The metal vertical strips on the neck are known as the frets. A note is played by pressing your finger in the position between the frets and striking the string with a guitar pick or finger(s).

Now, lets learn the notes. Here is a map of the fretboard with the notes labelled.

Guitar Natural Notes

The labelled notes in the above diagram are known as Natural notes. The unlabeled notes are known as sharps(#) or flats(b). For example, the note on the E string between the F and G note is known as either an F sharp (F#) or a G flat (Gb). A sharp indicates the Natural notes pitch is raised a semi-tone, a flat note is the natural pitch lowered a semi-tone.

Guitar Notes

As you can see from the A string above for example, the guitar has 12 notes:

A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#

Notice that there is no B# (or Cb) nor E# (or Fb) – this is a universal rule in music.

You will notice that there are many places on the guitar neck to play an A note. Some of these are the same pitch and sound exactly alike. Others may sound different. They are still A notes, but in a different pitch.

Also note that on your guitar neck, you probably see round dots on the guitar neck which mark the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 17th frets and so on. These are used as a guide when playing, so you do not need to count frets all the time.

This is your guitar neck and its notes. Get to know it, and try to memorize where the notes are located. This will help you greatly in your guitar playing.

Anatomy of an Acoustic Guitar

Overview of basics

• The strings are numbered from the lightest (thinnest) to the heaviest (thickest).
• Thinnest string is the first string, and the thickest is the 6th string.
• A guitar in usually in standard tuning: E-A-D-G-B-E, where 6th string = Low E, 5th string = A , 4th = D, 3rd = G, 2nd = B, 1st = High E. Note: The 0 fret is used to refer to the open note on each string.

As a complete beginner, buy something relatively inexpensive and make sure it feels comfortable.

You don’t want to spend too much to realise you’d only practise once, but be sure to spend enough so the tone sounds half decent; a $100 (£65-ish)  guitar will get you a very basic piece of wood, but streching to $200-$300 (£135-ish) , will ensure there is some build quality to your guitar.

So what should i check for when buying?

String height: Make sure the action* on the frets are low, as there’s nothing worse than learning the guitar with a high action. It’s tough enough on your hands and fingers, having to press down on the strings really hard and can turn beginners off practising those first few chords / twangs.

*Action is the name of the distance between the strings and the frets. Higher action (within reason) gives you better tone, but makes it harder to play. The same goes for strings. The heavier, the better tone wise, but they are harder to play.

However, some people believe in buying their first guitars with a high action, as it makes you play the right way and increases calluses and strength in your fingers.

Guitar Neck: You want to make sure the neck is bent the correct amount. To do this, try playing all the notes on both E strings *without* using an amp, and listen for buzzes.

Next, try notes on ALL parts of the fretboard; sometimes there will be dead notes on the higher end that you won’t find until later if you’re not careful.

Electronics: Try testing the guitar WITH an amp (be wary of anyone selling an electric guitar who claims to not have an amp). Best practise, is to take a friend who knows about guitars to check it out with you. Toggle the pickups (by flipping that little knob that looks like a light switch) and make sure it sounds good in EVERY position.

Summary: Make sure you do the following before purchasing:

• Check out musiciansfriend.com or pmtonline.co.uk for general price guides and make sure you are not paying anywhere close to retail price for used gear.
• The main things that go wrong with guitars are the neck gets twisted, and the electronics go bad.
• A used beginner guitar should cost no more than $300. (Less than that really)
• Pick something that feels good in your hands
• Ask the seller to play something for you. That way you’ll see if it feels right to him, and if he can make it sound good to you
• Go to a Guitar Center shop with a guitar playing friend, and buy one.  You can save youself a lot of grief in the long run
• Be wary of purchasing a guitar online!

Good Luck and happy strumming