Here is an overview of the different types of guitars and their parts. Note that some music styles require certain guitar techniques, and some guitars support those technique better than others. For example, the string bends done in blues and rock would be almost impossible on a classical guitar. This instrument is not designed for it, as string bends are not found in classical guitar repertoire. However, string bending is easy on an electric guitar, as they are built to support this technique.
Acoustic Guitars
Acoustic guitars are designed to make sound without amplification. Some might include a pickup, but they are still designed as acoustic instruments. Acoustic guitars are like hollow boxes made of thin wood, with a sound holein the front underneath the strings. This allows vibration of the guitar strings to radiate sound waves into the guitar body, which then resonates. The front of an acoustic guitar (called a top) is usually made of softer woods like spruce that let the wood vibrate. The back and sides are usually hardwoods (mahogany, rosewood, etc.) to reflect sound back towards the sound hole.
Classical and Nylon-String Guitar
The classical acoustic guitar is commonly used for playing classical music — usually with the fingers, though a pick is also sometimes used. Unlike the electric and steel-string guitars, which have metal strings, the classical guitar has nylon strings, which can be easier on the fingers. The neck of the classical guitar is slightly wider and, likewise, so is the spacing between the strings. You also find nylon-stringed guitars used in flamenco and folk music. You should never try to put steel strings on these instruments, as they have no reinforcement in their necks to deal with the extra tension. Listen to how the nylon string acoustic sounds below.
Steel String Acoustic Guitar
The steel-string acoustic is the most common acoustic guitar, and is perhaps the most versatile. As the name implies, it uses steel strings and is common in folk, country, blues, jazz, pop, and rock music. It can also sound great when playing classical pieces, but will be much brighter than a classical guitar. Steel-string acoustics are commonly strummed and played with a pick, but can also be played with the fingers using various fingerpicking techniques. Play below to hear how a steel-string acoustic guitar sounds.
Electric Guitars
The electric guitar is hooked-up to an electronic amplifier and can be adjusted to create different types of electric guitar tones. Electric guitars are used primarily in pop, rock, country, blues, R&B and jazz. While usually played with a pick, it can also be played with fingers. The strings are usually thinner than the steel-string acoustic and the necks a bit easier to play. As a result, electric guitars can be a great fit for beginner guitarists who prefer the previously mentioned music styles. Hear the electric guitar licks below for a taste of how the electric guitar sounds. Electric guitars are one of the most popular types of guitars.
This article will show you how to tune a guitar using our free online guitar tuner below. This online guitar tuner can be used in any browser, including those found on a mobile device.
Start by learning the note names for the guitar strings in standard tuning. From the lowest (thickest) to the highest (thinnest) string, the notes are E-A-D-G-B-E. The phrase “Even Average Dogs Get Bones Easily” might help you remember the correct order as you learn how to tune a guitar in this lesson.
Steps for How to Tune a Guitar
Click on a note name button in the guitar tuner (above) to hear the reference pitch for that guitar string.
Play the corresponding string on your guitar and listen carefully to hear whether it sounds higher or lower than the reference pitch.
Adjust the pitch of the string higher or lower until the sound you hear matches the reference pitch from the tuner.
Guitar Tuning Tips:
It’s best to start with the pitch a bit lower and tune the string up to the reference pitch. This helps keep the string from getting caught in the nut and going out of tune as you play.
Make sure you know how to tune a guitar string higher or lower in pitch. To adjust the pitch of a string lower, simply turn the tuning key for that string towards yourself. Turn the tuning key away from yourself to raise the pitch.
These instructions assume that your strings are wound around the tuning pegs in the standard direction. The pictures to the left illustrate how the string should be wound for steel-string and nylon-string guitars. To learn more about how strings should be wound see the how to string a guitar videos.
Other Types of Guitar Tuners
You’ve learned how to tune your guitar with our reference online guitar tuner. Next, you might want to try one of the other types of guitar tuners. A digital guitar tuner is the most popular option, as they detect the pitch and show you visually to tune up or down to get in tune with a high degree of accuracy. Note that eMedia’s intermediate and beginning guitar lesson software includes a wonderful digital guitar tuner, metronome, chord dictionary and audio recorder. Those guitar tools are also available as a standalone product for Mac and Windows as the eMedia Guitar Toolkit ($4.95). When you need a portable digital guitar tuner, there are products like the PitchBoy mini tuner that can fit on a keyring.
