Here is a non-exhaustive selection of free learning materials for aspiring Guitar and Ukulele players.
Types of Guitars
There are broadly 3 main categories of Guitars, the Classical Guitar, the Acoustic Guitar and the Electric Guitar. The Classical Guitar has Nylon strings and a wider neck. The Acoustic or folk Guitar has a narrower neck and Steel strings. Last but not least, the Electric Guitar has the narrowest neck and also Steel or Nickel Strings. Notwithstanding that, the Electric Guitar is the easiest to play and most suitable for Beginners despite normal belief because its Strings are the thinnest amongst all 3 Guitars and String height or Action above the Guitar Fingerboard is the lowest.
The Acoustic Guitar
Quality Acoustic Guitars come with Solid Spruce Tops. There are broadly 3 sizes to the Acoustic Guitar. The 3/4 size Acoustic is for young students. The dreadnought size is the most common for adults. This is followed by the Grand Auditorium or Concert size. The size, wood used and string gauge affects the natural tone of the Guitar. Some Acoustic Guitars can be connected via a cable to an Acoustic Amplifier which typically has reverb and chorus effects. These Guitars have pick-ups and pre-amps installed on them and are called Acoustic-Electric Guitars. Popular Acoustic Guitar makers include Gibson, Fender, Epiphone, Ibanez, Takamine, Yamaha, Washburn and Ovation.
The Electric Guitar
The Electric Guitar can broadly be classified into the Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul(picture) category. The Fender Stratocaster has a narrower neck with 3 single-coil pickups and a tremolo bar. The Gibson Les Paul has a thicker neck with 2 humbucking or double-coil pickups. The bright and clear sound or tone of the single-coil pickup is that of the pop and country genres, whereas the thick and powerful tone of the humbucker is synonymous with rock n roll, rock and heavy metal. As the name implies, the Electric Guitar is played through an amplifier. The electric guitar amplifier has equalizers or tone controls and typically also has on-board effects such as distortion and reverb. Popular Electric Guitar makers include Gibson, Fender, Washburn, Ibanez, Paul Reed Smith, Yamaha, Epiphone and Jackson. And popular Electric Guitar Amplifier makers include Marshall, Fender, Blackstar, Orange, Crate, Ibanez, Peavey, Mesa-Boogie and Vox.
Guitar Effects: Vintage DOD Boutique Pedals
A piece of Gear which is commonly used in the Electric Guitar set-up is the Guitar Effect or Guitar Pedal. An Effects Unit or Effects Pedal is an electronic device that alters the sound of the Electric Guitar before it enters the Guitar Amplifier. There are many kinds of Guitar Pedals and these include, as their name implies, Distortion, Reverb, Chorus, Delay, Flanger and Tremolo. Popular Guitar Effects or Pedal makers include Boss, Ibanez, Morley, TC Electronic, Zoom, Digitech, Mesa Boogie, Marshall and Danelectro.
Common Guitar Chords
Play the given Chords in the List and hear the difference in Sound Qualities between Major, Minor and Dominant 7th Chords. Major Chords have a positive and happy sound, They are used extensively from Nursery Rhymes to Contemporary Songs such as “Happy Birthday” and “We wish You a Merry Christmas”. Minor Chords have a dark or sad sound and are used in sad Songs such as “My Heart will go on” from the Movie “Titanic”. Dominant 7th Chords have an unresolved or neutral sound and are most common in Blues Music. The last 3 Chords in the List are Slash Chords or Chords with a different Root in the Bass. For example, the C/E Chord is a C Chord with an E in the Bass. It may also be called a C over E Chord. Slash Chords are frequently used in place of regular Chords to add Colour in Music.
Reading the Guitar Fingerboard
In Standard Tuning, the Guitar fretboard has the open strings “E, A, D, G, B, E” from strings 6 to 1 or bottom to top. We may remember these open string note with the phrase “Every Alligator Does Get Born Early”. The notes of the fingerboard ascends from the open strings with the chromatic scale up the Guitar neck and descends down the neck. Taking the 6th string as example, the 6th string ascends and begin from the open string E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E. And descending from the 12th fret, we will have E, Eb, D, Db, C, B, Bb, A, Ab, G, Gb, F, E. Because the “Musical Alphabet” or Chromatic Scale has 12 notes, the notes on the Guitar fretboard repeat the open string notes on the 12 fret 1 Octave above Open. Thus, the 13th fret hold the same notes as the 1st fret, the 14th fret with similar notes as the 2nd fret, and so on.
