CONTENTS

Copyright
Disclaimer
Welcome to Guitar Hacks
Getting Started: The Fundamentals
Choosing your Guitar
Choosing the Right Guitar Pick
Guitar Anatomy
String Names & Numbers
How to Hold the Guitar
Getting your Guitar in Tune
Mastering Strumming
Fingers, Frets & String Numbering System
Memorising the Fretboard
Understanding Guitar Lingo
Easy Songs to Learn for Beginners
Toughening Up Sore Fingers
Guitar Hacks


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COPYRIGHT

GUITAR HACKS
Copyright 2016


Kindle Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted
in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the
prior written permission of the publisher.

The right of High Cedar Press to be identified as the authors of the work has been asserted in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Illustrations Copyright 2016

DISCLAIMER

The full contents of GUITAR HACKS, including text, comments, graphics, images, and other content are for
informational purposes only and does not imply legal, medical, financial or other advice.

Every effort has been made to prepare this material to ensure its accuracy, however the author nor publisher will not be
held responsible if there is information deemed as inaccurate.


WELCOME TO GUITAR HACKS

Hello, and welcome to Guitar Hacks! Were thrilled to have you here and cant wait to
start teaching you how to play guitar.

This is the book to read if you are looking for easy, fast and effective lessons and hacks to
catapult you into guitar playing stardom! With this book, youll be picking up your guitar
and playing your favorite song in no time.

This versatile book is for beginners, as you do not need any previous knowledge, but also
useful if you have been playing a while as you can brush up on any holes in your skills.

So what are we waiting for?! Lets get started!

GETTING STARTED: THE

FUNDAMENTALS

Choosing the Right Guitar Pick

Although it seems like an easy decision as guitar picks appear to be the same, the pick you
choose will affect the tone and your technique. Firstly, you need to identify what kind of
music you will be playing.

Metal

If you plan to rock out to metal music I would suggest a smaller but thicker pick as being
the most suitable. This is because you will be playing fast and intricate power chord riffs
and solos that require you to move the pick rapidly. This type of pick is also good for Fast
Jazz. A pick of 1mm is best for beginners.

Classic

If you see yourself as more of a classical player then your fingers will do the job just fine!
It is not common to use a pick when playing classical guitar as you will be fingerpicking
and gently strumming.

Acoustic

Acoustic music tends to be focused around gently strumming, so a lighter yet larger pick is
best. This type of pick will give you more control and a lovely rich sound when swept
across all of the strings. For beginners, I would suggest a pick that is 0.46mm as it is nice
and easy to strum with.

Choosing Your Guitar

Choosing the right guitar is critical when getting started. You need to find one that is the
correct size for you as this will impact your playing ability. One that is perhaps too small
or large will make learning to play much harder.

I would also urge you to choose the guitar that interests you the most. Whether it is the
shape, style or colour that attracts your attention, go with your gut. This will encourage
you to keep practicing and not give up when you hit a rocky patch.

Try to buy the best quality guitar within your price range. Some guitars are very expensive
and I would not want you to feel that the more money you spend, the better player you
will be, as it really comes down to your personally ability and dedication. Please keep in
mind that cheaper guitars are usually bad quality and you will struggle to adjust it or even
play it properly. Remember the age old staying - You get what you pay for.

GUITAR ANATOMY

Before we get started it is important to understanding the different parts of a guitar. They
are very simple and actually pretty similar to the anatomy of a human!

Most of the parts of an electric and acoustic are the same, which makes things nice and
easy.

So lets start with the far end part of the instrument:

The Headstock

This is the part that holds all the strings together and lies at the end of the guitar neck. On
the headstock, you will also find Tuners which protrude out of the sides. You turn these
parts in order to tune the strings. You will also find Tuning Pegs which are used to hold
the strings to the guitar.

The Neck

The guitar strings run along the neck. The metal strips that run vertically down the guitar
neck are called Fret Wires, which are attached to the Fretboard. The space in between
each Fret Wire is referred to as a Fret. This is what is meant when you hear the term
Place your finger near the frets. You will be placing your fingers in each section in
between the vertical metal strips.

The Body

Moving up along from the neck you have the body, which of course is the largest part of
the guitar and the part that is actually in contact with your body! With regards to the parts
of the guitar body, you will find there is a bit of variance from an acoustic and an electric
which we will go through now.

On an acoustic guitar, you will find The Bridge and an electric guitar will have the
Volume and Tone controls.

Lets delve a little further into the body of both guitars.

Acoustic

On an acoustic you will see the Scratch Plate which is the large piece of plastic or
laminate used to protect the guitar when strumming with your pick.

The large hole in the middle of an acoustic guitar is called the Sound Hole. When you
strum the guitar the sound will bounce around inside the body of the guitar and come out
of the sound hole. Try to avoid covering this part up while playing as it could affect the
sound.

At the end of the sound hole, you can find The Bridge which is also on an electric guitar.
The Bridge holds the strings to the guitar using Bridge Pins. Not all guitars have these these are called Pinless Bridges.

The Strap Buttons are at the top and bottoms of the guitar and, of course, allow your
guitar strap to firmly and securely support the instrument when playing.

Electric

The headstock, tuners and fretboard are the same as with an acoustic. The main
differences lie within the body of the guitar and the electronics.

Firstly, we have the Pick-ups which sit underneath the string and are basically the
microphones of the guitar - picking up the sound.

There are two different types of pickups: A Single Coil, which is commonly found on
most Fender guitars and a Humbucker, usually found on most Gibson guitars.
Humbuckers are a little wider and create less of a hum sound.

Lets now talk about the two types of knobs that sit on the body of an electric guitar. The
Volume Knob controls the volume or the output (how much volume is coming from your
pickups). You then have Tone Knobs which will control the amount of bass (lower) and
treble (higher).

Now lets move onto the Pickup Selector Switch. Most guitars will have more than one
pick up and this switch will allow you to select which one is being used. The Pickup
selection will change the tone of the guitar. You will see either 3-way or 5-way switches.

So here we have the basic parts of an acoustic and electric guitar- pretty simple, right?
That means we can move on to our next lesson!

STRING NAMES & NUMBERS

This is a very important element as you will need to know the names of the strings in
order to learn how to read music, and also to tune your guitar.

So, what are the names of the open strings that run across the guitar?

Lets start from the very bottom and move up to the top.

1st string - E (the thinnest)

2nd string - B
3rd string - G
4th string - D
5th string - A
6th string - E (the thickest)

Now youre probably wondering how in the world you are going to remember these string
names! Not to worry, I have some guitar hacks which will make this much easier.

The first thing you could do is give each string a number - 1 being the top thinnest string
and 6 being the bottom thickest. I have also found that making up rhymes is the best way
by far. Take a look at the following:

To remember the sting names from the thinnest to the thickest (1-6):

Easter Bunny Gets Drunk After Easter or

Every Boy Gets Dizzy Around Emma

To remember the sting names from the thickest to the thinnest (6-1):

Every Adult Dog, Growls, Barks, Eats

Eddy Ate Dynamite, Good Bye Eddie
Every Apple Does Good Being Eaten

Try a few exercises and pick out random strings e.g. string number 5 or string number two
and see how quickly you can remember the name.

Ok now that we have mastered that we can move onto our next lesson!

HOW TO HOLD THE GUITAR

When playing the guitar, you need to have a good posture so that you can take a relaxed
stance and avoid any injuries. Although this seems very obvious it is important for a
beginner to get this right as it will determine how well you play and how effective your
practice sessions are.

There are three methods you can use to hold your guitar. Which method you choose is
totally up to you and what you find most comfortable.

Sitting Position

A typical position is to sit with your legs slightly open. If you are right-handed, place the
guitar on your right leg, and if you are left handed, set the guitar on your left leg.

You could consider buying a footstool which will elevate the guitar into a more
comfortable position, however, this is not essential.

Although it is tempting to slant the guitar towards yourself in order to see what you are
doing, this should be avoided as it is not good for your back. Keep the guitar close to you
and upright to avoid it slouching.

Make sure your back is straight at all times and your fret hand is at a right angle with
minimal strain on your wrist.

Standing Position

This method only works if you have a strap. It is a great position if you plan on doing gigs
or shows as it gives you the flexibility to move around a bit.

Again you need to ensure your back is straight and the guitar is in a comfortable position
to avoid any strain on your wrist.

You can tilt the guitar neck upwards if you prefer but make sure the elbow of your
strumming arm is at a right angle and is facing forward and square on from your body.

Try not to loosen the strap too much. Although it may feel comfortable to have the guitar
hanging lower this will encourage you to hunch over which you want to avoid.

GETTING YOUR GUITAR IN TUNE

This is one of the most critical lessons within the book. You could (and most certainly
will!) turn out to be one of the greatest guitar players in the world but if your guitar is out
of tune you will sound like one of the worst!

For beginners, I would recommend getting a tuner. Your introduction to playing guitar
should be focused on familiarising yourself with playing, and hearing yourself play a
tuned guitar. It can be a little difficult to do this when just starting out. One of our fantastic
guitar hacks is to check out an app that you can purchase on your smartphone. These can
be very inexpensive and you do not need to go out searching for one.

MASTERING STRUMMING

Getting your strumming correct is one of the elements that will get you from beginner to
expert in a much shorter time. I really cant stress how important this is! It means that
youre practicing time will be far more efficient and your progress will be much faster.

So, firstly, you will be strumming with your dominant hand (lefties will use their left,
righties will use their right).

One of the most important things to note is that you absolutely cannot and should not
strum with your wrist. You will end up in a lot of pain after playing for just 5 minutes. You
must strum with your entire arm, from the elbow down. Dont lock your wrist in, just
allow it to move in sync with the rest of your arm. You must be really relaxed when you
play guitar. Your body should be in a relaxed stance. If you are tense, you will notice your
strumming wont be as good.

You can either strum using a pick or with your hand. If you use your hand it will be your
thumb and index finger that you will strum with. If you use a pick you will need to find a
comfortable position to hold it. One that is not too firm, as this will cause you to tense up,
but also firm enough so that it doesnt fly out of your hand! It is perfectly normal for this
to happen - just try to learn from your mistake when it does and re-adjust the way you are
holding it.

Start by strumming through all 6 strings using a downstroke motion and do this a few
times. You then need to get comfortable with the up strokes so again practice this a few
times by moving your fingers or the pick all the way up the 6 strings. Now try putting
these together by strumming up then down and continuing this loop.

At this stage do not worry about your fretting hand (the hand that rests on the guitar
neck). You only need to focus on your strumming hand. The goal for this lesson is to be as
relaxed as possible, find the most comfortable way to hold your pick and strum from your
elbow to your wrist.

FINGERS, FRETS &

STRING NUMBERING SYSTEMS

Although this may seem very simple, it is essential that you learn this off by heart. The
more instinctively you know this numbering system the faster you will progress as you
will not have to stop and think when reading tabs or trying to learn a song. Spend a little
time learning this, practicing and testing yourself. Although it may seem a little boring and
simple please dont underestimate its importance!

Firstly lets focus on the Fretting Hand. This is the hand that will be at the neck of the
guitar.

First finger (Index) - 1

Second finger (Middle) - 2
Third finger (Ring) - 3
Fourth finger (Pinky) - 4

Now lets look at the numbering system for the strings. Number one starts at the top and is
the thinnest, then we move our way down so that string number 6 is at the very bottom and
the thickest one.

We then need to look at the numbering system for the frets. As mentioned before the frets
are the little gaps in between each fret wire (the vertical metal going down the guitar
neck). Starting with the fret furthest away from the guitar body and closest to the
headstock, the numbers go in sequential order from 1 all the way across the neck.

MEMORISING THE FRETBOARD

For many beginners mastering the fretboard can be one of the most difficult challenges.
Unlike other instruments like the piano, each note can be played in numerous positions. Of
all the steps within this book, this is by far the one you must pay most attention to as it
will allow you to read tabs and master the fretboard fast and fluently.

All you need to do is put in 10 minutes a day and within a few weeks you will have
conquered the fretboard!

The first thing you need to learn is half and whole steps. A half step is moving your finger
over one fret on the guitar neck, and a whole step is a movement of two full frets on the
neck.

The second important thing to note is that the 12th fret is the same as the open string.
Basically, there are only 12 frets and after that, they are simply repeating themselves. So
keep in mind the 1st fret and the 13th fret will sound the same, the 2nd fret and the 14th
fret will sound the sameetc.

It is also important to know that there are 12 notes in the chromatic scale, but 7 of these
are Natural Notes. A 7 natural notes are ones without sharps or flats. The remaining 5
notes are sharps and flats. The natural notes are found by counting up from the open
strings. They are A, B, C, D, E, F, G.

Here are the full set of notes:

A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#

There are either sharps or flats in between the notes. A sharp is represented by a #. A flat
is represented by a .

On the piano, you can easily distinguish between sharps and flats. The black keys are
sharps, and the white keys are flats - nice and easy, right? Well, its not as simple on the
guitar! Thats not to say its impossible to learn but it may take a little perseverance.

A sharp or a flat on the fretboard would be represented by a space in between the natural
notes. All notes have this space in between them except E & F and B & C. So it should
look like this:

(-) represents a space

A - BC - D - EF - G - A - BC - D - EF - G

Now that you have the foundations in place you should start by learning the E string,
which is the 6th string and the thickest, as this will help you learn pretty much every other
note on the fretboard (keeping in mind the 6th string is the same as the 1st string). To do
this, you should memorise the pattern that the notes follow.

Have a look at the diagram below:

One of the best ways to memorise the fretboard is to choose a note, for example, G# and
find every G# on the fretboard. Now play every G# note. Use the diagram above to locate
every single G# on the fretboard and continually play this until you can do it off by heart,
without having to look at this diagram anymore.

You can then repeat this method with all 12 notes on the fretboard. If you do this for 10-15
minutes per day you will have memorised the fretboard within a few weeks. I suggest you
focus on one note per day and just continually repeat locating its position.

A few points to keep in mind when doing this exercise:

Once you memorise the notes on the 6th string you will also have learned the 1st string
as they are the same.
A note on the 5th string is 2-frets up on the 3rd string.
A note on the 6th string is 2-frets up on the 4th string.

Another great method is to find an image of a blank fretboard and print it out. Write all of
the As on this print out then do the same on a blank fretboard print out for the remaining
notes.

Repetition is really key to learning the fretboard. Although it seems unnecessary and Im
sure at this point youre dying to get going and start playing a song - however please dont
underestimate its importance. This will not only massively help a beginner learning to
play guitar much faster but also help an experienced player develop and improve.

UNDERSTANDING GUITAR LINGO

As a newbie in the guitar world, you may hear words or phrases being thrown around and
have to nod and smile to avoid others catching on to the fact that you have no idea what it
mean! Its tough when learning something new as there is a whole dictionary of words that
you need to familiarise yourself with. Not to worry! Here you will find a list of the most
common words and phrases you can use to fool anyone into thinking you are an expert!

Action: The height of the strings above the frets and fretboard, as in high or low action

Accented Note: A particular note that is played with more emphasis than others

Amp: A speaker box used to amplify the sound from an electric guitar

Arpeggio: A broken chord usually played separately rather than simultaneously

Bending: A technique used to increase the pitch of a note by pushing the string sideways
across the fretboard

Capo: A device attached to the fretboard which allows a note to be played in a particular
key

Chord: Notes played simultaneously, usually referring to 3 or 4

Fingerpicking: A method of playing without as pick by using the tips of your fingers to
develop chord progression

Footstool: An adjustable stool that you place your foot on which is used to raise the
height of the guitar

Interval: The distance between two notes

Plectrum: The official term for a pick

Tabulate: An image form of notation for music playing. It shows the fret position and the
six strings

Trill: Rapid or fast movement between two notes

EASY SONGS TO LEARN FOR BEGINNERS

I am sure you are desperate to start playing your favorite songs on a guitar and hopefully
with the information you have learned from this book you will have laid the foundations to
make practice sessions much easier and more efficient.

You dont want to jump into a power chord riff to start with as it will take a long time to
perfect and may knock your confidence. My suggestion is to get started with songs that
are pretty simple and easy for beginners.

I have compiled a list, from my own experience, of songs that beginners will be able to
play in a relatively short period of time. Most of these songs should take you between 1020 minutes to learn as long as you are focused and pay close attention when switching
between chords.

Knockin on heavens door - Bob Dylan/Guns n Roses

Hey Soul Sister - Train
Stuck in the middle with you Steelers Wheel
With or without you U2
Three little birds Bob Marley
Lazy song Bruno Mars
For What Its Worth Buffalo Springfield
Something In The Way - Nirvana
Turn The Page - Metallica
Good Riddance / Time Of Your Life - Green Day

TOUGHENING UP SORE FINGERTIPS

Its difficult enough trying to learn an instrument but learning to play the guitar actually
hurts! As a beginner, your fingers will not have developed a thick outer skin that most
experienced players have, and if you are practicing every day your fingers will really be
taking a beating!

A lot of new players quit as they find their fingers to be too painful, however, by reading
through these tips hopefully I can persuade you to continue down this wonderful and
satisfying path to guitar playing stardom!

1.Use Nylon Strings. These are much lighter, therefore, inflict less pain in your poor
fingers. If you plan to play acoustic you could move into to this at a later stage.

2. Although it sounds unhygienic, try to avoid washing your hands before you play.
Washing your hands softens the skin and in turn, your fingertips will be more sensitive to
the feel of the strings. This also applies to swimming, washing dishes or taking a bath- any
activity where your hands are immersed in water for a long period of time.

3. Try soaking your fingers in vinegar for 30 seconds to 1 minute, just before you plan to
practice. Then dry your fingers completely and hopefully it will ease the pain a little.

4. It is very common for a beginner to press down on the strings too firmly. Try to relax
your fingers, you only need to press down hard enough so that the string touches the
fretboard.

5. Trim your nails and keep them short. Not only will long nails affect your playing but
calluses are more likely to develop when the tip of the finger comes into direct contact
with the strings for a prolonged period.

6. My final piece of advice is the most effective, and perhaps the hardest pill to swallow.
Good Old Fashioned Practice. If you looked at the fingertips of some of the best guitar
players in the world you would find calluses. Calluses are thickened or hardened areas of
the skin that have been toughened due to repeated friction or pressure. Once calluses have
formed on your fingers playing will be a breeze as they create a cushion at the tip of the
finger causing you not to feel the strings anymore. If you really want to speed the process
along you can run your fingertips up and down the strings for a minute every day to force
calluses to form, however, be very careful when doing this. The last thing I would want is
for your fingers to start bleeding and prevent you from playing.

GUITAR HACKS

Here I have outlined what I deem to be the most important guitar hacks from years or
playing the guitar. Hopefully, this list will help a beginner, however, it will only be helpful
if you take it seriously and put it into action.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

You should never underestimate the importance of practicing every single day. The
amount you practice will not only determine how serious you are about going from
beginner to expert, but also how great of a player you will be.

So, how often should I practice? I hear you ask. Well, of course, that depends on how
fast you want to become a confident player. My recommendation would be to have a
session of 30 minutes to 1 hour every day, but ensure it is in isolation. You need to focus
without any distractions.

STAY MOTIVATED

This point follows on from practicing. It can be tough setting aside up to an hour every
day to play on your own in your room. Maybe there are other things going on, such as
friends, events or perhaps you are tired after a long day. You need to find a way to
motivate yourself to pick up the guitar each and every day regardless of your
circumstances. The best way to do this is to set short-term goals and to track your
progression. Short term goals will keep you in check of what needs to be accomplished,
and reviewing your progress will give you a boost of confidence as you will be able to
physically see how much improvement you are making.

SLOW IS FAST

One of the most disheartening things you can do is to try to learn to play a song or a piece
of music and race ahead of yourself, trying to master the whole song in one session. This
is the best way to trip and fall - by eventually getting so frustrated with yourself that you
end up putting the guitar down and walking away. You must dissect each part and learn it
off by heart before you move to the next. Playing slow allows you to focus on technique,
getting it right and ironically, you will find you learn much faster!

LEARN TO LISTEN

Listening is such an underrated skill when it comes to learning to play the guitar, yet is so
valuable. A well-trained ear is what will propel you from amateur to expert and allow you
to play music without having to even glance at the tabs. Try to listen to music you like and
ask yourself questions such as What type of guitar are they playing?, Are they
strumming or picking?, and How have they achieved that particular tone? Start by
learning simple songs which will allow you to listen to and learn chords and melodies.

LEARN SOME MUSIC THEORY

Even just a bit will help! If you are really serious about playing guitar it makes sense to
learn the foundations of how it all works! You should consider learning music notation so
that you can sight-read sheet music. There are loads of tabs that you can access from the
internet which will open up your possibilities vastly. Once you can read music you can
essentially play any song you wish! Every guitarist should be able to read a chord chart as
well as know the note names of each string. This is what will separate you from being an
average player to a being a true rock star!

PLAY WITH OTHER MUSICIANS

Although it sounds daunting, this can be an extremely rewarding experience. You may
think you are not good enough to play around others, but remember, everyone who has
ever been a great guitarist started in exactly the same place that you did. It will help you
coordinate what youre playing and also encourages creativity. You may even pick up a
few tips or tricks from your peers!

So to quickly summarise the most important elements of this book, you absolutely must
learn the following inside out and with your eyes closed!

The anatomy of a guitar

The names of the strings
The (natural) Musical Alphabet
Understanding of the 12 chromatic notes and where the sharp and flat notes are
positioned
One Fret / Two Frets: An understanding that any two consecutive notes will either be
one or two frets away from each other.

Finally, remember why you are learning guitar. for your own enjoyment! Have fun with
it, keep learning and before you know it you will be catapulted from beginner to expert!

Review Request
Thank you for downloading GUITAR HACKS!

We hope you can help by clicking the link below and writing a brief review - it should
only take a minute and would be hugely appreciated.

Click the link below to be directed to Amazon and leave a review:

myBook.to/GuitarHacksReview