Beginner Guitar Lesson #1 - Guitar Basics

[MrRazorblood]

moving too fast man!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DreamParadiseAlice]

@TeamSixteen stfu bitch.

[IwannaBunny]

hello i just wanted to say that your guitar lessons seem very helpful. I want to buy a guitar but I am not sure yet even though i really want to learn it... :/

[1JennyMcC]

This is the most helpful lesson I have watched, thank-you so much!

[ISiikSNiPEzI]

@hurricane play guitar hero on expert lol

[CasusUniversum]

Eddie Ate Dynamite Good Bye Eddie

[CJuneBug96]

@frilundovich AC/DC-Back in Black

[Hurricane437]

i cant seem to stretch my fingers over the 4 frets.. any recommended exercises?

[frilundovich]

what is the name of the intro song to this vidio?

[BabyDr4gon]

my guitar has no dots :(

[jtoro97]

Eddy

Ate

Dynamite

Good

By

Eddy

[makavelipachito]

THANKS VERY MUCH FOR POSTING THESE VIDEOS. I JUST PURCHASED AN ELECTRIC GUITAR AND IM NEW TO THE GUITAR WORLD.. AND WATCHING YOUR VIDEOS IS MAKING ALL THESE A LOT EASIER. A GOOD WAY TO REMEMBER THE NOTES ON THE GUITAR IS

E- EVERY

B- BOY

G-GETS

D- DA

A-AA

E- ETERNILLY

[IElRedI]

Really need to learn so im starting with this video, hope i can master all of this in a week and move onto the next lesson. Alternate picking is going to be a bitch.

[predopp]

E-edie

A-ate

D-dynamite

G-goodbye

E-ediee it is also good :D

[TeamSixteen]

Why does yhe exercise part go so fast fuckin asshole

[makavelipachito]

@TeamSixteen why do you have to post negative commnets about my homie Tom... if you dont like his videos go somewhere else go fuck yourself with an infected aids razor........you should be thankful for what tom is doing here. taking his time to teach us how to play guitar so dont be an anal cunt. guitar lessons are fucking expensive and Tom does is for free...so go jerk your dick jerk just the fat dude from operation Repo says.. JERK AND HE WOULD KICK YOUR CULO JERK

[Dziksav]

I have one question. Please answer. Are there any exercises that can help you spread your fingers more cause i can't touch 4 strings at the same time and spread my finger enough like you in 6:39 :D

[Dziksav]

I have started playing guitar a week ago and i had such a hard time doing anything and then i found your channel and it all looks so easy now. And of course i subscribed <3 Thank you soooo much! U r the best!

[pseomen8521]

every

a**hole

deserves

good

band

equipment

[mileyprinxy005BFF]

@pseomen8521 Nice!

[wallytjr256]

Question for you Tom. Why does your diagram have the high e string at the top? It seems confusing to me since it is really at the bottom. ?????

[Lannielst]

@wallytjr256 I believe that is the way people do it because that is how you see the strings as you look down at the guitar, that is how tabs are written too.

[FryMeALiiiver]

Plugfather . com has everything for a beginning guitarist.

How-to-play videos

Chord lessons

How to tune a guitar

Javascript guitar tuner

How to read tabs

And more

[jessicalily28]

great video! really helpful :) i will definately watch the others

[ActofChange]

You are awesome!!! Thanks so much for the help

[xRANDOMxMOVIESx]

Thanks for the lesson :) I'm 16 so i was doubting the ability to be able to learn, but these have proven otherwise. :D

[VincetheConqueror1]

and when i put my finger in between the metal it doesnt any higher!!!!!!!!

[VincetheConqueror1]

on the fret lesson do u put your finger on the string? please answer anyone!!!!

[xCowsCanFly]

that was a great lesson!

i have a guitar teacher and i've told him that i wanted to learn guitar guitar not classical guitar but he keeps teaching me classical, he says it's good to have the 'basics' but he's been teaching me classical for a year now! and i still don't know how to play a single chord.

so, i went out the other day and bought myself a cheap acoustic guitar. been trying to play a few chords.

i really have a feeling that these lessons are gonna help alot. so, thank you so much!

