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Learn to play guitar easy.
How To Play Guitar - Free Online Guitar LessonAnna Rowe If you`ve always wanted to learn how to play guitar, here`s good news Many people have taught themselves guitar, and you can too! The truth is that the guitar is one of the easiest instruments to learn to play but, of course, you will need to practice. To teach yourself how to play guitar, you will need to search online for the information you need. One of the most important information you need is to find a chart of guitar chords. You can find guitar chords free online, or in any old thrift shop guitar book. You`re next step is to figure out how to play guitar chords. As a beginner, you don`t need to know a lot of different chords to learn how to play guitar. Here`s a free online guitar lesson you can do right now Free Online Guitar Lesson - How to Play The G Chord: Step 1 - Look at your left hand and, ignoring your thumb, number your other fingers 1, 2, 3, and 4, starting with your index finger and ending with your pinkie. Step 2 - In looking at a chord chart, you will see that your index finger (number 1) should be placed on the second fret on the fifth string. Step 3 - Next, your middle finger (number 2) is to be placed on the third fret of the sixth string. Step 4 - The ring finger (number 3) is to be placed on the third fret of the first string. Note: The first string is the highest pitched. Step 5 - Lastly, when all your fingers are correctly in place, strum the strings. As a beginner learning how to play guitar, you may notice that when you first learn to play guitar chords, that some of the strings sound dead. This is caused Futhermore, for proper chord playing, be sure that your fingers are placed squarely on each string and avoid touching the middle three strings with your fingers (they should be left open). If you are touching the middle strings, you will deaden their sound. Also, be sure that you are pressing the strings between the little fret bars, and not right on top of them. With continued practice, you`ll soon be fingering the G chord like a professional guitarist! Once you`ve mastered the G chord, you`ll be ready to learn more guitar chords. You will find that there are hundreds of guitar chords that you can learn to play. But for a beginner, you only need to learn a few chords to play your first song. The G, C, D, and E minor chords are some of the most useful chords to know when learning how to play guitar. I hope you have found this free online guitar lesson teaching you how to play the G chord helpful. Good Luck! Fine tuning - some guitar makers try to protect rain forests by using replacements for exotic woodsSierra , Jan-Feb, 1995 by Marc LecardBecause of their beauty, acoustic properties, and workability, rainforest hardwoods have long been favorites with instrument makers and musicians. But now, with the world`s rainforests threatened by clearcutting and burning, some craftspeople are turning away from traditional materials and taking a hard look at native woods. The instrument makers who are looking for alternatives do so for several reasons: out of personal concern for the destruction of the rainforests, in response to the requests of concerned customers, and because they see the supply of exotic woods tapering off as restrictions are placed on rainforest logging and the trees themselves become scarce or even extinct. High-quality acoustic guitars are usually made with rosewood and mahogany. Rosewood, a tropical hardwood, has long been used for guitar bodies, and both the sight and sound of contemporary acoustic instruments depend on this wood`s resonant properties and rich grain. Because of its hardness, stability, and attractive appearance, mahogany is often used in making guitars; yet mahogany is taken from some of the most mismanaged, overlogged forests in the world. "There`s a boom in acoustic guitars now," says Steve Henderson of Breedlove Guitars, a custom guitar-maker in Tumalo, Oregon. "This is a good trend for us--but it`s scary for some of the resources." Breedlove is attempting to find domestic woods to stand in for rosewood and mahogany; homegrown black walnut and bigleaf maple have been the most successful substitutes so far. Some domestic woods are themselves in need of protection. "We like old-growth redwood for our guitar tops because the grain is tighter, and it sounds better," says Henderson, "but all our redwood comes from salvage: tree stumps, or lumber recycled from old buildings." Are native woods an adequate substitute for the gorgeous and richtoned exotics we have come to expect? "The sound of these indigenous hardwoods is not inferior to the tropical woods," Henderson says. "It`s just different." He compares the "booming, bass-y" sound of rosewood to the more "piano-like" quality of black walnut. "We try not to design a traditional-looking guitar," Henderson points out. "So when people come to us, they`re more open to looking at nontraditional materials as well." Some larger makers are also beginning to question their use of rainforest woods. Martin Guitars of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, the oldest (founded in 1833) and one of the best-known guitar makers in the United States, recently produced prototypes using such domestic hardwoods as cherry, white oak, hard maple, and walnut. Sitka spruce from Alaska turned out to be the best material for guitar tops--but since the forestry practices of companies logging Sitka spruce were unacceptable, Martin sought out spruce logs that had been salvaged from salmon traps in Alaskan rivers and from abandoned railroad trestles. All this may not seem very significant--musical instruments account for a minuscule portion of tropical-wood use in this country, the lion`s share going to construction lumber and plywood. And far more U.S. trees are shipped to Asia for pulp and chopsticks than end up as guitar or fiddle tops. But an instrument that doesn`t derive its resonance from distant destruction sounds sweeter to many ears. Resource To find out what the Sierra Club is doing on rainforest issues, talk to Larry Williams at the International Program, 408 C St., NE, Washington, DC 20002; (202) 547-1141. Two groups working to protect rainforests around the world: The Rainforest Action Network, 301 Broadway, Ste. A, San Francisco, CA 94133; and the Rainforest Alliance, 270 Lafayette St., Ste. 512, New York, NY 10012. The Woodworkers Alliance for Rainforest Protection (WARP) is an organization of craftspeople who educate the public on rainforest issues and research alternatives to tropical hardwoods. Contact them at P.O. Box 133, Coos Bay, OR 97420; (503) 269-6907. COPYRIGHT 1995 Sierra Magazine COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group Guitar articles
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