Just before we get into the actual playing, we need to cover a few basic concepts. We take a look at holding the guitar, tuning it, holding a pick and how to use the controls on your instrument.
As shown in the video, the key to holding a guitar is to find a comfortable position for you. The ideal scenario is to have a stool and footrest to support your right or left leg. If that isn't available, crossing your legs also works well to create a raised platform for resting the guitar on. Remember, you should be able to keep the guitar steady, using nothing more than your strumming arm and your leg, so experiment a little until you get it right!
The video above takes you through exactly how to hold the pick, and the images below should help to get it just right. Remember, this will feel strange at first; it will probably take a week or two to become comfortable, so stick with it! In terms of pick thickness (conventionally referred to as "gauge"), any medium pick will do. This means a gauge somewhere between 0.8 and 1mm, which should be readily available in any good guitar shop.
To be able to tune your guitar, it is crucial that you learn the names of each string on the guitar. They are named for their musical notes when the guitar is in standard tuning, and the easiest way to remember this is using a memorable saying, such as:
Elephants And Donkeys Grow Big Ears
You can always make up your own, of course! The thing to remember is that, in standard tuning, the strings (from thickest to thinnest) are tuned: E, A, D, G, B, E. Here is a fretboard diagram to help as well.
Ready to move on? Remember to check out every lesson in this unit first – then try the next unit...
In this lesson, Dan takes you through your first guitar exercise. Our aim is to get the left and right hand in sync and working together. We will also learn how to read tab, how to pick properly, and how to get those fingers stretched out!