[xCowsCanFly]

easter

bunnies

get

drunk

at

easter

[SandraLinn95]

i can barely hear it

[tritanopia]

I wish the videos were louder.

[sidaiple]

hi tom ,im george from greece,and i've been meaning 2 play guitar many many years nw but i was almost certain i wouldnt learn,so im 24 now and i bought my les paul about a year ago,but didnt knw where 2 start from? im sure that all the begginers felt desperate at some point,but all my friends are musicians,and a bass player suggested your site,and i honestly have 2 say that im watching your videos every day,you explain things very clearly and you're an awesome teacher 2 play,thanx alot!

[tcs069]

ok this is too hard i give up im going back to keyboard -_-

[TehEvilWolf]

Dude your audio is shit.

[TheNerdgirl13]

i cant really hear it and the volumes all the way up :(

[Nameless3567]

First of all great work Tom...well I've got a question. Since its been like one month that I have bought a guitar and start learning it. I am working over the the tip you have mentioned. While doing that I feel a sort of pain in the arm? Is it normal? Any idea....

Anyways Cheers

[Nameless3567]

First of all great work Tom...well I've got a question. Since its been like one month that I have bought a guitar and start learning it. I am working over the figure position on frets and the tip you have mentioned. While doing that I feel a sort of pain in the arm? Is it normal? Any idea....

Anyways Cheers

[killingovernight]

emily

blows

guys

during

ap

english

no copyrighting i will find u ;[

[Amyisreallymad]

@killingovernight brilliant



[pockynerd]

Im using an acoustic guitar, (Im 14, female) And this is really helpful! I thank you alot! :)

[samuel4623]

Tutorials are really nice, but volume sucks

[FBSundayClub]

when you pluck the chords when naming them your hand goes down, but the animation goes up - for a thickie like me, it seems silly, but I appreciate your efforts. regards dan

[RexPearson1]

Pretty Cool lesson here, Covers the topic quite well. Ive just made a course that you might be interested in. Check it out! would love to know what you think

RexPearson. com

[DaolerX]

I think all of your lessons will help me alot :)

[LozzyWozzyable]

I dont have joint in my two fingers next to my pink on my left hand will that prevent me from playing??? x

[aHeadshott]

it helped me thanks i can paly eye of the tiger now using ur vidot how to play guitar

[eddiedeets]

this is helpful but what could be more helpful is that u should have shown alternate picking when doing scales because it will make it so much easier trying to go faster

[dayji]

Low Voulme ! no sound even with my AMP

[cleapatra82]

Hi can I use these lessons on an acoustic guitar too?

[TomFontana]

@cleapatra82 Yep, it's all the same :-)

[cleapatra82]

@TomFontana Thank you!

[AjmeRainey]

Damn, my hands are too small -.-''

But thank You very much for this vid, I'll keep on trying =D

[TechyDan]

dude. i had decided yesterday to buy an electric guitar. but i feared i might not be able to learn it. after your videos. i learned so much. :D YOUR AWESOME! i'll be able to learn to play alot of songs thanks to your help

[TomFontana]

@TechyDan Cool, I'm glad you're learning and that my videos can help, keep it up!

[Frdchanga]

@TomFontana hey man, i got a guitar, and i thought i was going to just make it worthwhile and watch your videos, omg! it helps so much!

[sinXcrossfire]

Hi. sir. can i ask. how it will be going to be know if g am bm c d f g. on al fret bord of my guitar. i cant hear you because my speaker is broken. have a nice day sir

[mesumichan]

This REEEEALLLY helped! thank you!

[gunsnrosescovers]

Love It

[gunsnrosescovers]

Nice

[Cinnamon23045]

cool:-] thanks!

[Elmirgtr]

hi Tom :) my first guitar teacher, a year ago in this day I was watching this video with excitement and something nice feeling in my heart, now I can play bunch of songs including bar cords, solo playing, and so on. I want to thank you again, I won't forget you:)

[TomFontana]

@Elmirgtr Thanks for your letter, and I'm glad I could help you along the way. Keep on practicing ;-)

[qqmoarploxify]

Thanks for the video tom, I still think im gonna get nowhere with guitar though. I just don't think I can do it.

