Another silly guitar question from a beginner (me)

[Rosemary]

Hi
Before getting my acoustic guitar, I learnt a few tunes on the little iPhone Pocket Guitar app which only has the 1st 4 frets visible but after looking at some tabs I realised that the notes are usually entered higher up on the fretboard so am wondering if that is the preferred way of playing (as in melodies as opposed to chords)?
Thanks
Rosemary

[Mike Honey]

Hi Rosemary, me again! On the guitar the same note can be found in three or four places on the fretboard and each will resonate slightly differently. When playing an electronic instrument the notes will sound the same . so basically its a combination of how the notes will sound at a certain fret and also where the melody is easier to play where the notes are grouped closer together around a certain fret. Melodies played in the first position will often contain a few open strings so sometimes you need their extra sustain and resonance, sometimes you wont!

Mike

[Rosemary]

Thanks very much for your help, Mike. I might re-learn according to the tabs then and in any case it won't hurt to learn tunes a couple of different ways and I can decide which sound better.
All the best
Rosemary

[Bob Dore]

Just to add to that, while playing all or a bit of a melody you normally have your index finger at one fret, the middle finger the next one up and so on. A lot of melodies can be played without moving the hand up and down the fretboard. It makes it easier to play and the melody sounds smoother. The fret on which you have your index finger is called the position.

So you can play a scale a G Major in the Fifth position (starting on the D string) or 10th position (starting on the A string). If you play the open G string this is called the open position.

With a lot of tunes you change positions as the melody and structure progresses and, if you have videos, you can learn a lot by watching Hank and other good guitarists and seeing what position they are playing in.

Hank likes to play a lot in the open position because, on a strat, the open strings sound the way he wants them to. Some tunes, however, sound better played in a different position.

In some tunes I have watched Hank and noted the position he plays a phrase in and, because of the sound and melody I have completely understood why he has chosen that position. Having said that, at other times his choice baffles me and I choose to play in a different position because the sound and playing suits me better.

All of which proves a point I rather frequently make which is not to rely on tabs too much but take a little time finding the position you like best and stick to that. There is no such thing as the right tab for any given tune, tabs are a way of writing down someone's way of playing a tune, not the composer's intentions.

Bob.

[Bill Bowley]

Bob,

Well said!

[Bluesnote]

Thing is Rosemary, every guitar is different from the other in many ways. I notice a lot of players use the top(1st 2nd 3rd) strings when playing some Shads tunes, but in some cases(like my guitar for instance) it sounds better using the inner strings further on up the fretboard which gives a thicker and warmer sound. Or the sweet notes as some guitarists call it. This is why its good to learn the fingerboard by heart as soon as possible and be able to choose for yourself what sound you desire.
I know its sounds complicated at first but it'll pay massive dividends in the long run. Like someone once said. The guitar is a really easy instrument to learn a few chords on and sing along with, but it is one of the hardest instruments to learn properly.
That I can vouch for,I've been playing all my life and still learn something new about it every so often.
And I'm starting to run out of time

[Rosemary]

Hi Hugh and Bob
Thanks very much for your advice too. This is great. Actually I am noticing the sound is better further up the fretboard on this guitar but my technique still leaves a lot to be desired. I'm better without using a pick I think. That part of it looks so deceptively simple but it's not. With working full time I don't get a lot of practice in but what I have been doing every day, is starting to pay off. Just moving between chords a little faster and cleaner sounding chords are now noticable but there's lots and lots to learn. It's just for fun though so I'm happy to go slowly.
All the best
Rosemary

[Bluesnote]

You just said the magic word "fun". Thats what it should be and not seen to be or feel as if its a task, which is a really easy trap to fall into. If you get stuck or feel a bit dis-heartened, put it down, go do something else and come back to it later.
I used to sit doing runs and scales for hours on end trying to hammer it into my head and learnt practically nothing by it. You only "really" learn if you enjoy the practice and the study that you are doing. The chord thing seems impossible sometimes but then all of a sudden you pick up your guitar and find as if by magic your fingers go automatically to the correct positions and that is you for life, you're fingers will always remember what to do with chords once you have mastered them.
Its just muscle memory, which we all can learn if we apply ourselves.
There is a multitude of sites out there that will give you free info on technical stuff for guitar, a thing that I never had when I started. And I'm sure the same goes for most of us in here. So take full advantage of it

[Bob Dore]

There's no reason why you should, or shouldn't, use a pick. It's a matter of personal preference. There are guitarists who use their fingers, others who uses finger nails, some who wear finger picks and some who prefer a plectrum.

But picks vary greatly in size, shape and thickness. Hank uses a thick, rather inflexible, pick. Others use a very thin pick. The thickness changes the tone of the guitar a lot and makes a lot of difference as to how easy it is to play. That's not to say whether a thin pick is easier or more difficult than a thick pick, it's a matter of preference.

Bob.

[Rosemary]

Hi Hugh and Bob
I think I'm getting somewhere. Well I wouldn't inflict my playing on anyone else but it's definitely getting easier by the day even with only the short bursts of practice I do at night. I'll experiment with different picks too to see which sound best. Thanks again for all your tips which I very much take on board.
All the best
Rosemary