The Only Basic Guitar Instruction Book You'll Ever Need

by Wilkins, Jack

• ISBN13: 9781593373795
• ISBN10: 1593373791
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-07-31
• Publisher: Adams Media Corp

Table of Contents

Introduction
Chapter One: Understanding the Basics, and Buying the Right Guitar	1	(12)
The Anatomy of a Guitar	2	(3)
How Guitars Work	5	(1)
Electric Guitars: Where Does the Sound Come From?	6	(1)
Types of Guitars	6	(1)
Buying a Guitar: What to Look For	7	(3)
A Few Words About Practicing	10	(3)
Chapter Two: Tuning and Maintaining Your Guitar	13	(16)
The Standard "Concert" Tuning	14	(2)
Relative Tuning	16	(1)
Other Ways to Tune a Guitar	17	(1)
Tuning Using Harmonics	17	(1)
Types of Strings	18	(1)
Changing Strings	19	(6)
Cleaning and Caring for Your Guitar	25	(1)
Adjustments and Minor Repairs	26	(3)
Chapter Three: Holding the Guitar, and Understanding Written Music	29	(12)
The Right Position: Sitting and Standing	30	(2)
Position	32	(3)
Right-Hand Position	35	(2)
Writing Music as Chords and Slashes	37	(2)
Guitar Tablature	39	(1)
Standard Notation	40	(1)
Chapter Four: Playing Your First Songs and Chords	41	(12)
Chords C and G7	42	(2)
Chords D7 and G	44	(3)
Fuller Versions of Chords	47	(1)
Four Songs to Play	48	(5)
Chapter Five: Picking and More Open-String Chords	53	(18)
Right-Hand Picking	54	(2)
Minor Chords	56	(2)
Chord Families	58	(3)
Open-String Chords	61	(4)
Practicing Chords	65	(1)
Left-Hand Fingering	66	(1)
Three Practice Songs	67	(4)
Chapter Six: The Basics of Reading Music	71	(14)
Rhythm and Tempo	72	(1)
Written Music in Standard Notation	72	(2)
Time Signatures	74	(1)
Rests, Dotted Notes, and Tied Notes	74	(2)
Basic Musical Not al	76	(1)
Finding Notes on the Guitar	77	(3)
Key Signatures	80	(2)
Two Practice Songs	82	(3)
Chapter Seven: Mastering More Right-Hand Techniques	85	(14)
Basic Rhythm Guitar	86	(2)
Basic Alternate Bass Picking	88	(2)
Basic Fingerpicking	90	(2)
Folk Picking	92	(4)
Basic Blues	96	(2)
Country Picking	98	(1)
Chapter Eight: Moving Beyond Basics, and Moveable Chord Shapes	99	(16)
Adding to the Musical Alphabet	100	(1)
The Chromatic Scale	101	(1)
Scales on the Guitar	102	(2)
J's Playing Moveable Chords	104	(1)
Barre Chords	105	(1)
Moveable Chords by Type	106	(7)
Moveable Chords with Muted Notes	113	(2)
Chapter Nine: Playing in Position	115	(10)
The Basics of Position Playing	116	(2)
Playing a Scale	118	(3)
Moveable Patterns	121	(3)
Key Centers	124	(1)
Chapter Ten: Learning Basic Harmony	125	(14)
The Rules of Harmony	126	(1)
Understanding Intervals	126	(2)
Building Scales	128	(3)
Understanding Chord Structures	131	(3)
Arpeggios	134	(1)
Diatonic Chords	134	(1)
Standard Progressions	135	(1)
The Cycle of Fourths and Fifths	135	(2)
The Blues	137	(2)
Appendix One: Glossary	139	(10)
Appendix Two: Guitar Tricks	149	(2)
Index	151