Beginning Guitar

Open strings:

1 – E (thinneststring)2 – B3 – G4 – D5 – A6 – E (thickest string)

Some people fnd this mnemonic device helpful.“Easter Bunny Gets Depressed Afer Easter”

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Tablature1st string (thinnest string) on top6th string (thickest string) on botom0 = open stringnumber indicates fret to be held down

Nothing Else Maters

25 or 6 to 4

Play that Funky Music

Mustache Man

Peter Gunn Theme

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Daily ExercisesRight Hand Exercise

Lef Hand Exercise

Combining Both Exercises

etc.

Expanding the Exercises

• Try the right hand exercise again playing each note 3 tmes, then 2 tmes, then just once.• Try the spider exercise in other positons.• Try mixing up the fngers of the lef hand exercise, for example (1 2 4 3). There are 24 possible

combinatons.• Try playing each note twice when combining the exercises, then just once. • Make up your own variatons.

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The Chord DiagramE minor

Interpretng the Diagram

• Vertcal Lines = strings (1st string on the far right)• Horizontal Lines = frets• black dots represent fngered notes• numbers at the botom = lef hand fngers• “0” above string = open string• “X” above string = do not play string

A few things to look out for• Play each string one at a tme frst to make sure you hear all 6 notes clearly• Arch both fngers. If you don't hear the 3rd string it is probably because your fnger is restng

against it.• Make sure there is plenty of space between your palm and the fngerboard. If you hold your

hand too close you may mute the 1st string unintentonally.• Overlap your fngers and make sure the fnger fretng the 4th string is right behind the fret. If

you don't hear either the 4th or 5th strings, it is probably because your fngers are too far away from the fret. If you are right behind the fret and stll don't hear them you just need to press the string down a bit harder.

• Make sure your thumb stays on the back of the neck, opposing your 2nd fnger. • This chord can be played with the 2nd and 3rd fngers instead of the 1st and 2nd if you prefer.

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Rhythmic Notaton= Common Time (4 beats per measure)

Whole Note (4 beats)

Half Note (2 beats)

Quarter Note (1 beat)

Quarter Note Rest

Mixing them all together

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More ChordsE minor E major A minor

E minor to E major = just add frst fnger to 3rd string, 1st fret

E major to A minor = keep fngers locked in the same shape and shif them all up* one string.

Chord symbols

Major – only the leter, major quality is assumed

Minor – leter followed by lower case “m” (some sheet music may use other symbols such as “min”, “mi, or “-”)

Major vs Minor

Though I encourage you to investgate the theory behind this later on down the road, this is all you need to know for now:

Major = happy soundMinor = sad sound

• even though your fngers are moving down, this type of movement is stll referred to as “up” inthe guitar world because the strings you are moving to are higher in pitch. Beter get used to it.

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Joshua Fought The Batle of Jericho

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3

Step 4:

Try playing a rhythm of your own by combing diferent rhythmic values together.

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Here is the melody to the song. If you are playing with another guitarist one of you can play the melody while they other plays chords.

C major

• If you have a hard tme stretching your 3rd fnger to the third fret, try putng it down frst and reaching back with your 1st and 2nd fngers.

• Try switching between C major and E minor. • Make sure to leave your 2nd fnger down when switching.• Check to see if any of your fngers are unintentonally mutng adjacent strings.

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Eleanor Rigby

Eighth NotesEighth notes get one half of a beat each. The ofen appear in pairs and put together they equal one beat. They are counted like this:

1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and

Your hand moves much like it did while playing quarter notes. The only diference is that now you are hitng the stngs on the way back up instead of passing over them. This is called the upbeat.

Mixing in 8th notes

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More Chords G major D major

• Try switching between G and D. • Make sure you leave your third fnger down when switching.• Make sure not to play the 5th or 6th string when strumming D.

Yellow Submarine

• The verse is the more challenging secton. Try the chorus frst.• When strumming eighth notes, it is ok to start switching chords on the last upbeat in order to

make the change smoothly.• The verse adds the doted half note. The dot adds half of a notes value to itself (2 + 1 = 3)

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A major

or

• Experiment with both fngerings. I prefer the fngering on the lef in many situatons. It allows you to ft your fngers in the fret more easily. It also allows you to keep more fngers in common when switching to many chords. Some people also like to use fngers 2, 3, and 4.

Sad Songs and Waltzes

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“Sad Songs and Waltzes” is the frst song we have learned not in common tme. It is in ¾, which means there are 3 beats per measure instead of the typical 4.

It is played in bass-chord or “boom-chuck” style. The bass note of each chord (lowest note) is alternated with the rest of the chord.

D minor

“D minor which is the saddest of all keys, I fnd. People weep instantly when they hear it, and I don't know why.” - Nigel Tufnel

What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor?

Also played in a “boom-chuck” style, this tune is a bit more challenging as each chord alternates between two diferent bass notes. Here is the melody below.

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The Tie

A te connects two or more notes together. This indicates a single rhythmic value equal to the sum of each note's duraton. The easiest way to play paterns with tes is to pretend to play the note to the right of the te and miss the strings.

1 and 2 and “miss” and 4 and Try reading through the following rhythms.

Alternate Fingering for G

Try this alternate fngering for G. While you might fnd it a litle awkward at frst, it makes the transiton between G and C much smoother.

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Congratulatons!You have learned all of the “open” major and minor chords on the guitar. Here is a quick review.

Major Chords

Minor Chords

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