Knowing Your Guitar Guitar Lesson
Knowing Your Guitar
David introduces you to all the parts of your new instrument in this lesson.
Taught by David Wallimann in Basic Electric Guitar with David Wallimann seriesLength: 11:18Difficulty: 0.5 of 5
Parts of the Guitar
Neck
The long, thin part of the guitar is called the neck. This is where you will play notes with your left hand.
FretboardThe fretboard is placed on top of the neck. It is the part that the fingers of your left hand touch to make notes. The metal bars all along the fretboard are called frets.
BodyThe large part at the base of the guitar is called the body. In acoustic guitars there is a hole in the body where the sound comes out of, but that isn’t necessary in an electric guitar. Instead, electric guitars have pickups. You will also find the pickup selector switch and volume/tone knobs on the body.
PickupsPickups are located on the body of the guitar underneath the strings. They generate an electrical signal from the vibration of the strings that is sent to an amplifier and produces sound. Humbuckers, or double coil pickups, produce a bigger sound with more body than single coil pickups. The switch that can be found on the side of the body lets you select which pickup you are using.
KnobsMost guitars have 2 knobs located on the body. One knob is used to adjust the volume of the guitar. Changing the volume knob will give your guitar a different sound as well. The tone knob changes the frequency coming out of the pickups. If the tone knob is turned up, the sound will be more crisp and defined.
HeadstockThe part of the guitar on top of the neck is called the headstock. This is where the tuning pegs are located.
Tuning PegsThe tuning pegs are the knobs protruding from the head of the guitar. Turning them will change the string’s tension, lowering or raising the pitch.
Scene 2: Frets Playing NotesWhen playing a note, you do not want to put your finger right on top of a fret. The note will not be defined and will not sound good if you do. Instead, put your finger between two frets. Generally, when playing it is best to use the finger tips to play notes.
Naming FretsFrets are numbered starting at the headstock of the guitar. When a fret number is used, it is referring to the space below that fret. For example, to play the second fret, you will actually put your finger in the space between the first and the second frets.
Scene 3: Strings Naming StringsMost guitars have 6 strings. The strings can be referenced by a number 1 through 6. For beginning guitar players, it is natural to think of the string that you see on top as the first string, but that is incorrect. When holding the guitar, the string closest to the ground (the thinnest string) is the first string and the thickest string is the sixth string.
Practice getting your strings and frets down by choosing a string number and a fret number then find the note. Over time this will come very naturally to you.
Scene 4: Pick Different PicksThere are many different types of picks. You can find picks made from a range of materials, with different thickness and different shapes. Each pick will feel different in your hand when playing so the type of pick that is right for you is a personal and stylistic preference. You will find which picks are good for you over time as you play more.
Holding the PickThere are also different ways to hold a pick, and which way is right for you is a personal preference. There are two common ways to hold a pick that David discusses.
One way is to place the pick on the tip of the thumb with the point going in the same direction as the thumb. Hold the pick in place with the middle and index fingers.
Alternatively, you can curl your index finger and place the pick on top of it with the point going in the same direction as the base of the finger. Then hold the pick in place with the tip of the thumb.
However you choose to hold the pick, make sure that there is no tension in your right hand and that the pick stays firmly in place.
Begin practicing by playing notes around the fretboard. Make sure that when you play a note, whether it is high or low, you get a nice tone.
Supplemental Learning Material
Basic Electric Guitar with David Wallimann
Found in our Beginner Lesson SetsDavid Wallimann will start you on your electric guitar playing journey in this Phase 1 series.
Lesson 1
Series Introduction
David Wallimann introduces himself, talks about his background, and offers advice to new players.
Length: 4:28 Difficulty: 0.5 Members Only
Knowing Your Guitar
David introduces you to all the parts of your new instrument in this lesson.
Length: 11:18 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 3
Reading Tablature
This is a crucial lesson that explains tablature, how to read it, and why it's important.