[TomFontana]

@qqmoarploxify Trust me, if you practice, you will advance. It would be best if you practice every day, or at least every other day. If you do this, you'll hear yourself getting better, and you will get more and more confident about your abilities as a guitarist.

[adorableanimal]

omg! why does everyone make this seem so hard!!!! Haven't you guys heard of guitar101(dot)tk

[Bitching4Blades]

Thank you Sir Tom, you're helping me make my dreams come true! God bless your beautiful soul! :)

[2lwa7esh]

tom i need to ask u why i`m faster in the reverse do u have a clue?

[TomFontana]

@2lwa7esh Yep, most people are at first, since the backwards bit is a more natural movement of the fingers. Just keep on practicing both directions, and the other part will catch up as well.

[TomFontana]

@Amzzz004 Thanks :-)

[oliviacollins123]

My fingers are way too small! Im gonna have to do some serious practising, thanks for these! :D

[FinnKaiden]

im going to have to watch each one 5 times, every day. my pinkie finger is super weak. hard to hold down the fret

[TomFontana]

@FinnKaiden Yeah, the pinky is a pain at first, but practice as much as you can, and it'll get stronger and more coordinated.

[eggsaladinthetub]

I feel so terrible starting a new instument. Ususaly play Alto Sax.

[spankses]

awesome, very comprehensive for the beginner.....best lessons i've found...cant wait for my guitar to arrive...!

[vizard27]

hey tom...these are real great lessons. i just decided to stop going to my instructor. he is just teaching us tabs and some songs instead of giving us these fingering techniques and exercises. grrrr...!!

-

small suggestion don't know if it can be done or not..but it would have been better if the guitar board that is displayed below is towards the right same as per the video image and even the naming notation of the strings and frets. its confusing for us with the "inverted and reversed" image :(

[holli45678910]

how th fuck are you suposed to play the first part of the video,, i cant even see what frets your putting your fingers on or anything !!!

[TomFontana]

@holli45678910 If you can't see my fingers properly, have a look at the tabs on the screen as well. And no swearing please!!!

[Cheezles1]

Thank you! You are currently my fave teacher :D

[TomFontana]

@Cheezles1 Thanks! That makes you my fave student :-)

[TreyColwell]

How come whenever I have my finger on a fret, the string doesn't make any noise when I pluck it?

[TomFontana]

@TreyColwell You're probably deadening the string. Check your fretting hand fingers, make sure you're holding the string correctly, and that no other fretting fingers are touching it by accidents. Also, make sure you're not deadening it with your plucking hand by accident.

[TreyColwell]

@TomFontana It was actually simple, I just wasn't pressing down hard enough. Thank you though. Unfortunately my guitar is out of tune, and I lost my electric tuner. Do you by any chance have a tuning lesson?

[TomFontana]

@TreyColwell Yep, lesson no. 5 :-)

[tachaqua]

eddie

ate

dinomite

good

bye

eddie

[robgibson44]

Every

Acid

Dealer

Gets

Busted

Eventually

[bboyLeandroiD]

best tutorial ever really

[DarkSoulX19]

best tutorial for beginners !

[CPSEmiliSkoolCaptain]

Elephants

And

Dogs

Got

Big

Ears

[fingersk8dan]

i have just baught an electric guitar and amp. i find it hard to find the correct string any advice??

[TomFontana]

@fingersk8dan Yep, practice! As a beginner, you're still looking down at the strings while you're plucking and looking at your fretting hand while forming chords, this is totally natural in the beginning.

With time (and practice), you will get used to the guitar, get used to where the strings are and will be able to pluck any string or form any chord without even looking. You don't need to stress about it, it'll come naturally with enough practice and time.

[fingersk8dan]

@TomFontana thankyou for replying tom, you are a very good online tutor. i hope you get paid. because your lessons are the best on youtube!

