basics, from choosing the right guitar and knowing how to hold it, to strumming and picking
The ultimate guide to the guitar • From picking up a guitar and strumming simple songs to playing jaw-dropping solos on stage, everyone’s musical journey starts somewhere
Restring your guitar • Whether you’ve snapped a string or your guitar is sounding dull, restringing is essential and can give it a whole new lease of life
Hold your guitar • There are numerous ways to hold the guitar, but not all of them are conducive to good playing. Here we outline the best ways to hold your instrument
Hold your pick • An alternative to picking your strings with your fingers is to use a guitar pick. In this tutorial we show you how to brandish this to strum your strings with ease
Strum your guitar • Strumming is one of the most basic, but crucial, aspects of learning to play the guitar. Here’s how to get comfortable and confident with this key technique
Warm up your hands • Warming up is key to playing well. Use these four quick exercises to get your hands loose, limber and ready to rock
Techniques • Learn how to play basic chords, the secret behind finger picking, and how your computer, tablet and smartphone can help you practise and record
Notes, strings and frets • Music is made up of notes, and knowing where to find these notes on the neck of a guitar is vital if you are to develop as a player. Here, we show you how and where to find them
Play basic guitar chords • Learning these five basic chords is the first step on your guitarplaying journey. Practise often to master the art of switching notes
Basic chord progression • Now it’s time to get sore fingers. We will show you how to form basic chords and even recognise any song on the guitar by ear
Play barre chords • They are the most painful chords to learn, but by far the most versatile once mastered. Here, we guide you through the basic hand positions
Barre chord tips • Now that you know the basics of barre chords, we provide a little extra assistance for helping you play them easier and more effectively
Finger pick • Take your first steps in learning this distinctive style by following our simple finger-picking guide
Play hammer-ons and pull-offs • Using this technique we show you how to create a smoother sound between two different notes using your fretting hand
Practise string bending • String bending was developed by blues and country players to mimic bottleneck guitars. Here’s how to perfect this technique
Mute strings • In this...