How to Tune a Guitar
using the Relative Tuning Technique
The relative tuning technique requires that one string is already in tune. Then you tune all the other strings to that string. To do this you must use your ear to match pitches, just as when you learned how to tune a guitar with the reference pitches above. You must also know which fretted notes are the same notes as the open strings you’re trying to tune.
Alternate Guitar Tunings – Low, Drop D, Open G and Others
Guitar players often change the tuning of the guitar in order to get a particular sound or combination of notes in a chord. These tunings are called alternate guitar tunings. Sometimes this is simply changing all the open strings higher or lower by the same number of steps (low tuning), changing one string lower (as in drop D tuning) or tuning all the strings to an open guitar chord (as in open G).
A combination of three or more tones sounded simultaneously.
Clef
This musical symbol is used to indicate the pitch of written notes. There are primarily three clefs used in modern music as seen below:
Dynamics
The loud and soft variations within a musical piece.
Head
A slang term for the main melody, often used in jazz.
Larghetto
Indication that the music should be played at a tempo not quite so slow as largo. 60 – 65 ticks per minute.
Largo
Indication that the music should be played slowly, in a broad manner. 40 – 59 ticks per minute.
Major Chord
A chord with three notes called a triad, that combines the first, third, and fifth notes of a major scale. Major chords have a happy or cheerful sound.
Measures
Sections of music organized with a certain number of beats determined by the time signature. For example, one measure in 4/4 time might be made up of four quarter (1/4) notes, or 8 eighth (1/8th) notes.
Melody
A rhythmically organized sequence of single tones so related to one another as to make up a particular musical phrase or idea.
Metronome
A device that marks time at a steady beat in adjustable intervals, to help keep a steady beat while playing music.
Minor Chord
A chord with three notes called a triad, that combines the first, flatted third, and fifth notes of a major scale. Minor chords have a darker, melancholy sound.
Moderato
Moderate, as in a moderate speed. 108 – 119 ticks per minute.
Muting
Touching played strings lightly to deaden their sound.
Neck
Section of the guitar that includes the fretboard and carries the strings from the body to the head of the guitar.
Note
A single sound, or its representation in music notation. This corresponds to a musical frequency. For example the a middle A note is 440 Hz.
Nut
Raised bar at the top of the fretboard that supports the strings and stops their vibration, as they run to the head of the guitar.
Octave
The same note up or down 12 half-steps, which is also equal to twice, or half of its frequency. For example, a middle A at 440 Hz., up 12 half-steps is still an A note but sounds higher as it is at 880 Hz.
Palm muting
A technique in which the palm of the right hand is laid on the strings just above the bridge, so that the strings are slightly muffled; this is different from muting, where the strings are deadened.
Pitch
A distinct musical note. This also corresponds to a frequency. For example, Concert A is 440 Hz.
Power chords
Chords that use only the two lowest strings of a normal chord; indicated by the symbol “5” (e.g. “A5” for an A power chord). The chords are created using the first and fifth steps of a major or minor scale.
Prestissimo
Very fast indeed. Faster than presto. 181 – 208 ticks per minute.
Presto
Fast. Indication that the music be played at a fast tempo. 168 – 180 ticks per minute.
Reference notes
Properly tuned notes used to tune another instrument by comparison.
Rhythm
A regular pattern formed by a series of notes of differing duration and stress.
Riff
A short musical phrase that a song is based on.
Root
The note from which a chord is built. For example, the root of the A minor chord is the A note.
Staff or Stave
A set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that each represent a different pitch. With percussion instruments the lines and spaces represent different percussive sounds (bass drum, cymbals, etc.)
Syncopation
Stressing a beat which is normally weak.
Guitar Tabs or Tablature
A system of notation using letters and symbols to indicate playing directions (See Lesson 88).
Tempo
Rate of speed at which music is played, usually expressed in Beats Per Minute (BPM).
Tie
A curved line connecting two identically-pitched notes, implying that only the first note is to be plucked, but sustained for the entire duration of the two notes combined.
Triad
This is a chord that uses the first note of a scale (called the Root), combined with the third note and the fifth note.
Sometimes called a chord diagram, this is the standard notation used to represent chord fingerings on the fretboard of a guitar. Below is an example of a chord chart. Chord chart can also describe a piece of guitar music that shows the chord progression for a song.
Classical guitar
A nylon string guitar used for playing classical music.
Electric guitar
Electric guitars have a way to sense guitar string (and sometimes body) vibrations and send them to an amplifier to be made louder. They use a truss rod in the neck as they have steel strings and usually have lighter gauge strings than acoustic guitars.
Fingerboard (Fretboard)
On guitars this is also called the fretboard, as guitar fingerboards are demarcated with frets (definition below). This is the flat, front section on the neck that your fingers will play.
Frets
The thin strips of metal placed across the neck of the guitar at regular intervals to shorten/lengthen the string and create different notes. Fingers press down behind the frets to select the notes.
Gauge
The term used to describe a wire’s diameter, and in music to describe the thickness of an instrument string. String gauges are measured in thousandths of an inch. For example, the high E string used on many electric guitars is .009 gauge, or “9 thousandths of an inch”.
Half step
The smallest interval (see Interval below).
Head (Headstock)
Section of the guitar located on top of the neck and on which the tuning keys are mounted.
Interval
An interval is the distance between two pitches. In western music this is expressed numerically based on their distance from one another in a diatonic scale. For example, from the first note of the major scale to the third note the interval would be expressed as a major third as it is the third note of the scale. The smallest interval step is the semitone (or half step), which is the interval between two adjacent note in a chromatic scale. A whole tone (or whole step) is comprised of two semitones.
Larghetto
Indication that the music should be played at a tempo not quite so slow as largo. 60 – 65 ticks per minute.
Largo
Indication that the music should be played slowly, in a broad manner. 40 – 59 ticks per minute.
Major Chord
A chord with three notes called a triad (see definition below), that combines the first, third, and fifth notes of a major scale. Major chords have a happy or cheerful sound.
Measures
Sections of music organized with a certain number of beats determined by the time signature. For example, one measure in 4/4 time might be made up of four quarter (1/4) notes, or 8 eighth (1/8th) notes.
Melody
A rhythmically organized sequence of single tones so related to one another as to make up a particular musical phrase or idea.
Metronome
A device that marks time at a steady beat in adjustable intervals, to help keep a steady beat while playing music.
Minor chord
A chord with three notes called a triad (see definition below), that combines the first, flatted third, and fifth notes of a major scale. Minor chords have a darker, melancholy sound.
Moderato
Moderate, as in a moderate speed. 108 – 119 ticks per minute.
Muting
Touching played strings lightly to deaden their sound.
Neck
Section of the guitar that includes the fretboard and carries the strings from the body to the head of the guitar.
Note
A single sound, or its representation in music notation.
Nut
Raised bar at the top of the fretboard that supports the strings and stops their vibration, as they run to the head of the guitar.
Open string
A string that is sounded without being held down with the left hand.
Palm muting
A technique in which the palm of the right hand is laid on the strings just above the bridge, so that the strings are slightly muffled; this is different from muting, where the strings are deadened.
Pick guard
A plate located on the body of the guitar to protect it from getting scraped by the pick.
Pickups
Electrical apparatus on the body of electric guitars which converts sound into electrical signals.
Pitch
A distinct musical note.
Power chords
Chords that use only the two lowest strings of a normal chord; indicated by the symbol “5” (e.g. “A5” for an A power chord). The chords are created using the first and fifth steps of a major or minor scale.
Prestissimo
Very fast indeed. Faster than presto. 181 – 208 ticks per minute.
Presto
Fast. Indication that the music be played at a fast tempo. 168 – 180 ticks per minute.
Reference notes
Properly tuned notes used to tune another instrument by comparison.
Rhythm
A regular pattern formed by a series of notes of differing duration and stress.
Riff
A short musical phrase that a song is based on.
Root
The note from which a chord is built. For example, the root of the A minor chord is the A note.
Sound hole
An opening cut into the body of the guitar to allow sound to project.
Steel-string acoustic
An acoustic guitar that uses steel strings vs. nylon (such as classical guitars). These guitars usually have a truss bar in the neck to handle the extra tension of steel strings and use bridge pins to terminate the string at the bridge.
Syncopation
Stressing a beat which is normally weak.
Guitar Tabs or Tablature
A system of notation using letters, numbers and symbols to indicate finger placement and notes sequences for playing a musical piece on a specific instrument (guitar, bass, etc.).
Tempo
Rate of speed at which music is played, usually expressed in beats per minute (BPM).
Tie
A curved line connecting two identically-pitched notes, implying that only the first note is to be plucked, and the note is sustained for the entire duration of the two notes combined.
Tone controls
Knob(s) located on the body of an electric guitar which allow the player to adjust the characteristics of the sound.
Tuning keys
Used to tune the strings of the guitar. The strings are wound around six pegs located on the head of the guitar. The pegs are turned to make the strings tighter or looser, according to the desired pitch.
Triad
A chord made of three notes usually spaced as every other note in a scale.
Truss bar
This is a steel bar that runs through the neck of guitars that use steel strings. It reinforces the guitar neck to handle the extra tension of steel strings.
Volume controls
Knob(s) located on the body of an electric guitar which allow the player to adjust the volume of the guitar.
Ben E. King had a huge hit with this in the 50’s. In fact, it was such a big hit that the chord changes are sometime called the 50’s progression, as it fueled so many classic pop/rock songs. The song was inspired by the spiritual “Lord Stand by Me”, has over 400 recorded versions, and was used in a 1986 film by the same name. It’s a great song to play with others and at sing-alongs as it’s so popular. If you can learn the C, Am, F and G chords, then you can learn how to play Stand By Me on guitar.
Listen to the song in the video above so that you are familiar with it.
Get the guitar chords and lyrics for an easy version of Stand By Me in the key of C. All you need do is to repeat the chords below, with an easy strum of “down, down/up, down, down”.
Watch the video below to see how to play the chords and chord progression. It is good to use a metronome (as found in the eMedia Guitar Toolkit) to help you keep a steady tempo.
Watch this video from eMedia Interactive Rock Guitar, which uses the eMedia Animated Fretboard to make it even easier for you to see how to change between the D and G chords.
eMedia Interactive Rock Guitar also helps you master common guitar techniques like palm muting and barre chords, which are used in the middle section of Stand By Me’ and in many other rock, pop and country songs. It also includes Jam tracks to help you learn lead guitar and other great guitar songs like Tired of Waiting for You and You Really Got Me (Kinks), All Right Now (Free) and others.
Intermediate Version
If you would like to learn how to play Stand By Me’ on guitar with the same chord voicings as Tom Petty, then you will need to use slightly more difficult chord fingerings. His version has the guitar with a capo at the first fret and uses the E, Aadd9, and Bsus4 chords. as seen in the video below.
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) shows a softer side of Green Day’s Billy Joe Armstrong than the punk anthems he is known for. The band’s producer, Rob Cavallo, had the great idea to add a string arrangement which adds a great Beatles-like dynamic to the track. Often referred to as Time of Your Life, it was an international hit and even had success in the Country charts. It’s an easy guitar song to play that’s popular at high school graduations, reunions, funerals and other events where people like to reflect on their experiences.
Listen to the music video above so that you remember how it Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) goes.
Then grab the guitar chords for Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) and lyrics. The song basically only uses G, C, D and Em, which are easy beginner guitar chords. Note that you can also use a Cadd9 and Dsus4 in the beginning to make it sound more like the recording. Simply substitute these for wherever you see a C and D chord in the music. Also if you need it, here’s a lesson on how to read guitar chords.
Watch the video below to see how to play the chords and chord progression. It is good to use a metronome (as found in the eMedia Guitar Toolkit) to help you keep a steady tempo.