[msbj10]

gosh i hate to get back to the guitar basics after playing for almost 7 mounths T~T

bec i didnt learn all the basics for the guitar

but i learnt some tecs like bending, slide, vibrato, pinch harmonic, natural harmonic, and hammer on, and pull offs

so its really boring to start from the begining

[wilywizarto]

I don't know where i should be looking while i'm strumming--should i be looking at the neck or at my pick? Where would you recommend i should be looking.

[brandyvideos79]

Eddy

Ate

Dynomite

Good

Bye

Eddy

That is how I remember. Lol

[KatherineGoneMental]

i wish it was louder. :( but ur awesome thinks for the help.

[evanzrockz69]

i have problems holding the strings on my guitar while playing. i just have to put in a lot of pressure, or else there is a bad sound, would you recommend any tutorial or any other way..

[TomFontana]

@evanzrockz69 Yes, the string will rattle if you're not holding it properly. Make sure you hold the string as close to the fret as possible, that makes it a bit easier.

[ameli950514]

i wanna learn guitar and i don't now what guitar to buy Ibanez V50 or Fender-CD-60.

any advice?

[TomFontana]

@ameli950514 Both of them are good beginner guitars, but their sound is kind of thin, so you'll probably end up upgrading to a better acoustic guitar in 1-2 years.

With that said, I would go for the cheaper one for now, perfect to learn on, and start saving up for a more expensive one that you can buy in a year or two.

[ameli950514]

@TomFontana  thank you very much

[zxbcx]

i remember it

Elephants And Donkeys Grow Big Ears

lol

[The202Tube]

thx 4 this great video

but i need help when i change from fret to fret on the same string it make noise

bec. the string is vibrating while i press it touches the metal thing so it make the noise what should i do ?

[Yummage12345]

great videos! :)

[Spycoo16]

So how long do you think we should practice before moving onto the next lesson?

[TomFontana]

Lesson 2 teaches a different skill set (chords), so you can move on quickly and practice the things you learn in this lesson and lesson 2 simultaneously. Moving on to lesson 3 is still somewhat straight forward, but thats where it get more challenging, where you need to learn to change between chords.

[Spycoo16]

Thanks :D

[TheCrazygirl566]

how do you press the strings??? when i pressed it, it doesnt make a noise. D=

[TomFontana]

Straight down with your fingertips, look at the close ups of my hand during the video.

[mawhaw234]

Thanks so much im gonna watch all your vids, i can play guitar real well but i never learned the stuff you need to improvise so i'm goin back to basics learning notes, scales and stuff =p

[l0wfLoW]

Ive seen all your videos and ure most certainly amongst the best teachers if not the best. :)

[TomFontana]

Thanks you so much :-)

[threecopperstring]

Mr. Tom Fontana you are the man. Finally, a comprehensive and well made video that explains the basics for learning to play guitar. All the lessons are thought out and helpful. Thank you.

[TomFontana]

My pleasure :-)

[BrightestShadow77]

thanks you really helped me learn the basics, not to sound like im being ungreatful and complain but i cant really hear the video. can you make your next ones a little louder?

[mszchiieqcc]

my guitar's fret were too far distant from each other. it's so hard to do the second exercise. :(

[TomFontana]

it's hard at first, your fingers have to get used to it.

just practice every day, and you'll see that it'll start getting easier and easier with each day of practice.

[eromattiffarg]

Lol I learned the strings like this:

East

Back

Goes

Debbie

August

Every

[fob593]

need help reading this tab :)

12

X

9

um how am i suppose to play the X? ty

[TomFontana]

The X is a muted note, so you'll need to just touch it slightly with one of your fingers to deaden the given string.

[147light]

hey got a question what and how do you [play somthing like this 0/7 7 0/6 6 0/4 4 what does that mean? Please help trying to learn "I miss you" by Blink 182

[TomFontana]

the "/" is standard tablature, it means that you have to slide to the given note.

So 0/7 means you slide up to fret 7, instead of just plucking it. If it were the other way around, for example 7\5, it would mean that you have to slide down from fret 7 to fret 5.

