Playing guitar

Part 1. Getting Your Gear

The Guitar-Past and Present

The Three Types of Guitars

Getting Your Guitar

Classical Guitars

Acoustic Guitars

Electric Guitars

Changing Strings on Classical and Acoustic Guitars

Changing Strings on Electric Guitars

General Maintenance and Care

Part 2. Warming Up to Play

The What and Where of Notes

Getting in Tune

Holding the Guitar

The Right Hand

The Left Hand

Reading Guitar Tablature

Reading Rhythm Notation

Part 3. Getting Good with Rhythm

Your First Easy Chords

More Easy Chords

Making Chord Changes in Rhythm

Root Notes and the "Bass/Strum"

Practice: Root Notes and Bass/Strum

Alternating Bass

Practice: Alternating Bass with Chord Changes

Practice: Alternating Bass Line

Strumming Eighth Notes

Practice: Eighth Note Strumming

Practice: Alternating Bass with Eighth Note Strum

Simple Syncopation

Introducing Suspended Chords

Practice: Syncopation and Suspended Chords

Practice: Syncopated Strumming

Taking a Rest

Combining Alternating Bass, Syncopation, and Rests

Practice: Rests, Alternating Bass, and Syncopation

Strumming Sixteenth Notes

Practice: A Little Island Music

Triplets and Swing Rhythms

Double Stops and Shuffles

Practice: Shuffle Style

C and G Chords

Practice: C and G Chord Changes

Walking Bass Lines

Practice: Walking Bass Lines

3/4 Timing

Slash Chords

Practice: Slash Chords

Practice: 3/4 Time and Slash Chords

Part 4. Growing Beyond the Beginner Stage

Half-Barre Chords

Practice: Half-Barre Chords

Practice: Song with F Chord

Percussive Strumming and String Muting

Left-Hand String Muting

Practice: Palm Muting

Practice: Percussive Strumming Techniques

Playing Arpeggios

Practice: Arpeggios with Chords Aadd9 and E7

Practice: Songs with Arpeggios

Basic Fingerpicking

Practice: Two Easy Classical Studies

Introduction to Travis-Style Fingerpicking

Practice: Basic Travis-Style Fingerpicking

Practice: Basic Travis-Style Fingerpicking with Pinching

Hammer-ons and Pull-offs

Strumming and Picking Hammer-ons and Pull-offs

Practice: Hammer-ons and Pull-offs

Slides and Bends

Practice: Slides and Bends

Practice: All Four Slurs

Part 5. Adding Theory to Your Playing

The Major Scale

Intervals

How Chords Are Formed

Power Chords and Suspended Chords

Practice: Various 5 Chords and Suspended Chords

Seventh Chords

Practice: Various Seventh Chords

Really Fancy Chords

Practice: Various Fancy Chords

Full Barre Chords

Practice: Full Barre Chords

Creating Different Chord Voicings

Practice: Various Chord Voicings

Keys, Key Signatures, and the Circle of Fifths

Diatonic Chords and Transposing

Using a Capo

Practice: Song for Two Guitars

Playing with a Slide

Alternate Tuning

Practice: Double Drop D Tuning

Practice: Celtic Song in DADGAD Tuning

Practice: Song in Unusual Alternate Tuning

Open Tuning

Practice: Open G Tuning

Practice: Rock Song in Open G Tuning

Practice: Hawaiian Slack-key Style in Open G Tuning

Practice: Open D Tuning

Practice: Fingerstyle in Open D Tuning

Practice: Blues Song in Open D Tuning with Slide

Crosspicking

Practice: Focusing on Crosspicking

Creating Fills

Practice: Fills Within a Song

Chord Melody

Practice: Simple Chord Melody

Getting Fancy with Chord Melody

Practice: Fancy Chord Melody

Playing in a Group

Practice: Playing in a Group-Second Guitar

Appendixes

Glossary

Chord Charts

For Further Study

Index