Introduction To Lead Guitar. Part 1

Table of Contents:

1. Lead vs. Rhythm
2. Learning the first position
3. How to press down strings

Lead Vs. Rhythm

What do the terms lead guitar and rhythm guitar mean?
Lead guitar and rhythm guitar simply refer to two different ways the guitar can be played used in the context of a band. They have nothing to do with types of guitars; they only refer to various styles of guitar playing. In a band with two guitarists, the rhythm guitarist is the one who plays the "structure" of the song; he/she plays the chords that backup the vocals and help create the overall feel of the song. As the name suggests, rhythm is especially important for a rhythm guitarist, as creating a strong structure for a song performed by a band relies heavily on having a great rhythm that is infectious with listeners while also allowing fellow bandmates to easily build upon it.

Because of their role in contributing to the structure of the song, rhythm guitarists are typically at the core of the given band's songwriting process. In a band where the lead singer also serves as a guitarist, he/she is almost invariably serving as the rhythm guitarist, as the rhythm guitar will serve to support his/her vocals. The same is true for singer/songwriters, as they must essentially play a rhythm guitar style to accompany their vocals.

Lead Guitar.
Lead guitarists are the more glamorous and "rock star" type, as they are characterized by their mastery of the fretboard. Lead guitarists add solos to songs, and often use the structure provided by the rhythm guitarist's work as a foundation for their improvisation. While their work is often more impressive and glamorous, they generally cannot stand alone and need the structure created by the other members of their band in order to offer their greatest contribution.

To summarize, the work of rhythm guitarists is most commonly characterized by chords, while lead guitarists incorporate more single-string playing and soloing.

Becoming The Total Package.
Of course, the best guitarists are those who can play both roles. When a guitarist has a mastery of both lead and rhythm, he/she can be both an infectious and harmonious songwriter and a uniquely rhythmic virtuoso.

Examples Of Lead Guitar.
Below are song excerpts that contain notable lead guitar work.

Eruption.
This early Van Halen song is primarily a stage for Eddie Van Halen to perform his technically astounding solo in the song "Eruption." Check out the video clip below.

Sweet Child O' Mine.
This Guns N' Roses ballad from their debut album, Appetite For Destruction, features a remarkable solo from lead guitarist Slash. Note though, that a tight rhythm section is crucial to allowing this solo to flourish in the context of the song. Check out the solo in the video clip below, a live performance from a Guns n' Roses concert in Argentina in 1993 (the song starts about a minute and a half into the video).

Learning The First Position

What Is The 1st Position?
The first position simply refers to musical pieces that are played primarily using the first four frets, so that the index finger is on the first fret. If a musical piece was played primarily within the range of the second fret to the fifth fret, that would be known as the 2nd position. In sum, whichever is the first fret of the musical piece is also the fret that determines what position the piece is in. Typically, a song will have multiple positions, and will involve transitioning from one position to another.

Playing Notes In The First Position.
Why is it important to have a basic understanding of positions? Because positions help to determine which finger you should use to play notes and chords in a given musical piece. As a general rule of thumb, the first fret of the position -- so, in other words, the fret that names the position -- should be played by the index finger. It is common for guitarists to employ a "one finger per fret" rule, so that one finger does not do all the playing. For instance, if a musical piece was to call for a note to be played on the second fret and then the third fret, two different fingers would be used; tempting as it may be, a guitarist should not use one finger to play both notes as it will ultimately substantially hinder the guitarist's mobility up and down the fretboard.

As is the case with many aspects of playing guitar, this idea should be regarded primarily as a guideline. From time to time, you will find it necessary to stray from this ideology. Many chords, for instance, will simply not be able to be played unless the "one finger per fret" guideline is ignored. Of course, do so with caution and only when you feel it is necessary, as otherwise you may begin to cultivate habits that can adversely affect your success at playing guitar.

Below you'll find video clips showing notes being played in the first position on each string. Pay careful attention to what fingers are used to play the notes; note that the index finger is not used for notes that are played on the second, third, or fourth frets.

1. High E String
The high E string is the first string -- meaning the one closest to the ground.

The high E string played open produces the E note.
The high E string played on the first fret produces the F note.
The high E string played on the third fret produces the G note.

See the video clip below. Be sure to have your speakers turn on, and please allow a few seconds for the video to load.

2. B String
The B string is the second string -- meaning the one right above the E string.

The B string played open produces the B note.
The B string played on the first fret produces the C note.
The B string played on the third fret produces the D note.

