MUSICAL SYMBOLS

Music is written in notes on a staff. The staff has five lines and four spaces between the es. Where a note is written on

or lowness). At the beginning of the staff is a clef sign. Guitar

music is written in the
thestaff determines its pitch (highness
treble clef.

TREBLE
STAFF CLEF

Each line and space of the staff has a letter name. The lines are, (from bottom to top) E - G -B - D- F, which you can remem-
ber as Every Guitarist Begins Doing Fine. The spaces are, (from bottom to top) F-A -C - E, which spells "Face."

LINES e SPACES o
F A C E
E G BD F

The staff is divided into several parts by bar lines. The space between two bar lines is called a measure (also known as a "bar").
To end a piece of music a double bar is placed on the staf.

MEASURE
BAR LINES
BAR LINE BAR LINE DOUBLE BAR

Each measure contains a group of beats. Beats are the steady pulse of music. You respond to the pulse or beat when you tap
your foot.

The two numbers placed next to the clet sign are the time signature.
The top number tells you how many beats are in one measure.

TIME FOUR BEATS PER MEASURE

SIGNATURE QUARTER NOTE()GETS ONE BEAT

The bottom number of the time signature tells

you what kind of note will receive one beat

Notes indicate the length (number of counts) of musical sound.

NOTES WHOLE NOTE = 4 beats HALF NOTE = 2 beats QUARTER NOTE =1 beat

When different kinds of notes are placed on different lines or spaces. you will know the ptch of the note and how long to
play the sound.

7
 NOTES ON THE FIRST STRING
E F G

OPEN

O OPEN 1st FRET 3rd FRET

1st FINGER 3rd FINGER

E
G

1
This
EEE
sign () tells you to strike the

6
string with a downward motion of the pick.

Hold down 1stfinger

cOUNT:
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1- 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

2
12 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 12 3 4

1 2 3 4 12 3 4 1 2 3 4 12 3 4
 them well at a slow speed, gradually increase the
the exercises slowly and steadily. When you can play
AT Tirst practice
tempo (speed)

1 2 3 4

Touch only the tips of the fingers on the strings.

5
Keep the left hand fingers arched over the strings.

6
Some songs are longer than one line. When you reach the end of the first line of music, continue on to the second line without
are given at the
stopping. Grayletters above the staf indicate chords to be played by your teacher. Measure numbers
beginning of each new line of music.

Listen to one measure of clicks on the track before playing.

G7

GO ONTOTHE NEXT LINE

SPANISH THEME

9
 NOTES ON THE SECOND STRING
B C D

OPEN

OPEN 1st FRET 3rd FRET

1st FINGER 3rd FINGER

C D

9 0-
Hold down 1stfinger- --

coUNT: 1 2 34 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 - 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

10
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 -4

11
12 3 4 12 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
10
 increase the
After you can play them well at a slower tempo, gradually
AIways practice the exercises slowly and steadily at first.
left-hand finger slightly until you get a clear sound.
Speed. It some of your notes are fuzy or unclear, move your

0-

12
| 13

MOVING FROM STRING TO STRING

second string. In the following exercises you will be
You have learned six notes now, three on the first string and three on the
look ahead to the next and get your fingers in position.
moving from string to string. As you are playing one note,

3 0
0-
1
14
STRING:2- 1st 3rd
FINGER: open 1st 3rd open

15

WORLD BEAT

16

11
 Practice these songs played on strings 1 and 2. Always begin slowly and then gradually increase the tempo. Gray chord symbols
are used throughout the book to indicate that the chords should be played by the instructor.

Some tracks such as "Ode to Joy" are recorded at both a slow and a faster tempo.

ODE TO JOY Beethoven

SLOW FAST

17

Am

C G

13

BLUES
G7

18

C7 G7
2

G7
2

12
 NOTES ON THE THIRD STRING
G A

OPEN

2nd FRET
OPEN
2nd FINGER

G A

the fingers arched the strings at all times so they will be in position to finger the next note.
Keep over

1 20

20

THREE-STRING REVIEW
Here are all the notes we've learned so far.

O - 6

G A B C D E F G

Plav through these notes up and down. Then play just the low G and the high G, and notice how similar they sound. The
the same letter name is called an octave.
distance between two different notes with
13
 The following songs use notes on
strings 1, 2, and 3.

ROCKIN' ROBIN J. Ihomas

SLOW FAST
G

21

YANKEE DOODLE Traditional

SLOWFAST
C G7 C G7

22
C G7 C

SURF ROCK
SLOW/FAST
D

23

14
 A duet is a song that has two parts that can be played together. Practice both parts of the following duet. Ask your instructor
or a friend to play the duet with you, or play either part with the track.

AU CLAIR DE LA LUNE France

C G7 C G7 C

art 1

24

G7 C G7

D7 G7

C G7 G7 C

1
PRACTICE TIP
Reqular practice is essential. Practicing a half hour each day is better than practicing two hours every four days. Find a
regular time of the day that works for you.

15
 AURA LEE Poulton/ Fosdick

C D7 G7 C

25

D7 G7 C E7

Am E C D7 G7 C

11

3/4 TIME
Some music has three beats per measure instead of THREE BEATS PER MEASURE
four. This is indicated by the top number of the time
QUARTER NOTE ( )
signature. The bottom number (4) tells you that the
GETS ONE BEAT
quarter note gets one beat.

A dot after a note increases its value by one-half. In

time a dotted half note (.) gets three beatsS.
2 beats 1 beat 3 beats

26
coUNT: 1 2 3 1 2 3 12 3 1 2 3 12 3 1 2 3

HE'S AJOLLY GOOD FELLOWN England

G C G D7

27
G C

D7 G

)2
16