News from Patrick Henry High School – Dec. 18

The primary difference between acoustic and electric is in the style of playing. The acoustic , being the much older instrument, is the one that has been traditionally used for Spanish Classical literature as well as folk music.

The Spanish Classical literature for involves written notes, and picking the strings individually with each of the fingers of the right hand, while the pop music of the electric guitar is often performed with a pick. This is just a generality, and it’s quite easy to find examples of classical style playing in pop music.

Having spent some time teaching guitar, however, I would have to say that the average guitar student’s goals for the guitar are to have fun and be able to play their favorite songs as soon as possible. Experience has shown that plowing through a guitar book that teaches traditional notation simply does not suit many students. Quite often, by the time the student is getting to the fourth string they are getting quite frustrated and confused. Further, in learning to read the notes on each string in a systematic way, one must endure lots of very uninteresting material.

Happily, the guitar provides a simple alternative to note reading called Tabs. Tabs notation is very simple; it’s sort of a ‘what you see is what you get’ system of notation. The Tabs consists of six horizontal lines that represent your six guitar strings. The only thing you need to keep in mind is that string number one, which is the bottom string when you are holding the guitar in playing position, is the top line of the Tabs.

In notating a song with Tabs, numbers are added to the line that corresponds to the string you are to play on. The numbers are your frets. Many people call the little metal bars that run across the fingerboard the frets but, of course, you press the string in the area in between these bars so the spaces are actually the frets we are concerned with in our counting. Most guitars have little dots on the side of the neck at the fifth, seventh and ninth frets to help you locate your frets faster.

You can get the best of both worlds; that is quickly learning your favorite songs and exploring traditional notation by selecting the right books from your music store. Many books that have your favorite songs in them will have both the Tabs notation and traditional notation together. As you learn to play the guitar, you can enjoy getting to know your favorite songs quickly but you can also learn how traditional notation works for the guitar.

Whether you want to learn acoustic or electric guitar, rhythm is a part of traditional notation that really can not be overlooked. My advice for any guitar course for beginners is to learn the basic note values and practice rhythm examples with a metronome. Rhythm is an essential element of music and you will not be able to play with a group if you do not posses the proper rhythm skills.

-By: Brian Beshore

Brian Beshore Get a free download of cool new jazz and find lots more information on how to learn the guitar when you visit; The Artist’s Official Website: