Learning to play guitar is the goal of this course, but we are also here to better understand the process and language of music. Music is one of the most ancient, universal and persistent aspects of civilization. Like spoken language, music is both a form of expressive communication and a universal human activity. By studying music we learn a little bit more about who we are and where we came from. In our society, music mainly functions as entertainment and a lifestyle accessory. However, musicians often view music as part of a higher calling. Beethoven expressed this sentiment eloquently:
“I must despise a world which does not know that music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.”
Indeed, music reigns supreme above all human wisdom and philosophy. We will be doing important work in this class!
Romero Creations Guitar | Small guitar with a big sound.
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This textbook integrates fingerstyle and classical technique, music fundamentals, and popular, classical and folk repertoire into learning guitar. In other words, you'll get a solid grounding in the basics of both music and guitar playing!
The design of this textbook assumes no prior musical background. We begin with basic technique and musicianship. When you complete this course, you’ll be able to read staff notation, tablature and chord symbols in the first position (frets 1-4), play a variety of strumming and arpeggio patterns, play melodies, and perform a fingerstyle or classical guitar solo. These skills will give you a foundation for the development of a variety of guitar styles.
First Position | The first position includes frets 1-4 of the guitar.
Success in This Course
Your skill and enjoyment will grow steadily if you follow these suggestions:
Practice at least 1/2 hour daily (one hour for Summer Session).
Follow instructions and concentrate while practicing.
Review previous materials regularly.
Finally, if you have problems you can't solve within the practice room, ask us for help. We'll meet with you on Zoom and help you find a solution.
Which Guitar?
You need a guitar for this course. An acoustic guitar is recommended: works without batteries or amplification and is easy to carry. There are two basic types of acoustic guitars: nylon string and steel string instruments.
The nylon string guitar, also called the classical guitar, is an acoustic guitar with a woody but mellow tone. Nylon strings are fatter and have less tension than steel strings and, thus, easier on fingertips. To facilitate finger picking, classical guitars have a wider neck than steel-string guitars. The nylon string sound is associated with Latin, flamenco, classical, pop, and folk styles but, like it's steel string sibling, is extremely versatile. Here's the sound of a classical guitar:
Billie Jean | Michael Jackson, 1958-2009 | Barcelona Guitar Trio and Paquito Escudero on percussion (2:11)
Acoustic Steel-String Guitar
Steel-string guitars feature a woody but metallic tone, and have a narrow neck to facilitate playing with a flat pick, albeit it is often also used for fingerstyle playing. The acoustic steel-string guitar has an earthy twang associated with country, blues and folk styles. It's also infamous for causing sore fingertips, especially the tender digits of beginners!
Steel-String Guitar | The dreadnought is an iconic steel string design, but the large body may not be comfortable for petite players.
Here's the sound of a steel-string guitar:
Tantalus | Jeff Peterson (3:16)
Pick a Guitar that Fits
Acoustic guitars come in variety of sizes. Like buying clothing, choose an instrument that fits your body. For example, if you're petite, don't buy a big guitar like a dreadnought or jumbo. A smaller guitar—classical, parlor or "artist" model—will be more comfortable to play.
Due to ease of fingering, I recommend a classical guitar for novices. However, if you prefer a steel string guitar, you are welcome to use it. Play what you like!
If you'd like to know more about the guitar, especially if you're planning to shop for one, read Buying a Classical Guitar.
This Web Textbook
This text is optimized for asynchronous distance education supplemented with one-on-one video conferencing. It also works well in face-to-face courses. While not designed for self-teaching, a determined student could certainly learn to play with this text, albeit without the benefit of feedback from instructors or classmates.
An advantage of this format over paper textbooks is the integration of text, music notation, video, audio and images for a streamlined learning experience. Also, a web textbook gives the author control of course materials: I choose the topics and materials and can revise at a moment's notice.
Sheet Music
Although many of you will practice pieces by reading directly from a computer screen, consider printing the PDF sheet music. Why? A paper score allows you to escape the tyranny of the small screen: stop squinting, use a music stand and sit comfortably with good posture.
Links for the PDF sheet music is at the bottom of each page.
Video
Embedded videos of tutorials and assigned pieces are used in this textbook.
Audio Tracks
Embedded audio tracks of assigned pieces are used throughout this textbook.
Most chapters contain audio players with multiple versions of the assigned piece. For example, an audio player with melody only and another player with melody and chords. When learning the melody, play along with the melody only player. When working on chords, use the player with melody and chords.
Ancient Musicians | Female performers depicted during the New Kingdom Dynasty in Egypt, c.1400–1390 BCE | Metropolitan Museum of Art
“You can learn by reading, but you don't begin to know until you begin to try to do.”
–Lou Churchill
All the reading, listening and video watching in the world will not make you a guitarist. After studying a new technique or concept, immediately apply what you learned. Don't let it lie fallow for days. Grab the guitar and play it over and over until you know it by heart. Then, and only then, does that new skill or knowledge become yours.
Acknowledgments
This web text was produced pro bono in my spare time and on a shoestring budget. It's still a work in progress. There was no support team so, out of necessity, I wore the hats of author, editor, music scribe, designer, photographer, videographer, webmaster and performer!
However, I was not a lone wolf and acknowledge the considerable help my wife, Grace Seil Frary, donated to this project. I couldn't have created this web text without her. You'll find her beautiful photographs and videos in abundance in this textbook. And, if she wasn't playing guitar in a demonstration video, Grace was the one operating the camera and wrangling light-stands and microphones!
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About This Course
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Success in This Course
Which Guitar?
Pick a Guitar that Fits
