Guitar Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 01-10-2023

Playing rock guitar starts with having a vocabulary of chords of different types, including basic, as well as barre forms (6th-string root and 5th-string root) and a few other movable types.

Video / Updated 12-14-2022

A pull-off is a basic guitar fretting technique that adds variety to your articulation. This video lesson shows guitar novices the same pull-off techniques that professional guitarists use all the time to create memorable music.

Video / Updated 11-09-2022

Open chords are chords that fall within the first four frets typically using open strings. They sound twangy because they include unfretted strings that are permitted to ring open. This chart represents 24 of the most useful open chords you use to play guitar:

Article / Updated 09-22-2022

You can use chord patterns to track chord progressions in the open position on the guitar, although doing so takes some extra work and requires that you identify the actual note name of each chord. To play in the key of G using common open chords, visualize the 6th string chord pattern starting on G at the 3rd fret and replace each barre chord with an open chord. Here’s how: Visualize the 1st barre chord, the I chord (G), but play an open G chord instead. Visualize the 2nd chord, the ii chord (Am), but play an open Am instead. Because there’s no open chord iii (Bm), play Bm at the 2nd fret of the 5th string close to the open position instead. Use common open chords to play chords IV, V, and vi (C, D, and Em). Play through all the chords forward and backward, calling out the numbers as you go. Follow along with your eye using the 6th string chord pattern even though you’re not using its barre chords. After you get the hang of playing like this in G, you can move the chord pattern and use open chords in other keys like F and A. When you do this, play open chords when you can and use the barre chords to fill in the rest, staying as close to the open position as possible. For example, in the key of F, you can play the Am, C, and Dm as open chords, but you have to use the barre chords to play the rest. In the key of A, you can play A, D, and E as open chords, Bm and C♯m at the 2nd and 4th frets of the 5th string, and F♯m at the 2nd fret of the 6th string. Do the same thing with the 5th string chord pattern starting in the key of C. In C, you can play all the chords as open chords except for F, which guitarists usually play as a partial barre chord when it’s paired with open chords. Move the chord pattern and use open chords in other keys; just remember to stay as close to the open position as possible when you need to fill in with barre chords.