Watch this video from eMedia Interactive Rock Guitar, which uses the eMedia Animated Fretboard to make it even easier for you to see how to change between the D and G chords.
eMedia Interactive Rock Guitar also helps you master common guitar techniques like palm muting and barre chords, which are used in the middle section of Free Fallin’ and in many other rock, pop and country songs. It also includes Jam tracks to help you learn lead guitar and other great guitar songs like Tired of Waiting for You and You Really Got Me (Kinks), All Right Now (Free) and others.
This song is a timeless Van Morrison hit, enjoyed by generations old and young. Originally released in 1967, the song is a staple in classic rock radio (with over 10 million US radio air plays) and always popular at jam sessions and parties. It’s definitely a great song for any musician to know. To learn how to playBrown Eyed Girl on guitar, all you need to know are three easy chords.
Listen to the song in the video above so that you are familiar with it.
Watch the video below to see how to play the chords and chord progression. Try to use a metronome (such as the one in eMedia Guitar Toolkit), so that you can keep a good rhythm going.
Watch this video from eMedia Guitar Method, which uses the eMedia Animated Fretboard to make it even easier for you to see how to change between the D and G chords.
Learn How to Play Guitar Faster with Award-Winning Guitar Lesson Software
eMedia Guitar Method is the award-winning guitar lesson software that uses interactivity to help you learn to play guitar faster and easier. You see songs and exercises on an Animated Fretboard with an interactive guitar score that can even show you when you aren’t playing the correct note. You get over 180 beginning guitar lessons designed by Kevin Garry, Ph.D., that cover how to play chords, read guitar tabs (guitar tablature) and sheet music, plus you learn over 70 easy guitar songs including hits like Bob Dylan’s Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door and Rock’n Me by Steve Miller.
That Opening Guitar Lick
The guitar lick used int he song is a common country-style part used in many songs. It is essentially the same lick, just starting on the different chords in the progression. Watch the video below to see how it works.
Here are some beginner guitar lessons to provide you with a great understanding of all the guitar basics. As you learn how to play the guitar, be sure to use proper hand and finger technique and don’t try to rush things. Play your guitar chords and notes cleanly. You will want to be sure that you don’t develop bad habits that can hinder your progress later on.
Let’s start out by learning about the different types of guitars and their parts. This lesson shows the differences between different types of acoustic guitars and also covers the electric guitar as well.
Digital guitar tuners, such as the PitchBoymini tuner (pictured to the left), or the eMedia Guitar Toolkitmake tuning a guitar easier, as you can tune visually with less dependance on your own ear’s ability to hear pitch differences.
The right hand is used to make the guitar string vibrate by touching the string with your fingers, thumb and/or guitar pick. The right hand should rest comfortably on the guitar, with the hand basically parallel to the front of the instrument. The main right-hand guitar techniques are:
Here is a strumming lesson that shows you the different ways of strumming a guitar. How you strum guitar chords determines your overall guitar tone when playing a song.
One of a beginning guitar student’s biggest challenges is developing proper picking technique. This one part of learning how to play guitar will make learning songs easier, as different songs will require different picking techniques. Also as you learn scales, play lead guitar or want to play faster tempo chord progressions you will need faster picking capabilities. Learning how to hold the pick correctly enables that.
Finger style guitar (fingerpicking) is common in folk and classical styles, but has also been a crucial element in lots of pop songs as well. Even rock guitarists such as Jeff Beck and Lindsey Buckingham (of Fleetwood Mac) will employ fingerpicking guitar styles. This guitar lesson covers basic fingerpicking.
Left Hand Guitar Technique
Here are some things to observe when developing proper left hand technique for guitar. Those are:
Play With Thumb Parallel to the Neck and Arched Fingers
Your thumb should rest in the middle of the back of the neck, opposite your 2nd finger and vertical (perpendicular to the neck, not angled or parallel). Try holding your guitar neck with your left hand and then pull your hand down keeping your fingers slightly curved.
Keep space between the curve of your hand that is making the chord and the guitar neck. If you were to look at your hand from the end of your guitar (near the tuning machines), it should be in a “C” shape, with arched fingers.
Play On Your Finger Tips
Make sure you play with the tips of your fingers, so that notes can ring out and not be accidentally muted. Do not let your finger flatten out when playing single strings.
