Beginner's Guitar lesson 4

Plucking and strumming

Remember that strings are named first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth upwards, when you hold your guitar at the playing position.

Remember, too, to keep your wrist slightly bent, so your hand hangs freely, with its fingers pointing to the ground.

You won't be using your left hand in this first exercise. So, keep its thumb finger placed on the rear of the guitar neck, just behind the second fret wire. Make sure that the other left hand fingers don't touch the strings.

Now, with a downward revolving movement of your thumb finger, pluck the open sixth string.

How about the sound you've made? Wasn't it just great? Sure it was! It was your first sound played on your guitar!

Did you like it? Could it be better? Of course it could! And it will! Just don't tier your hairs out yet.

Chances are, it wasn't a clean musical sound. Just a dirty noise.

Let's try again...

What about the sound you got this time?

Better? You bet it was!

Keep trying until you get a good and clean musical sound. You surely can trust your taste!

Once you find the right thumb movement and pressure to produce the sound you judge perfect, move on to the fifth string, and repeat the whole process, until you find, again, your best sound.

And then go to the fourth string, and again go trough the entire process until you play it like a pro.

This time, let's take care of the third string. But you won't pluck it with your thumb finger. You'll be plucking it with your index finger. And you know, till you get your most beautiful musical sound out of your guitar.

It's the second string turn now, which you'll pluck with your middle finger, also making an upward movement. Till you're pleased with its sound.

Finally, go to the first string, and pluck it with an upward movement of your ring finger. Pluck it again and again, until you're happy with the sound you get.

All you've done till now, was an introduction to the real exercise, which you'll do this way: you'll go through all six strings, from sixth, fifth and fourth, plucking them with your right hand thumb finger, through third string, plucked with your index finger, second string, plucked with your middle finger, and first string, plucked with your ring finger.

Do it quite slowly at first. Focus on sound quality and balance of all six strings sounds.

That was all (for now) for your right hand. Let's take care, now, of your left hand.

First, remember that we'll be calling your left hand index finger, finger number one, your middle finger, finger number two, your ring finger, finger number three, and your small finger, finger number four.

The exercise goes this way. Pluck the open sixth string. Then press the string, with your finger one, on the first fret, and pluck it. Then press it, with your finger two, on the second fret, and pluck it. Then press it, with your finger three, on the third fret, and pluck it. And, finally, press it, with your finger four, on the fourth fret, and pluck it.

Go through all six strings with the procedure, with the exception of the third string, on which you'll go only till the third fret (not the fourth like all other strings). In a future lesson you'll know why.

When you've reached the forth fret on the first string, do all it backwards, till you finish plucking the open sixth string.

Remember to pluck all notes on the sixth, fifth and fourth strings with your right hand thumb fingers. Notes on the third, second and first strings, will be played alternating your index, middle and ring fingers (small fingers is never used). Be quite careful following this fingering sequence, as it'll bring you huge future benefits.

Repeat all, until you're pleased with your sound.

See you in the next lesson.

Now, let's go for Beginner's guitar lesson 5!