Play the Guitar: Lesson 12

   In the previous part we've talked about chord A and F. Now we will talk a little about strumming.

   Guitar Strumming - An Introduction

   In our eagerness to get going, we kinda jumped over some of the more theoretical aspects of guitar playing. I fear we've come to a point where we can no longer avoid them. Don't worry, we'll take is slow.

   So. There are more than one way to play the guitar (obviously). One way we can play a song is by playing a bunch of chords in succession. This method of playing is generally more forgiving and does not require so much precision. Or skill. It's like playing the little leagues: it is only meant to be fun, no one expects us to be fantastic. The other way to play guitar is to play individual notes, one (or more) at the time, according to some very precise rules. This method of playing is a little more... academic, but nothing to be afraid of.
 

   Playing Chords

   Playing chords is like clapping our hands. All we have to do is:

    1. Know the chords
    2. Know how to count
    3. Know how to keep a steady rhythm.

   That's all there is to it. We have started learning the chords, all we have to do now is to see what this counting and rhythm is all about, which we will do in the next few lessons. For now we just need to know that playing chords is called strumming, and there are several common patterns, which we will learn soon.

   Playing Notes

   Playing notes is a little more complicated, but not by much. All we have to do is:

   1. Know how to read music
   2. Know how to count (again?!)
   3. Know how to keep a steady rhythm (you said that already...)

   I assure you it only sounds difficult, it is not. Not terribly, that is. That's it, we'll talk more about the subject of strumming and about the subject of reading music soon.

Add picture here...

To be continued...