Table of Contents
Part 1 Getting Your Gear 3
The Guitar-Past and Present 4
The Three Types of Guitars 5
Getting Your Guitar 6
Classical Guitars 8
Acoustic Guitars 10
Electric Guitars 12
Changing Strings on Classical and Acoustic Guitars 14
Changing Strings on Electric Guitars 16
General Maintenance and Care 17
Part 2 Warming Up to Play 19
The What and Where of Notes 20
Getting in Tune 22
Holding the Guitar 24
The Right Hand 26
The Left Hand 30
Reading Guitar Tablature 32
Reading Rhythm Notation 34
Part 3 Getting Good with Rhythm 37
Your First Easy Chords 38
More Easy Chords 40
Making Chord Changes in Rhythm 44
Root Notes and the "Bass/Strum" 48
Practice: Root Notes and Bass/Strum 50
Alternating Bass 52
Practice: Alternating Bass with Chord Changes 54
Practice: Alternating Bass Line 56
Strumming Eighth Notes 58
Practice: Eighth Note Strumming 60
Practice: Alternating Bass with Eighth Note Strum 62
Simple Syncopation 64
Introducing Suspended Chords 65
Practice: Syncopation and Suspended Chords 66
Practice: Syncopated Strumming 68
Taking a Rest 70
Combining Alternating Bass, Syncopation, and Rests 71
Practice: Rests, Alternating Bass, and Syncopation 72
Strumming Sixteenth Notes 74
Practice: A Little Island Music 76
Triplets and Swing Rhythms 78
Double Stops and Shuffles 80
Practice: Shuffle Style 84
C and G Chords 86
Practice: C and G Chord Changes 88
Walking Bass Lines 90
Practice: Walking Bass Lines 92
3/4 Timing 94
Slash Chords 96
Practice: Slash Chords 98
Practice: 3/4 Time and Slash Chords 100
Part 4 Growing Beyond the Beginner Stage 103
Half-Barre Chords 104
Practice: Half-Barre Chords 106
Practice: Song with F Chord 108
Percussive Strumming and String Muting 110
Left-Hand String Muting 111
Practice: Palm Muting 112
Practice: Percussive Strumming Techniques 114
Playing Arpeggios 116
Practice: Arpeggios with Chords Aadd9 and E7 118
Practice: Songs with Arpeggios 120
Basic Fingerpicking 122
Practice: Two Easy Classical Studies 124
Introduction to Travis-Style Fingerpicking 122
Practice: Basic Travis-Style Fingerpicking 124
Practice: Basic Travis-Style Fingerpicking with Pinching 130
Hammer-ons and Pull-offs 132
Strumming and Picking Hammer-ons and Pull-offs 134
Practice: Hammer-ons and Pull-offs 136
Slides and Bends 138
Practice: Slides and Bends 140
Practice: All Four Slurs 142
Part 5 Adding Theory to Your Playing 145
The Major Scale 146
Intervals 147
How Chords Are Formed 148
Power Chords and Suspended Chords 150
Practice: Various 5 Chords and Suspended Chords 152
Seventh Chords 154
Practice: Various Seventh Chords 156
Really Fancy Chords 158
Practice: Various Fancy Chords 160
Full Barre Chords 162
Practice: Full Barre Chords 166
Creating Different Chord Voicings 168
Practice: Various Chord Voicings 170
Keys, Key Signatures, and the Circle of Fifths 172
Diatonic Chords and Transposing 174
Using a Capo 176
Practice: Song for Two Guitars 178
Playing with a Slide 182
Alternate Tuning 184
Practice: Double Drop D Tuning 186
Practice: Celtic Song in DADGAD Tuning 188
Practice: Song in Unusual Alternate Tuning 190
Open Tuning 192
Practice: Open G Tuning 194
Practice: Rock Song in Open G Tuning 196
Practice: Hawaiian Slack-key Style in Open G Tuning 198
Practice: Open D Tuning 200
Practice: Fingerstyle in Open D Tuning 202
Practice: Blues Song in Open D Tuning with Slide 204
Crosspicking 206
Practice: Focusing on Crosspicking 208
Creating Fills 210
Practice: Fills Within a Song 212
Chord Melody 214
Practice: Simple Chord Melody 216
Getting Fancy with Chord Melody 218
Practice: Fancy Chord Melody 220
Playing in a Group 222
Practice: Playing in a Group-Second Guitar 224
Appendixes
Glossary 226
Chord Charts 232
For Further Study 236
Index 238
