New Guitarist

Hello, I've recently(yesterday) purchased an electric guitar + amp after a long while saving up :) I'm determined that I will learn it. I have absolutely no idea where to start, could anyone help me? I'm interested in metal and would like to learn of these "powerchords" eventually hehe.

Something startled me whilst trying to learn how tabs work. It spoke of there being 1st and 2nd frets and then the 3rd having a dot on it. Well my guitar begins with a metal bar thingy and then a dot right after it, asthough the first is skipped out? the dots continue up as it said (with 12th having 2 dots etc) from this 3rd dot but it worried me? I have a Fender left-handed Stratocaster, am I mistaken or is this a fault?

Thanks in advance for any replies/help.

Rob.

I understand you have a Fret zero, right after the nut, am I right? And sometimes, you have a spot at the first fret, it's no big deal, the rest is the same.

As for tabs, you have to play them the other way, since you're a lefty, and don't forget, the line at the bottom is your biggest/lowest string.

--------------
------------
-------------
-------------
-5------------
-3------------that's a G power chord. Play it and then mute the strings with your palm, you're on your way to metal heaven...

Ok with tabs I have to play them from right to left ? and with the fret - http://www.fender.com/gear/gear.php?partno=0134620 that's how they look so I guess it's normal, BUT, am I to take the first dot as fret 3 still ? because the 12th one (2 dots) is 10 9 up from the first one (thus i presume the first dot counts as fret 3). I use a plectrum ("pick") because my nails arent so huge, is that ok ? Thanks.

Rob.

[Edited by Robje on 02-10-2002 at 06:14 AM]

If your first dot is at fret one, see the second one as fret 3... Just count the frets, not the dots... The one with two is fret 12 in your case...
Using a pick is Ok, depending on the style you want to play, for metal it is recommended...

Ok, the frets count from the machineheads part down towards the main body of the guitar am i right? About the tabs, do I have to play them differently? my guitar is actually lefthanded, im not playing a righthanded one, so does that change the tabs?

Rob.

[Edited by Robje on 02-10-2002 at 06:47 AM]

Actually you play them the same...

Hehe phew :) now what? i totally dont know what to do now :)

[Edited by Robje on 02-10-2002 at 07:56 AM]

I'm just learning the main bit to "Smoke On The Water" - Classic start or what? :)

When you see

-1--------
---2------
-----3-----
----------
----------
-----------

You just play first string first fret, 2nd string second fret, thrid string third fret. Being left handed won't affect the way you play this... It won't look the same as a right handed guy, but you will sound the same...

I'm a lefty. Power to us.
The tab - just think of it like this:
------ high E
------
------
------
------
====== low E
the top is the bottom, the bottom is the top. screwy. i spent my first 5 months or so all screwed up, didn't know that tab was 'upside down'.
Smoke on the Water is the classic first song. I guess I should learn it someday too.
Anyway, good luck to you.
-Daniel

You have a head-stock on your guitar that has tuning keys,
on it.
Also you have a (Nut) that your strings sit down in the grooves,below the head-stock.
If you place your index finger in between the nut and the,
first fret-wire then depress a note this is called your first fret.
You also have a bridge below the pickups that your strings,
also set down in its called the bridge or a saddle.
From the (Nut) to your pickups is called the finger-board
which your frets or fret wires are on.

Mark
I recommend learning the anatomy of your guitar
plus mabee getting a guitar teacher or getting with,
a friend that knows alittle about guitar if you can't
afford a guitar teacher...........

Yeah I'll talk to one of my friends, most of my friends play the guitar but I've never been able to afford one, but 18th birthday = buy one at last! :) I am in the process of learning the anatomy from a big labelled diagram so that should be ok, any suggestions as to what I should do now, I know a lot of people who wasted a lot of time when they first got a guitar, I don't want to do that. I can play the main smoke on the water bit now, not 100% without mistakes but hey, its a start :)

Rob.

Just learnt Linkin Park - In The End piano rift :D