How to Play the Electric Guitar

Anyone who listens to rock, pop, jazz or almost any form of modern music has wanted to play The Electric Guitar at some point in their lives. Electric guitar has revolutionized popular music and has contributed to such diverse styles as Jimi Hendrix, Edward Van Halen, blues greats like Albert King, or B.B. King. The potential to create is almost limitless with the instrument. You can become as skilled and original as you want to be. Electric guitar is far more directed by your ear than by written music and classical composition. You know what sounds good. But to get started, you will first have to pick up some basic tools.

First you will need, of course, a guitar. The standards are Gibson, Les Paul or a Fender Stratocaster or Telecaster. There are many others to choose from but you can hardly go wrong starting with either of these brands. You will also need an amplifier. With a quarter inch guitar cord you can plug into the amplifier and create a distorted sound, a clean sound, or any sound possible with electronics.

Second, if you want to know how to play The Electric Guitar you will need to buy a basic chord book for guitars. The book will show you exactly where to place the fingers of your left hand on the fretboard of the guitar. You should learn your basic A, C, D, E, G, and F chords in the open position. You should learn to play them as both major and minor chords. Having conquered this step, you will have the basic knowledge to knock out many country, pop or rock songs.

Third, you will need to develop a right hand style. You will need to decide between finger picking or using a pick. For most styles you will use a pick. You will hold the pick in your right hand between your thumb and index finger. If you want a more aggressive sound you can grind the sharp edge of the pick against the strings. If you want a smoother style, you can lay the pick flat against the strings and strum this way. There are many ways to attack the strings but most importantly you will need to get used to moving your right hand to the rhythm without thinking about it too much.

If you want to learn how to play the electric guitar very well, this is the foundation you will need. There are guitar players who have gone from knowing nothing to executing pop or rock songs in less than a year. There are players who have achieved excellence in 3 to 5 years. So throw yourself into it, and remember, if it sounds good, it is good and don’t let anyone tell you differently.