Guitar playing is not as easy as you think. You have to invest time and determination to undergo lessons. Do you

want to play the guitar? Do you want to improve your playing skills? If so then this is for you.

What is a Guitar?

Guitar is obviously a stringed instrument. Stringed because it is composed of strings which then produce melodies.

A typical guitar has six strings, although there are some that only have four. There are several types of guitars

and that include acoustic, electric, classical, Renaissance and Baroque, arch top, flamenco, and a lot more. The

most commonly used guitars nowadays are the acoustic and electric guitars. Acoustic guitars do not need electricity

to produce sound. On the other hand, electric guitars are those that need electricity to hear the melodies it

produced.

Parts of an Acoustic Guitar

Basically, acoustic guitars have 13 parts. The parts include:

• Head – also known as the headstock, it is located at the uppermost part of the guitar.

• Tuning Keys – as its name implies, these are the keys are used to tune the guitar strings.

• Nut – in between the head and the neck is where you can find the nut. Its function is to hold the string in

proper position so that it cannot overlap one another.

• Neck – the longest part of a guitar is the neck. It holds the frets, position markers, and fingerboard.

• Frets – these are spaces that divide the fingerboard. It also signifies pitches levels.

• Fingerboard – the guitar’s front part that is usually called as fret board.

• Position Markers – if you see small circles on the fingerboard those are called position markers. It offers

guidance to guitarists.

• Strings – the most important part of the guitar. They are the ones responsible in producing sounds and

melodies.

• Body – the guitar’s hollowed part is called body. It holds the sound hole, pick guard, saddle, and bridge.

• Sound Hole – it projects the sound produced by the string.

• Pick Guard – it is located near the sound hole and defends the body from scratches.

• Saddle – it holds up the strings at a particular distance just like the nut.

• Ridge - this one maintains the proper position of strings.

How to Play It?

Of course you need to undergo lessons for you to know. Be sure to learn the basics first before jumping into

advanced techniques. You can never be good if you never know the basics. Learn the basic chords and of course

proper handling of a guitar. Practice over and over again to get the expected melody when you strike a particular

chord. If you don’t know the word hard work and determination, then guitar playing is not for you. If you master

the basic chords already, proceed to strumming. Pick one song that has basic chords, I suggest the song "Leaving on

a Jet Plane." Listen to the song first so that you’ll have the idea on how to strum it. Remember to strum the

strings on the rhythm of the song.

Still having the hard time? I know a method on how to alleviate your difficulty. Try scrapbooking. You can put the

basic parts of a guitar on the scrapbook to get your self acquainted. List and draw the patterns of the basic

chords by using different colored pens or markers. If you wanted to be inspired in playing then you can put up

quotations on the scrapbook so that every time you scan it you will be inspired to learn more page by page.