This is my guitar class diary, you may consider it to be as your tutorial, guide or whatever, my purpose to publish this one is to keep the contents of my guitar class on the web.
thats it.
I start from my first class where I knew only 1 thing about guitar and that is “6 string” guitar or something… 🙂 quite an information to begin with.
Lets start now…
An acoustic guitar has 6 strings, hence the “6 string” 🙂
It starts from the E string (this is the string with the lowest pitch, or lowest frequency note), then the A string, followed by the D, G, B strings. And the last one is the e string. This one is the string with the highest pitch. This e sting produces the “E” note of the next octave begining from the base E string.
We’ll denote it as.., This is the plan view (top view) of the guitar, facing the strings.
e +---------------+ B +---------------+ G +---------------+ D +---------------+ A +---------------+ E +---------------+
Now hold the guitar as you generally hold it, the body of it on the lap, and your base of your right hand (considering your are right-handed) on the bridge. Bridge is the point from where the guitar strings start, it is NOT the end where you tune the string with the knobs.
Hold your thumb and index finger as you hold a pen, withing that grip hold the plectrum (pick). The blade of the pick should be at an angle to the strings, and not directly flat to the strings.
Now practice picking the strings, begining from the base E string to the high e string. All the picking should be down strokes. Go in an easy manner, till you get a feel of distances between the strings, etc…
Once you are comfortable with the simple picking start picking alternate strings. i.e. pick E, D, then A, G, then D, B, and G, e. and then back up again. This will help you in getting a hold of picking alternate, different strings.
I’ll explain you a notation that you will follow all over, It is not my notation, probably you must have seen it somewhere.
When I say you play C note, I’ll specify a fret. A fret is marking on which you play a note, to play a note you press your finger just before the nth fret (the fret that is mentioned to produce the note).
So…
e +---------------+ B +---------------+ G +---------------+ D +----0----------+ A +--3------------+ E +---------------+
..means play the 3rd fret on the A string to produce the C note, then the play open D string (i.e do not fret the string anywhere) to play the D note.
We’ll now play the scale of C, The major scale of C has no sharp or flat notes, it has plain notes. The notes in scale of C are C, D, E, F, G, A, B
In any scale the 3rd and 4th note are separate by half note and same goes with the 7th and 8th note.
So when incrementing the frets, whiel playing the 4th note, just increment the 3rd note by 1 fret.
Let us play them in this fashion.
e||----------------------|----------------------|-------0----1----3----| B||----------------------|------------0----1----|--3-------------------| G||----------------------|--0----2--------------|----------------------| D||-------0----2----3----|----------------------|----------------------| A||--3-------------------|----------------------|----------------------| E||----------------------|----------------------|----------------------| --5----7----8----8----|--7----5----3----1----|--0-------------------| ----------------------|----------------------|-------3----1----0----| ----------------------|----------------------|----------------------| ----------------------|----------------------|----------------------| ----------------------|----------------------|----------------------| ----------------------|----------------------|----------------------| ----------------------|------------|| ----------------------|------------|| --2----0--------------|------------|| ------------3----2----|--0---------|| ----------------------|-------3----|| ----------------------|------------||
All the notes have to be played in a down strokes. Play very slowly and at regular interval.
Let every note ring
Practice this 20-30 times till you can play the whole thing easily.
Alternate Picking
Now, that you can play the Note of C easily, let us start with a new way of picking strings… “Alternate Picking”
For alternate picking, every note you play, you pick in the opposite way to which you played the initial note.
ie. Start the C note by playing a down-stroke, the next note is the open String d, this you pick in up-stroke, then the E note you pick it in down-stroke, and so on…
You must grab this picking … So to start with… you do it very slowly, see every note that you pick, and register that note in your mind, and while playing that note try to find out the next note position and the type of stroke that has to be played.
Chords in Scale of C
[Tonic / Root / Key Note] [Sub-Dominant] [Dominant] [Dominant 7th] C F G G7 | | | Am Dm Em
Here is how to play each chord. Here the notations are each no. indicates finger no. 1 is the index finger, 3 is the ring finger, etc. The 0 at the begining denotes play open string. and x means do not play the string, or mute it. Each horizontal line is a fret.
C
0---|---|---|---| |-1-|---|---|---| |---|-2-|---|---| 0---|---|---|---| |---|---|-3-|---| |---|---|-4-|---|
Am
0---|---|---|---| |-1-|---|---|---| |---|-2-|---|---| |---|-3-|---|---| 0---|---|---|---| 0---|---|---|---|
F
|-1-|---|---|---| |-1-|---|---|---| |---|-2-|---|---| |---|---|-3-|---| |---|---|-4-|---| x---|---|---|---|
You see 2 notes are to be played by the index or 1st finger, this means you need to bar the first finger, ie fret the e and B strings with 1st finger.
Dm
|-1-|---|---|---| |---|---|-3-|---| |---|-2-|---|---| 0---|---|---|---| 0---|---|---|---| |---|---|---|---|
G
|---|---|-4-|---| |---|---|-3-|---| 0---|---|---|---| 0---|---|---|---| |---|-1-|---|---| |---|---|-2-|---|
Em
0---|---|---|---| 0---|---|---|---| 0---|---|---|---| |---|-3-|---|---| |---|-2-|---|---| 0---|---|---|---|
G7
|-1-|---|---|---| 0---|---|---|---| 0---|---|---|---| 0---|---|---|---| |---|-2-|---|---| |---|---|-3-|---|
Over here I’ll be putting all the songs that I learned during my course.
The songs range from easy to difficult level (at least for me)
The songs are also the part of the diary, I’ll be hyperlinking all the course, to the particular song that I learnt after a particular lesson
All the songs in the scale of C
The first song that you’ll ever learn in your life is Happy Birthday. So we too will start with it.
Key Signature: C Major Scale
Time Signature: 3/4
Count: 3 counts in a bar | 1& 2& 3& |
Melody (Tabs)
E||-----------------|-----------------|-----------------| B||-----------------|-------1----0----|-----------------| G||--0----0----2----|--0--------------|--0----0----2----| D||-----------------|-----------------|-----------------| A||-----------------|-----------------|-----------------| E||-----------------|-----------------|-----------------| -----------------|------------3----|--0--------------| -------3----1----|-----------------|-------1----0----| --0--------------|--0----0---------|-----------------| -----------------|-----------------|-----------------| -----------------|-----------------|-----------------| -----------------|-----------------|-----------------| -------1----1----|--0--------------|-------|| -----------------|-------1----3----|--1----|| --2--------------|-----------------|-------|| -----------------|-----------------|-------|| -----------------|-----------------|-------|| -----------------|-----------------|-------||
Play all the strokes downwards, when you are doing it for the first time, Get the feel of the song. Once you are OK with it you can do that with alternate strokes.
Chords
| C | G7 | | G7 | C | | C | F | | C C G7 | C |
Rhythm
1& 2& 3& ? ?v ?
The “?” indicates a downstroke (strum) and the “V” indicates an upward strum.
So it goes Down, Down-Up, Down…Down, Down-Up, Down… and so on…
The last sequence is
Down(C chord), Down(C) – Up(G7), Down(C)
This is the famous hindi song, It has a standard and a wonderful strumming pattern that one must know.
Key Signature: C Major Scale
Time Signature: 4/4
| C | Am | F | G | x2 | C | % | Am | % | F | % | G | % |
The “x2” play the whole line twice
The “%” symbol means that play the chord twice.
Rhythm (Strumming Pattern)
1& 2& 3& 4& ? ?V rest V?V
So it goes like
Down, Down-Up, Rest, Up-Down-Up…Down, Down-Up, Rest, Up-Down-Up…and on…
These are the chords of the Song Soch by Call
Ruk gayee.... din meree... C C kataaun ... is soch mein F G Peeche chod... aayaa huun jo C C beeteein mere .... F G Nikale jo... is havas mein ye.. C C ke paa... yengge ... F G Sabakuch lutaayen Em Am jo apane the mere... F G
This beautiful song is simple played on Scale of C, with F and G as the other major chords.
Main Kabhi Batlata Nahin C F C Par Andhere Se Darta Hoon na Maa G F C Yun To Main, Dikhlata Nahin C F C Teri Parwaah Karta Hoon na Maa G F C Tujhe Sab Hain Pata, Hain Na Maa F G C Tujhe Sab Hain Pata ... Meri Maa F G C Bheed Mein Yun Na Chodo Mujhe C F C Ghar Laut Ke Bhi Aa Naa Paoon Maa G F C Bhej Na Itna Door Mujkko Tu C F C Yaad Bhi Tujhko Aa Naa Paoon Maa G F C Kya Itna Bura Hoon Main Maa F G C Kya Itna Bura ... Meri Maa F G C
Guitar Solo
e|---------------1/3--1-|---------------1/3--1-| b|-8/10--8--------------|-8/10--8--------------| g|-------------5--------|-------------5--------| d|---------5h7----------|---------5h7----------| a|----------------------|----------------------| E|----------------------|----------------------| e|----------------------|----------------------| b|---------5----6-------|--5-6---6/8---6-5-6---| g|------5-----7---------|----------------------| d|--5h7-----------------|--5h7-----------------| a|----------------------|----------------------| E|----------------------|----------------------| e|----------------------|--------------8-------| b|---------5----6-------|--5-6---6/8-----------| g|------5-----7---------|----------------------| d|--5h7-----------------|--5h7-----------------| a|----------------------|----------------------| E|----------------------|----------------------| e|-8/10--10/12-12b-10-8-| b|----------------------| g|----------------------|
Jab Bhi Kabhi Papa Mujhe C F Jo Zor Se Jhoola Jhulate Hain Maa Am E7 C Meri Nazar Dhoondhe Tujhe C F Sochu Yahi Tu Aa Ke Thaamegi Maa Am E7 C Unse Main Yeh Kehta Nahin C F C Par Main Seham Jaata Hoon Maa G F C Chehre Pe Aana Deta Nahin C F C Dil Hi Dil Mein Ghabraata Hoon Maa G F C Tujhe Sab Hain Pata, Hain Na Maa F G C Tujhe Sab Hain Pata ... Meri Maa F G C Main Kabhi Batlata Nahin C F C Par Andhere Se Darta Hoon na Maa G F C Yun To Main, Dikhlata Nahin C F C Teri Parwaah Karta Hoon na Maa G F C Tujhe Sab Hain Pata, Hain Na Maa F G C Tujhe Sab Hain Pata ... Meri Maa F G C