See the video clip below. Be sure to have your speakers turn on, and please allow a few seconds for the video to load.

3. G String
The G string is the third string -- meaning the one right above the B string.

The G string played open produces the G note.
The G string played on the second fret produces the A note.

See the video clip below. Be sure to have your speakers turn on, and please allow a few seconds for the video to load.

4. D String
The D string is the fourth string -- meaning the one right above the G string, or the fourth one up from the ground.

The D string played open produces the D note.
The D string played on the second fret produces the E note.
The D string played on the third fret produces the F note.

See the video clip below. Be sure to have your speakers turn on, and please allow a few seconds for the video to load.

5. A String
The A string is the fifth string -- meaning the second string from the top (or the fifth one from the ground up).

The A string played open produces the A note.
The A string played on the second fret produces the B note.
The A string played on the third fret produces the C note.

See the video clip below. Be sure to have your speakers turn on, and please allow a few seconds for the video to load.

6. E String
The low E string is the sixth string -- meaning the one furthest from the ground.

The E string played open produces the E note.
The E string played on the first fret produces the F note.
The E string played on the third fret produces the G note.

See the video clip below. Be sure to have your speakers turn on, and please allow a few seconds for the video to load.

How To Press Down Strings

At first, pressing strings down on the guitar is much tougher than it seems: pushing down the thin, tight metal strings can hurt your fingers. Moreover, many people may simply lack the finger strength needed, hence making the act of pushing the string down a rather challenging task require a substantial amount of concentration and effort.

There are, however, certain key points to keep in mind when pushing down strings that will help to ensure you progress as quickly as possible as a guitarist:

Touch only the strings you intend to.
When pushing the strings down, be sure to touch only the strings you intend to touch. This will help to ensure that you are (1) pushing down the strings you need to with enough strength and (2) will also ensure that you do not accidentally touch strings that need to be kept open. This latter point is especially important, as lightly touching a string will have the effect of muting, or "dampening," the string's sound. If you are playing a chord and need certain strings to be open while others are fretted, allowing your fingers to touch other strings can limit the quality of the sound produced when you play the chord. Click here to view the picture that illustrates a guitarist pushing down a string without touching other guitar strings.

Calluses.
When you're just starting out as a guitarist, pushing down the string can cause pain in your fingers. This is normal. It will require extra discipline, though, as the challenge for the guitarist will be to fight through the pain. If this can be done, calluses will develop on the fingertips which will help to desensitize you to the pain. Playing guitar will also strengthen your fingers over time, so that before you know it, playing notes and chords will be an effortless task.

Acoustic vs. Electric.
Acoustic guitars are noticeably tougher to play, as they require more strength to push down the strings. Acoustic guitars can almost be thought of as lifting weights for your fingers; by playing acoustic, you will find that your fingers are substantially stronger and can easily glide across the fretboard when you play electric.

ActoGuitar's purpose is to help people learn to play guitar, and to help experienced guitarists with professional ambitions reach their aspirations. Be sure to check out ActoGuitar website at this location.

To be continued...

Comments

[jazkel24]

Good lesson. A bit beginnerish, but if you continue it, twill be good.

[XNeo```]

Thx dude, that's what we beginning guitarists are looking for, please continu ur lesson so we could have a full list of lessons instead of cracking our heads trying to search for lessons over the net...

[rebel_rocker89]

It's good...but a bit over-explanitory. Keep up the good work though.

[SonataArctica]

I think it's pretty good

[Peeping Todd]

im wit jazkel a lil beginnerish but hey im a beginner so keep up d good wrk

[JuNiOrWaFfLe]

Im looking forward to the advanced lessons?

[crimsonfrets]

Thats very good for begginers, I like the videos and pics, its alot more understandable.

[UraniYum]

this is the least heplful lesson i've ever read.

[twistedbrother]

Your lesson was ok. Next time Talk more about how to be a better lead guitarest. If you want...
It was kool

[csemrau84]

Thanks.

[bwillis1632]

I am certain that as thoroughly as I have been studying the guitar, along with your lessons which are full of pointers and tips, etc., my playing will advance further than I ever would have imagined. Excellent for beginners.

[Jimi_Lives]

good teach pal.helpful as. Peace

[ChuckDee]

Very nice tutorial

[cookee34]

Great lesson, I am a real beginner, so your lesson made heaps of sense, Thanks for walking me through. Looking forward to next lesson. cheers

Checked.