Length: 7:03 Difficulty: 1.0 FREE
Callus Development
David introduces some great exercises for callus development and finger independence.
Length: 10:54 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Learning Chords
David Wallimann provides an introduction to chords. In this lesson, you will learn how to read chord charts. David also explains how to play your first eight chords.
Length: 17:03 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Barre Chords
David Wallimann teaches six barre chords in this lesson beginning with F major. Get ready for a hand workout!
Length: 10:26 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Making Music
David walks you through some easy chord progressions and encourages you to make up some of your own.
Length: 8:17 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Rhythm & Timing
David Wallimann talks about the importance of rhythm and timing. You will learn the basics of notes, time signatures and measures in this lesson.
Length: 14:00 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Rock Technique
David Wallimann goes over some basic rock techniques in this lesson.
Length: 16:45 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Playing Technique
David Wallimann provides some tips that will improve both your right and left hand technique.
Length: 13:45 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
The Blues Scale
David Wallimann shows how adding one note to the minor pentatonic scale creates the minor blues scale.
Length: 10:54 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
About David Wallimann
View Full Biography
David was born in Aix-en-Provence, South France in 1977. At the age of 15, he picked up the guitar and started developing a true love for instrumental music and composition.
In 1999 he was recognized by Ibanez for his promising musical achievements and received an artist endorsement. That early recognition in David's musical career encouraged him to consecrate more time on crafting his musical art and apply to the school of modern music Artist' in Cavaillon, France. He received a full scholarship there where he graduated with honors.
In 2001, David won first place for the Tal Farlow French national jazz contest which gave him a full paid scholarship to the CMA school of modern music in Valenciennes, France. He graduated specializing in advance guitar with honors.
Following his school years, David spent the next 5 years working with several bands recording, writing and playing shows in France and Belgium. It's during that time that Wallimann was exposed to the world of progressive rock which opened new doors to his musical creativity.
Deep inside the Mind is his first release as a solo artist in which he exposes his Christian faith. The album was well received in the specialized press and was compared several times to some of Frank Zappa's approach to music adding an element of humor to deep subjects.
In 2005 he joined the internationally renown progressive band Glass Hammer based in Chattanooga, TN. He released several studio albums and live DVDs with the band.
David is today working on his next upcoming solo release and is also spending quite a bit of time teaching guitar in his studio and online at JamPlay.
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.Is David still an active instructor here at Jamplay?
I cant believe I was holding my pick wrong for so long! No wonder I wouldn't play accurately! Now its all coming together! David, love your teaching style!
great lesson!
Just joined Jamplay and while the other instructors I've sampled are great and I will work through their lessons, I must say your teaching style is fantastic and I will start off with your lesson set. Please don't stop making those lessons! Watched your "Clouds" video and am deeply impressed. Maybe you've covered this in a lesson I haven't watched (this is, most of them) but a lesson on how to get different guitar/amp tones (such as the one in the Rock lesson) would be very helpful. Again, please keep 'em coming!
Thank you sooo much guys! You are all so encouraging!
Crystal clear teaching :D
hey david did not know you were actually getting some reg. lessons in,wish they were phase 2 but thats cool I/ll do the bwhole they from the beging over again, always somtjhing to be learned and sure theres thing I/ve missed, so cool I on board.
Phase 2 is coming in the very near future :)
Great stuff David. I'm so happy your lesson's has started. I will be a disciple of all your lesson's, and follow them to the letter.
David... I'm very glad you are doing a lesson set! I've been extremely inspired with your Jamchats so I can't wait to follow each lesson you put out. As I've said, I'm a beginner, I know quite a bit but I have a long way to go! I hope you can get me there!!!
sweet
I don't usually watch Phase 1 but I watched it cause it was you David. Nothing I don't already know, but I just wanted to comment on your teaching method, its very good. I'd imagine a beginner getting a lot out of this lesson. Keep
Keep the lessons coming*