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Guitar FOR DUMmIES‰
2ND EDITION 01_599046 ffirs.qxd 9/12/05 6:09 PM Page ii 01_599046 ffirs.qxd 9/12/05 6:09 PM Page iii
Guitar FOR DUMmIES‰
2ND EDITION
by Mark Phillips and Jon Chappell 01_599046 ffirs.qxd 9/12/05 6:09 PM Page iv
Guitar For Dummies®, 2nd Edition Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, 317-572-3447, fax 317-572-4355, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions. Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REP- RESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CON- TENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CRE- ATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CON- TAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FUR- THER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFOR- MATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ.
For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 800-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Control Number: 2005932590 ISBN-13: 978-0-7645-9904-0 ISBN-10: 0-7645-9904-6 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 2B/SZ/QZ/QV/IN 01_599046 ffirs.qxd 9/12/05 6:09 PM Page v
About the Authors Mark Phillips is a guitarist, arranger, and editor with more than 30 years in the music publishing field. He earned his bachelor’s degree in music theory from Case Western Reserve University, where he received the Carolyn Neff Award for scholastic excellence, and his master’s degree in music theory from Northwestern University, where he was elected to Pi Kappa Lambda, the most prestigious U.S. honor society for college and university music students. While working toward a doctorate in music theory at Northwestern, Phillips taught classes in theory, ear-training, sight-singing, counterpoint, and guitar.
During the 1970s and early ’80s, Phillips was Director of Popular Music at Warner Bros. Publications, where he edited and arranged the songbooks of such artists as Neil Young, James Taylor, the Eagles, and Led Zeppelin. Since the mid-’80s he has served as Director of Music and Director of Publications at Cherry Lane Music, where he has edited or arranged the songbooks of such artists as John Denver, Van Halen, Guns N’ Roses, and Metallica, and has served as Music Editor of the magazines Guitar and Guitar One.
Phillips is the author of several books on musical subjects, including Metallica Riff by Riff, Sight-Sing Any Melody Instantly, and Sight-Read Any Rhythm Instantly. In his non-musical life, Phillips is the author/publisher of a series of “fun” high school English textbooks, including The Wizard of Oz Vocabulary Builder, The Pinocchio Intermediate Vocabulary Builder, and Tarzan and Jane’s Guide to Grammar. For the reference value of his numerous publications, Phillips is profiled in Who’s Who in America.
Jon Chappell is a multistyle guitarist, transcriber, and arranger. He attended Carnegie-Mellon University, where he studied with Carlos Barbosa-Lima, and he then went on to earn his master’s degree in composition from DePaul University, where he also taught theory and ear training. He was formerly Editor-in-Chief of Guitar magazine, Technical Editor of Guitar Shop Magazine, and Musicologist for Guitarra, a classical magazine. He has played and recorded with Pat Benatar, Judy Collins, Graham Nash, and Gunther Schuller, and he has contributed numerous musical pieces to film and TV. Some of these include Northern Exposure, Walker, Texas Ranger, Guiding Light, and the feature film Bleeding Hearts directed by actor-dancer Gregory Hines. In 1990, he became Associate Music Director of Cherry Lane Music where he has transcribed, edited, and arranged the music of Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Steve Morse, Mike Stern, and Eddie Van Halen, among others. He has more than a dozen method books to his name, and is the author of Rock Guitar For Dummies and the textbook The Recording Guitarist — A Guide for Home and Studio, published by Hal Leonard. 01_599046 ffirs.qxd 9/12/05 6:09 PM Page vi 01_599046 ffirs.qxd 9/12/05 6:09 PM Page vii
Dedication Mark Phillips: For my wife, Debbie, and my children, Tara, Jake, and Rachel.
Jon Chappell: For my wife, Mary, and my children, Jennifer, Katie, Lauren, and Ryan.
Authors’ Acknowledgments The authors gratefully acknowledge the folks at Wiley Publishing, Inc.: Tracy Boggier, Mike Baker, and Jen Bingham.
