Several types of guitar amps are available today, and come with many features and effects built-in. Volume and tone controls, of course, are standard - that is how you control the amount and tone of sound. The Reverb effect is available in many guitar amps, this simple and elegant effect provides a warmth to guitar music. Another effect that is commonly available in guitar amps is the Distortion effect. Using Pre and Post Gain controls, guitarists can alter the sound of their guitar - from a flat "thunk" to a screeching "wail". If you are lucky enough to have a spouse that also plays guitar, some amps have Dual input jacks - so both of you can play together. For the opposite case, where the spouse keeps yelling at you to TURN THAT DARN THING DOWN, some amps have a Headphone jack - so you can plug in and tune out. Can you dig it? I knew that , you know, you could. And for those play-along guitarists, some amps have a CD Input jack - so you can plug your CD player in and play along with your favorite music.

Guitar Effects<<<Previous

At the 12th fret, the notes repeat at a higher octave. Your guitar may have helpful "dots" or markers on certain frets, both on the fretboard and/or on the edge of the neck facing you. They are usually at the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 12th frets (which has two dots). This makes it easier to find a particular fret without having to count them from the headstock onwards.

Note how the 2nd fret is both F# when it follows the F; and Gb when it precedes the G. Both F# and Gb are the same, they indicate the half step between F and G. Look at the illustration above for the notes on each string (print this page for reference). Repeat this exercise on all six strings, and as you move to next fret and start the fretting exercises from the 2nd fret say each note aloud each time as you pick them. This helps you remember their positions.

While practice seems boring - it is absolutely essential that you get sufficient practice in these simple exercises. Both your hands, right for the picking/strumming and left for the fretting - must be trained with repetitive actions so they will respond automatically when your brain thinks of a note. When you start formal guitar lessons, this will save you a lot of time (and money, since you would probably be paying by the hour) - if you already have your the rudimentary playing skills programmed into your hands and fingers.

The next section teaches Basic Guitar Chords. Chords are sounds created by combining notes simultaneously and are the basis for both rhythm and much of lead guitar. But your hands and fingers must be sufficiently trained, and you must know the individual string notes, before you can play guitar chords - so keep practicing!

Basic Guitar Lessons<<<Previous