Originally Posted by Martian

I can't see anything wrong with the guitar in the pictures, although it's hard to say for sure without seeing it in person. I would really (really, really) advise buying your first guitar from an actual music store, where actual musicians work who can help you to pick the best instrument for your money.




The vast majority of music you'll find online is written in what's known as tabulature notation, or just tab for short. It consists of six lines, thus:

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And each line represents one string on the guitar (or technically one course, but we won't worry about that distinction for now). To write out a song in tab, one refers to the fret position of the note to be played on the correct string, with the top line representing the first or highest pitched string and the bottom line representing the sixth or lowest pitched string.

Tab isn't really a complete form of notation, because it doesn't account for rhythm or tempo or volume. It only tells you what notes to play, and not when and how to play them. It is properly accompanied by standard notation, but since most self-taught guitarists don't know how to read standard notation that part usually gets left out.

I'd like to talk a bit about right hand technique. punkmusicfan21 has already given some great advice, but the right hand is often ignored or underdeveloped by self-taught musicians and I can't emphasize enough how important it is. Good pick technique is one of the details that separates the good guitarists from the mediocre ones.

Strumming is pretty straightforward and I don't have a lot to say about it. As your picking develops you'll learn how to strum in order to hit the strings you want so that you get the right chords (this is used in combination with left hand muting), and you'll also learn how to strum to get the proper sound, ie a heavy percussive strum versus a light and sort of legato strum.

When it comes to lead picking, there are two main methods in use. Both are valid and both have their proponents, and you'll probably either use what's most comfortable or maybe even go back and forth depending on what you're playing.

Alternate picking is the first method, and basically means what it says on the tin. You alternate upstrokes and downstrokes constantly, regardless of what string you're playing on. Thus, if you play your first note on the second string as a downstroke, and your second note is on the first string, you'll use an upstroke on the first string even though it is physically lower than the second string and you therefore have to move the pick underneath it and come back up for the actual stroke. This might sound counter-intuitive, but with a bit of practice it becomes natural very quickly. Proponents of alternate picking say that it grants a more consistent meter; the reference I've heard is to the pick as almost a sort of metronome.

Economy picking is like alternate picking, except that you'll use the more efficient stroke when switching strings. So in the above example, when you pick your second note instead of moving past the string and using an upstroke, you'll just use two downstrokes in a row. Sweep picking is an extreme form of economy picking and is heavily used by metal guitarists who want to play super fast lines. Proponents of the technique claim that it grants greater speed than alternate picking because it uses the least amount of movement possible.

Of course, that's just how the pick hits the strings. It's important to understand that your entire right hand will be used in your playing, which is why I refer to it as right hand technique and not picking technique. The side of your hand is used to mute and kill notes, you'll use your fingers to pick notes in various situations, etc. This all ties into what punkmusicfan21 said above about playing with your whole body. A guitar is not played with the fingers alone, and the sooner you realize that they better off you'll be.