Don't Fret Guitar Classroom

You can view the full line of Don't Fret Productions™ guitar fret board markers at our products page.

On our Music Theory page we provide an introduction to some basic music terminology and theory. It is a good place to start if you would like a little information to help get you going.

If you see something useful, please feel free to save it. If you have suggestions that would help us provide more accurate information please direct your comments to our Contact Us page.

How to hold your guitar

Sit in a comfortable chair without arms, in a comfortable position. with your back against the back of the chair. Try to sit up straight to avoid a sore back and to avoid developing bad habits on the guitar. Now, hold the guitar so the back of the body of the instrument comes in contact with your stomach/chest, and the bottom of the neck runs parallel (or slightly above parallel)  to the floor. You will be making chords with your left hand (if you play right handed) and strumming with your right hand. The thickest (6th) string on the guitar should be at the top, while the thinnest (1st) should be at the bottom. If you play right handed, you will hold the guitar so the headstock points to the left. If you play left-handed, you will hold the guitar so the headstock points to the right. To play the guitar as a lefty would, you will need a left-handed guitar. Allow the curve in the bottom of the guitar to rest on your right leg as you play. Brace you right forearm against the body of the guitar to hold it up. Since your left hand will be pressing on the strings, you shouldn’t use it to try to stabilize your guitar. Keep your thumb firmly on the back of the neck while you’re forming chords and notes.

What is a fret?
The word "fret" is used in two different ways. It is sometimes used to describe the strips of metal on the neck itself, and it is sometimes used to describe the space on the neck between one strip of metal and the next. The space on the neck between the nut and the first strip of metal is referred to as the first fret. The space between the first and second strip of metal is referred to as the second fret, etc, etc.

Fifteen Beginners Chords
The information below is written for use with the Don't Fret Chord Map™

The fifteen chords diagrammed below are a great foundation for any guitarist. The Chords that have an asterisk ( * ) represent chords that we show on our Don't Fret Chord Map™. You can put the Chord Map right on your guitar, giving you a no-miss color-coded visual representation of where ten of the most popular beginner chords are. The map is the original "easy on, easy off" chord guide. It uses no glues or adhesives because it sticks to itself. You don't even have to loosen the strings to put it on your guitar.

Here's how the chord chart below works. First you will need to imagine your fingers are numbered like the photo above. Pointer finger is number 1. Middle finger is 2. Ring finger is 3. Pinky finger is 4. So in the first example (E chord) you put your pointer finger (1) on the third string, first fret; your middle finger (2) goes on the fifth string, 2nd fret; and your ring finger (3) goes on the fourth string, 2nd fret. Give it a strum. At the top of a particular grid you will sometimes see a small x. That x indicates a note/string that is not a part of the chord. It means that you should not strum that string. In the examples below all the E chords are 6 string chords, all the A chords are 5 string chords and the D chords are 4 stringers. The rest of the examples are a mixed bag.

Have fun learning these chords. If you are new to the guitar, learn the chords at a pace that will let you memorize and retain them. Our Don't Fret Chord Map™ is a great learning aid in this process. Start out by learning two or three chords in one session. Then make sure to commit them to memory through repetition. Once you can proficiently play the first group of chords, go on to the next group of three. Soon you will be able to play all fifteen chords by memory (without looking at the fretboard).

Learn How to Play Scales
The information below is written for use with the Don't Fret Note Map™.

The C scale (shown below) is made of eight notes starting with a C and ending on a C. The C scale contains no sharps or flats. For practical purposes, it is the only scale that contains no sharps or flats (a major reason lots of Rock songs are in the key of C). Scales are built around "steps". The major scale contains a "step" pattern of: whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. The note that corresponds with the "key" note of a scale is sometimes called the "root" note.
In the example below, the step (tone) between the low C (beginning root note) and the D note is a whole step or whole tone. Between the D and the E is a whole step. The step between the E and the F is a half step or half tone. The F, G, A, and B have whole steps between them, and the B and C (ending root note) have the final half step. This pattern is called the Major Scale pattern. You can start it on any whole note and it will work.

Try it. You will sound eight notes playing the scale from C to C. Just use the colors on the Note Map, and the graphic of the numbered fingers above, to make sure you're doing it right. For example, if you start the major scale pattern on a C (yellow) then you should end on a C or yellow note. This same color-coded process can be applied to any scale pattern. Remember the Major Scale Pattern: Whole Step, Whole Step, Half Step, Whole Step, Whole Step, Whole Step, Half Step.
What you see above shows how the C scale translates to your fretboard. This particular pattern starts on the Yellow C located on the 3rd fret of the 5th string (also the low C from the staff above) with your middle (2nd) finger, then play the Orange D with your little (4th) finger. The Magenta E is played with your pointer (1st) finger, then the Grey F with your middle finger, Etc., until you finish the pattern on the high Yellow C located on the 5th fret, 3rd string. Congratulations, you have mastered the C scale and the Major Scale pattern. Practice the pattern for awhile. Then try playing it on different whole notes. For now stick with whole notes on the 6th and 5th strings.
Try playing a G scale. Start on the Green G located on the 3rd fret of the 6th string. Use the same pattern as above. Make sure you end on the Green G located on the 4th string, 5th fret. Now you know how to play a major scale in C and G!
Scales are the foundation of all music and a more in-depth study of scales will be an invaluable asset to any guitarist. We highly recommend that you spend lots of time committing scales to memory. Don't Fret offers a handy little book called the Incredible Scale Finder. The book contains 1300 scale diagrams for 17 important scale types. Additionally, there are thousands of pages of scales, scale patterns and scale knowledge on the internet. You won't regret any time you spend learning scales.

Hammer-on and pull-off.
A hammer-on is a note that is played by quickly snapping your finger down on a higher fret after the string has already been picked for a lower note. A pull-off is a note that is played by pulling a left hand finger away from a string (if you're a right handed player) at an angle, so your fingertip picks the string and allows a new note to sound. You can build up strength in your fingers by  doing what is referred to as “trills.” A trill is playing two notes as quickly as you can repetitively. Hammer on and pull off each note, picking the first note only.  It’s like body building, start with 1 or 2 minutes per day, and build up from there. Don’t over-do it in the beginning. Work up to 3 or 4 sets a day, gradually increasing the time you “trill” in each set. Develop all of your fingers, even your little finger. Try to make your movements smooth, not jerky.

Three Chord Theory.
It is interesting to note that almost all songs have three chords that can be used to play the song. Some examples would be C, F and G7 (key of C); or G, C, and D7 (key of G). This concept is known as the Three Chord Theory. One major component of the theory is to assign a Roman numeral to each note in a particular key/scale. If the key of the song you wanted to play is C, then the scale for that key would be C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. No sharps, no flats. The first C in the scale gets the Roman numeral I (1) attached to it. The D gets to cozy up to II (2). E and III (3) get to become acquainted, and so on up to the last C which should have I (1) assigned to it because it's the way it is (a more detailed reason could be offered here, but it's really not necessary).

Here's the essence of the Three Chord Theory represented in Roman numerals I, IV, V. That's 1, 4, and 5 in that order. So in the key of C you use the first note/chord in the scale which is C (root note or chord), the fourth note/chord which is F and the fifth note/chord which is G. The V (5) chord is called the dominant chord and can be played as a 7th, (the 7th gives the chord progression that bluesy sound).
In a 4/4 song it's easy to add the C you started with onto the end of the progression. So that would be: C, F, G7 and back to C. It sounds great. Try strumming the pattern. Find the chords on the Fifteen Beginners Chords chart above. Use four beats for each chord. Something like this, C, two, three, four; F, two, three, four; G7, two, three, four; C, two, three, four. Repeat.
For something entertaining try emphasizing different beats. Start by sounding the "one" beat louder than beats 2,3 and 4. After you get that down, try making the "two" beat louder than the other beats. Then move the emphasis to the "three" beat and so on. You can do two beats per measure also. Like the one and three beats or the two and four beats or whatever sounds good to you. The important thing is to have fun with it.
An astounding number of songs are built on the I, IV, V chord progression in the key of C. The Three Chord Theory may very well be the back bone of music. If you know the notes in a particular key you can use the chart above to figure out the 1,4,5 chords for that key. Just replace the letters in the chart above with the letter note names for your new key. Always start the Root Note/Chord with the first Roman numeral.