Article / Updated 09-16-2022

Regardless of style, certain guitarists have made their mark on the world of guitar so that any guitarist who comes along after them has a hard time escaping their legacy. Presented here, in chronological order, ten (or 12, but who's counting?) guitarists who mattered and why. Andrés Segovia (1893–1987) Not only was Andrés Segovia the most famous classical guitarist of all time, but he also literally invented the genre. Before his arrival, the guitar was a lowly instrument of the peasant classes. Segovia began performing Bach pieces and other serious classical music on the guitar (writing many of his own transcriptions), eventually elevating this "parlor" activity to a world-class style. His incredible performing career lasted more than 70 years. His signature pieces include Bach's "Chaconne" and Albeniz's "Granada." Django Reinhardt (1910–1953) Born in Belgium, Django Reinhardt was a ferociously virtuosic acoustic guitarist who defined the gypsy jazz guitar sound. His blistering single-note runs, vocal-like string bends, and rapid-picked tremolo technique became hallmarks of the style. Reinhardt was centered in Paris for most of his career and made the bulk of his important recordings with his band, the Quintette du Hot Club de France, and with jazz violinist Stephane Grapelli. His stunning instrumental work is all the more amazing when you consider that his left hand had been severely injured in a fire, leaving him the use of just two fingers. His signature tunes include "Minor Swing," "Nuages," and "Djangology." Charlie Christian (1916–1942) Charlie Christian invented the art of electric jazz guitar. His fluid solos with Benny Goodman's big band and smaller combos were sophisticated, scintillating, and years ahead of their time. After hours, he used to jam with fellow jazz rebels at Minton's in New York, where his adventurous improvisations helped create the genre known as bebop. Christian played the guitar like a horn, incorporating intervallic (non-stepwise) motion into his lines. His signature tunes include "I Found a New Baby," "Seven Come Eleven," and "Stardust." Wes Montgomery (1923–1968) A legendary jazz player, Wes Montgomery's brand of cool jazz was based on the fact that he used his thumb, instead of a traditional guitar pick, to sound notes. Another of his innovations was the use of octaves (that is, two identical notes in different ranges) to create fat, moving, unison lines. He died young, but his proponents still call him one of the all-time jazz greats. His signature tunes include "Four on Six" and "Polka Dots and Moonbeams." Chet Atkins (1924–2001) Known as "Mr. Guitar," Chet Atkins is the definitive country guitarist. Building on Merle Travis's fast fingerpicking technique (see Chapter 13), Atkins refined the style, adding jazz, classical, and pop nuances to create a truly sophisticated country-guitar approach. He played with Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, and countless country stars over the decades. His signature tunes include "Stars and Stripes Forever" and "Yankee Doodle Dixie." B.B. King (1925–2015) Although he wasn't the first electric bluesman, B.B. King is easily the most popular: His swinging, high-voltage guitar style complemented charismatic stagemanship and a huge, gospel-fueled voice. Along with his trademark Gibson ES-355 guitar, nicknamed "Lucille," King's minimalist soloing technique and massive finger vibrato cemented his place in the annals of electric blues history. His signature tunes include "Every Day I Have the Blues" and "The Thrill Is Gone." Chuck Berry (1926–2017 ) Perhaps rock's first real guitar hero, Chuck Berry used fast, rhythmic double-stops to create his signature guitar style. Although some regard him equally for his songwriting and lyric-writing skills, his fire-breathing breaks made his signature tunes "Johnny B. Goode," "Rockin' in the U.S.A.," and "Maybelline" bona fide guitar classics. Jimi Hendrix (1942–1970) Considered the greatest rock guitarist of all time, Jimi Hendrix fused R&B, blues, rock, and psychedelia into a mesmerizing sonic soup. His 1967 breakthrough at the Monterey Pop Festival instantly rewrote the rock guitar textbook, especially after he whipped off his Stratocaster and lit it on fire. Young guitarists religiously copy his licks to this day. Hendrix was known for his fiery abandon (even when his guitar wasn't actually on fire) and innovative work with feedback and the whammy bar. His signature tunes include "Purple Haze" and "Little Wing." Jimmy Page (1944– ) Jimmy Page succeeded Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck in the Yardbirds, but he didn't really find his niche until forming Led Zeppelin, one of the great '70s rock bands — and of all time. Page's forte was the art of recording guitars, layering track upon track to construct thundering avalanches of electrified tone. Yet he could also play sublime acoustic guitar, regularly employing unusual tunings and global influences. In rock circles, his six-string creativity in the studio is unmatched. His signature tunes include "Stairway to Heaven" and "Whole Lotta Love." Eric Clapton (1945– ) In many ways, Eric Clapton is the father of contemporary rock guitar. Before Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page showed up, the Yardbirds-era Clapton was already fusing electric Chicago blues with the fury of rock 'n' roll. He later expanded upon this style in Cream, Blind Faith, and the legendary Derek and the Dominos. Clapton eventually went solo, turning into one of the most popular recording artists of the last 40 years. A true living legend, his signature tunes include "Crossroads" and "Layla." Stevie Ray Vaughan (1954–1990) A Texas-born-and-bred rock and blues virtuoso who declined a gig with David Bowie so he could instead record his first solo album, Stevie Ray Vaughan played Texas blues as a high-energy amalgam of B.B. King, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix. So explosive and pyrotechnic was his playing that people had trouble categorizing him as a blues or a rock player. Vaughan was tragically killed in a helicopter accident leaving from a gig, but every blues guitarist who comes up today has been influenced by him, and his work is the benchmark for modern electric blues playing. His signature tunes include "Pride and Joy," "Texas Flood," and "Love Struck, Baby." Eddie Van Halen (1955–2020 ) Rock guitar's equivalent to Jackson Pollock, Eddie Van Halen's improvisationally inspired splatter-note approach to metal guitar completely reinvented the style starting in the late '70s. He turned two-handed tapping into a common guitar technique (thanks to his groundbreaking "Eruption"), while pushing the limits of whammy bar and hammer-on expertise. Van Halen is also a master at fusing blues-based rock with modern techniques, and his rhythm playing is one of the best examples of the integrated style (combining low-note riffs with chords and double-stops). A guitar hero in every sense of the term, his signature tunes include "Eruption," "Spanish Fly," and "Panama."

