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There are different types and gauges of guitar strings available today, with not only the different brands of guitar string and gauge/thickness, but there is also nylon or steel strings to consider also.

So the sound of what you want your guitar to make depends a lot on the gauge/thickness and choice of guitar string...

The higher the gauge number -- the thicker the string
The lower the gauge number -- the thinner the string

Higher gauged or thicker strings will generally last longer and will have a chunkier and fatter sound. As where thinner strings won't last as long and will have a much lighter and crisper sound.

Nylon strings are much softer and aren't really that common, and only used on an acoustic guitar, but are a lot easier on the fingers when first learning to play the guitar. Steel strings are the standard across the board for all types of guitars and produce the most full sound.

A tip: If you seem to be finding that your  guitar strings are vibrating a lot or aren't ringing out properly, this is usually because they are slightly touching the frets on your guitar.

If you have this problem and keep having it, try going for a thinner gauge string and that will give your fingers more room to move on the fretboard!

If you want -- check out: http://www.stringsandbeyond.com/ as they specialize in selling guitar strings and as well as offer free shipping on some orders!

Here's a bit of brief guide to the different string gauge's and thickness

ULTRA LIGHT STRINGS

E|-------------|.008
B|-------------|.010
G|-------------|.014
G|-------------|.022
A|-------------|.030
E|-------------|.038

EXTRA LIGHT STRINGS

E|-------------|.010
B|-------------|.014
G|-------------|.020
G|-------------|.028
A|-------------|.040
E|-------------|.050

LIGHT STRINGS

E|-------------|.011
B|-------------|.015
G|-------------|.022
G|-------------|.030
A|-------------|.042
E|-------------|.052

MEDIUM STRINGS

E|-------------|.013
B|-------------|.017
G|-------------|.026
G|-------------|.034
A|-------------|.046
E|-------------|.056

HEAVY STRINGS

E|-------------|.014
B|-------------|.018
G|-------------|.028
G|-------------|.040
A|-------------|.050
E|-------------|.060

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Today I'll show you how to hold a barre chord.

It is one of the most important chords you'll need in your guitar playing.

The beauty of this chord is that once you can hold it, you'll be able to move it anywhere on the fretboard and it becomes a different note.

To kick off -- this is a barre chord. Don't worry which fret to play it on for now. Just learn how to hold it. I've also included the tabs below to make it easier...

TABS:

E|--1--|
B|--1--|
G|--2--|
D|--3--|
A|--3--|
E|--1--|

This is an example of a Barre Chord. Pace your index finger across ALL 6 strings, followed by your middle finger on fret 2, and finally the rest of your fingers on string the 3rd fret of strings 5 & 6.

Admitted -- it is hard to hold at first, but in time you will get it. The more it hurts the more your fingers need to be stretched. Keep at it each day and I guarantee you'll be able to hold it.

Before I carry on, barre chords are always measured by your index finger. So if I say play a barre chord on fret 4, you place your index finger across ALL strings on fret 4, followed by the rest of your fingers. So always measure a barre chord by your index finger.

Now -- once you can hold a barre chord, you are then able to move it to different locations on the fretboard and play different notes!

So for example...if you hold a barre chord on the 1st fret (top string) you are playing an F chord!

If you move it to the 3rd fret (top string) you are now playing a G chord.

If you move it to the 5th fret (top string) you are now playing an A chord and so on.

Here's a guide of what I'm talking about...

To watch a free video on barre chords, CLICK HERE 

Bottom line,,,,,To learn the  barre chord is one of the many important chords to learn when playing the guitar.

Keep practicing, and never give up!!!   

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Getting rhythm in your guitar playing is very important as it makes up about a third of the three elements in music. The two others are melody and harmony. So what does the word or concept of rhythm actually mean? There are many different ways of describing the definition of rhythm and what it actually is. Rhythm to me is recognized as the beat of a song.

You will find different people when listening to music will listen to different aspects of the song.

So, for example some might hear the guitar riff in a song, or maybe you might really notice the drum beat and how it's constructed. Usually if there is a singer in the music that people are listening to, this is generally what will be heard first. When I am personally listening to a song I hear the guitar riff first, and then the beat of the song, which in turn is the rhythm.

When you are dancing to a song you will be hopefully dancing to the beat of that song. Without knowing it you will be concentrating on the rhythm of that song and once again, hopefully, moving in time to that rhythm. The rhythm is the beat behind the song or piece of music that you are listening to, which you will not always notice straight away.

Percussion instruments are used to create the beat which then creates the rythem.The drum kit would be the most common percussion instrument, and there are many others. The drum kit is everywhere and is in most popular music. If you are studying rhythm, then the drum place is normally a good starting point.

