There are only two things that you need to have in order to learn how to play the guitar:
THE DESIRE TO LEARN AND A GUITAR.
So are we ready to begin? ok. First things first. This tutorial is designed to be fun. If you are having a really difficult time with a certain part, just move on and come back to that part later. The best way (in fact, the only way) to learn how to play a musical instrument is through practice that you enjoy! Please don't slog your way through musical scales until you hate them. Learn a song and then develop the desire to learn the scales so you can then play the melody to that song. What is most important is to enjoy yourself as much as possible. Picking up a musical instrument can be a frustrating experience, but it can also be a very rewarding one. On to the tutorial.
MUSICAL BASICS
The modern western musical scale consists of 12 tones (the 13th tone is an "octave" of the first tone) These tones are denoted with the letters A through G as well as the symbols "sharp," "flat," and "natural." For example the 12 tones could be written as:
A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#
The next tone in the preceding scale would be "A" again. This second "A" is called an "octave" of the first "A". Mathematically, this means that the second "A" note is vibrating at twice the frequency as the first "A" note. The result of this is that the two notes sound the same except that the second one has a higher pitch. This will make more sense as the tutorial progresses. Music works in a very mathematical fashion. (as strange as that may seem) A "Note" with a "pitch" is simply a sound wave traveling through the air at a certain frequency. The way that these waves interact with each other lead us to what we call music.
The most important thing to understand is the fact that there are 12 tones and they repeat after the 12th tone. (after the G# comes the A). The study of musical theory is a vast and expansive subject matter, the purpose of this is to give you enough background to continue the tutorial. The concept of "musical steps" is important as well. A half step in musical terms refers to one note that follows another note (or one fret difference on the guitar). A and A# are an example of a half step. A whole step in musical terms refers to a difference of two tones (two frets on the guitar). A and B are examples of a whole step. Be careful when figuring whole steps versus half steps. Some musical letter tones do not have these "sharp" tones in between them. For example A and B are a whole step apart, but B and C are only a half step apart (as are E and F). If this seems confusing, it will become clear shortly.
THE STRINGS
There are six strings on most guitars (12 on others), and they are tuned from the highest string (the string closer to the bottom of the guitar as it rests in your lap.) to the lowest string as: E, B,G D, A, E. We use a mnemonic which goes like this: Easter Bunnies Get Drinks At Easter. This first letter is note letter of each string.
MUSICAL SCALES
A musical scale is basically a group of notes with well-defined intervals between them. A musical scale could consist of the notes A, B, C, D, E, F, and G (this is, in fact, a C major scale). Or a musical scale could consist of the notes A, A#, C, C#, D#, E, F#, G. A scale can be any group of notes. However, there are common scales that are used in Western music. These scales are the ones that are familiar to most musicians.
A major scale is defined to have intervals of a whole step, another whole step, a half step, and then three whole steps followed by a half step back to the root. Ok, so what does all that mean? A half step is just a single interval between notes (for example F to F# is a half step, so is B to C).
A whole step is two half steps, so it is two intervals between notes (from F to G, or from B to C#). On the guitar, then, a half step is equivalent to one fret, and a whole step is equivalent to two frets.
A root of a scale is the note that the scale starts on. So how is it possible to determine what note a scale starts on? Let's say there is a scale where the intervals between notes were defined as whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half (this is a major scale). Given the notes: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G it can be determined that this is a D major scale by looking for the correct pattern.
There is a lot more that could be said about musical scales. (musical scales are quite mathematical -- which the reader may or may not find interesting). At this point in the tutorial, learning about musical keys and song structure are more important than in-depth theory on musical scales.
THE DESIRE TO LEARN AND A GUITAR.
So are we ready to begin? ok. First things first. This tutorial is designed to be fun. If you are having a really difficult time with a certain part, just move on and come back to that part later. The best way (in fact, the only way) to learn how to play a musical instrument is through practice that you enjoy! Please don't slog your way through musical scales until you hate them. Learn a song and then develop the desire to learn the scales so you can then play the melody to that song. What is most important is to enjoy yourself as much as possible. Picking up a musical instrument can be a frustrating experience, but it can also be a very rewarding one. On to the tutorial.
MUSICAL BASICS
The modern western musical scale consists of 12 tones (the 13th tone is an "octave" of the first tone) These tones are denoted with the letters A through G as well as the symbols "sharp," "flat," and "natural." For example the 12 tones could be written as:
A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#
The next tone in the preceding scale would be "A" again. This second "A" is called an "octave" of the first "A". Mathematically, this means that the second "A" note is vibrating at twice the frequency as the first "A" note. The result of this is that the two notes sound the same except that the second one has a higher pitch. This will make more sense as the tutorial progresses. Music works in a very mathematical fashion. (as strange as that may seem) A "Note" with a "pitch" is simply a sound wave traveling through the air at a certain frequency. The way that these waves interact with each other lead us to what we call music.
The most important thing to understand is the fact that there are 12 tones and they repeat after the 12th tone. (after the G# comes the A). The study of musical theory is a vast and expansive subject matter, the purpose of this is to give you enough background to continue the tutorial. The concept of "musical steps" is important as well. A half step in musical terms refers to one note that follows another note (or one fret difference on the guitar). A and A# are an example of a half step. A whole step in musical terms refers to a difference of two tones (two frets on the guitar). A and B are examples of a whole step. Be careful when figuring whole steps versus half steps. Some musical letter tones do not have these "sharp" tones in between them. For example A and B are a whole step apart, but B and C are only a half step apart (as are E and F). If this seems confusing, it will become clear shortly.
THE STRINGS
There are six strings on most guitars (12 on others), and they are tuned from the highest string (the string closer to the bottom of the guitar as it rests in your lap.) to the lowest string as: E, B,G D, A, E. We use a mnemonic which goes like this: Easter Bunnies Get Drinks At Easter. This first letter is note letter of each string.
MUSICAL SCALES
A musical scale is basically a group of notes with well-defined intervals between them. A musical scale could consist of the notes A, B, C, D, E, F, and G (this is, in fact, a C major scale). Or a musical scale could consist of the notes A, A#, C, C#, D#, E, F#, G. A scale can be any group of notes. However, there are common scales that are used in Western music. These scales are the ones that are familiar to most musicians.
A major scale is defined to have intervals of a whole step, another whole step, a half step, and then three whole steps followed by a half step back to the root. Ok, so what does all that mean? A half step is just a single interval between notes (for example F to F# is a half step, so is B to C).
A whole step is two half steps, so it is two intervals between notes (from F to G, or from B to C#). On the guitar, then, a half step is equivalent to one fret, and a whole step is equivalent to two frets.
A root of a scale is the note that the scale starts on. So how is it possible to determine what note a scale starts on? Let's say there is a scale where the intervals between notes were defined as whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half (this is a major scale). Given the notes: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G it can be determined that this is a D major scale by looking for the correct pattern.
There is a lot more that could be said about musical scales. (musical scales are quite mathematical -- which the reader may or may not find interesting). At this point in the tutorial, learning about musical keys and song structure are more important than in-depth theory on musical scales.