Article / Updated 09-16-2022

A triad is a set of three notes stacked in 3rds. Playing in 3rds on the guitar means that you start on a scale degree, count it as “1,” and then move to the scale degree that is three away, “3.” For example, the G major scale is G-A-B-C-D-E-F♯. If you start counting from G, then the 3rd is B (G-A-B, 1-2-3). If you start counting from A, then the 3rd is C (A-B-C, 1-2-3). A triad is three notes that are all a 3rd apart. For example, in the G major scale, G and B are a 3rd apart and B and D are a 3rd apart. Together all three of these notes are a 3rd apart, called two consecutive 3rds. G-B-D make a G triad. You also call the members of the triad root, 3rd, and 5th because counting from the starting point, G, B is the 3rd degree and D is the 5th. G A B C D E F♯ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 G B D 1 3 5 Harmonizing a root, 3rd, and 5th together (in other words, playing them simultaneously) produces a chord. Basically, the difference between any old chord and a triad is that a chord is a group of three or more notes, and a triad is specifically a root, 3rd, and 5th. You build triads on all scale degrees by following a formula of 3rds. Not all triads are the same. Because of the half step and whole step formula of the major scale, some 3rds are closer or farther apart than others. As a result, there are major triads and minor triads. One triad is diminished. Major triad: Building from the 1st scale degree of the major scale Building a triad starting from the 1st degree of the major scale produces a major triad. Sounding the triad’s notes produces a major chord. In the first diagram, you see all 7 degrees of the G major scale in one sample position. In the second diagram, you see just the root, 3rd, and 5th triad. When you strum all three of these triad notes simultaneously, you play a chord. Specifically, this chord is G major — G because the root is G and major because the distance between the root and 3rd is two whole steps, which make up a major 3rd. The third diagram shows you that the actual note names of the G triad are G, B, and D. Credit: Illustration courtesy of Desi Serna A G major chord is always made from the notes G-B-D; however, you can have more than one occurrence of each note. For example, you can play a G major chord as G-B-D-G or G-B-D-G-B. You can even stack the notes out of order like this: G-D-G-B. Whatever order you play the notes in and however many occurrences of each note you play, all combinations of G-B-D produce harmony that’s recognized as a G major chord. Notice that these common G major chord shapes all use the same notes, although not necessarily in the same number or order. Chords like the ones shown here are considered triads because, technically, they’re still based on three pitches even though they vary in the exact number and order of their notes. Credit: Illustration courtesy of Desi Serna Minor triad: Building from the 2nd scale degree of the major scale Using the G major scale, count one-two-three-four-five from the 2nd degree, A (A-B-C-D-E), and take every other note, 1-3-5 or A-C-E. This is an A minor triad — A because the root is A and minor because the distance from 1 to 3 is a step and a half, which makes up a minor 3rd or flat 3rd (♭ó3) interval. Check out how to build a triad from the 2nd major scale degree, A. The major scale used here is exactly the same as the one used for the previous triad, G major. The only difference is that you’re now counting from the 2nd scale degree, A, to determine its 3rd and 5th. The G note was left at the 3rd fret of the 6th string blank so that you know not to start on it. You can play the note A either on the open 5th string or at the 5fth fret of the 6th string. You need to do the latter to play the triad as a chord. You can see that the notes of this A minor triad are A-C-E. Credit: Illustration courtesy of Desi Serna Notice that these common A minor chord shapes all use the same notes, although not necessarily in the same number or order. (In case you don’t know, an “X” at the top of a string indicates that you don’t play that string.) Credit: Illustration courtesy of Desi Serna

