SweeTune Music Lessons

by Raymund Tamayo Aside from fretting, strumming is another basic part of guitar playing. This is the second target you must accomplish in order to play songs in the guitar. Some key terms when it comes to learning strumming are rhythm and meter . Rhythm is music’s timing. It is the one indispensable part of music. Rhythm can exist without a melody, but a melody cannot exist without rhythm. Take for example when a drummer plays a solo. Meanwhile, a meter is the measure of stressed and unstressed beats in music. A meter is a pattern and it makes sure that you are playing in the proper rhythm. You will learn more about rhythm and meter in future lessons. Before knowing some of the basic strumming patterns, let us go over the correct strumming mechanics first. Here they are: 1. Strumming is more about the arm than the wrist. The arms moves with the elbow as the pivot point, not the wrist. 2. Keep your hand and wrist relaxed while holding a pick and strumming. It should not be tens...

By Raymund Tamayo Anchor fingers are essential in making faster chord changes. There will be a separate topic about changing chords down the line, which is a part of your three targets. But since you have already learned about the Em and C chords, it would be best to know about the anchor fingers as early as now. An anchor finger is the fretting finger that stays in place when you change chords. In the Em-C chord change, the anchor finger is the middle finger pressing the No. 4 string on the second fret. Keep in mind that not all chord changes have anchor fingers. Assignment Practice reading and playing the Em, C, G and D chords one at a time using a single downstrum for each chord. Aside from practicing these chords, continue practicing Exercises 1 and 2 from Session One. Do them three times a day – one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening – for 15 minutes each time. Do this for the next six days until Session Three. Practice Tips 1. You need to memorize th...

By Raymund Tamayo The Em chord is the easiest chord to play and you learned how to play it in the previous lesson. Now, here is how you play the C major chord: In this case, you use your ring finger to press the No. 5 string of the third fret, your middle finger to press the No. 4 string of the second fret, and your index finger to press the No. 2 string of the first fret. If you will notice, the No. 6 string has an “x” mark on top. This means that you should not play this string when you strum the chord. Try making a single downward strum with this C major chord. Practice fretting the Em and C chords in turn using only a single downward strum. You already know how to play the Em and C chords. It is time to add a few more basic chords to your inventory. Here is the G major chord:   The middle finger is used to press the No. 6 string on the third fret, the index finger on the No. 5 string on the second fret and the ring finger on the No. 1 string on the third fret. Notice the thr...

By Raymund Tamayo There are three targets to accomplish before you are able to play a song in the guitar successfully. They are the following: 1. Learn some basic chords 2. Learn some basic strumming patterns 3. Learn how to change chords If you achieve these three targets, then you will be able to play songs and enjoy more your progress. So let’s start to hit the first target! To learn some basic chords, you will need to know how to read chord diagrams. Chord diagrams, also called chord blocks, are illustrations that tell how a chord should be played. They include information about which finger to use, which fret to play, and which strings to pluck or strum. In the following chord diagram, we see how the Em chord is to be played: The black dots indicate which strings to press on what frets. The numbers inside the black dots indicate the finger you are going to use to press them. In the case of this Em chord, you are going to use your index finger to press the No. 5 string (or the “A”...

By Raymund Tamayo Exercise No. 1 Place your index finger (No. 1 Finger) on the first fret (Fret No. 1) of the No. 6 string and pluck it downwards once. Then place your middle finger (No. 2 Finger) on the second fret (Fret No. 2) of the No. 6 string and pluck it downwards once. Next, place your ring finger (No. 3 Finger) on the third fret (Fret No. 3) of the No. 6 string and pluck it downwards once. Finally, place your pinky finger (No. 4 Finger) on the fourth fret (Fret No. 4) of the No. 6 string and pluck it downwards once. Do the same pattern on each string moving upward. After the No. 6 string, do it on the No. 5 string, then the No. 4 string, and so on and so forth. Do this exercise five times. Play slowly and try to do the fretting and picking properly always. Don’t be in a hurry and you should hear the sound of the string on each pluck clearly, without any buzzing. Make sure you press the middle of the fret every time to avoid buzzing.   Exercise No. 2 Do the same finger and ...

