How To Number Your Fingers For

Learning The Guitar!

In this lesson we are going to learn about the finger numbering
system that we will be using in all of our lessons. These finger
numbers refer to the fingers on your left hand. This may seem very
simple, but if you are a beginner it is very important to use the correct
fingering on the examples that we will be giving you. Getting in the
habit of using the proper finger now will make your life a lot easier
when you start to learn more complicated passages on the guitar. Use this video as a
reference and make sure that you understand which finger to use in any given situation.

Use the provided finger numbering diagram to reference which number is associated with
what finger on your hand.

Your index finger will be referred to as your "first finger."

Your middle finger will be referred to as your "second finger."
Your ring finger will be referred to as your "third finger."
Your pinky finger will be referred to as your "fourth finger."

After you learn the proper fingering numbers, you can begin to learn many different
guitar chords and guitar scales. You should also get comfortable with the fretboard
numbers on your guitar!
Learn How To Number Your Fretboard On Guitar!
In this guitar lesson we are going to learn about the numbers of the frets on the guitar.
This may seem like a simple topic, but if you are a beginner it is pretty important. If you
can quickly understand where to put your fingers during a lesson, you won't get frustrated
and you will learn faster. We have provided you with a diagram of the fretboard with
each of the frets numbered.

If your guitar has a different number of frets from the one you see in this video, don't
worry. Most electric guitars have 21, 22, or 24 frets. Fenders and Gibson style guitars
usually have 21 or 22 frets. Ibanez and Jackson style guitars usually have 22 or 24 frets.
If you have an acoustic guitar it will probably have around 20 frets.

Let's look at a few examples to learn how to count the frets on the guitar. Let's say that
someone told you to put your 1st finger on the 5th fret of the 1st string. You would start
counting on your open high E string as 0. From there, count 5 frets up. Now you would
put your index finger on that 5th fret. Here is a diagram that shows the 1st finger on the
5th fret of the 1st string.

Now put your 2nd finger on the 12th fret of your 5th string. Here is a diagram to show
you where you should put your 2nd finger.
Learning how to count the frets is pretty simple so you probably won't have to spend
much time on getting the hang of it. You should realize that once you get to the 12th fret
of your guitar, the notes just start repeating. For example, the 12th fret of your open high
E string is another E. This E is just one octave higher. Most guitars will have fret markers
to help you kind of keep your place when you are playing. These markers come in all
different shapes and sizes. The most common shapes are dots, blocks, trapezoids, and
shark fins.

The next step is to learn the notes on the fretboard. You should also be comfortable with
your finger numbers and reading sheet music!
 Learn The Notes Of The Strings On The Guitar!
In this lesson we are going to be learning about the names of the open strings on
the guitar. First, we will present the names of the strings on the guitar, and then
we will give you an acronym for them so that they will be easier for you to
remember. Once you know the names of the strings on the guitar we will take a
look at the exact intervals that make up the guitars tuning. Take a look at the diagram that
we have provided for you. This should give you a great visual reference for remembering
the names of the open strings of the guitar. Learn how to read chord digrams here!

If we use the thickest string of the guitar as a starting point, the names of the strings on
the guitar would be E, A, D, G, B, and E. The thickest string, or low E string, is also
referred to as the 6th string. The A string is the 5th string and so on. You will probably
notice that the first and last strings are both E strings. The high E string, also called the
1st string, is just two octaves above the low E string. When I first started playing, I really
had a hard time remembering the names of the open strings. I came up with a goofy
acronym for the names of the open guitar strings so, hopefully, you won't have as hard of
a time as I did. The acronym is "Eat All Day Go to Bed Early". That may seem silly but I
bet that it will help you remember the names of the open guitar strings.

Another way that you can remember the names of the strings on the guitar is to think
about the intervals between each string. An interval is just the distance from one note to
another. The guitar is tuned in 4ths. The only two strings that are not a 4th apart are the G
and B strings. The distance from the G to B strings is a Major 3rd. If you start on the low
E string and count up four notes ( E F G A ) you would land on an A. The distance from
the 6th string to the fifth string is a 4th. Now start on your A string and count four notes
away from there ( A B C D ). You should have landed on a D note. The distance from the
D to the G strings is also a 4th. Here is where our tuning changes a bit. If you count out
the distance between the G and B strings ( G A B ), you would end up with a Major 3rd.
To finish off our tuning let's count from a B to an E. If you count ( B C D E ). Notice that
the distance from B to E is another 4th.

