How to learn to play the electric guitar?

Many people dream of mastering some musical instrument, having perfectly mastered the skills of playing it. For some, the objects of aspiration are the flute and drums, and some want to learn how to play the electric guitar. Let's take a closer look at how to learn how to play the electric guitar from scratch, what is most important, how to use knowledge and techniques in practice.

Before you start training, you need to acquire everything you need. It will be better if all of the following is at hand for a beginner rocker.

• For self-study, you need to purchase an electric guitar. Your own tool, chosen "for yourself", will be an excellent motivator for successful learning.
• After the purchase, it is necessary to replace the strings on the guitar, since during the time the instrument is in the store, they can lose their properties and become unusable. Several kits need to be considered in order to choose the most suitable one. Beginners are encouraged to get thinner and softer strings. A set of "eight" or "nine" (with a section of 0.008 or 0.009 inches, respectively) is quite suitable.
• For comfortable transportation for the student and safe for the instrument, you need to get a special case. It is better to give preference to a solid case, since in it the guitar will be protected more reliably. The guitar, by the way, should be stored in a case, not only in case of transportation or transfer over some distance, but also when you are at home in between classes.
• Purchase a set of picks of different thickness.Over time, you need to decide what thickness of this accessory is more comfortable.
• The electric guitar requires connection to a combo amplifier. Without it, the sound of the guitar will be a little louder than a mosquito squeak, so the rocker cannot do without this device. In addition, the average combo amplifier has among its functions and guitar effects (distortion, wah-wah, for example), which are also very necessary for the full development of the instrument.
• Since tuning an electric guitar by ear is a paramount concern for a beginner guitarist, it is recommended that you purchase a guitar tuner that is specifically designed for this purpose.
• For a clearer counting of the rhythm, a special device is needed - a metronome. It will help you to accurately play notes of various sound lengths.
• After mastering the basic skills of playing this instrument, it is worth getting a processor that can add other effects to the sound that a regular combo amplifier is not endowed with.
• In addition to the above, it is necessary to pick up some other accessories. For example, a shoulder strap, a rest stand, and an accessory pedal.

In the learning process, it is necessary to take into account not only the rules and technique of playing the electric guitar, but also be able to sit correctly, hold the instrument, and observe the position of the hands. It is very important to take into account these nuances, since an improper fit can cause pain in the back, lead to rapid fatigue of the arms, numbness of the legs, which will make learning a difficult test for a beginner guitarist. And although the guitarist in the group plays in a standing position, during training it is best to sit with your back straight, without raising your shoulders.

The right hand is free - it must produce sounds from the strings of the instrument. If a mediator is used during training, it should be borne in mind that it must be held without much effort of the fingers of the right hand, otherwise very soon you can feel some stiffness of the fingers, their fatigue. It is important to ensure that no tension or stiffness is felt in the hand. That is why it is not recommended to unnecessarily bend the joint of the right hand.

When the turn comes to exercise the left hand, its fingers should be bent only slightly when positioned on the neck and working with the strings. You should be prepared for the fact that even with a gentle pressure on the strings, at first you will feel pain in the places of the fingertips. The main thing is not to stop exercising - over time, the pain will disappear, and thickenings, called "calluses", form on the skin of the fingertips.

After purchasing the instrument, it is necessary to check and, if necessary, correct its tuning. But before adjusting the sound, it is recommended to check the electric guitar according to other criteria, on which its flawless operation and sound depends.

You need to remove the strings and make sure:

• in reliable fixation of the peg mechanism;
• in flawless grinding of the nut surface on the neck (there should be no roughness or burrs);
• remove all factory protective materials and devices from the new guitar - tape, clips, clips and anything else that has absolutely nothing to do with the operation of the musical instrument. It may be necessary to disconnect or even remove something to do this, so as not to interfere with the removal of the protection.

The next step is to revise the strings. Often it is necessary to change a set of strings due to a discrepancy between their preferences of the buyer (not the same hardness or softness, the wrong caliber or material of manufacture). After that, it is recommended to wipe the surface of the guitar with a clean, soft cloth to remove grease, moisture, dust and other possible dirt. Particular attention should be paid to the fretboard.

The next step is to spray the bridge saddle and the saddle notch with special oil (machine oil can be used). And also it is necessary to process the bolts, as over time, rust can form on them. Having done everything, you can set the strings in place, and then proceed to the final stage - tuning the instrument to the desired mode. The strings are tuned either by ear or by means of electronic tuners and a tuning fork. After completing the process, you need to check the neck deflection, the height of the strings, check the functioning of the pickups and adjust the scale.

The standard tuning of an electric guitar is shown in the table below.