Special thanks to Woytek and Krystyna Rynczak of WR Music Service for the music typesetting, and to Brian McConnon of Steinberg for the CD recording software, Cubase SX and Nuendo. 01_599046 ffirs.qxd 9/12/05 6:09 PM Page viii
Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Acquisitions, Editorial, and Composition Services Media Development Project Coordinator: Adrienne Martinez Project Editor: Mike Baker Layout and Graphics: Carl Byers, (Previous Edition: Kyle Looper) Lauren Goddard, Joyce Haughey, Acquisitions Editor: Tracy Boggier Barbara Moore, Barry Offringa, Lynsey Osborn, Rashell Smith, Erin Zeltner Copy Editor: Jennifer Bingham Proofreaders: Leeann Harney, (Previous Edition: William A. Barton) Carl William Pierce, Shannon Ramsey, Editorial Program Assistant: Courtney Allen Charles Spencer Technical Reviewer: Rod E. Schindler Indexer: Rebecca R. Plunkett Media Development Specialist: Laura Moss Special Help: Tim Borek, Kit Malone Editorial Manager: Christine Meloy Beck Media Development Manager: Laura VanWinkle Editorial Assistants: Nadine Bell, Hanna Scott Cover Photos: Jon Chappell Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com)
Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services 02_599046 flast.qxd 9/12/05 6:12 PM Page ix
Contents at a Glance
Introduction ...... 1 Part I: So You Wanna Play Guitar ...... 9 Chapter 1: Guitar 101 ...... 11 Chapter 2: Turn On, Tune In ...... 19 Chapter 3: Ready, Set . . . Not Yet: Developing the Tools and Skills to Play ...... 27 Part II: So Start Playing: The Basics ...... 39 Chapter 4: The Easiest Way to Play: Basic Major and Minor Chords ...... 41 Chapter 5: Playing Melodies without Reading Music! ...... 61 Chapter 6: Adding Some Spice: Basic 7th Chords ...... 71 Part III: Beyond the Basics: Starting to Sound Cool ...... 87 Chapter 7: Playing Melodies in Position and in Double-Stops ...... 89 Chapter 8: Stretching Out: Barre Chords ...... 103 Chapter 9: Special Articulation: Making the Guitar Talk ...... 127 Part IV: A Cornucopia of Styles ...... 153 Chapter 10: Rock ...... 155 Chapter 11: Blues ...... 183 Chapter 12: Folk ...... 207 Chapter 13: Classical ...... 231 Chapter 14: Jazz ...... 247 Part V: Purchasing and Caring for Your Guitar ...... 261 Chapter 15: Perfectly Good Guitars ...... 263 Chapter 16: Guitar Accessories ...... 279 Chapter 17: Getting Strung Along: Changing Strings ...... 295 Chapter 18: Staying Fit: Basic Maintenance and Repairs ...... 307 Part VI: The Part of Tens ...... 325 Chapter 19: Ten Guitarists You Should Know ...... 327 Chapter 20: Ten Guitars You Should Know ...... 333 02_599046 flast.qxd 9/12/05 6:12 PM Page x
Part VII: Appendixes ...... 337 Appendix A: How to Read Music ...... 339 Appendix B: 96 Common Chords ...... 351 Appendix C: How to Use the CD ...... 355 Index ...... 365 02_599046 flast.qxd 9/12/05 6:12 PM Page xi
Table of Contents
Introduction ...... 1 About This Book ...... 1 Finding a guitar ...... 1 Playing the guitar ...... 2 Caring for your guitar ...... 3 Not-So-Foolish Assumptions ...... 3 What You’re Not to Read ...... 3 Conventions We Use in This Book ...... 4 How This Book Is Organized ...... 4 Part I: So You Wanna Play Guitar ...... 5 Part II: So Start Playing: The Basics ...... 5 Part III: Beyond the Basics: Starting to Sound Cool ...... 6 Part IV: A Cornucopia of Styles ...... 6 Part V: Purchasing and Caring for Your Guitar ...... 6 Part VI: The Part of Tens ...... 7 Part VII: Appendixes ...... 7 Icons Used in This Book ...... 7 Where to Go from Here ...... 8
Part I: So You Wanna Play Guitar ...... 9
