← Guitar · Start here · about 15 min
Your first sounds
Open strings, fretting, and why it buzzes at first.
Open strings
“Open” means you are not pressing any fret. Start with the sound of each string.
Pick or thumb
Use a pick (hold it between your thumb and first finger) or just use your thumb.
Pluck each string
Go from the thickest to the thinnest. Let each one ring. Listen to how the sound rises.
Say the names
Say the name of each string out loud as you play it: E, A, D, G, B, e.
Pressing a string
The secret to a clear note is where you press.
Right behind the fret
Press with your fingertip just behind the metal fret, not in the middle of the space.
Use your fingertips
Press with the tip of your finger, not the flat pad. Keep your finger arched.
Press firmly, but not too hard
Press only until the note rings. Squeezing too hard makes your hand tired.
If it buzzes
It buzzes or sounds dead.
Press closer to the fret, with more of your fingertip. Make sure no other finger is touching the string next to it.
My fingers hurt.
That is normal for the first two weeks. Practice in short sessions. Your fingertips toughen up and the soreness fades.
I can't make it ring out.
Keep your arched fingers off the neighbor strings. Check that your thumb is behind the neck.