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THE BASICS
There are three main types of guitars, the steel-string acoustic, the nylon
string or classical guitar, and the electric guitar. They all have the same
Tuning Keys
These are used to tune your guitar. On a properly setup guitar you would
turn these clockwise to raise the pitch and anti-clockwise to lower it.
Head
The head is the name for the piece of wood from the nut upwards, and
Nut
This is a piece if plastic or metal that has grooves for all the strings to go
through. It acts as an anchor for the strings vibrations, but allows the string
Frets
The frets are pieces of skinny metal that run across the fretboard at regular
Neck
The neck is the name for the piece of wood that holds the frets, from the
Fretboard
This is the name for the combination of the top part of the neck and the
frets. It is the place where all the fingering happens, and is usually laid out
as 22 or 24 frets. 24
Strings
A regular guitar has six strings. They go from thin to thick. The exact size is
When going from one size set of strings to another the guitar might need to
be set up by a guitar tech because of the various ways that the strings
Strap Button
The strap button is a metal protrusion that you hook your strap onto so you
can play while standing. There are two - the one shown, and another on the
the electronics of the guitar and to protect the finish of the guitar from over
Pickups
The pickups exist to convert the vibrations of the string into an electrical
signal. Having more than one pickup gives the guitar greater versatility
because you get different sound depending where exactly on the string you
place the pick up. Nearer to the neck gives a fuller more bass heavy sound,
nearer to the bridge gives you a more trebly and cutting sound.
Tremolo Bar
The tremolo mechanism consists of a movable arm and a pivot point for the
bridge. There are many different types of pickups, thus each with their own
sound. Moving the tremolo arm will raise or lower the pitch of all the strings
Selector Switch
The selector switch determines which pickups are currently active. Most
guitars with 3 pickups have a 5-way selector switch allowing you to make
Volume Knob
This controls the overall output level of the guitar. Some guitars have just
one volume control; others might have one volume control for each pickup.
Tone Knobs
Controls the treble and bass output of the guitar. The effectiveness of tone
controls varies across guitars, some make little difference, some guitars will
have one overall tone control, others will have multiple controls.
Output Jack
This is where the electrical output of the guitar appears. Take a jack lead--
plug one end in here, and the other end into your amplifier.
Bridge
The bridge overall is the mechanism that holds the strings in place at the
bottom of the guitar. A little more complex than the nut, it allows a couple of
Sitting position
Sit down on a chair, put your two feet on the floor and keep your back
straight. Put the waist of the guitar on your right leg (if you’re right-handed)
and hold the back of the guitar against your stomach and chest. Keep the
Don’t use the left hand to support the neck from leaning down towards the
floor, instead let your upper right armrest on the upper part of the guitar
Standing Position
If you have a strap for your guitar then the standing positioning will be best
for you. When you stand, you don’t want your guitar hang too low. The
● Don't loosen the strap too much. If the guitar gets too low (i.e. down
at your knees) you will have problems wrapping your fingers around
● Do not hunch.
● Still make sure your forearm is square on and angled out towards the
top corner of your guitar (not back behind you) so it can pivot
The main thing to remember when holding the pick is not to hold it too
firmly. It needs to flex over the strings with ease. Holding the pick
between the tips of your index finger and thumb is the best way to
achieve this.
It's a very important to know the note names of the open strings on your
guitar. There are six strings on the guitar and they are numbered from first
to sixth starting on the smallest string and counting up to the biggest string.
The diagram below shows the strings on the guitar and also the letter that
Each, when properly tuned, will exert a different tension on the guitar's
neck and if you jump to another size you'll probably need to adjust the truss
rod and get used to the new action of the fingerboard. As a beginner, the
AMPLIFICATION
Guitar amps might seem complicated, but they’re really just a lot of simple
electronics wired together, and it doesn’t take too long to fully understand
and acoustic amps. Each type of guitar amp has different functions, as well
as pros and cons, so choosing one depends on what kind of sound and
Visualizing, learning, mastering and knowing the guitar fretboard can seem
like a daunting task. If you focus on memorizing the 6th and 5th string
Learning the notes on the 6th and 5th strings should be the first step in
mapping out the fretboard. This will give you the frame of reference needed
to work out the other strings and fully leverage the principles that I teach for
learning barre chords, playing any chord across the fretboard and chord
substitution.
Also, there are dots on the face of the guitar fretboard. Each dot,
represents the different frets on the guitar, look below. The first dot is on
fretboard.
A guitar needs should always be tuned before you play. Tuning the guitar
tuner, or you can tune by “ear” using the other strings of the guitar, or you
can tune to a keyboard. When you’re just starting out, I recommend using a
tuner. Over time, your ear will be trained well enough that you can tune by
ear.
Many electric tuners come with a built in microphone for use with an
acoustic guitar. If you are using an electric guitar you can plug your
instrument cable directly into the tuner. According to the directions of your
specific tuner, it will display whether you need to tighten or loosen the string
in order to be in tune. Electric tuners are an easy to use, fast, and accurate
2
CR METHOD:
CHORDS
INTRODUCTION
Before I explain the basic chords you should focus on, it’s important to
understand how to read the chord diagrams that I use. If you watch
musical ideas. There are several songs that can be played by learning
some few guitar chords. Using chord diagrams is a good way to learn
and study new chords. A chord diagram is basically a graphic that shows
specific chord. You aren’t bound by the law to use the exact fingers in
structure the chords. I myself don’t always follow the “standard’ way
Note: Some also use tabular (aka tabs). I generally don’t like to teach
using tabs because I want you to use your ear to learn new ideas. It’s
The fretboard consist of six vertical lines, which represent the strings of the
guitar (E.A.D.G.B.E). The far left string represents the low E and the far
right string represents the high E. Frets are shown by horizontal lines.
Since chord diagrams do not show the entire fretboard, the fret numbers
The more simple you can make something, the easier it is to duplicate.
That’s really my approach to playing guitar. You’ll always hear me say that!
That’s why I don’t focus on information that’s not practical. If you think in
terms of patterns and shapes, you’ve won half the battle in becoming
limitless.
memorize every chord there is, if you learn the notes on the 5th and 6th
strings of the guitar (I give you a diagram in the BASICS section), then you
can play in ANY key. That’s the secret! So, now we’re going to learn the
Following are diagrams of R&B chord diagrams. But we should still start
with major and minor chords. I didn’t really discuss these chords in the
video, because I wanted to focus on the common R&B chords, but the
major and minor chords are good to know. This is also a good time to
probably mention that many times, when I say “minor chord” I’m typically
referring to the minor 7 chord, and also, when I say major chord, I’m usually
referring to the major 7. Again, that’s because we don’t use the “major” and
The major chords are denoted with the abbreviation "Maj", while minor
chords are denoted with "m", thus A Maj means the A Major chord and Am
means the A minor chord. Major chords are considered “happy” chords
because they have a bright sound. Minor chords have a “sad” sound. Now
let’s take a look at the chord diagrams for major and minor chords.
and IV will always be a Major 7 shape. The ii & ii will always be the minor 7
chords. As you play, call out the names of the shapes. The distance from I
to ii is 2 fret. The distance from the ii and iii is 2 frets. From the iii to the IV
is one fret.
For the 6th string, let’s go with the key of G so you’re in the same area.
This will help you learn the number system and a little bit of theory.
Refer to the Theory Section (BONUS) in the back for more information.
INTERMEDIATE EXERCISE
Create a catchy chord progression. In the key of G, go to the ii, iii, Sus4 to
Next, you can do the same exercise, interchanging the minor 11 with the
Use the 2 diminished shapes. Create a vibe and practice using both
shapes. You’ll begin to develop muscle memory and experiment with your
2
CR METHOD:
RIFFS
If you study how I play, you’ll begin to realize that a lot of the riffs I use are
based on using the minor 7 shape. So, if I am in the key of C, I’ll use the
Am7 pentatonic shape. Then, the riffs I use, I’ll use notes based on the A
Beginners, pick out single notes. Create a small melody within a chord
just don’t stay within the first position of the minor pentatonic scale. I’m also
playing the same notes within the scales, but outside of the first shape. In
fact, they are either octaves or part of the other shapes of the minor
extended.
For Intermediates, since you already should know the scale, you can
song.
Advanced players, you can do more with your licks by recycling licks by
using octaves. I give an example in the video of what you can practice.
There’s even a walkup I do that you should learn. If you’re having trouble,
2
CR METHOD:
RHYTHM
IMPORTANCE OF COUNTING
The main point for all levels is to recognize it’s important for you to get used
to counting. Don’t rely on the drummer. Learning how to count helps you
know when to transition between chords. Move your feet and/or head to
You first of all set the metronome at the speed you want to practice. Always
remember not to set a metronome slower than 60 bpm (beats per minute).
because you’re just too new to the idea. However, a good position to start
with chord changes is playing chords at a rate of 70 bpm. Your ear has the
slower pace.
● Play moderately slow, then build upon it. Not excessively slow, but
you raise the tempo, you will notice certain problem spots and "stress
● Now perfect what you are playing. Note that perfect playing doesn’t
perfect playing is to repeat the correct motions over and over. Playing
There are no shortcuts. No matter what style of music you play, or your
Find time to sit down and work out a routine, and then spend time each day
1. Understand how to play the major scale. Take the scale from one
position to the next position. The more you can do this the easier it
3. When learn the notes on the guitar, you create flash cards. It makes
6. Spend time playing rhythm guitar. Because this is going to take you
THEORY
When you play with other musicians, it’s not uncommon for someone to
say, “We’re going to play in the key of C. Let’s play the vi, V, iii, IV. “
Understanding what this means allows you to play in any key. In music,
you’ll find that most use Roman numerals, with upper case for Major
chords, and lower case for minor chords.
The number system is based off the major scale. There are 7 notes in the
major scale. Each note is given a number. It sounds like “Do-Re-Mi-Fa-
Sol-La- Ti- Do”, where Do is I, Re is ii and so on. The last “Do” is the same
as the 1st, so essentially, it’s the I. And each note is associated with a
number.
Memorize this:
Looking at the major scale, if you know how to play it on your guitar, and
you’ve memorized what number goes with what chord type, you’re in great
shape. You’ll begin to see relationships of where chords reside with
respect to the numbers. For example, if you know where the I is of any key
is on the 5th string, you will learn over time that the vi of that key can be
found on the 6th string, 2 frets to the right. There are other shortcuts you’ll
learn that’ll help you navigate with more ease across the fretboard that
you’ll begin to notice with more practice and over time.
So, I think including the major scale shape will help you “see” what I’m
referring to. Let’s look at the major scale shape - with the root on both the
6th string and the 5th string:
CONCLUSION
There’s a lot of information in Video one and also here, so use this as a
reference. Don’t feel overwhelmed. I wanted to try and accommodate as
many as I could. Start at whatever level you are. Have fun and practice.
You will see progress. Post your comments / questions in the chat box and
I’ll do my best to answer as many as I can.