Chapter 1: Guitar 101 ...... 11 Anatomy of a Guitar ...... 11 How Guitars Work ...... 14 String vibration and string length ...... 15 Using both hands to make a sound ...... 15 Frets and half steps ...... 16 Pickups ...... 16 Chapter 2: Turn On, Tune In ...... 19 Counting on Your Strings and Frets ...... 19 Everything’s Relative: Tuning the Guitar to Itself ...... 20 The fifth-fret method ...... 20 In Deference to a Reference: Tuning to a Fixed Source ...... 22 Taking a turn at the piano ...... 23 Tuning your guitar with a pitch pipe ...... 24 Sinking your teeth into the tuning fork ...... 24 Experiencing the electronic tuner ...... 25 Using your CD ...... 26 02_599046 flast.qxd 9/12/05 6:12 PM Page xii
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Chapter 3: Ready, Set . . . Not Yet: Developing the Tools and Skills to Play ...... 27 Hand Position and Posture ...... 27 Settling in to a sitting position ...... 28 Standing position ...... 29 Left-hand position: Fretting made easy ...... 30 Right-hand position ...... 32 You Don’t Have to Read Music to Understand Guitar Notation ...... 34 Getting by with a little help from a chord diagram ...... 34 Reading rhythm slashes ...... 36 Taking a look at tablature ...... 36 How to Play a Chord ...... 37 Fingering a chord ...... 37 Avoiding buzzes ...... 38
Part II: So Start Playing: The Basics ...... 39
Chapter 4: The Easiest Way to Play: Basic Major and Minor Chords ...... 41 Playing Chords in the A Family ...... 42 Fingering A-family chords ...... 42 Strumming A-family chords ...... 43 Playing Chords in the D Family ...... 45 Fingering D-family chords ...... 46 Strumming D-family chords ...... 47 Playing Chords in the G Family ...... 48 Fingering G-family chords ...... 48 Strumming G-family chords ...... 48 Playing Chords in the C Family ...... 49 Fingering C-family chords ...... 50 Strumming C-family chords ...... 50 Playing Songs with Basic Major and Minor Chords ...... 51 Having Fun with Basic Major and Minor Chords: The “Oldies” Progression ...... 58 Chapter 5: Playing Melodies without Reading Music! ...... 61 Reading Tablature While Listening to the CD ...... 62 Top or bottom? ...... 62 Right or left? ...... 63 Getting a Grip on Left-Hand Fingering ...... 64 Using Alternate Picking ...... 64 Playing Songs with Simple Melodies ...... 66 02_599046 flast.qxd 9/12/05 6:12 PM Page xiii
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Chapter 6: Adding Some Spice: Basic 7th Chords ...... 71 Dominant 7th Chords ...... 72 D7, G7, and C7 ...... 72 E7 and A7 ...... 73 E7 (four-finger version) and B7 ...... 74 Minor 7th Chords — Dm7, Em7, and Am7 ...... 75 Major 7th Chords — Cmaj7, Fmaj7, Amaj7, and Dmaj7 ...... 76 Playing Songs with 7th Chords ...... 77 Fun with 7th Chords: The 12-Bar Blues ...... 84 Playing the 12-bar blues ...... 84 Writing your own blues song ...... 85
Part III: Beyond the Basics: Starting to Sound Cool ...... 87
Chapter 7: Playing Melodies in Position and in Double-Stops . . . . .89 Playing in Position ...... 89 Playing in position versus playing with open strings ...... 90 Playing exercises in position ...... 90 Shifting positions ...... 92 Building strength and dexterity by playing in position ...... 93 Double-Stops ...... 95 Understanding double-stops ...... 95 Playing exercises in double-stops ...... 95 Playing Songs in Position and in Double-Stops ...... 97 Chapter 8: Stretching Out: Barre Chords ...... 103 Playing Major Barre Chords Based on E ...... 103 Finding the right fret ...... 105 Playing progressions using major barre chords based on E ...... 106 Playing Minor, Dominant 7th, and Minor 7th Barre Chords Based on E ...... 107 Minor chords ...... 108 Dominant 7th chords ...... 109 Minor 7th chords ...... 110 Playing Major Barre Chords Based on A ...... 111 Fingering the A-based major barre chord ...... 112 Finding the right fret ...... 113 Progressions using A-based major barre chords ...... 113 Playing Minor, Dominant 7th, Minor 7th, and Major 7th Barre Chords Based on A ...... 115 Minor chords ...... 115 Dominant 7th chords ...... 116 Minor 7th chords ...... 117 Major 7th chords ...... 117 02_599046 flast.qxd 9/12/05 6:12 PM Page xiv
