How To Play The Guitar For Beginners | Goal: Absolutely Understand Guitar

Goal: Absolutely Understand Guitar

Posted on October 29, 2009
Filed Under Guitar For Beginners Online, How To A Guitar, Online Guitar For Beginners | Leave a Comment

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been rather musically and rhythmically challenged my whole life.  However, I love to play my guitar.  I’m not great, but I am always looking for ways to get better.  Lately, I realized that my lack of ability to read sheet music and to understand basic music theory was really holding me back from learning how to play the guitar.  It was time to do something about it.  My ultimate goal is to absolutely understand guitar and music theory and to know how to fluently read sheet music.

Whether or not I will ever absolutely understand guitar theory is up for grabs, but at least it gives me something to shoot for.  I would be very happy to have a general understanding of how music is put together.  I know there is an underlying logic to music and how things are arranged.  I also know it is not rocket science.

Here is what I think I need to learn:
What are musical keys?  If I play in the Key of E, what does that mean?
What are scales and how are they constructed?
What is the difference between the different types of chords?
How are chords constructed?

Every goal needs criteria for achievement.  Here is what I would like to be able to do with my guitar.  I would like to be able to pick any chord (for example: Asus7) and then be able to work out the required notes.  Then I’d like to be able to transpose those notes onto the fretboard and figure out the finger pattern for the chord.

I am presently working through an online guitar for beginners program and it looks like I’ll understand most of this information by the time I am finished. I’ll certainly have a very thorough understanding of the different chords.  I’m also excited because this course promises to teach me the underlying logic of the different chord progressions popular in rock, blues, jazz, etc and how to improvise based on those patterns.

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