[fingersofflame]

jazkel24 wrote:

A bit beginnerish

Well yeah, it's only under "For Beginners" but no!, it wouldn't be beginnerish :-p

[dr.zoidberg?]

great 4 beginners keep going

[beetroot10]

so ture about thre acostic beig a littkle hardere to play i got me electric and it i so easy to play

[sexygorilla1991]

wow its like too easyy lol... if ur a beginner beginner keep with it though

[HawkaLuigi]

this was a big help thanks!

[Billie236]

Excellent Everything I Needed To Know

[Violet_Strummer]

Pre instruction to those who have never seriously played guitar. Good job its gonna help a lotta people who need some guidance. Good Job!

[Billie236]

Nice I Loved The Videos

[the_slayer2004]

I need some help.
Can someone tell me which E string is which.
I know there's a high e and a low e. In the tabs, I get confused. Which is the capital one and which is the lowercase one? Message me with the answer please.

~My Chemical Mars Disco~

[y2jfreak]

i've just started learning the acoustic before i move to electric, and this helps alot, it tells a beginner everything they need to know before they quit because its too hard.

[disanand]

its very helpful and motivating ...great job..plz continue this ,,,

[BFMVxx]

The E sting is the thickest one and is always at the bottom of the tab, the e sting is the thinest and is always at the top of the tab Hope that help the_slayer2004

[2K!]

cheers. i mean obviously it has to be beginnerish its teaching beginners.

nice tutorial tho it would have really helped.

[joeyramoney]

all you need as an introduction to lead guitar is the pentatonic scale. without that, or any scale, you can't do anything at all.

[fingersofflame]

this literally is for beginners...like absolute beginners, and while it was no help to me it was a good lesson

[jrasmussen1206]

I thought it was a great lesson, for beginners, as you said. I think the movies help lots, as it gives firsthand correct procedure for people to follow. Thanks!!

[Delerith]

Hi(my first comment )
I liked this lesson, Although i knew a bunch of it before it tought me something for an example: the acoustic guitar is harder to play than the electrical. (I only have an acoustic guitar here)
Btw you might want to add to the "Calluses" part: "Music is pain" :P

[Guitar uy]

Great site...Thanks

[fenderbullet33]

i really like the song sweet child o mine, so i just got the tab for it(ive been playin for a year).all this was way to beginner, but i liked the vids.

[darfa]

dude awesome

[jammer-91]

Basic... god for flat out beginners

[guitar_guy1237]

it was exactly what i needed thanks

[guitar_guy1237]

o ... and the sweet child o mine video got me going on the solo, i know most of it but when it gets fast is when i screw up!!!

[doomlord1928]

man you need to sort out ur priorities!

[zro79skt]

No such thing as over exlainitory in a video meant for beginners good lesson

[joeyramoney]

the only introduction to "lead guitar" one needs is the major scale. otherwise, you're just playing random notes for no apparent reason. all this lesson teaches is how to fret a string and what notes the strings correspond to, which are both so elementary any beginner guitarist could figure them out by glancing the little booklet that comes with most guitars, not to mention the fact that none of this isn specifically pertinent to lead guitar in particular.

[Gabriel IV]

men this help alot; i'm a beginner beginner.
rally simple to understand

Checked

[laki_topalovic]

Great lesson for begginers!!!
Remember that we all used to be one...

[CrimsonP]

Holy shit, Axle Rose sucks ass live...wait...

[randolert]

defidenly helpful if you are a begginer, but most people would know this. also joeyramoney has a point. you should talk about the damn major scale

[amaneiro]

nice videos man, this lesson was good for my friends who are beginning

[irokzworld]

pretty good
i agree that it should have the major scale in it though

[ledbelly]

Asshat Rose is enough to put you off yer lunch and give ya second thoughts about rockin' in general.
....wait,wait....I'm OK now.

[stupid_09]

nice comments,i think this will help me in my lead guitarist career, hopefully!!!

[lugoffguardgirl]

your lesson taught me alot. i have been playing guitar for about a year and have no time for lessons. but the ones i found on this site helped me alot. thanks

[Hillwouston]

this is more of an intro to guitar itself

[Semisane]

Wow I am intermediate and that was a good memory refresher. Nice keep it up

[Agent-X]

Maybe I'm stupid, but I've always found electric to be harder to push down... not acoustic. I have both types, too.

[dablargh]

i think its harder to play acoustic cuz reaching over the body is a little awkward

[Tigri]

good lesson but this thing with the rhythm and lead guitaristst thing is just exaggerated

[yoa01]

dude,although i already knew that (see my profile and youll know), not bad

[neomagic]

Good lesson, nice and simple easy to start with. Keep up the good work.