Hopefully giving you several different ways to think about the names of the open strings
will help you to remember them. If you ever forget the names of the strings just
remember "Eat All Day Go to Bed Early".
Learn How To Read Chord Diagrams For The Guitar!
In this guitar lesson we are going to learn how to read
chord diagrams. Chord diagrams are graphics that tell you
where to put your fingers on the fretboard in order to make
a specific chord. Often you will see chord diagrams at the
top of a music chart or throughout the chart. Sometimes
these are put there just in case you don’t know the chord,
but sometimes the person who wrote the song wants that
specific shape to be played for that chord.

Chord diagrams have six vertical lines that represent the

strings of the guitar and a few horizontal lines that represent
the frets. The far left string represents the low E and the far
right string represents the high E. Sometimes you will see
diagrams with plain black dots that indicate where you
should put your fingers, and sometimes you will see black
dots with numbers in them. These numbers represent the
finger number that you should be using playing those notes.

Learn how to number your fingers for guitar here!

There are a couple more chord diagram symbols that you

should be aware of. If you see a rectangular block at the top
of the diagram, that just represents the nut of the guitar. If
you don’t see the nut you will probably see a number to the
left of the diagram that indicates what fret you should be on.
An X above one of the strings means that you should mute or just not play that string. If
you see a black dot or just a circle above one of the strings, that means that you should be
playing that string open. Thick black lines or arcs that go over multiple strings represent
bars. If you see a thick black line like this you will probably be playing a bar chord.

Learn how to number your fretboard here!

Now that you know what all of the symbols in a chord diagram mean, let’s try a few
examples. Start with an open G major chord. If you were to look at a diagram of this
chord you would see dots on the 3rd fret of the 6th string, 2nd fret of the 5th string, and
3rd fret of the 1st string. All of the other strings would have dots or circles above them to
indicate that you should play them open.

Try a G major bar chord. For this example, you would see a thick black line or an arc
across all six strings. This is a bar with your 1st finger. Odds are that you would see 3 to
the left of the diagram indicating that you should place your bar on the 3rd fret. There
would be three more dots on this diagram. The dots would represent your 3rd finger on
the 5th fret of the 5th string, 4th finger on the 5th fret of the 4th string, and your 2nd
finger on the 4th fret of the 3rd string. Again, some diagrams may have finger numbers
on the dots and some may not.

Reading chord diagrams may come slowly at first, but if you stick with it you will start to
recognize certain chord diagrams instantly. Grab a piece of music that you like or look
one up on the web. See if you can read the chord diagrams and maybe even learn some
new chords in the process.

After you have finished this guitar lesson, you may want to learn more about guitar
theory, and reading guitar sheet music!
Introduction To Understanding Guitar Theory!
Learning the theory of guitar is not always the most exciting or fun thing to learn, but it
can be the most helpful. Once you learn and master all of the topics covered in the guitar
theory section you will be leaps and bounds ahead of most other guitarists.

Take some time and bowse through this section to find where you wish to begin.
Remember, all of these topics are important for you to learn and understand, so working
your way through them all is your best route to success!