The process of learning to play the electric guitar most often begins with the study of chords, since they are the basis, a kind of basics of this art. Professionals think so: if you want to play the guitar, learn to play the rhythm. And guitarists are better off practicing rhythm with chords. When constructing chords, the left hand presses several (or all) of the strings on the fretboard according to a certain fingering pattern. It should be borne in mind that almost all chords can be played with several fingering patterns, changing the position of the fingers in different places on the fretboard. However, it is better to master this technique from chords in an open position, where the sound of all strings can be traced, regardless of whether they are pressed with your fingers or not.

If you imagine working out chords schematically, you can see some kind of markup (grid), where the horizontal lines represent the guitar strings, and the vertical lines represent the frets. Empty circles indicate strings that remain open for sound extraction, and shaded circles (or crosses) - those that need to be pressed with your finger. The numbers on the chord grid, in turn, indicate the order of the fingers with which to press the corresponding string. In the open position, the chords occupy the first 4 frets, so there is no fret designation. Any chord position elsewhere on the fretboard on the diagram should be designated with a Roman numeral (the fret number on which the first finger of the left hand is located).

It is recommended that you play arpeggiated chords (brute force) first, that is, sequentially extract sounds using the alternating stroke technique (down and up punches alternate with the pick). Then the actions will be more technical, since you can trace the sound of all the strings, immediately correct the placement of the fingers, remember the movement and the sequence of the fingering. A after that, you can begin to combine various chords, alternating them, working out the transitions between them, combining them into one harmonic and rhythmic composition.

Striking is "playing chords" by striking the strings downward or upward at a specific rhythm. Strikes on sounding strings are combined with strikes on muted strings. This technique of playing is difficult for beginners at first, but you need to correctly approach its implementation. It is recommended to start playing with slow chord progressions by striking only one quarter down.Gradually, you need to speed up the movement, making the punches with the pick stronger and more confident, and the sound of the chords bright, short, clear. These actions must be repeated until the sliding of the pick along the strings occurs without hesitation.

The second stage is the inclusion in the rhythm of 2 strikes on the strings from the bottom up to the same count by 4, alternating them with strikes down according to the scheme: strike down, strike up, strike down, strike up. The third stage is the gradual inclusion of beats of the eighth duration into the rhythm. In this case, keep the score with "and": one and, two and, three and, four and. Upward strokes must strictly be entered at the expense of "and". The first exercise should include down-up punches on the count of "two and". All other counts are struck down in quarter durations. Combinations with muted sounds are best started after you've mastered the barre chords.

To make the game lessons productive, it is recommended to include preparatory exercises in the process that you can do yourself at home.

These exercises are performed without an instrument in order to warm up the muscles of the arms. First you need to do several approaches of rotations of the shoulder and wrist joints. This will help prepare your entire upper torso for the upcoming activities. Next, you should stretch your fingers, spreading them as much as possible to the sides. Finger stretching can be done on each hand in turn, while helping with the other hand for greater effect. But do not be too zealous, pain should not arise.

If you have an expander, you can use it to train your finger curls. If there is no such attribute, you should bend the fingers one by one, while holding all the others. Warm up should be done daily. It only takes a few minutes.

Conducted with a guitar, aimed at improving the playing skills. To perform it, you need to press the string with the index finger of your left hand at the 1st fret, and then extract the sound with a pick. Then you need to press the same string on the II fret with your middle finger, while holding your index finger, and extract the sound.

In the same way, the exercise continues with the rest of the fingers of the left hand, without removing the previous ones. When 4 fingers are in a row, you should proceed to the reverse actions - remove each of them separately, and start with the little finger (with the extraction of sounds).

The purpose of this exercise is the same as that of the previous one - to develop the strength and independence of the fingers. This exercise begins in the same way as the "Snake", but after placing the fingers in a row, the first finger moves to the 2nd fret, and the rest rise and alternately press the string further along the neck. Having reached the XII fret with the little finger, the movement begins back - to the 1st fret.

In order to make the learning process easier, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself with some of the advice of professionals, which are not only tested in practice, but also actively used in their work.

• Do not use someone else's tool. Each person is individual, has his own preferences, so a personal tool can be convenient only for one specific person. This is reflected in the length of the strap, the presence or absence of stickers, accessories, as well as in the sound setting.
• Store the instrument in a home or studio environment only on a stand. Since the guitar will always be in sight at home, the desire to play it will arise much more often - several times during the day.
• Find a competent teacher. If you decide to study the process on your own, you are confident in your strengths and knowledge, then an experienced teacher will still be able to give in just a few lessons such an experience to which other self-taught people have been going for more than one year.
• Train your hearing. Since you can evaluate your own playing and the sound of the guitar solely with the help of your own hearing, it is recommended that you take care of this side of the issue as well.
• Record your workouts so that you can later see your own mistakes. You can show them to the teacher, since he will see or hear more than you. Especially in high-speed technology. It is recommended that you make an audio or video recording of your own game.