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Wailing on Power Chords ...... 119 Fingering power chords ...... 119 How you use power chords ...... 122 Playing Songs with Barre Chords and Power Chords ...... 123 Chapter 9: Special Articulation: Making the Guitar Talk ...... 127 Getting the Hang of Hammer-Ons ...... 128 Playing a hammer-on ...... 128 Getting idiomatic with hammer-ons ...... 130 Getting Playful with Pull-Offs ...... 132 Playing pull-offs ...... 132 Getting idiomatic with pull-offs ...... 135 Getting Slippery with Slides ...... 135 Playing slides ...... 136 Playing idiomatic licks using slides ...... 138 Getting the Bends ...... 139 Playing bends ...... 140 Getting idiomatic with bends ...... 142 Varying Your Sound with Vibrato ...... 145 Getting Mellow with Muting ...... 147 Creating a thick, chunky sound as an effect ...... 148 Preventing unwanted string noise ...... 149 Playing idiomatic licks using muting ...... 149 Playing a Song with Varied Articulation ...... 151
Part IV: A Cornucopia of Styles ...... 153
Chapter 10: Rock ...... 155 Classic Rock ’n’ Roll ...... 155 Rhythm guitar ...... 156 Lead guitar ...... 159 Modern Rock ...... 169 Sus and add chords ...... 169 Slash chords ...... 170 Alternate tunings ...... 172 Country-rock and Southern-rock lead ...... 174 Playing Songs in the Rock Style ...... 177 Chapter 11: Blues ...... 183 Electric Blues ...... 184 Blues rhythm guitar ...... 184 Blues lead guitar ...... 189 02_599046 flast.qxd 9/12/05 6:12 PM Page xv
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Acoustic Blues ...... 197 General concepts ...... 197 Specific techniques ...... 200 Turnarounds ...... 202 Playing Blues Songs ...... 204 Chapter 12: Folk ...... 207 Playing Fingerstyle ...... 207 Fingerstyle technique ...... 208 Right-hand position ...... 208 Using the Capo ...... 210 Arpeggio Style ...... 212 Playing arpeggio style ...... 212 “Lullaby” pattern ...... 213 Thumb-Brush Style ...... 214 Simple thumb-brush ...... 214 Thumb-brush-up ...... 215 Carter Style ...... 215 Travis Picking ...... 216 Playing the pattern ...... 217 Accompaniment style ...... 219 Solo style ...... 220 Open tuning ...... 220 Playing Folk Songs ...... 222 Chapter 13: Classical ...... 231 Getting Ready to Play Classical Guitar ...... 232 How to sit ...... 232 The right hand ...... 233 Left-hand position ...... 235 Free Strokes and Rest Strokes ...... 237 Playing free strokes ...... 237 Playing rest strokes ...... 238 Arpeggio Style and Contrapuntal Style ...... 240 Combining free strokes and rest strokes in arpeggios ...... 240 Point/counterpoint ...... 240 Playing Classical Pieces ...... 242 Chapter 14: Jazz ...... 247 Introducing a Whole New Harmony ...... 248 Extended chords ...... 248 Altered chords ...... 249 02_599046 flast.qxd 9/12/05 6:12 PM Page xvi
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Rhythm Comping ...... 249 Inside chords ...... 249 Outside chords ...... 250 Full chords ...... 252 Playing Solo: Chord-Melody Style ...... 253 Making substitutions ...... 253 Faking it with three chords ...... 254 Taking the Lead: Jazz Melody ...... 254 Scales with altered tones ...... 255 Approaching target notes ...... 256 Making melodies from arpeggiated chords ...... 256 Playing Jazz Songs ...... 257