Understanding The Major Guitar Scale - In this guitar lesson you will learn
more about the major scale on the guitar and what in entails. The major scale
is the starting point of a lot of things on the guitar, so learning and
understanding this scale will take you a long way!
How To Read Guitar Tabs - This guitar lesson will teach you how to read
guitar tabs! You will find that reading guitar tabs is one of the more useful
skills you will acquire from these lessons. Once you can read guitar tabs, you
can learn practically any song on the guitar!
How To Read Sheet Music For Guitar - In this guitar lesson you will learn
how to read sheet music for the guitar. Learning how to read sheet music can
be boring at times, but once you learn to read it, you will have it forever and
will have the advantage at your hired gigs!
How To Read Guitar Rhythms - Learn how to read rhythms on the guitar in
this lesson! Reading guitar rhythms is essential when you are trying to learn a
song by another artist. Make sure you are playing the correct rhythm on the
guitar with this lesson!
How To Read Chord Diagrams - Reading chord diagrams is a necessary skill
for learning to play new chords. Learning how to play new chords will open
up your guitar playing to new songs and licks! Begin by learning how to read
chord diagrams in this guitar lesson!
How Guitar Chords Are Made - Realizing how guitar chords are made will
give you the ability to come up with your own chords and create your own
music. See if you can create a unique chord that you can use is your own
original music on the guitar!
How To Tell What Guitar Chords Are In A Key - Memorizing your scales,
chords, and keys will give you a better idea of how to tell what chords are in
any given key. This skill is particularly helpful when you are writing your
own parts on the guitar!
How Guitar Key Signatures Work - Learning key signatures on the guitar and
how they work is another great skill to have when writing your music. Nate
Savage takes you through this lesson as he shows you how guitar key
signatures work.
 How To Read A Guitar Chord Chart - Learn how to read a chord chart in this
guitar lesson! Reading chord charts is a necessary skill to have if you are
wanting to learn new chords on the guitar. Every guitarist should learn very
early how to read a guitar chord chart.
Understanding Octave Centers - What is an octave center on the guitar? Learn
about octave centers and how they can be of use to you in this guitar lesson
with Nate Savage! Watch Nate as he explains what an octave center is, and a
shows practical application for them.
Diatonic Thinking For The Guitar - Learn how to think diatonically on the
guitar. Nate Savage shows how you can be thinking diatonically on the guitar
to make things easier as you are learning your scales, chords, licks, and
everything else you need to know for the guitar!
Learning Guitar Intervals - In this guitar lesson Nate Savage takes you
through how to learn and play intervals on the guitar. Learning your intervals
on the guitar will open things up for your guitar soloing and when you are
creating your own guitar licks.
Relative Minor Guitar Keys - Learn how to play with relative minor guitar
keys! Nate Savage explains the benefits of playing with relative minor guitar
keys and how you should get comfortable with them in your playing. Use this
guitar lesson to learn to play in relative minor guitar keys!
How Guitar Chord Extensions Are Made - Learn how chord extensions are
made on the guitar. In this guitar lesson, Nate Savages takes you through how
guitar chord extensions are made and how you can implement them into your
everyday guitar playing!

Learn How To Read Sheet Music For The Guitar!

Being able to read music is a great skill that
every guitar player should at least try to
acquire. Reading on the guitar can be pretty
difficult for some players. Many guitar players start trying to learn how to read only to
get frustrated and quit. This lesson will cover the very basics of how to start reading
music on the guitar. We will mainly cover the names of the lines and spaces on the treble
clef.

Guitar music is written on the treble clef. You can identify a treble clef by looking for the
squiggly G looking character at the beginning of each line of music. If you look at a piece
of sheet music you will see a series of 5 lines and 4 spaces. The musical alphabet is A B
C D E F and G. Each of these lines and spaces correspond to one of the letters in the
musical alphabet. The lowest line on the staff is an E. The lowest space on the staff is an
F. If you continue up each line and space you will just go through the musical alphabet in
order. When you come to a G note just start over on A again for the next note.

Let’s take a look at the names of

the lines and spaces separately.
The names of just the lines are E
G B D and F. You can
remember these notes by using
the phrase
“Every Good Boy Does Fine”.
To remember the names of the spaces just remember the word “FACE”. This is how
almost everyone learns to remember the names of the lines and spaces. It may seem a bit
difficult to remember the names of each line and space at first, but if you work at it on a
regular basis it will start to become second nature.

Play the F note on the 3rd fret of the 4th string of the guitar. This is the F note on the 1st
space of the treble clef. You could also play this same F note on the 8th fret of the 5th
string or the 13th fret of the 6th string. When you are reading music on the guitar, most
notes have multiple places that you could choose to play
them. This is one of the things that make reading music
on the guitar so difficult.

For this lesson just concentrate on getting familiar with

the names of the lines and spaces on the treble clef.
Remember “Every Good Boy Does Fine” for the lines
and “FACE” for the spaces. Once you are familiar with
the lines and spaces, start trying to find those notes on the guitar fretboard.

Once you have learned how to read sheet music, you should learn how to read chord
diagrams, how to read guitar rhythms, how to read guitar tabs, and how to read chord
charts!