We all have our favorites, the Beatles, Zack Wylde, Jimi Hendrix. Something about those golden riffs we hear ripping through our speakers draws us. We get images of ourselves holding that incredible instrument and making it soar as our idols have. This is no small task which we well know and hundreds of hours of practice will never get us to the level of excellence they have acheived. But what if this practice would allow us to play a few of our favorite songs? Maybe well enough to slug a few beers at a party and play for everyone? Maybe strum a bit for friends around the fire? I've had the pleasure of being among friends capable of doing both and though I have never had the pleasure of doing so myself, someday I'll belly up the courage to give it a shot.

One of the best parts about learning to play guitar is that you don't really have to know how to read music. I don't have a clue how yet I play fine. You don't even need the damn expensive lessons. How you ask? A little thing called tabliture. Tabliture is the easy way to play guitar. Simply explained, its just a view of the six strings on the guitar and shows you where to put your fingers. It also shows you when to strike these strings and when to play them together in something called a (chord). A chord is just a grouping of strings you depress with the fingers on your left hand at the same time before striking those same strings with your right hand to make a sound. These chords were created because the strings that are included in them make a pleasant sound when strummed in unison.

Perhaps I need to back up for a second and give you the lingo. The guitar is composed of two major parts, the body, and the fretboard. The body is the fat part of the guitar and the fretboard is the long skinny part. The strings of the guitar run down the fretboard and are connected to the body. The fretboard is divided with horizontal lines and broken down into a series of boxes called frets. These frets are extremely important when playing guitar because you will know that in order to play a certain note, you will need to go to 6th string 8th fret or 4th string 12th fret, just to use an example. When the you press the string down against the fretboard of the guitar on a given fret this tightens it. You then strum the string with your other hand (your right it your right handed). This should make a note. If you do it wrong it makes a lousy noise.

Tabliture tells you when to put your finger on a given string or series of strings before you strum. You read it like a book from left to right and it will be composed of 6 lines. Each line represents a string. The bottom most string is the fattest on the guitar. The top most is the skinniest on the guitar. Each time there is a number on a given string in the diagram that represents the fret on the the fretboard you need to push the string against before you strum it. The top fret on the guitar is number one, the next is two and this continues all the way down. Playing guitar isn't easy. You have to start as basic as you can which is basically "Mary had a little lamb" This is played on one string and will let you get the basics down. There are plenty of beginner books out there but the next easy thing I can suggest is A/C D/C. Ironically, many of their best songs are composed of just three chords played in different sequences or rhythms. Newbies and A/C D/C are like peanut butter and jelly, they just work.

Songs that are always the best to play are those that you know well. You know how it is supposed to sound before you even begin so if it doesn't sound right you can adjust. Tabliture is available in expensive books at guitar shops that usually cost 25 bucks for an album of songs from one band. They are free online, but subject to the same restrictions as online music I believe. Many sites try and charge (which was never the case 7 or 8 years ago) but if you google the name of the song you want and just write "tab" after it chances are you'll get what you need. The problem with this method is that many times the song doesn't sound perfect when you play it because someone just did it "by ear". This just means that they figured out how to play the song by listening to it and wrote the tab. I cannot do this but you may have better luck than I with it. Some people are extremely gifted when it comes to music and can pick things up in this regard easily.

Another helpful tool to use when teaching yourself to play guitar is the internet. Each year, more and more services become available that make this easier. Try not to spend any money if you can but a little is ok. For example, a pay service does exist where you can upload your favorite songs and they will be played slow for you with a close up view an animated figure doing everything you need to do. All you have to do is mimic his movements with your hand while you play and your there, quick and easy. If you want to learn to read music anyway I have a link posted below that explains it easily.

The simple fact of the matter is that playing guitar is supposed to be fun. It doesn't need to be expensive or tedious. Just pick it up, have some fun and see if you can get there with the tabliture. If you can, your well on your way to playing some great songs and maybe making a few of your own.

Lastly, if you have a MAC, it comes with an application called GarageBand right out of the box. You can plug your guitar into your MAC and record yourself in this application. Then you can record vocals seperately or more guitar tracks to go with it. Before you know it you have your own self created album. You can also rip a cd of anything you create or pop it into itunes to play on your IPOD. Skip the music teacher and just pay for the guitar and some internet access. If that doesn't work get a friend that can already play to show you a few things. You'll get there and the campfire is waiting.