The Blues
The Blues is the ultimate extension of the three chord theory. It has been said that all you have to do is flat the fifth and you can play the Blues. Although it is somewhat more involved than that, the Blues is a somewhat easy genre of music to start playing. The following examples use the three chord theory from above and demonstrate the 12-bar concept. Twelve bar Blues is arguably the most common form of the Blues. It is important to go slow at first. Tap out the beats with your foot and use down strokes on the beats. Once you get the feel of it, try alternating down and up strokes. So each measure/bar would go down, up, down, up for a total of four beats (two down and two up) per bar.

The first example is in the key of E. The Chords used are E, A and B. The B chord can be substituted with B7 (see above). Tap out four beats per measure with your foot for twelve bars. Speed it up as you get more comfortable with it. Don't forget to try down and up strokes as you progress.



This next example in the key of E uses sevenths and really introduces the sound that is the Blues. The Chords used are E, E7, A and B7. There are many, many sites on the web for learning to play the Blues. Find them. Explore them and have fun. The Blues is fun.

If you are in search of past postings on this page please visit our "Guitar Classroom Archive".

Music Definition of the Month:
Rock. A genre of mass-disseminated music emerging in the 1960s, related to but distinct from Rock ‘N’ Roll. Rock is electrical, in its use of amplification, distortion, and eventual production of sound.

Rock ‘N’ Roll. A type of American popular music of the 1950s, based chiefly on elements of vernacular Afro-American music and enjoying a brief but spectacular worldwide dissemination.

Famous Musicians Quote of the Month:

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace." - Jimi Hendrix

James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Widely hailed by music fans and critics alike, Hendrix is considered to be one of the most influential electric guitarists in rock music history. He achieved worldwide fame in 1967 playing at the Monterey Pop Festival, then headlined the iconic 1969 Woodstock Festival before his death in 1970, at the age of 27.

As a self-taught musician, the left-handed Hendrix played a right-handed Fender Stratocaster guitar turned upside down and re-strung to suit him. As a rock guitarist, Hendrix exploited the sonic tool of feedback and the sound of overdriven guitars to an extent that previous pioneers never achieved. He built upon the innovations and influences of blues stylists such as B.B. King, Albert King and Buddy Guy, derived style from rhythm and blues and soul guitarists Curtis Mayfield, Steve Cropper and Cornell Dupree, as well as that of traditional jazz. Hendrix was also inspired by rock pioneer Little Richard, having toured in Richard's back-up band "The Upsetters" before forming his own rock group in 1966.

Hendrix strived to combine what he called "earth", a blues, jazz, or funk driven rhythm accompaniment, with "space", the high-pitched psychedelic sounds created by his guitar improvisations. As a record producer, Hendrix also broke new ground in using the recording studio as an extension of his musical ideas; he was notably one of the first to experiment with stereophonic and phasing effects during the recording process.

Hendrix was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (at 6627 Hollywood Blvd.) was dedicated in 1994. In 2006, his debut album, Are You Experienced, was inducted into the United States National Recording Preservation Board's National Recording Registry. In 2003, Rolling Stone named Hendrix number one on their list of the "100 greatest guitarists of all time".

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Check back for more interesting and helpful guitar classroom lessons.

Return to Top
home | products | order | contact us | site map