Ukulele Sizes
Ukuleles come in 4 main sizes. They are Soprano, Concert, Tenor and Baritone; with Soprano being the smallest and most traditional, and Baritone the largest and lowest-tuned. Generally, smaller ukuleles offer a brighter sound, while larger ones provide a fuller, deeper, and louder tone, often with more space between frets for easier playing. Soprano, Concert, and Tenor use standard G-C-E-A tuning. Baritone uses D-G-B-E. Sopranos are good for children and people with small hands, while Concert and Tenor would be fine for most adults.
Essential Ukulele Chords
In the Key of C, the I, IV, V & VIm Chords are C, F, G & Am as shown in the Chord Diagram. The I, IV & V Chords have been the basis of Blues Music and lay the foundation to the structure of Modern Pop and Rock. If we add the VIm Chord to the I, IV & V, we are able to play countless Songs we hear today. Play these chords in different order to see how well they work with each other. Use different Chord Progressions. You may begin with I, IV & V. Then, I, V & IV. Next, I, V, VIm & IV. And I, VIm, IV & V. Lastly, I, IV, VIm & V.
Reading the Ukulele Fingerboard
In Standard Tuning, the Ukulele fretboard has the open strings “G, C, E, A” from strings 4 to 1, or bottom to top. We may remember these open string notes by using the phrase “Good Charlie Eats Apples”. The notes of the fingerboard ascends from the open strings with the chromatic scale up the Ukulele neck and descends down the neck. Taking the 4th string as example, the 4th string begins and ascends with G, G#, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G. Decending from the 12th fret, we will have G, Gb, F, E, Eb, D, Db, C, B, Bb, A, Ab, G. Because the “Musical Alphabet” or Chromatic Scale has 12 notes, the notes of the fingerboard repeat the open string notes on the 12 fret 1 Octave above Open. Thus, the 13th fret holds the same notes as the 1st fret, and the 14th fret has the same notes as the 2nd fret, and so on.
The Musical Alphabet
If we begin the “Musical Alphabet” or Chromatic Scale from A, it will end with G, going back to A again. The entire 12-note scale spells: A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G# and A. There is a “#” or Sharp sign after every letter ascending. Descending, the 12-note scale Chromatic Scale spells: A, Ab, G, Gb, F, E, Eb, D, Db, C, B, Bb and A. There is a “b” or Flat sign after every letter moving backwards.
Using the Circle of Fifths
The Circle of Fifths organizes pitches in a sequence of perfect fifths, generally shown as a circle with the pitches(and their corresponding keys) in a clockwise progression. Musicians and composers often use the circle of fifths to describe the musical relationships between pitches. Its design is helpful in composing and harmonizing melodies, building chords, and modulating to different keys within a composition. The top of the circle shows the key of C Major and its relative A Minor, with no sharps or flats. Proceeding clockwise, the pitches move by fifths. The key signatures associated with those pitches also change: the key of G has 1 sharp, the key of D has 2 sharps, and so on. If we move anti-clockwise, from C Major at the top, the circle moves in fourths. We have F Major and its relative D Minor next with 1 flat. Then Bb Major and G Minor with 2 flats, and so on.
Reading Written Music
Being able to read music does not make one a better musician technically. There are more than a handful of well-respected musicians who are not able to read music. And these include Taylor Swift, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. However, if you wish to broaden your musical knowledge, and be able to interpret written music, then this section on Reading Music Notation would interest you.
Reading Tablature
Guitar and Ukulele Tablature or Tab are simplified musical notation systems using horizontal lines to represent strings and numbers for frets, allowing players to learn melodies, riffs, and chords without reading traditional sheet music. Guitar Tab has 6 lines. Each line stands for the 6 strings of the Guitar, numbered 6 to 1 or EADGBE from bottom up. Ukulele Tab has 4 lines, each line representing strings 4 to 1 or GCEA similarly from bottom up. The numbers notated on the lines indicates the fret on the fingerboard to hold down. If the numbers on the lines are in line vertically, it means that a Chord is to be played. If the numbers on the lines move one after another, it means that the notes are to be played consecutively. Try out the examples in the Guitar Tab Sheet here.