The start

If you are looking to play the guitar, or indeed any kind of musical instrument, starting it because you have to will almost certainly end in disaster or in you becoming unhappy. That is something that everyone should avoid. 

If however you are saying to yourself: “Ah-ha, the guitar! That would be a fun!”, then strap yourself in and prepare yourself for the magical journey which is playing guitar. It may not be easy, and sometimes it can be a bit repetitive, but it is certainly worth it. 

The guitar is without a doubt the coolest instrument to play; A theatrical mixture of drama, passion and enjoyment. Look at the people who have played guitar in the past: Eric Clapton, Django Reindhardt, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan… could you honestly look any of those greats in the face and say: “you’re rubbish at guitar and as cool as an Albanian turnip farmer who works at B & Q part time”. The answer is obviously no. You couldn’t because by doing that you are proclaiming to the world that you hate all things good and you should stop reading this and go back to acquiring photographs of paving slabs for your album. 

The Guitar’s Anatomy 

If you are still with us then that’s excellent, but don’t think that you will simply be able to pick up a guitar and play it like an angel. First you need to get to know the guitar. And by know I really mean know. Don’t just sit there and believe you know what the wire things are, what the twiddly bits at the top of the guitar do etc. 

(This is easier to do with a guitar in front of you but if you haven’t got one yet it doesn’t matter. Consider you options; go to a guitar shop and speak to someone who really knows about guitars, not just someone who works there at the weekend so he can afford the Beano. Tell them your spending limits, what music you like, and your personal tastes. Hopefully you will be guided through your possibilities and end up with a guitar you are really happy with.) 

Whether you are learning the acoustic or electric, this hand guide will show you exactly what you need to know. 

 

 

Body: The main bulk of the guitar. It provides a mounting point for the neck. On an acoustic, there is an amplifying sound chamber, which without would render an acoustic useless. On an electric, it houses all the electronics and bridge assembly. 

Bridge:  The metal or wooden anchoring point for the strings.

Fingerboard:  A piece of plat wood on top of the neck where you place your fingers to produce notes or chords.

 

Frets:  Metal bars which are place along the fingerboard. They shorten the vibrating space of the string allowing different pitches to be produced.

Head: A mounting point for the tuning keys, connected to which are the strings.

Neck: The long wooded “neck” of the guitar that connects the body with the head.

Nut:  No, it’s not someone who lives in a room with padded walls and twenty four hour surveillence. It is in fact a metal or stiff nylon bar that prevents the stings from vibrating beyond it towards the tuning keys.

 

Output Jack:  Only on the electric guitar, it is where the wire that connects the amp to the guitar is inserted.

Pick-up Selector: Only on the electric, it is a switch that selects which of the pick-ups is used.

Pick-ups: On the electric only, they are small electro magnets that changes the variations in magnetic field around the pick-ups into an audible signal in the amp.

Strings: The strings are the music making devices. By playing them together or separately, you can create music. Each of the strings is tuned differently, except the two end strings which are the same but at different pitches.

Tuning Keys: These keys are attached to the strings and by turning them you can alternate the pitch and tuning of the strings.

Volume and Tone Controls:  On the electric only, these dictate the volume and, you guessed it, the tone of the sound that is emitted from the amplifier.

Pick Guard: This helps to stop the body of the guitar being scratched by playing.

Whammy Bar: This allows you to momentarily change the tone of all the strings.

There we are. That wasn’t too difficult was it. And (pardon the pun) don’t fret about it. You will get to know your guitar more and more in the future.