Article / Updated 08-19-2022

More than any other type of guitar articulation, the string bend is what makes your guitar talk (or sing or cry), giving the instrument almost voice-like expressive capabilities. Bending is nothing more than using a left-hand finger to push or pull a string out of its normal alignment, stretching it across the fingerboard toward the 6th or 1st string. As you bend a string, you raise its pitch by stretching that string. Bending is typically reserved for electric guitars because acoustic strings are just too thick. In electric guitar playing, where string bending is an integral technique, the strings are thinner. Most use strings sets that start a .009 or .010 millimeter gauge (“nines” and “tens,” to use the vernacular). A light-gauge set of acoustic strings starts with the diameter for the 1st string at .012 millimeters, which is generally considered unbendable by all but the most dedicated masochists. Here's how you play the bend on the 3rd string with the third finger, which is probably the most common type of bend. Place your third finger at the seventh fret but support the third finger by placing the second finger at the sixth fret and the first finger at the fifth fret, all at the same time. The first and second fingers don’t produce any sound, but they add strength to your bend. Supporting your bends with any other available fingers is always a good idea. Pick the 3rd string with your right hand. After picking, use all three fingers together to push the string toward the 6th string, raising the pitch a whole step (to the pitch you normally get at the ninth fret. Pushing your hand into the neck as you execute the bend gives you added leverage. Also, using light-gauge strings on your guitar also makes bending easier. You can check to see that you’re bending in tune by fretting the target note normally and comparing that to the bent note. For example, if the bend indicates a whole step (1) on the seventh fret of the 3rd string, first play the ninth fret normally and then try bending the seventh-fret note to match the ninth-fret pitch you just heard.

Article / Updated 08-19-2022

More than any other type of guitar articulation, the string bend is what makes your guitar talk (or sing or cry), giving the instrument almost voice-like expressive capabilities. Bending is nothing more than using a left-hand finger to push or pull a string out of its normal alignment, stretching it across the fingerboard toward the 6th or 1st string. As you bend a string, you raise its pitch by stretching that string. In guitar tablature, a bend is indicated by a curved arrow and either a number or a fraction (or both) at the peak of the arrow, which tells you how many whole steps to bend the note. For example, the fraction 1/2 means that you bend the string until the pitch is a half-step higher than normal, and the numeral 1 above a bend arrow means that you bend the string until the pitch is a whole step (or two frets) higher than normal. The following figure shows what bends look like in standard notation and tab. Notice that there are three different standard forms of bend. An immediate bend (a). Pick the note and then immediately bend it up. A bend and release (b). Pick the note; then bend it (without repicking), and unbend it (release it without repicking) to its normal position. This bend is different from an immediate bend in that you see it notated in a specific rhythm. This type of bend is also called a bend in rhythm or a measured bend. A prebend and release (c). You prebend the note — bend it before you strike it with the pick. After you pick the note, unbend (release without repicking) the string to its normal position. Usually, when you perform a bend, you push the string toward the 6th string (or toward the ceiling). But if you bend notes on the bottom two strings (the 5th and 6th strings), you pull the string toward the 1st string (or toward the floor); otherwise, the string slides right off the fretboard. Not all publishers use these standard bend indicators. Instead, they show the pitch of both the unbent and bent notes, with one of them in parentheses or printed very small. To avoid confusion, make sure that you verify what system your music uses before you start playing that music.

Article / Updated 08-16-2022

A guitar arpeggio is a chord whose notes are played one at a time instead of simultaneously. It’s sort of the exploded view of a chord. Seventh chords sound richer and more complex than basic major and minor chords, and they’re prevalent in many types of music, including jazz, pop, classical, rock, and blues. Minor seventh chords can be derived in different ways, but one way is to start with a major scale and play 1, b3, 5, b7. So in the key of C, a Cm7 (C minor seven) chord is spelled C, Eb, G, Bb. Minor seventh chord arpeggio patterns #3, #4, and #5 span a bit less than two octaves. So you have fewer notes with which to illustrate a minor seventh idea. You can fill the space by repeating notes (by double striking them), switching directions more often, or repeating groups of notes. Minor seventh arpeggio pattern #3 What follows is the neck diagram and corresponding music and tab for minor seventh chord arpeggio pattern #3, in 5th position in the key of D minor. This is one of the easier ones because it contains no out-of-position notes (which means no stretching!) and it doesn't have any alternate fingerings. It just lies perfectly under your fingers. Click here to download and print this arpeggio pattern. Here’s an exercise in the key of F# minor in 9th position. Even though you don’t have to turn your 1st finger into a barre to play this exercise, try it anyway and see how you can create a sustained, harp-like sound by letting the strings ring as long as possible. Minor seventh arpeggio pattern #4 Minor seventh arpeggio pattern #4, shown here in F minor, includes an out-of-position note on the 1st string. Because this note occurs one fret below (lower on the neck) where the finger naturally falls, you must stretch down with your 1st finger to reach it. The downward stretch is less common in out-of-position playing than the upward stretch, so try isolating just the stretch by playing the top three notes of the pattern starting from the 2nd string. Practice this three-note segment up and down before playing through the entire pattern. Click here to download and print this arpeggio pattern. The following exercise, in the key of E minor in 4th position, is a good stretching workout between your 2nd and 1st fingers. Leave your 2nd finger on the 2nd string (and let the string ring out) as you play the 1st string notes. This technique really tugs apart those 1st and 2nd fingers and is good for getting limber in a hurry! Minor seventh arpeggio pattern #5 The following neck diagram, music, and tab for minor seventh chord arpeggio pattern #5 is in the key of G minor. This pattern emphasizes the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers, which are traditionally a weaker set than the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd fingers. Practice pattern #5 after you’ve been playing a lot of barre chords (which give the 1st finger a workout), and isolate the move between the 4th and 2nd fingers on the top two strings if this motion feels less familiar or comfortable than other combinations of fingers. Click here to download and print this arpeggio pattern. Check out the following exercise in the key of Bb minor in 8th position. Notice that an eighth rest ends the measure. This rest may leave you feeling that the exercise ended a bit short. If you fill in that eighth rest with a played note, you can create a repeatable loop that allows you to easily practice the pattern over and over. Simply re-play the note before the last one — the 11th fret on the 4th string — and loop the pattern.

Article / Updated 08-16-2022

A guitar arpeggio is a chord whose notes are played one at a time instead of simultaneously. It’s sort of the exploded view of a chord. Seventh chords sound richer and more complex than basic major and minor chords, and they’re prevalent in many types of music, including jazz, pop, classical, rock, and blues. You can derive a major seventh chord in many different ways. One way is to start with a major scale and play 1, 3, 5, 7. So in the key of C, a Cmaj7 (C major seven) chord is spelled C, E, G, B. Major seventh chord arpeggio patterns #3, #4, and #5 span a bit less than two octaves. With a short pattern like #3, you may find yourself having to repeat notes to fill out an idea for a given arpeggio. Repeating notes is okay, but it means you have to think more creatively than when simply running a long pattern. Major seventh arpeggio pattern #3 The following figure shows the neck diagram and corresponding music and tab for major seventh arpeggio pattern #3 in the key of D. This pattern can be tricky to master because it has two out-of-position stretches and a mini-barre option. But because the pattern is relatively short, you don’t need to isolate the passages. Instead, just run the pattern in its entirety until you can effectively execute the challenging aspects as smoothly as the straightforward ones. Click here to download and print this arpeggio pattern. Try the following exercise in the key of B. This pattern is placed in 2nd position — the second lowest possible on the neck — and it includes two stretches on widely separated strings, making it an ideal stretching exercise. Major seventh arpeggio pattern #4 What follows is a neck diagram and corresponding music and tab for major seventh arpeggio pattern #4 in the key of F. This pattern invites only one alternate approach — a mini-barre with your 1st finger between the 3rd and 2nd strings. Click here to download and print this arpeggio pattern. Try your hand at the following exercise in the key of G. In 7th position, where this exercise is placed, everything becomes easier, including mini-barre substitutions. So try playing this exercise at a brisk clip. What you may discover is that while the left hand poses no problems, playing four notes in a row each on a different string can be a challenge for the right hand — especially at fast tempos. Here are two solutions: The first is to simply slow down and work up speed gradually. And the second is, if you started out playing with a pick, go to fingerstyle, which makes consecutive-string playing a little easier than alternate picking. Major seventh arpeggio pattern #5 On to major seventh arpeggio pattern #5, shown here in the key of G. In addition to an out-of-position note, you have the opportunity to employ several alternate fingering solutions. Here’s one to try: Instead of using the 3rd finger on the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st strings, bring up your 1st finger and plant it across the first three strings at the 7th fret immediately after you leave the first note of the exercise. Keep it there until the very last moment when you have to move it back to the starting note on the 4th string, 5th fret. Click here to download and print this arpeggio pattern. Now check out this exercise, which is in the key of F# in 4th position. This exercise is only one fret lower than the previous pattern. So what changes? You probably practiced the previous pattern with the notes in groups of two or four to the beat. Here, however, you have to think of grouping the notes in threes, because this exercise is in triplets. Remember to apply those accents on the first note of each group of three.