REFERENCE

PAGES

YOUR GUITAR
T his book is designed for use with any type of guitar—acoustic steel-string, nylon-string classical, or electric. Any of these
guitars can be adapted for use in a wide variety of styles of music.

STEEL-STRING

NYLON-STRING

ELECTRIC

If you are using a solidbody-electric or an acoustic-electric be sure to practice with an amplifier some of the time.

1
 TUNING
TUNING TO THE AUDIO
When you are tuning your guitar, you will adjust the pitch (highness
or lowness of sound) of each string by turning the corresponding
tuning key. Tightening a string raises the pitch and loosening it
lowers the pitch.

The strings are numbered 1 through 6 beginning with the thinnest

string, the one closest to your knee. Tune each string in sequence
beginning with the first string, by listening to the correct pitch on
audio track 1 and slowly turning the tuning key until the sound of the
string matches the sound on the track.

TUNING WITH AN ELECTRONIC TUNER

An electronic tuner “reads” the pitch of a sound and tells you whether
or not the pitch is correct. Until your ear is well trained in hearing
pitches, this can be a much more accurate way to tune. There are
many different types of tuners available, and each one will come with
more detailed instructions for its use.
Middle C

TUNING TO A KEYBOARD
If you have a piano or electric keyboard nearby, play the correct key
E A D G B E
(see diagram) and slowly turn the corresponding tuning key until the
6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st
sound of the string matches the sound of the keyboard. string string string string string string

ANOTHER WAY TO TUNE

To check or correct your tuning when no pitch source is available, follow these steps:
•  Assume that the sixth string is tuned correctly to E.
• Press the sixth string at the 5th fret. This is the pitch A to which you tune your open fifth string. Play the depressed
sixth string and the fifth string with your thumb. When the two sounds match, you are in tune.
• Press the fifth string at the 5th fret and tune the open fourth string to it. Follow the same procedure that you did on
the fifth and sixth strings.
•  Press the fourth string at the 5th fret and tune the open third string to it.
•  To tune the second string, press the third string at the 4th fret and tune the open second string to it.
•  Press the second string at the 5th fret and tune the first string to it.

E 1st string
B E 2nd string

G B 3rd string

D G 4th string

A D 5th string

E A 6th string

nut 5th fret

This is called relative tuning because the strings are tuned relative to one another.

2
 PLAYING POSITION
There are several ways to hold the guitar comfortably. On the left is a typical seated position, and on the right is the
standing position. Make sure you practice sitting and standing. Observe the following general guidelines in forming your
playing posture:

•  Position your body, arms, and legs in such a way that you avoid tension.

•  If you feel tension creeping into your playing, you probably need to reassess your position.

•  Tilt the neck upwards—never down.

• Keep the body of the guitar as vertical as possible. Avoid slanting the top of the guitar so that you can see better.
Balance your weight evenly from left to right. Sit straight (but not rigid).

Left-hand fingers are numbered 1 through 4

(Pianists: Note that the thumb is not number
1.) Place the thumb in back of the neck roughly
opposite the 2nd finger. Avoid gripping the neck
like a baseball bat with the palm touching the
back of the neck.

These photos show the position for holding

a pick and the right-hand position in relation-
ship to the strings. Strive for finger efficiency
and relaxation in your playing.

3
 TREBLE
STAFF & TREBLE
STAFF &
MUSICAL SYMBOLS
CLEF CLEF

Music is written in notes on a staff. The staff has five lines and four spaces between the lines. Where a note is written on
the staff determines its pitch (highness or lowness). At the beginning of the staff is a clef sign. Guitar music is written in the

w
treble clef.

w w w w
LINES & w w & &w w
TREBLE
STAFF
CLEF & w LINES
TREBLE
CLEF
E G B D F E G B D F

Each line and space of the staff has a letter name. The lines are, (from bottom to top) E - G - B - D - F, which you can remember
as Every Guitarist Begins Doing Fine. The spaces are, (from bottom to top) F - A - C - E, which spells “Face.”

w ww wLINES w
w ww
LINES &
TREBLE
SPACES
CLEF w
&& ww ww & ww w ww
SPACES &
E GF B AD FC E EF G AB DC F E

The staff is divided into several parts by bar lines. The space between two bar lines is called a measure (also known as a “bar”).
To end a piece of music a double bar is placed on the staff.

w
w w w w w
BAR& ww w
w w &w
MEASURE MEASURE

LINES
SPACES SPACES
BAR LINES
LINES
EF G AB D F E
C BAR F A BARCLINE E BAR LINE
LINE BAR LINE DOUBLE BAR

Each measure contains a group of beats. Beats are the steady pulse of music. You respond to the pulse or beat when you tap
your foot. The two numbers placed next to the clef sign are the time signature.

w
The top number tells you how many beats are in one measure.

& w& 44w w

MEASURE MEASURE

SPACES
BAR TIME
LINES BAR LINES
FOUR BEATS PER MEASURE
SIGNATURE F A C
BAR LINE
E BAR LINE
q
QUARTER NOTE ( ) GETS ONE BEAT
DOUBLE BAR BAR LINE BAR LIN

The bottom number of the time signature tells

you what kind of note will receive one beat.

Notes indicate the length (number of counts) of musical sound.

w h q
MEASURE

BAR LINES

NOTES WHOLE NOTE = 4 beats BAR LINE HALF NOTE

BAR= 2LINE
beats DOUBLE BAR
QUARTER NOTE = 1 beat

When different kinds of notes are placed on different lines or spaces, you will know the pitch of the note and how long to
play the sound.