When we change how high or low the guitar sounds, we are said to be changing the pitch. We can change the pitch to accommodate a singer simply by putting a capo on the guitar to make the pitch higher. This is the simplest way of getting the guitar to match a singer’s voice.

We can also change the way the guitar sounds by changing the key. This is necesar if you have difficulty with the chords of a song you are learning. You can change the key of the song to one that uses chords you are familiar with.

Here is a video that will help you to understand how to change the key of a song . . .

To become familiar with the guitar you will need to start simply. First you need to find someone who can show you the correct way to hold your guitar. It is absolutely essential that you get this right because if you don’t learn how to hold your instrument, you risk damage to your back or hands.

To get the feel of playing the guitar, play the open strings one at a time. Hold the pick firmly but without unnecessary tension as you pick the strings. Keep this in mind as you start playing fretted notes. The guitar strings are fretted by the tip of the finger. By the tip I mean the top of the finger if you are pointing upward. The finger presses slightly behind the frets, so if a guitarist says he is playing “at the first fret”, he means his finger is just BEHIND the first fret.

Repeat going through the open strings and the first fret position a few times. It’s not necessary to do this kind of exercise for hours - just for a few minutes each day during the first week or two of learning the guitar.

This video will help you with the next step - playing chords . . .

In order to learn how to hold your guitar, you need a chair that doesn’t have any arms. Your chair needs to give your back enough support for lengthy practice times. The idea of having no arms on the chair is so that you are not banging the guitar or your elbows into anything in the room, so check that you are not going to be hampered by furniture.

The back of the guitar needs to be against your chest with the bottom of the instrument on your right leg if you are righthanded. When you are playing the guitar, your left hand thumb should be against the back of the guitar neck.

Today’s video guitar lesson is on fingerpicking acoustic guitar but the way you hold the guitar is the same . . .