  Tribo TR-05 NELSON by Raymund Tamayo Fret Numbers The guitar fretboard is composed of frets. Frets are the metal parts that divide the fretboard. The term “fret” can also be used to refer the box created in between frets. For example the box created in between the first fret after the nut is called “Fret No. 1” or “First Fret”. The box created in between the second fret and the first fret is called “Fret No. 2” or “Second Fret”. The box created in between the third fret and the second fret is called “Fret No. 3” or “Third Fret”, and so on and so forth. Standard Fret Numbers Finger Numbers Finger numbers are also standardized so that you may be able to read chord diagrams easily. Numbering your fingers will also allow you to easily find the correct fret to place your fingers when studying chords. In the chord diagram, the thumb is referred to as “T”, the index finger is “1”, the middle finger is “2”, the ring finger is “3”, and the pinky is “4”. Standard Finger Numbering

by Raymund Tamayo A regular acoustic guitar has six strings. They are in chronological order from lowest to highest sound or thickest to thinnest. The top-most string is the thickest and lowest in tune. It is called the “low E” string or the No. 6 string. Below that is the second thickest and second lowest, which is the “A” string or the No. 5 string. Below the A string is the “D” string or the No. 4 string. Next is the “G” string or the No. 3 string. These first four strings are usually coated with brass material. The next two strings are the thinnest and are usually not coated. They are the “B” string or the No. 2 string, and the thinnest, which is the “high E” string or the No. 1 string. One way to remember the sequence of these strings is through this phrase: “ E ric  A ngered  D avid,  G ood  B ye  E ric.” E ric  A ngered  D avid,  G ood  B ye  E ric Names of Guitar Strings As you can see in the above figure, the low E is No. 6, A i...

by Raymund Tamayo Guitars, like all musical instruments, are fragile and sensitive. They need to be handled carefully so that you may enjoy using them for a long time. When picking up or moving a guitar, it is always better to hold it at the base of the neck and the bottom of the body. Always watch the neck and headstock to make sure it does not hit anything or anyone. Sitting Position This is the most common position of holding a guitar. There are three ways to hold a guitar in the sitting position: 1. Casual Position  – This is the most relaxing way of holding a guitar and is generally recommended for beginners. With open legs, rest the body of the guitar on your right leg. The guitar should be sitting just below your chest or in front of it, depending on its size. The right arm, or the strumming arm, is positioned at the top corner of the guitar, while the left arm, or the fretting arm, is at a right angle holding the neck. This allows minimal strain on the wrist when pressing t...

by Raymund Tamayo Basically, there are three kinds of guitars: the acoustic guitar (uses steel strings), the classical guitar (uses nylon strings), and the electric guitar. In this manual, we will focus on the acoustic guitar. In order to understand the lessons effectively, you should learn the different terminologies used in the world of guitar playing, particularly when it comes to its parts. Below are the common parts of an acoustic guitar. Not included in the picture are the “back” and the “pickup”. You should know that not all acoustic guitars have pickups. A pickup is a device that allows an acoustic guitar to be electronically connected to an amplifier and speaker. In essence, an acoustic guitar becomes an “acoustic electric” or “electro acoustic” guitar because of the presence of a pickup. Another optional part of the guitar is the pickguard (or scratchplate). Not all acoustic guitars have pickguards. As the name suggest, a pickguard guards the top (or the soundboard) of your g...

by Raymund Tamayo Learning to play the guitar requires a lot of  practice ,  passion ,  patience , and  persistence . The speed of learning will depend on these four factors. Learning does not mean you will only hold your guitar during the weekly one-on-one sessions. It means holding and playing your guitar for as many hours as possible every day,  practicing over and over , until you get the techniques ingrained in your soul. You need to have a positive attitude in order to keep on learning. Remember that guitar playing is a process, so you will have your own natural progression. If guitar playing is truly your  passion , then you will be able to endure the hard times. Many of the techniques in guitar playing take time to master, so you will need a lot of  patience  both on your teacher and on yourself. Do not get discouraged. Physically, it takes time to strengthen your finger muscles and tendons so you are able to play chords properly. Every ne...