Guitar · Chapter 6 of 23

Your First Notes

Before chords, a few single notes. They teach your fingers where the frets are, and they’re enough to play a tune.

The three thin strings (1, 2 and 3) carry most tunes in the first frets. In this chapter each finger takes its own fret: finger 1 on the 1st fret, finger 2 on the 2nd, finger 3 on the 3rd. That’s called first position.

Eight notes to start

String	Open	1st fret (finger 1)	2nd fret (finger 2)	3rd fret (finger 3)
1 (high E)	E	F		G
2 (B)	B	C		D
3 (G)	G		A

Press each marked spot on the fretboard to hear it. Then find the same notes on your guitar.

Picking: down and up

Down strokes

With a pick, push down through the string toward the floor, a small movement from the wrist. Rest your forearm on the guitar so the hand stays near the strings. Without a pick, use the thumb.

Alternate picking

For faster notes, go down on the beat and up (toward the ceiling) on the “and” between beats: down, up, down, up. In tab we mark a down stroke d and an up stroke u.

A walk up and down

All eight notes in order, from the open G string to G on string 1 and back. Play along slowly.

A first tune

The same notes make the beginning of a tune you probably know. Count “1 and 2 and”: the eighth notes go down-up.

Try it. Play the walk up and down four times without stopping, as slowly as you need to keep it even. Then try the tune along with the player at 70%.

Remember

First position: finger 1 at fret 1, 2 at fret 2, 3 at fret 3.
String 1: E F G. String 2: B C D. String 3: G A.
Down on the beat, up on the “and”.