Fine guitar instrumentals and songs of praise.

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The Secret Code.

 

     To identify an individual note we need to know two things, first on which string does it lie and second, on which fret does it lie?

 

The first string is the thinnest string.

 

The sixth string is the thickest string.

 

Every note is identified by a number.

 

The first part of the number tells me the string and the second part tells me which fret.

 

11 = 1st string + 1st fret. 

13 = 1st string + 3rd fret.

42 = 4th string + 2nd fret.

Not all notes are fretted. We also have the six open strings.

10 = 1st string + no rets.       

20 = 2nd string + no frets.

30 = 3rd string + no frets etc

 

Example 1

 

Try playing the following notes;

 

10 21 23 30 - 30 23 10 21

 

Example 2

 

Happy birthday to you,

30 30 32   30  21 20 -

 

happy birthday to you,

30 30 32   30  23 21 -  

   

Happy birthday dear Ma-ry.

30 30 13   10  21   20 32-

 

Happy birthday to you.

11 11 10   21  23 21 –

 

 

Timing; Even if you do not know the tune, the words will give you a clue as to the length of each note. If the tune has no words then a note written like

23 gets 1 beat.

23 gets a ½ beat,

23 – gets 2 beats and

23 - - gets 3 beats etc.

 

 

Tuning:

The strings are  E A D G B E

 

When your guitar is in tune:

65 sounds like   50 A

55 sounds like   40 D

45 sounds like   30 G

34 sounds like   20 B

25 sounds like   10 E

 

To hear these notes on a tuning track click here. It starts with the 10. E

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Example 3

            A                   A

32 22   23  10      32 22 23    10

Oh when the saints, go marching in,

 

            A                   E

32 22   23  10      22 32 22    20

Oh when the saints, go marching in,

 

          A           D

22 22  20 32  22 10   10 23

I want to be- in that number,

 

         A          E        A

22   23  10      22 32  20   32

when the saints, go marching in.

 

 

Chords

This is where we hold down 3 or 4 notes at the same time.

 

A = 42 32 22 and play from the 5th string.

E = 31 52 42      "     6th

D = 32 12 23      "     4th

 

With any song there are three ways to play it.

 

1 Play the melody.

 

2 Strum along and sing.

 

3 Play the melody and add a chord just once where it appears in the music.