There is generally a one finger per fret, rule, that says all notes played on a particular fret should be played by the same finger across all strings on that fret. For example, if the 1st finger is on the 3rd fret, it plays all notes on the 3rd fret across all strings, the 2nd finger plays notes across the 4th fret, the 3rd plays the notes across the 5th fret and so on. Then as you move your hand up and down the neck you always have maximum reach with minimal movement. Very important when playing melodies and riffs at higher tempos.
Play Slightly Behind the Fret, and Don’t Press Too Hard
Your fingertips should press down just behind the frets (slightly towards the tuning machine end of the neck), and as close to the frets as possible without having your finger on the top of the actual fret. This will make it much easier to hold down the string to get a good tone. You should not need to press down very hard to make a note sound. If the note sounds muffled, your finger is probably on the fret and you need to move it back a bit.
If your left-hand fingernails are too long, they may need to be trimmed.
Paying extra attention to technique as you learn how to play guitar pays off greatly as you start to improve. Getting the basics right during your initial beginner guitar lessons pays off a lot in the long run.
String and Finger Numbering
As seen in the graphic below, there is a guitar finger numbering system in place that indicates which finger to play relative to the frets. See the guitar fingering chart below for more information on guitar fingering notation.
Note: The dots on the side and face of the guitar neck are placed before the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 17th and 19th frets. The 12th fret has two dots. These dots help you find your way on the neck.
First Guitar Chords
The guitar chords below are called simple chords. They are perfect for beginner guitar lessons, as most of them only require a single finger and three strings to play. They are the most basic, easy guitar chords for beginners and work well for children with small hands, or others who might have problems playing full chords. Try playing them and remember to play all the notes in the chords.
Easy Guitar Chords Charts
Here are some videos to help you learn some of these beginning guitar chords and beginner guitar songs that use them.
How to Play a Simple G Chord
Beginner Guitar Song #1: Play Brother John/Frere Jacques
Now use your simple G chord to play this classic folk song. Each slash (/) indicates a downward strum on the beat. If possible, play to a metronome click so that you can to stay on the beat.
Here is another song to try with the simple guitar chords you have learned.
More Easy Beginner Guitar Songs
Once you master the simple guitar chords, you can play the easy guitar songs below. Start with the song below that only uses the Simple G, and then go to our carefully selected group of 10 easy guitar songs for beginners!
Tips for Practicing Guitar
Have a clear idea of what you need to practice. Simply playing the same two songs over and over will not make you progress. In general, consider putting time aside for these three areas:
Improve guitar technique and strengthen your fingers. Remember that everyone needs to warm-up before playing and performing. Ways to do that effectively are to practice playing scales in different positions on the neck, changing between chords in common chord progressions, picking and fingerpicking, and playing in-tempo with a metronome. Start SLOWLY. Try to play CLEANLY without extra noise from accidentally hitting open strings, or accidentally muting notes by not holding down a note on the fret properly. Getting good tone will help make you a great player.
Practice songs and repertoire. Once you are all warmed-up, now is the time to practice the songs you know. Don’t rush them, but make sure that you are cleanly changing chords, hearing all the notes, and playing it at tempo without pausing.
Learn something new. Stretch yourself with a new technique, song, or musical style. Learn music theory and train your ear.
Learn Faster with eMedia’s Interactive Beginner Guitar Lessons!
Guitar lesson software such as eMedia Guitar Methodor eMedia Interactive Rock Guitar helps you learn how to play guitar faster. It provides a mix of great beginner guitar lessons by qualified teachers from leading music schools, and interactive music technology that gets you playing quickly. The Animated Fretboard and interactive guitar notation lets you see which notes to play, while the software listens to you and displays whether you’re actually playing the right note. Plus you learn hit songs like Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door and Rock’n Me.
Beware of Common Practicing Mistakes
Here are some really common mistakes made by new guitarists. As you practice and learn how to play guitar please keep them in mind. Be patient, as mastering any instrument takes a lot of practice.
Remember to tune your guitar first and warm-up your hands.
Be patient.
Practice slowly and watch your hands to have good guitar technique.
Practice with a metronome to have a steady feel for tempo and keeping the beat.
