Acoustic Guitar Parts : Acoustic Guitar

The length of the Neck depends on the scale of the guitar and the number of frets it has. The back of the neck could be "C" shaped, or "V" shaped (sideways < if you compare it to the letter C). The front of the neck is the Fingerboard or Fretboard, that contains the Frets embedded in notches along its surface. The Strings run down the neck over the frets. The height of the strings over the frets is called the Action; if the action is too high the strings are harder to press down, if the action is too low the strings may rattle against the frets muffling the notes. The neck usually has "dot" markers on the top and the side facing the player, showing the position of the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th (which has two dots) and 15th fret.
On standard acoustic guitars, the large body makes it difficult to use any frets above the 12th fret. Some guitars have a Cutaway section to allow your hands to reach the 14th fret easily, however this does affect the sound as it disrupts the shape of the guitar. You strum (or pick) the strings over the Soundhole, which is where the vibrations from the strings are acoustically reflected out providing the sound from the instrument. Acoustic-electric guitars have an Pickup inside the soundhole, note that you can also buy add-on acoustic pickups and turn any acoustic guitar into an acoustic-electric. Most acoustic guitars have a Pick Guard, that protects the finish on the top of the guitar body from mis-directed picking. The strings terminate in the Saddle which is glued onto the top of the guitar body. The Bridge raises the strings and establishes the Action of the guitar. Note most acoustic guitars have "fixed" bridges, the only way to lower the action is to shave or cut down the saddle (or replace the bridge) - there is no way raise the action. Some newer models provide adjustable bridges simliar to electric guitars.
Note that as an acoustic guitar ages, a pronounced "belly" or bump will appear on the top of the body, just below the saddle. Since the strings are constantly pulling on the saddle, over time and with humidity changes the wood will begin to bow where the pressure is being applied. There are "ribs" or "struts" inside the body to prevent the saddle from being ripped out, so a small belly is perfectly normal as the guitar is broken in. If the belly gets too large you will have to have the ribs inside the top repaired, they may have popped out or broken. Many musicians claim the belly improves the sound of the guitar, which may contribute to the theory that acoustic guitars sound better as they grow older.

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On your guitar, each fret provides a Half Step between each note - remember that the two exceptions B-C and E-F are actually a half step apart (there are no sharps/flats between these notes). The six strings on your guitar are normally tuned to the following notes in their "open" (or un-fretted) form:
1st String (closest to the ground, thinnest string) - E the Low E
2nd String - B
3th String - G
4th String - D
5th String - A
6th String (closest your face, fattest string) - E the High E
At the 12th fret, the notes repeat at a higher octave. Your guitar may have helpful "dots" or markers on certain frets, both on the fretboard and/or on the edge of the neck facing you. They are usually at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 12th frets (which has two dots). This makes it easier to find a particular fret without having to count them from the headstock onwards.

Start the fretting exercises from the Basic Guitar Lessons and say the notes aloud as you play them. Sixth string (closest to your face):
OPEN (no frets pressed) - E
1st fret - F
2nd fret - F#
3rd fret - G
4th fret - G#
now as you go in reverse (starting by lifting your pinkie finger off the fretboard):
3rd fret - G
2nd fret - Gb
1st fret - F
OPEN - E
Note how the 2nd fret is both F# when it follows the F; and Gb when it precedes the G. Both F# and Gb are the same, they indicate the half step between F and G. Look at the illustration above for the notes on each string (print this page for reference). Repeat this exercise on all six strings, and as you move to next fret and start the fretting exercises from the 2nd fret say each note aloud each time as you pick them. This helps you remember their positions.

While practice seems boring - it is absolutely essential that you get sufficient practice in these simple exercises. Both your hands, right for the picking/strumming and left for the fretting - must be trained with repetitive actions so they will respond automatically when your brain thinks of a note. When you start formal guitar lessons, this will save you a lot of time (and money, since you would probably be paying by the hour) - if you already have your the rudimentary playing skills programmed into your hands and fingers.

The next section teaches Basic Guitar Chords. Chords are sounds created by combining notes simultaneously and are the basis for both rhythm and much of lead guitar. But your hands and fingers must be sufficiently trained, and you must know the individual string notes, before you can play guitar chords - so keep practicing!

Basic Guitar Lessons<<<Previous