Fur Elise is a famous piano solo by Beethoven. In this guitar lesson you will learn to play Fur Elise on your guitar. You don’t have to read sheet music notation so let’s start!

As I told you we will not use sheet music. Instead we will use guitar tablature.

Tablature is a form of musical notation, often with numbers and letters, which tells the player where to place their fingers on the guitar fretboard rather than which pitches to play.

I will use my own type of guitar tab notation today to make sure that the guitar tab is correctly displayed on article sites. The more common guitar tab staff notation you will find on my site.

The six strings on your guitar is numbered from the one with the highest pitch. This string is called the first string.

Let’s start with the first part of the melody with guitar tab:

01 42 01 42 01 02 32 12 23

Now we will take a look at this guitar tab and how to interpret it. You have probably noticed that the numbers are organized in pairs.

The first number in the pair tells you what fret to press down and the second number what string to play.

01 tells you to play the open first string. This means that you play the string without pressing down a left hand finger.

42 indicates that you press down a left hand finger on the fourth fret of the second string. Well, now it’s time for you to play the melody. Did you recognize the melody? Good!

This type of guitar tab doesn’t indicate the length of the notes. If you sing the lyrics you will probably feel how to play the notes.

What finger should you use when you play with your right hand? In this guitar lesson we will not concentrate on your right hand. I suggest that you play the notes with your thumb or in another way you choose.

Let’s play the next guitar tab:

35 24 23 02 24 13 02 12

What about your left hand? You can play the notes with your index finger but I suggest that you assign the notes on the first fret to your index finger, the notes on the second fret to your middle finger and so on.

It means that the 42 note in the beginning of the melody will be played with your little finger. Is it difficult? Yes, it will be difficult but not for long! You will get used to these fingerings if you are persistent!

In the long run you will probably even find it easier to play melodies this way if you get used to this more sophisticated fingering!

Let’s continue! The next guitar tab is identical with the first line:

01 42 01 42 01 02 32 12 23

and the next guitar tab nearly the same as the second line:

35 24 23 02 24 12 02 23

A new melodi is introduced:

02 12 32 01 03 11 01 32

and ends this way:

34 01 32 12 24 32 12 02

By now you know how to play this guitar tab notation so let’s play on!

01 42 01 42 01 02 32 12 23

35 24 23 02 24 13 02 12

01 42 01 42 01 02 32 12 23

35 24 23 02 24 12 02 23

Now you can play Fur Elise by Beethoven with guitar tab. Congratulations!

I suggest that you memorize the melody one line at a time so that the reading of this guitar tab will not slow you down when you play the melody in public!

This is a nice melody to know by heart as part of your repertoire for example when somebody asks you to play something! Everyone knows this song, don’t they!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/guitar-lesson-learn-to-play-guitar-tab-solo-with-fur-elise-26059.html

About the Author
Peter Edvinsson is a musician, composer and music teacher. Visit his site Capotasto Music and download your free sheet music and guitar tab at http://www.capotastomusic.com

You don’t need to know guitar sheet music to learn to play guitar melodies. Let’s learn Morning Has Broken with guitar tab!

“Morning Has Broken” is a Christian hymn. Cat Stevens has recorded a popular version of the song.

Here is the first verse:

Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the world

As I mentioned we will not use guitar sheet music notation. Many people find it hard to read sheet music on guitar.

In order to learn to play guitar melodies we will use another notation system called tablature.

Tablature or guitar tab is a form of musical notation, often with numbers and letters, which will tell you where to place your fingers on the guitar fretboard in order to play a melody.

In this article I will use a type of guitar tab notation with numbers only. The more common guitar tab staff notation you will find on my site.

Let´s take a look at your guitar!

The six strings on your guitar is numbered from the one with the highest pitch. This string is called the first string.

In order for me to tell you how to play the melody on your guitar I will write down which fret to press down with your left hand and which string to play.

If I write 31 it means that you are to press down the third fret on the first string. The first number indicates the fret to press down and the next number the string.

01 means: play the first open string. This means that you play the first string without pressing down a fret.

The first part of Morning Has Broken with guitar tab and lyrics looks like this:

Morning has broken, like the first morning

35 24 03 12 32 02 23 03 23 02 23 03

You will start with the note C here notated 35. That is, press down the third fret on the fift string.

In this type of guitar tab notation you will not have an indication as to the length of the notes. I suggest that you sing the lyrics in order to feel how the melody is to be played.

Let’s look at the next guitar tab:

Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird

35 04 24 03 23 03 24 35 04

In this guitar lesson we will not deal with how to play the strings with your right hand fingers. I suggest that you play the strings with you right hand thumb or some other way you choose.

The next guitar tab looks like this:

Praise for the singing, praise for the morning

03 24 03 12 23 03 24 35 35 04

What about your left hand? You can play the notes with your index finger but I suggest that you assign the notes on the first fret to your index finger, the notes on the second fret to your middle finger and so on.

It might be a little bit difficult at first but in the long run you will find it easier to play melodies with these left hand fingerings if you are persistent!

Now we will continue with the next and last guitar tab:

Praise for the springing fresh from the world

24 04 24 03 23 04 24 04 35

I promised you that you could learn Morning Has Broken on your guitar without sheet music and now you have accomplished this and I have kept my promise. Congratulations!

It would have been nice to hear you play the melody but I guess it is not possible so play it for a friend!

I suggest that you memorize the melody one line at a time so that the reading of this guitar tab will not slow you down when you play the melody in public!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/guitar-lesson-learn-to-play-guitar-tab-solo-morning-has-broken-26965.html

About the Author
Peter Edvinsson is a musician, composer and music teacher. Visit his site Capotasto Music and download your free sheet music and guitar tab at http://www.capotastomusic.com

You can learn to play melodies on your guitar even if you do not know sheet music notation. We will instead use easy to learn guitar tab or guitar tablature. Let’s learn Yankee Doodle!

Yankee Doodle “Yankee Doodle” is a well-known American song, today sung patriotically. Originally it was a satirical song.

The first verse and refrain goes like this:

Yankee Doodle went to town
A-Riding on a pony
He stuck a feather in his hat
And called it macaroni

Yankee Doodle, keep it up
Yankee Doodle dandy
Mind the music and the step
And with the girls be handy

What is guitar tab?

We will use guitar tablature so you will not need to read sheet music notation. You will only use the four thinnest strings on the guitar. The string with the highest pitch is called the first string or E-string.

Tablature is a form of musical notation, often with numbers and letters, which tells the player where to place their fingers on the guitar fretboard rather than which pitches to play.

I will use my own type of guitar tab notation today to make sure that the guitar tab is correctly displayed on article sites. On my site you will find many popular melodies with the more common guitar tab staff notation.

The six strings on your guitar is numbered from the one with the highest pitch. This string is called the first string.

Look at this guitar tab notation:

11 12 03

As you can see the numbers are organized in pairs.

The first number in the pair tells you what fret to press down and the second number what string to play.

11 means that you press down the first fret on the first string. 12 that you press down the first fret on the second string. 03 that you play the third open string which means that you pluck the string without pressing down a fret.

Let’s start with the first part of the melody with guitar tab:

Yankee Doodle went to town

12 12 32 01 12 01 32

12 tells you to play the first fret on the second string. 01 means that you play the open first string.

This type of guitar tab doesn’t indicate the length of the notes. If you sing the lyrics you will better feel how to play the notes.

The names of the four notes you have played are C C D E C E D

How do you play guitar tablature with your left hand?

If you want to use your left hand in a professional way I suggest that you play the guitar tab notes on the first fret with your first finger, the notes on the second fret with your middle finger and the notes on the third fret with your ring finger.

Let’s proceed with the next words:

A-Riding on a pony

03 12 12 32 01 12 02

The names of the seven notes are G C C D E C B

How do you play guitar tab with your right hand?

Well, there are many ways to pluck or play the strings with your right hand. The easiest way is to use your right hand thumb. I suggest that you use your right hand thumb and concentrate on your left hand fingerings.

Here is the next lyrics and guitar tablature:

He stuck a feather in his hat

03 12 12 32 01 11 01 32

The names of the tablature notes are G C C D E F E D

And called it macaroni

12 02 03 23 02 12 12

The names of the guitar tab notes: C B G A B C C

Learn to play guitar tablature part 2

Here comes the lyrics and the guitar tab for the refrain:

Yankee Doodle, keep it up

23 02 23 03 23 02 12

Guitar tablature notes: A B A G A B C

Yankee Doodle dandy

03 23 03 34 24 03

Guitar tab notes: G A G F E G

Mind the music and the step

23 02 23 03 23 02 12

Guitar tablature notes: A B A G A B C

And with the girls be handy

23 03 12 02 32 12 12

Guitar tab notes: A G C B D C C

Where can you find more guitar tab?

Now when you understand guitar tablature notation you can find many songs written this way on the internet. Search for guitar tab or guitar tablature. A complete guitar tab staff has six lines representing the six strings.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/guitar-tab-learn-to-play-yankee-doodle-with-guitar-tab-65375.html

About the Author
Peter Edvinsson is a musician, composer and music teacher. Visit his site Capotasto Music and download your free sheet music and guitar tab at http://www.capotastomusic.com

In high school, did you ever dream about starting your own rock band? Want to duplicate the soothing sounds of folk tunes for family and friends? Does your favorite musician work magic with a Gibson ES 335? Is Jimi Hendrix your idol? It doesn’t matter the reason why you want to play the guitar – a seed has been planted and now it is time to nurture the desire.

Where to begin? Playing guitar (whether for fun or professionally) takes patience and determination. By following a few tips, you can harness your passion or interest for the instrument. You will also find that fueling your creativity and developing this new form of expression will take time. Great guitar players do not blossom overnight.

Purchasing a Guitar

Before you start learning the ropes of guitar playing, you’re going to need an instrument to carry out your lessons. The type of music you wish to play will determine the kind of guitar you require. For example, an acoustic guitar is used to generate the sounds of country, ragtime or folk. The body of the guitar is large and hollow, creating a sound that many deem “natural.” Rock music often utilizes an electric guitar, which offers a rather distinctive amplified sound. Additional guitars to look into include the steel, solid body, archtop, resonator, bass and twelve-string guitar.

With the purchase of a guitar, there are other necessary pieces of basic equipment. A guitar pick is required to help play the chords of your instrument. The size of guitar pick is quite small, prompting easy breakage and it can also be easily misplaced. This is why beginners should have a good number of guitar picks on hand. When purchasing picks, the medium gauge varieties are suggested because they are less apt to break. You should also invest in a comfortable chair.

Getting Lessons

While some guitar players are able to naturally experiment with chords by ear and strum along with less guidance, others require the assistance of structured lessons. There are numerous ways to learn how to play the guitar. If you are able to afford a private tutor, you can take advantage of one-on-one instruction, which may speed up the learning process. Sometimes, beginners benefit from group learning, which provides a wealth of constructive criticism. The Internet also offers a way for beginners to privately learn online. Some websites offer a computer keyboard lesson on learning scales, which some beginners find quite easy.

Whichever approach you take in learning to play guitar, you should know that setting goals for yourself makes the process more rewarding. Achieving personal milestones further motivates your desire to find a common ground with the instrument and who knows how far your lessons will take you.

Recognizing why you want to play guitar in the first place will also help you to better accomplish your goals. Some people want to learn to play for fun, peaking with a performance in front of family and friends. Others would like to share their talents with a slightly larger crowd, probably visiting a few coffee shops or open-mic nights. Then there are the masses of learners who have bigger dreams of taking to a stage in front of thousands. No matter what the goal is, you can’t get there without loads of practice.

What You Will Learn

Guitar lessons usually start with building a basic foundation, such as how to properly hold the guitar and establishing correct posture when playing. There is a wide range of techniques involved in playing the guitar and after a few lessons, you may start to find your niche.

One of the most important things to focus on when playing a guitar is understanding and mastering the chords. There are books and charts to help you along this important part of the process. There are many different chords to familiarize yourself with and taking them one at a time will lead to better results.

Additional areas of guitar instruction may include learning how to properly hold a pick, memorizing scales, tackling music theory and selecting a music style. Instrument maintenance, such as tuning and caring for your guitar is also of importance.

Sticking With It

Staying motivated is one of the best things you can do when learning to play the guitar. It is easy to become frustrated with a new project and abandon it before truly experiencing any benefits. On some days, you may have to dig deep to reclaim your passion and dedication. Other days, you could be composing the next pop hit. Give the process a chance and remember that it takes time to get the hang of this instrument. The best thing you can do is continue to practice and soon, you will reap the rewards of hard work and focus.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/article-marketing-articles/you-can-learn-to-play-the-guitar-76993.html

About the Author

Kevin is the publisher and editor of musicianhome.com, a site that provides information and articles for musicians at all stages of their development. Download a free introductory guitar course also.

This article is devoted to learning how to play guitar (and even those just thinking about learning to play or giving the gift of music to a loved one) and how to approach gaining some kind of proficiency on the instrument. Now, we’ve all seen people playing the guitar at various times, sometimes on TV, sometimes up close (a real treat), playing various kinds of music and at varying skill levels. I think the hardest obstacle to overcome when you’re learn to play the guitar today! Hopefully, this gives you a bit of direction as you learn to play the guitar. Remember that it’s simply a matter of spending some time regularly practicing some of the basics and then applying them to your favorite music. Keep expanding your knowledge of the basic chords and learn to play songs that use them, along with the strumming patterns of the tune. Combined with some classical pieces for dexterity and developing your sight-reading chops, you’ll be well on your way to mastering the guitar in no time!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/learn-to-play-guitar-a-beginners-guide-88437.html

About the Author

Christopher Sung
Learn to Play Guitar

Whether you play acoustic or electric or another kind of guitar, you probably would like to learn how to play lead guitar. It’s fun being the one who gets the main guitar part and the guitar solos. You can usually be more creative with lead guitar than rhythm guitar and it’s more enjoyable in general.

If you’ve seen good guitarists, you probably wonder how they play lead guitar so well. They make it seem so easy. It’s like they’re displaying their emotion through the guitar and they’re just speaking through it.

That is what you should eventually aim toward: unison with the guitar. It needs to be a part of you. You need to feel complete control and completely “at home” with it. This sounds very hard at first, but trust me: it will come with time!

Now for what you came here for… how to play lead guitar. A large part of guitar soloing is using what are called “pentatonic scales.” They are like regular major and minor scales, but they leave out some notes of each scale.

This results in the scale having a very open sound. They sound better even if you’re just playing around with them and not knowing exactly what notes you’re playing. They’re also easier to play since they have fewer notes. (This is maybe why it looks so easy when good guitarists do solos!)

There are three basic kinds of pentatonic scales: the minor pentatonic scale, the major pentatonic scale, and the blues pentatonic scales. You can get a playable pattern for all of these scales and move them up and down the fretboard to play in different keys. You can get these patterns (and tons more!) at http://www.FreeSoloBook.com.

Once you have these pentatonic scale patterns, all you need to know to solo with a song is the key that the song is in. Pentatonic scales are easy to solo in because most notes sound fine no matter where you play them. But don’t take it for granted and just play randomly – study good guitarists’ techniques and try to adapt them into your own style. You can get a really great sound with just these scales.

This will get you started! Remember to have fun with your guitar playing. Don’t be jealous that you’re not as good of a lead guitarist as someone else. Just focus and practice a lot and you will eventually learn how to play lead guitar.

Want free patterns for playing pentatonic scales? Get the 40-page eBook and Amazing Guitar Secrets course now at http://www.FreeSoloBook.com.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/art-articles/how-to-play-lead-guitar-with-this-simple-technique-162845.html

About the Author

Keith Gilbert is a hobbyist musician who plays electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and piano. He recommends visiting http://www.FreeSoloBook.com for guitar lessons.

So you want to learn how to play the guitar, and you want to use your computer to do it. All you have to do now is decide what type of guitar learning software is right for you.

Since you’re probably anxious to get playing your guitar and not so excited about finding the right software, here is a quick guide to the different types of guitar learning software available. This checklist should give you an idea of what is available to suit your particular needs.

Guitar Learning Software (GLS) – Full Service

The top of the line guitar software programs provide everything you could possibly need when learning how to play the guitar, from beginner to advanced and everything in between.

If you want all the bells and whistles to go along with your guitar lessons, then you want full service guitar learning software. They should give you the biggest bang for your buck. Using both audio and video instruction, these outstanding programs include lessons in both acoustic and electric guitar. They usually have well over 100 lessons, and come with a collection of anywhere from 50 to 100 songs for practice and play-along jams.

GLS – Mid-Range

Mid-range lesson software is not too expensive, ranging from $30 to $70, and gives top quality for the price. These programs usually have some video and audio lessons, and some include written lessons as well. A mid-range program can come with up to 100 lessons and nice size song collections containing 50 or more songs (such as Jamorama).

GLS – Just the Basics

If you are just starting out playing the guitar, you will want a program that begins slowly and provides some basic background for beginners. The basic guitar learning software programs offer easy lessons that don’t require any previous guitar playing experience. Some will also provide a bit of music theory along with the guitar lessons to give you a more well-rounded guitar instruction experience. Basic guitar learning software usually costs around $20 to $50.

GLS – Easy on the Wallet

There are more than a few guitar learning software programs that are cheap, but they get the job done. Many of these even include a good amount of video instruction, a nice song collection and some coach you how to play guitar by ear. If you don’t have much money to spend, but you want to learn how to play the guitar, there are plenty of options out there. In fact, you can even find guitar learning software available to download for free if you look in the right places.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/how-to-find-the-best-guitar-learning-software-584553.html

About the Author

Steven Broffman is a professional guitarist and has been a private guitar instructor for over 15 years. To read his own in-depth learn guitar software reviews, head over to his site. You can see video reviews of all the popular guitar programs and also grab some cool free guitar software while you’re there.

Learning to teach yourself how to play the guitar is not that difficult. It does take hard work and practice, but if you have a great learning system, you will learn how to play the guitar very quickly.

Teaching yourself how to play the guitar is easier today than ever especially with the invention of the internet. Now all you have to do is get a guitar and begin learning on your own. People usually quit because they lack the motivation to practice. I have tried a learning system named Jamorama that is a pretty valuable kit to use if you want to teach yourself how to play the guitar.

Ben Edwards is the creator of Jamoroma. He was the lead guitarist for the popular down-under band “DegreesK”, who toured internationally. It’s important that for whichever system you choose to use, to make sure the “teacher” is experienced. You want to be able to learn the basics and not skip right to “jamming” because you will miss some important components of the learning process.

One valuable component a guitar learning system should have is a guide on how to read guitar tablature (or TAB) which is very essential. You should be able to play hundreds of songs available on guitar TAB on the internet. It should also teach you how to build strength and agility so you can avoid sore fingers…a common problem of mines. A good system would also include a library of chord progressions. This will show you how to progress from major chords into minor chords incorporating rhythm patterns.

Another useful component I found using the Jamorama learning system is that they included a video of step-by-step jamming sessions on how you can teach yourself how to play the guitar. The funny thing about it is that the sessions cover a wide range of music including rock, country, jazz, hip hop, dance, country, and blues. I found myself jamming rockstar mode and then turning around and being able to play classical music. I impressed myself. The fact that you’re able to watch the teacher play and figure out which chords they are using was amazing to me. These components to a learning system are beneficial in developing skills in reading sheet music and being able to recognize notes by ear.

So if you are yearning to teach yourself how to play the guitar, I recommend you try a learning system that discusses all of these components which are very important to playing a guitar.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/teach-yourself-how-to-play-the-guitar-722291.html

About the Author

Tamara Jones manages a website that provides tips and information on how to teach yourself how to play the guitar. You can also view more information here.

Do you wish that you could play the guitar? Even just a few easy songs? Would you like to start your own band, or maybe just have a few songs in your arsenal to entertain your friends at parties?

The good news is that learning how to play the guitar is a lot easier than you might think. The better news is that the quickest way to learn the basics is to begin with a few easy songs rather than the traditional way of learning the different notes and chords.

There are some great, well-known songs out there that are easy to play because they consist of only a few basic chords. Even though these songs are easy, they are incredibly entertaining, and no-one will know how easy they actually are.

Some examples of these easy songs are:

Green Day – most Green Day songs are simple and uncomplicated but also sound great. “Good Riddance – Time of Your Life” is one of the easiest Green Day songs and is recommended for beginners

The Beatles – this is another good example of a band whose songs are generally easy to learn. However, some of their songs may be more suited to an intermediate guitar player. “Help” is a relatively simple Beatles song which would be a good starting point for any beginner.

Oasis – “Wonderwall” – This is an iconic song that everyone enjoys. It is also very uncomplicated – perfect for a beginner!

America – “Horse with No Name” is well-known and very easy to play as it consists of only two chords – E minor and D.

I would also recommend the following songs for any aspiring guitar player:

Bob Dylan – “Mr. Tambourine Man”

Pink Floyd – “Wish You Were Here”

Coldplay – “Viva La Vida”

Using some easy songs such as these will make learning how to play the guitar easier and a lot more fun!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/easy-to-learn-guitar-songs-learn-guitar-the-easy-way-814505.html

About the Author

If you would like to learn more about the fundamentals of playing the guitar, or would like to get some more ideas for songs to learn, you can check out our website easytolearnguitarsongs.com. We provide great resources for beginner guitar players, and can direct you to the best selections of recent and classic easy to learn guitar songs, tailored for beginners.

Do you want to learn how to learn to play guitar fast? There is no legitimate method in which to do it immediately, but there are certainly techniques that could absolutely excelyour learning pattern when beginning to play theguitar for the first time. Thanks to this resurgence in rock and metal music and virtuoso playing, there is a huge new wave of interest in learning to play the guitar, but the journey to turning into a guitar hero yourself isn’t quite as easy as you can visualize. That said, it is very possible to learn how to learn to play guitar fast.

Your guitar is a tough thingthat may need some serious torture before you are able to get the sounds that you require from your device. The uncomplicated fundamentals that you’ll have to learn are the straight forward concept of what makes your guitar execute and some simple music theory.When you’re finding out how to learn to play guitar fast, you will need to remember the the basic methodology of playing. When you have a bit of understanding of what makes guitar playing work, then you will be well on the way to discovering how to learn to play guitar fast and becoming the guitar performer you picture about becoming.

Power chords are a superb starting point for the beginning performer when you’re discovering to learn how to learn to play guitar fast. When you have studied the simple guidelines of performing on the guitar you may discover the stimulation and uniqueness will start to flow, and further moreyou will want your skills to develop along with your concepts. Power Chords are a great way to learn your way around the fretboard of your instrument and have you writing your very own music in no time at all. This is very important when you learn how to learn to play 515d3458cfdfb6cce188578ac5fa06f6| Scales are another big help, and are so simple to learn and remember. With the simple concept of the scales and power chords, you can easily steam ahead while you find out how to learn to play guitar fast.

When you’re finding out how to learn to play guitar fast, do not anticipate to become a master through the night. The genuine masters of the guitar, folk like Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai and Al Pitrelli still find new things to do and to try out, although their understanding of the instrument is pretty much unsurpassed the world. They learned the basics and discovered their own unique sound, and so can you when you find out how to learn to play guitar fast.

The guitar is an instrument where you will never run out ofideas with- there is always lots of different stuff you can try to achieve with it, and the possibilities really are endless. With just a few simple classes and a lot of commitment and creativity, you can also how to learn how to learn to play guitar fast!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/tutoring-articles/ideal-way-how-to-learn-to-play-guitar-fast-1005844.html

About the Author

Loyd Dennis is a well known reviwer for different musical instruments.. He has written many reviews and has lots of experience on guitars, one of which being how to learn to play guitar fast.
You can find more information at http://www.howtolearnguitareasy.com