[dranz1212]

The sweet child o mine isnt working any more you should replace it.

[dranz1212]

Slash is the man i love that song

[dranz1212]

[dranz1212]

:grrr:

[==idOiTaLl==]

u might want to put a little bit more info on how to be a better lead guitarest if you feel like it... good lesson. . .

[shamil]

i cant under stand

[ltd+esp=me]

bueno trabajo! i think that's how you say good job in spanish... but ya you should continue it soon!

[Voltron4386]

thx dude

[rockinrolo]

rebel_rocker89 wrote:

It's good...but a bit over-explanitory. Keep up the good work though.

Its for beginners, Its supposed to be over explanitory.
lol :P

Very good

[chaoslegion4]

nice nice

[jamess245]

Good Job I Liked It!

[Tacfire11]

I'm a beginner and got alot of value out of it. I learned alot. Thank you for taking the time to write this lesson, us beginners really apprecaite it

[xMATRIARCH]

Nice. I always wanted to play lead guitar, and guitarsolo's .

[peachyman 3]

You've written here a "first class" first class! Congratulations. These are the absolute fundamentals that a beginning lead guitarist needs to know, devoid of unnnecessary theory, practical, and spiced with some fine lead examples.
Furthermore, you've added those little details that experienced players would have forgotten, like finger pain, but upon which your comments would help a novice. You've been able to put yourself back into the shoes of such a novice: again, good work.
What are we to make of the mentality of those who would look at a lesson described as "for beginners" and call it too simple? It's like you've got a website called "blue", they've looked up your website called "blue", found "blue" and complained it's too blue!
Congratulations again

[ghobs123]

thanks for the lesson.....i hope that this lesson can help me produce my own lead someday....

[guitarbill]

This is absolutely fantastic. Yet i need to know which of my fingers is the "index finger". How do i number my fingers starting form the thumb to the least finger. if any1 is there let he/she please help me out.

[Drome371]

I have a question: I'm left handed, and I learned to play a normal right-handed guitar upside-down. Is this ok? Also, when I have a chord and I strum down, it is the equivalent of strumming up when playing right handed. Will this not produce the right sound that the chord needs, since the order is different?

[Drome371]

Oh, and btw if you can answer this please e-mail me at [e-mail], or IM me (my AIM is Delta3Xray)

[PRS2413]

nice lesson. I'm way past beginner level, but its nice to see some well written beginning lessons. I wish i had picked these up when i first started playing. I'm self taught and by the time i felt i was a decent player, I had picked up all of these bad technique habits which I then forced myself to relearn properly. ughh...what a hassle that was. Too many lessons forget to explain some concepts clearly enough for the beginner because thy eoverlook the things that are common knowledge and second nature to more advanced musicians - so great job!

You might want to also include an side-note/exception to the "touch only the strings you intend to" section (unless you meant to leave it out). Some music requires you to dampen some of the strings around your fretted notes in order to only strum a certain set of notes. Dave Matthews for example uses this technique consistently through many of his song. Again, this may be unrelated to the main points you are trying to get accross but i just thought that I would mention it.

[+=+]

THE SWEET CHILD OF MINE ISNT WORKING GREAT THOUGH

[JD Close]

I didn't think that it would be THAT much for begginers, I've only played for six months, but still, good lesson.

[daswede77]

solid lesson, keep it up. not over-explanatory at all, exactly what ive been looking for

[x-Dio-x]

nice dude! ^^

[frettlessIBANEZ]

peachyman3 has it right on!
my 10yo beginner finaly understands positions and note locations for first position. ive been showing him, but, well ... thanks

[bashfulbrownie]

pretty good lesson.

[rocking rebel]

to long to read i recken it needs shorterning =)

[mfa1177]

good lesson

[LazyLatinoRocke]

This is more of a Beginning guitar than Beginning Lead guitar lesson.

[guitarhero5514]

thx man just wat i was looking for keep it up.

[THE-DUDE!]

Thx dude thats a awesome lesson. You oly need to change the Guns N' Roses Sweet Child O' Mine Vid since its out of date. Ones again awesome lesson.

[Marik374]

first thing i noticed

1. High E String
The high E string is the first string -- meaning the one closest to the ground.

The high E string played open produces the E note.
The high E string played on the first fret produces the F note.
The high E string played on the third fret produces the G note.

No. Just... no...

open = e
first = f
second = f#
third = g

*Face palm*