Change your chords on the the beat. Better to play slowly in rhythm than fast and miss a chord.
This song was a big hit from the Oasis album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? album. According to the songwriter Noel Gallagher, the song describes “an imaginary friend who’s gonna come and save you from yourself”. To learn how to playWonderwall on guitar, all you need to know are five easy chords.
Listen to the song in the video above so that you are familiar with it.
Get the guitar chords and lyrics for the easy version of Wonderwall. The music indicates to use a capo at the 2nd fret to put it in the key of F#m like the original. The fingerings you use are still easy though, and are the standard open Em or Em7, G, Dsus4 and A7sus4 chords with a Cadd9 used in the Bridge (as seen below). Remember that the capo is optional, too. Note that the G chord below is different than in the sheet music, to make playing transitions from D to G easier.
Watch the video below to see how to play the chords and chord progression. It is good to use a metronome (as found in the eMedia Guitar Toolkit) to help you keep a steady tempo.
Watch this video from eMedia Interactive Rock Guitar, which uses the eMedia Animated Fretboard to make it even easier for you to see how to change between the D and G chords.
eMedia Interactive Rock Guitar also helps you master common guitar techniques like palm muting and barre chords, which are used in the middle section of Free Fallin’ and in many other rock, pop and country songs. It also includes Jam tracks to help you learn lead guitar and other great guitar songs like Tired of Waiting for You and You Really Got Me (Kinks), All Right Now (Free) and others.
Intermediate Version
If you would like to learn how to play Free Fallin’ on guitar with the same chord voicings as Tom Petty, then you will need to use slightly more difficult chord fingerings. His version has the guitar with a capo at the first fret and uses the E, Aadd9, and Bsus4 chords. as seen in the video below.
Guitar tablature is commonly used around the world for guitar notation. Learning how to read guitar tabs gives you access to a wealth of guitar songs. You can learn how to read guitar tabs in 5 easy steps. Reading tablature is even easy for beginners!
What Are Guitar Tabs?
Guitar Tablature (TAB or tab) is a system of guitar music notation, dating back to the 16th century, that indicates which frets to press. The lines indicate the strings and the numbers indicate the fret positions. Tab does not show which finger is used to hold the string against the fret.
An example of guitar tablature (a guitar tab)
1. How to Read Guitar Tabs Notes
Basic guitar tabs look like numbers across on a stack of 6 horizontal lines. The bottom line represents the thickest string (the string closest to you as you hold the guitar). Numbers placed on the lines indicate the fret you use to play a note
The 0 seen in the tab to the left means that the B string (your 2nd string) should be played as an open string.
The 3 seen in the tab to the left shows you to place your finger just below the 3rd fret on the high E (1st) string. Fret numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.) are counted starting at the nut (the end of the guitar neck with the tuning keys).
Guitar tabs are read from left to right. Numbers stacked vertically indicate notes which are played at the same moment in time (as with guitar chords or partial chords). In learning how to read guitar tabs, it’s important to read slightly ahead. Be prepared so you don’t hesitate to play the next note and fall out of rhythm.
Practice slowly and focus on getting your fingers to the right frets at the right time. Make sure to take routine breaks. At first your fingers will tire easily. Remember, you’re building muscles! Also, your fingers might hurt at first but will eventually develop calluses and stop hurting.
Note that eMedia Guitar Method and Interactive Rock Guitar make learning how to read guitar tabs easy. The interactive guitar lesson software will actually listen to you play through your computer’s microphone and shows you your mistakes. Interactive flash cards make learning how to read guitar tabs quick and easy. Some of the information presented in this article is borrowed from the eMedia guitar lesson software.
2. Count Rhythms and Know the Song’s Time Signature
At the beginning of well-notated tabs you will see a time signature. This is used to help you keep rhythm in the song. The most common time signatures are 4/4 and 3/4.
The top number of the time signature indicates how many counts per measure. The bottom number indicates what note receives one count (i.e. 4 means the quarter note gets one count and 8 would mean the eighth note gets one count).
3. Learn How To Read Guitar Tabs with Rhythmic Notation
High quality tabs will have rhythmic notation for the notes. Note durations and rhythm are indicated by a system similar to the one used in standard music notation, with the fret number in a circle or next to the stem.
Circled note no stem = whole note and gets 4 counts.
Circled note with a stem = half note and gets 2 counts.
Stem only = quarter note and gets 1 count.
Stem with flag = eighth note and gets half a count.
Consecutive eighth notes are usually connected with one line
(each of the eighth notes still gets half a count).
Dotted Note Values
A dot following any note increases its duration by half the original value.
For example:
Dotted half note gets 3 counts.
Dotted quarter note gets 1 1/2 counts.
4. Special Symbols
Below are a few special symbols people use in TABs to indicate some common guitar techniques. If you want to learn how to read guitar tabs in rock and blues styles, then you particularly need to know these.
p = pull off
h = hammer on
\ = slide (downward)
b = string bend
/ = slide (upward)
~ = string vibrato
5. Practice Reading Guitar Tabs Using Exercises and Songs
You can learn how to read guitar tab note rhythmic notation by practicing this simple exercise.
Try all rhythmic exercises with a metronome set to 60. Each tick should represent one quarter note count. If you don’t have a metronome, note that theeMedia Guitar Toolkit ($4.95) includes a metronome, a guitar tuner, a bass tuner, a chord dictionary with over 250 chords, and an audio recorder for Windows or Mac.
Note that note stems can go up or down depending on where there’s room. Stem direction doesn’t change the note value in any way. Try the same exercise on different strings.
About Guitar TAB Quality
Now that you’ve learned how to read guitar tabs, you probably want to start playing some songs. Great idea! We suggest professional tab transcriptions whenever possible. That way you’ll be learning the parts correctly. eMedia Masters of Rock Guitar offers interactive tablature for hit songs including All Along the Watchtower,Behind Blue Eyes,Baby, I Love Your Way,Oye Como Va,Magic Man,That’ll Be the Day,Truckin’,Before You Accuse Me,The Sky Is Cryin’, and others.
Want to learn blues guitar songs and classic blues guitar licks note-for-note? Have a look at eMedia Masters of Blues Guitar. It includes guitar tabs and original recordings of classic blues songs by Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, and others with note-for-note tabs of the guitar solos.
If you want to write your own guitar tablature, check out the full-featured, industry-standard, guitar tab creation tool called Guitar Pro.
Want To Learn Standard Music Notation Now?
Want to go further with learning to read guitar music? Read this separate article on how to learn standard music notes on the guitar.
The classical acoustic guitar is commonly used for playing classical music — usually with the fingers, though a pick is also sometimes used. Unlike the electric and steel-string guitars, which have metal strings, the classical guitar has nylon strings, which can be easier on the fingers. The neck of the classical guitar is slightly wider and, likewise, so is the spacing between the strings. You also find nylon-stringed guitars used in flamenco and folk music. You should never try to put steel strings on these instruments, as they have no reinforcement in their necks to deal with the extra tension. Listen to how the nylon string acoustic sounds below.
The steel-string acoustic is the most common acoustic guitar, and is perhaps the most versatile. As the name implies, it uses steel strings and is common in folk, country, blues, jazz, pop, and rock music. It can also sound great when playing classical pieces, but will be much brighter than a classical guitar. Steel-string acoustics are commonly strummed and played with a pick, but can also be played with the fingers using various fingerpicking techniques. Play below to hear how a steel-string acoustic guitar sounds.
The electric guitar is hooked-up to an electronic amplifier and can be adjusted to create different types of electric guitar tones. Electric guitars are used primarily in pop, rock, country, blues, R&B and jazz. While usually played with a pick, it can also be played with fingers. The strings are usually thinner than the steel-string acoustic and the necks a bit easier to play. As a result, electric guitars can be a great fit for beginner guitarists who prefer the previously mentioned music styles. Hear the electric guitar licks below for a taste of how the electric guitar sounds. Electric guitars are one of the most popular types of guitars.
This article will show you how to tune a guitar using our free online guitar tuner below. This online guitar tuner can be used in any browser, including those found on a mobile device.
Tuning your guitar is important, so that you can hear when you playing melodies and chords correctly as you work through your beginner guitar lessons. 
