The Guitar Thread 🎸

I mean being able to stretch fingers so that I can reach the frets for a chord.

Reading off a stave can be hell when playing guitar, have u tried using tabs?

I think it's worth learning how to read sheet music - it's not that difficult to learn anyway and it'll be very helpful for theory later on

Here's an exercise I use. Note it's more about accuracy than being able to stretch usually.



It's periodic - notes of a different octave sound alike. The lowest note playable with standard tuning is an E, on the second fret of the 4th string is an E an octave up, then the top string of the guitar is also E but another octave.
So all the playable notes on the guitar, in ascending order, going up 1 fret at a time would be E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D D# E repeating.

I forgot to link the thing anyway -.-
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1683950448298756
the reason it's difficult is because there's probably no other activity you do where you have to contort your hand like that. I remember struggling to play a G chord when I began. There's no trick really, just doing it lots will make it easier.
Although after 10 years, my left hand can stretch noticeably further than my right.



I think it's worth learning how to read sheet music - it's not that difficult to learn anyway and it'll be very helpful for theory later on

Thank you for sharing that exercise, although it does look quite tricky!

Ah I understand now, I guess this is a way to learn scales?

I think learning scales is your best bet for finding out where the notes are - I learned the scales based off left-hand fingering and position in this book of scales.
You'll find that with the major scales there's a pretty obvious sense of where the next note should be so you can guess by ear what the next note is. Maybe try saying the note out loud while you play.

I am sorry but I really don’t understand.

The first note is middle C and it has a number 5 underneath in brackets, which I am guessing means on the 5th string? Where is middle C on the guitar? Is it a chord which would make sense because underneath the brackets is the fingering. Please help!

(it's not quite middle C because the stave is an octave lower but just ignore that)
Yes it's the 3rd fret of 5th string, that's the C.
A usual rule of thumb that works is 1 finger per fret - you start with the 2nd finger, the next one is the 4th so you go two frets over with the pinky (to the 5th fret)
You also have to shift your left hand position at some point

Thanks. How did you know C is on the third fret?

‘you start with the 2nd finger, the next one is the 4th so you go two frets over with the pinky (to the 5th fret)’
I am lost. Sorry.

It just is
Or, to give a more technical answer, the 5th string is A, so the first fret on there is A# (or B flat), then the next one is B, so the next one is C. There is no note 'between' B and C in Western music.



here's a photo:

I have never seen any female guitar players before. Maybe you are an anamoly. Which is good.

I'm 17 and I female and I have been playing both classical and electric guitar since I was 8. There's more than you think!

How can I play more than one note at a time? My fingers don’t stretch that far!

I’m so useless at playing the guitar. I can’t even fingerpick 😔

Your fingers on which hand?



Then attempt to fingerpick until you manage to. I still mess up scales often and it annoys me

This thread popping up on my feed reminded me to practise actually

I’m trying to play the C,E and G notes together but I end up only allowing the C note to sound and the other strings sound muffled. I think it’s because my fingers don’t stretch that far so don’t produce a clear note. My fingers on my left hand (the one pressing down on the frets).

I need to do a lot of practice! I bought the ‘A modern method for guitar’ book and it’s really good.

to clarify, is that C in the 2nd string, E on the 4th string and g on the 3rd string?
It might be that one finger is touching against another string and that's causing it to be muted