Within rhythm, there are many types from western to eastern which generally relates to the different types of percussion instruments that are being used, and the many kinds of rhythmical patterns. Rhythmical patterns is the way the beat is played and the different variations of the beats. When referring to western and eastern rhythms it is also referring to the instrument and rhythmical pattern which also reflects the origin. Western rhythm usually comes from America or Europe and eastern rhythms come from the Middle East or Asia. Also, African rhythms are also talked about and have unique aspects to them.  So western rhythms are usually American or European, eastern rhythms are usually Middle Eastern and Asian based. African rhythms are often talked about also and like the others has unique aspects to it. So basically each area has its own specific rhythmical identity to it.

When it comes to playing in a band, or just playing with one friend it is crucial to understand and learn rhythm. Because you are all playing together, if there is no agreed speed of the beat then how will the rhythm eventuate and how will you all sound any good. So as guitarists it is vital to learn and practice rhythm so to play along and in time with every one else.

So learning the guitar is not a small undertaking. When thinking about rhythm in regards to your practice think of it as the how a beat would go behind you're playing. So imagine a drummer playing along with you keeping time and helping with the rhythm of the song. In the reviews on the front page all of the products have an onscreen metronome which is a beat player which you can practice and play along to.

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It is not uncommon if you are new to the guitar, and learning the guitar to be a little unfamiliar with the different parts of the it. Below is a brief description of a  some of the commonly misunderstood parts of the guitar.

The Neck

I thought I would start on a easy one first. The neck is the part that comes out of the body of your guitar, and the headstock is attached to the end of the neck.

Headstock

The head stock is the part of a guitar at the end of the neck opposite to the body. The headstock is used for supporting the tuning pegs which are used to wind the strings. Depending on the type of guitar, there are many different sizes of head

Machine Heads  

The machine heads or tuning pegs are located at the headstock, and what they are responsible for is to tighten or loosen the strings so they string can be tuned. A basic gear mechanism is used to wind the strings.

Frets -

Frets are the bars or ridges (usually made of metal) that are  on the fingerboard, or neck of a guitar So when the string is pressed on the metal by your fingers, it will make a note of the desired pitch. Frets are arranged on a guitar to produce the specific musical pitches. On the standard guitar or bass each fret represents one semitone or half step.

Bridge

The bridge is located down on the body.  The function of the bridge, in addition to simply holding the strings in place, is to transmit their vibrations to the top of the guitar, to the instrument's soundboard or pickups. Once you look around you will find many different types of bridge and they are made from a variety of materials depending upon the type of guitar it is. Electric guitars will usually have metal bridges, and acoustic guitars usually have wooden ones.

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If you find yourself taking your electric guitar to the shop to get the strings changed, maybe it's time to learn how to string an electric guitar yourself.. Doing this you want to be very careful as there is a lot of tension on the string and if it snaps, it can do a lot of damage, to your eyes!  Lets get in to it.......

Step 1

The first thing we will do is remove the old strings by taking any bits off the tuning peg, and then taking out the "ball" of the bridge end. There is two main types of electric guitar with two different types of bridge.

Most Fender guitars and a few other brands have the string going through the guitar and coming out the back of the guitar. At this point check that the ball has been removed because if you don't, you might get two that wedge in there together and can be a real nightmare to get them out. Check by holding the guitar up to the light and looking through the whole, and then using a new string to poke it out. Also try and removing the back plate to see what you are doing

On a most Gibsons the balls are just hooked through the bridge and they can be seen clearly which makes them easy to be removed. Fter that is done you can feed the string into the whole where the ball was. Gibson guitars require you only poke the string through the whole, sharp end first, and pulling it through and stopping at the ball. On Fenders guitars you will have to put the sharp end of the string into the whole in the back of the guitar, under the rear plate. Then push it through, grab it at the front and put it through until its stopped by the ball.

Step 2

Now we are ready to wind the string on the peg, and the most important part here is to get the string on the correct side of the peg. So first we line up the whole in the peg so it's facing straight down the neck, then put the string through the whole and pull it back a little so you have some slack. The amount of slack required will depend on the thickness of the guitar string. The 1^st string will need about 10cm and the 6^th string about 10cm roughly. Now it's time to hold your string in the correct place with your right hand and hold the peg so the string can't slip and then turn the peg anti-cockwise. This is the case if you are looking at the peg from the top, but if it is underneath like some Gibsons, it will look clockwise.

As you turn the peg make sure the 1^st time around  the string should go above the hole and the  Then next time around below, and so on. What this does is locks the string down and reduces slippage.

Step 3

Time to tune her up. I strongly recommend using a electric tuner, and fortunatly most Online Guitar lesson Software and Programs  provide a onscreen tuner. It is really important to hear what your guitar should sound like when its in tune properly, especially when learning to play the guitar. Either way you to do it correctly, use something, even a piano.

Step 4

It is not uncommon for most to forget the last part of this process, stretching in. So with little pressure with your right hand pull the string up still keeping it in its correct position. You will that it has gone horribly out of tune, not a problem just keep winding and stretching and re tuning, until will stretch no more. Gentle is the word to remember here. There are locking systems available can prove very difficult to tune...

Happy tuning!!!

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