Part V: Purchasing and Caring for Your Guitar ...... 261
Chapter 15: Perfectly Good Guitars ...... 263 Before Breaking Out Your Wallet ...... 264 Beginner Guitars ...... 265 Models for a Particular Style ...... 267 The Second (And Third . . .) Guitars ...... 268 Construction ...... 270 Materials ...... 271 Workmanship ...... 273 Appointments (cosmetics) ...... 274 Buying an Ax to Grind ...... 274 Bringing along an expert ...... 275 Meeting the salesperson ...... 275 The art of the deal ...... 276 Chapter 16: Guitar Accessories ...... 279 Amps ...... 279 Getting started with a practice amp ...... 280 Powering up to a performance amp ...... 281 A Case for Cases ...... 284 Hard cases ...... 284 Soft cases ...... 285 Gig bags ...... 285 Capos ...... 285 Effect Pedals and Devices ...... 286 Picks ...... 289 Strings ...... 290 Straps ...... 290 Electronic Tuners ...... 291 Some Other Helpful (But Nonessential) Goodies ...... 292 02_599046 flast.qxd 9/12/05 6:12 PM Page xvii
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Chapter 17: Getting Strung Along: Changing Strings ...... 295 Restringing Strategies ...... 296 Removing Old Strings ...... 296 Stringing a Steel-String Acoustic Guitar ...... 297 Changing strings step-by-step ...... 297 Tuning up ...... 300 Stringing Nylon-String Guitars ...... 301 Changing strings step-by-step ...... 301 Tuning up ...... 303 Stringing an Electric Guitar ...... 304 Changing strings step-by-step ...... 304 The special case of the Floyd Rose bridge ...... 306 Chapter 18: Staying Fit: Basic Maintenance and Repairs ...... 307 Cleaning Your Guitar ...... 310 Removing dirt and grime ...... 310 Caring for the finish ...... 312 Protecting Your Guitar ...... 313 On the road ...... 313 In storage ...... 314 Providing a Healthy Environment ...... 314 Temperature settings ...... 315 Humidity ...... 315 Do-It-Yourself Repairs ...... 316 Tightening loose connections ...... 316 Adjusting the neck and bridge ...... 316 Replacing worn or old parts ...... 319 Having the Right Tools ...... 322 Ten Things That You Can’t Do Yourself ...... 323
Part VI: The Part of Tens ...... 325
Chapter 19: Ten Guitarists You Should Know ...... 327 Andrés Segovia (1893–1987) ...... 327 Charlie Christian (1916–42) ...... 327 Chet Atkins (1924–2001) ...... 328 Wes Montgomery (1925–68) ...... 328 B.B. King (1925– ) ...... 328 Chuck Berry (1926– ) ...... 328 Jimi Hendrix (1942–70) ...... 329 Jimmy Page (1944– ) ...... 329 Eric Clapton (1945– ) ...... 329 Eddie Van Halen (1955– ) ...... 329 Guitarists Who May Be on Someone Else’s Top Ten List ...... 330 02_599046 flast.qxd 9/12/05 6:12 PM Page xviii
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Chapter 20: Ten Guitars You Should Know ...... 333 D’Angelico Archtop ...... 333 Fender Stratocaster ...... 334 Fender Telecaster ...... 334 Gibson ES-335 ...... 334 Gibson J-200 ...... 335 Gibson Les Paul ...... 335 Gretsch 6120 ...... 335 Martin D-28 ...... 335 Ramirez Classical ...... 336 Rickenbacker 360-12 ...... 336
Part VII: Appendixes ...... 337
Appendix A: How to Read Music ...... 339 The Elements of Music Notation ...... 340 Reading pitch ...... 341 Reading duration ...... 343 Expression, articulation, and miscellaneous terms and symbols ...... 346 Finding Notes on the Guitar ...... 347 Appendix B: 96 Common Chords ...... 351
Appendix C: How to Use the CD ...... 355 Relating the Text to the CD ...... 355 Count-offs ...... 356 Stereo separation ...... 356 System Requirements ...... 357 Audio CD players ...... 357 Computer CD-ROM drives ...... 357 Using the CD with Microsoft Windows ...... 357 Using the CD with Mac OS ...... 358 What You’ll Find on the CD ...... 358 CD audio tracks ...... 358 Digital music ...... 364 Troubleshooting ...... 364 Index...... 365 03_599046 intro.qxd 9/12/05 6:05 PM Page 1
Introduction
So you wanna play guitar, huh? And why wouldn’t you? Because you may as well face it: In the music world, guitars set the standard for cool (and we’re not just being biased here). Since the 1950s, many of the greatest showmen in rock ’n’ roll, blues, and country have played the guitar. Think of Chuck Berry doing his one-legged hop across the stage (the “duck walk”) while belting out “Johnny B. Goode,” Jimi Hendrix wailing on his upside-down, right-handed (and sometimes flaming) Stratocaster, Bonnie Raitt playing slide guitar, Garth Brooks with his acoustic guitar and flannel shirts, B.B. King’s authoritative bending and expressive vibrato on his guitar “Lucille,” or George Benson’s mellow jazz guitar stylings. (Even Elvis Presley, whose guitar prowess may not have exceeded five chords, still used the guitar effectively onstage as a prop.) The list goes on.
Playing electric guitar can put you out in front of a band, where you’re free to roam, sing, and make eye contact with your adoring fans. Playing acoustic guitar can make you the star of the vacation campfire singalong. And playing any kind of guitar can bring out the music in your soul and become a valued lifetime hobby.
About This Book Guitar For Dummies, 2nd Edition, delivers everything the beginning to inter- mediate guitarist needs: From buying a guitar to tuning the guitar, to playing the guitar, to caring for the guitar, this book has it all!
Finding a guitar Believe it or not, many would-be guitarists never really get into playing because they have the wrong guitar. Or maybe the strings are too difficult to push down (causing a great deal of pain). Guitar For Dummies, 2nd Edition, unlike some other books we could mention, doesn’t assume that you already have the right guitar — or even any guitar at all, for that matter. In this book, you find everything you need to know (from a buyer’s guide to buying strategies, to guitars and accessories for particular styles) to match yourself with the guitar and equipment that fit your needs and budget. 03_599046 intro.qxd 9/12/05 6:05 PM Page 2
2 Guitar For Dummies, 2nd Edition Playing the guitar Most guitar books want you to practice the guitar in the same way that you practice the piano. First, you learn where the notes fall on the staff; then you learn about the length of time that you’re supposed to hold the notes; then you move on to practicing scales; and the big payoff is to practice song after unrecognizable song that you probably don’t care about playing anyway. If you’re looking for this kind of ho-hum guitar book, you’ve definitely come to the wrong place. But don’t worry, you can find no shortage of that kind of book.
The truth is that many great guitarists don’t know how to read music, and many who can read music learned to do so after they learned to play the guitar. Repeat after us: You don’t need to read music to play the guitar. Chant this mantra until you believe it, because this principle is central to the design of Guitar For Dummies, 2nd Edition.
One of the coolest things about the guitar is that, even though you can devote your lifetime to perfecting your skills, you can start faking it rather quickly. We assume that, instead of concentrating on what the 3/4 time signature means, you want to play music — real music (or at least recognizable music). We want you to play music, too, because that’s what keeps you motivated and practicing.
So how does Guitar For Dummies, 2nd Edition, deliver? Glad you asked. The following list tells you how this book starts you playing and developing real guitar skills quickly: