Guitar Fundamentals

119 flashcards by MentisLibrary

Reading tab and chord diagrams, fretting and picking technique, open and barre chords, pentatonic and major scales, strumming rhythms, setup and gear basics, and the landmark pieces, for the first two years on guitar.

What is standard tuning on a six-string guitar?

E A D G B E from the thickest string (the 6th) to the thinnest (the 1st).

How is guitar tablature (tab) read?

Six horizontal lines stand for the strings with the high E on top; a number on a line is the fret to press on that string, and 0 means play the string open.

Why does guitar music sound an octave lower than written?

The guitar is a transposing instrument: it is written in treble clef one octave above its actual pitch, so written middle C sounds as C3.

How are the fretting-hand fingers numbered?

1 is the index, 2 the middle, 3 the ring and 4 the little finger; the thumb is written T and rarely frets a note.

What do p, i, m and a mean in classical guitar notation?

The picking-hand fingers, from Spanish: pulgar (thumb), indice (index), medio (middle) and anular (ring).

How do you read a chord diagram?

A grid whose vertical lines are the strings (low E on the left) and horizontal lines are frets; dots show where to press, an X above a string means do not play it and an O means play it open.

How do you find the octave of a note on a lower string?

From a root on the 6th or 5th string, go up two strings and up two frets; from the 4th or 3rd string, go up two strings and up three frets because of the major third between G and B.

Why is the interval between the G and B strings different from the other pairs?

Adjacent strings are tuned a perfect fourth apart except G to B, which is a major third; the compromise keeps common chord shapes reachable for one hand.

What are the notes at the 12th fret?

The same names as the open strings, one octave higher; the 12th fret is usually marked with a double dot.

Which frets carry position markers on most guitars?

Frets 3, 5, 7, 9, 12 (double dot), 15, 17, 19 and 21, plus 24 on a 24-fret neck.

What does playing in a position mean?

The fret where the index finger sits: in 5th position the index covers the 5th fret and each other finger takes the next fret up.

Name the natural notes on the low E string up to the 12th fret.

E (open), F (fret 1), G (3), A (5), B (7), C (8), D (10), E (12).

Name the natural notes on the A string up to the 12th fret.

A (open), B (2), C (3), D (5), E (7), F (8), G (10), A (12).

How many frets apart is each interval on a single string?

Minor 2nd 1, major 2nd 2, minor 3rd 3, major 3rd 4, perfect 4th 5, tritone 6, perfect 5th 7, minor 6th 8, major 6th 9, minor 7th 10, major 7th 11, octave 12.

How do you find a perfect fifth from a root on a lower string?

From a root on the 6th, 5th or 4th string, the fifth sits one string higher and two frets up; from the 3rd string it sits on the 2nd string three frets up.

What tab symbols mark hammer-ons, pull-offs, bends and slides?

h (or a slur arc) for a hammer-on, p for a pull-off, b with a target such as full or 1/2 for a bend, / and \ for slides up and down, ~ for vibrato and x for a muted note.

What does let ring mean in a tab or score?

Allow the notes to sustain into one another, typical in arpeggiated passages, instead of muting each before the next.

How is slash notation in a chord chart read?

Each slash in a bar stands for one beat on which the written chord is played; rhythmic slash notation adds stems and flags to show an exact rhythm.

What do D.C. and D.S. al Coda mean?

D.C. (da capo) sends you back to the beginning; D.S. (dal segno) sends you back to the sign; al Coda then means play until the coda symbol and jump to the coda ending.

How should the fretting-hand thumb be placed?

Roughly behind the middle of the neck, opposite the first or second finger, so the fingers can arch over the strings; it may wrap over the top for bending or bass-note fretting.

Where should a finger press relative to the fret wire?

Just behind the fret wire on the headstock side, not on top of it and not in the middle of the space.

What does one finger per fret mean?

A fretting-hand layout in which the four fingers each cover one of four consecutive frets, so any note in that span is reachable without moving the hand.

What is a barre chord?

A chord in which the index finger presses several strings at once, acting as a movable nut so an open-chord shape can be played at any fret.

How do you fix a barre chord that buzzes?

Roll the index finger slightly onto its outer edge, move it closer to the fret wire, and pull back with the arm rather than squeezing with the thumb.

What is alternate picking?

Strictly alternating downstrokes and upstrokes with the pick, whichever note comes next.

What is economy picking?

Continuing the pick in the same direction when moving to a new string, so a downstroke on one string flows into a downstroke on the next.

What is a hammer-on?

Sounding a higher note by tapping a fretting finger firmly onto the string without picking again.

What is a pull-off?

Sounding a lower note by plucking the string sideways with the fretting finger as it leaves the string.

What is legato playing on the guitar?

Connecting notes smoothly with hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides so only the first note of a group is picked.

What is string bending?

Pushing or pulling a fretted string across the fretboard to raise its pitch, usually by a half step or a whole step.