[rhylovesjb]

i have no clue what you are saying icant do that i just got my guitar yesterday and i have no clue where to start!!! please reply

[TomFontana]

This lesson is just about getting you familiar with the guitar and plucking. Watch it several times if things are unclear, or go to our homepage for the unabridged version.

[rhylovesjb]

i dont even know whjat the parts of a guitar are called and do you think guitar for dummies wold help???

[KirkAwesome]

@rhylovesjb I have that book it helps =D

[rhylovesjb]

Oh thanks. . . I have decided to take lessons at Strings Attached in Streevtsville at the same place Ian D'sa from Billy Talent did.

[KirkAwesome]

@rhylovesjb That's even better =D

[RebeccaSons]

how long should i just do this exercise over & over. & what notes are all these?

[BlanFan2O]

cool. I've gotten used to picking down and using two fingers all the time, this'll really help thanks!

[XsimplyxuselessX]

your videos are great!

its really helping me learn how to play the guitar;

thanks and keep up the good work (:

[joshuaned]

This is great, easy to understand.......keep the good work

[sseven7]

Great tutorials Tom, the best ones I have across on tube so far. Thanks for doing that.

Although, I am having problem putting my pinkie on the 4th fret, it feels awkward (yes I'm a newb). It gets better once I move down closer to body. I guess one of those things that one gets used to...

[TomFontana]

Yeah, all of the pinky stretching and coordinated movements feel weird in the beginning, but you'll get used to it with time. There's really no trick or secret to getting it right, you just need to practice often, which develops your finger strength and coordination.

So just keep at it, and you'll see and hear the improvement really soon.

[guitardummie101]

really good video.finally found someone on youtube that I know can learn guitar from.But alternate picking.Why is that very imprtant?Up and down, Up and down..

[Buri1750]

It'll help you with strumming later on. You can change it around even more if you like. Up Up Down Down or something like Up Down Down Up. It'll help you with your coordination on your strumming hand. You could also do all Ups or all downs. Just change it around and later on when it comes to strumming patterns you'll see why it was helpful :D

[TomFontana]

Alternate picking is important for increasing your plucking speed, and playing on beat. I know it isn't exactly evident in the beginning, but trust me, learning everything correctly now will make things much easier later on.

[person21257]

its more comfortable to me to hold the guitar the opposite way does this matter?

[TomFontana]

i'm not sure what you mean. do you mean the left handed way, where your left hand is plucking at the strings, and your right hand is fretting the strings?

[Elmoworld666]

that's how i play. my dad recently got me a left handed guitar so now i dont have to play up-side down any more (-:

[zukhruff]

dude..........really thnx a lot man...........ur a damn good teacher....i really mean it......m actually kinda playin d guitar.............i jus reached d 3rd lesson but still ur classes are awsome..........

[crazyviewer08]

OK this is probably a stupid question but my guitar is messed up when i strum any string it is fine but when i hold down a fret while strumming its very flat or dull . What should i do?

[hotpopcornpopper]

You might need to change strings, your description is a typical fretwear symptom. If not, you might be touching the string with a finger by accident. If this is still not the case, you'll need to take your guitar to a local guitar shop for a setup.

[cmdrcody2000]

Great instructional video. Thanks a lot. I actually am learning this thing now!!

[n2dablue]

Elvis Ate Donuts/God Bless Elvis, lol, that's my memory aid

[Rancor27]

Every Bible Gets Dusty After Eastern xD

Btw. I thought that the top string was the thickest (the number 1 at 1:55).. but it is the thinnest?

[TomFontana]

The top string on your guitar is the thickest, and the lowest in pitch.

However, on tablature, it's "upside -down". The top line in tablature is representative of the thinnest string, the highest in pitch. This is a little confusing at first, but you'll get used to it with practice :-)

[Rancor27]

Aha...yea. Thanks for the reply. I played a (simple) song with the thinnest string, but it should be the thickest :P

And I asked my music teacher at school. But he doesnt really know about guitar playing with tabs. He is used to chords.