Step 1:
The first step is to take off the old strings. Start with the high E string. You do this by loosening the tuning pegs, and remove string. If you flip the guitar upside down you will see a back plate on the back of the body. Most back plates have an opening to the strings, but if yours doesn’t then just remove it using a screwdriver. Loosen the strings at the headstock of the guitar using the tuning pegs. When you pull the string out from the machine head, the string will be curly, and bent. This will make it hard to pull the string through the bridge, so cut off the bend section of the string. Now, at the back of the guitar pull on the ball end (usually gold, or multi-coloured) until the string is removed from the guitar. Remember, you may not want to remove all the strings at once. It may cause a quick shift in tension that may affect your guitar neck. (The only time I remove all the strings at once is when I’m cleaning the fretboard.)

Step 2:
Take the new string, and pull it through the back of the guitar until the ball end hits the bridge. Slide the string through the machine head, and leave about 1″-2″ of slack. Now, you bring the string towards the center of the headstock, and loop it under and up the string. Start turning the tuning peg in the direction so that the string is closest to the center of the headstock.

Step 3:
You’ll want to make sure that your strings are fully stretched before fully tune your guitar. The method I use is:
• Tune the string in tune
• At the 12th fret pull the string up about an inch from the fretboard in a stretching motion.
• Play on the string a bit using bends
• Repeat the above steps until the string stays in tune.
Now just do that for each string, and your guitar will be fully stringed. Restringing a guitar wasn’t so hard, was it?

Here’s how a blank guitar tab (short form for tablature) looks:
E |————————————————
B |————————————————
G |————————————————
D |————————————————
A |————————————————
E |————————————————

Now each line (———————-) represents a string. The top line being the highest/thinnest string and the bottom line being the lowest/thickest string.

What does the E, A, D, G, B, and E letters stand for?

Those letters stand for the notes that each string are tuned to (EADGBE being standard tuning. Don’t worry about tunings right now, we’ll get to that after).

Now, let’s take a look at a guitar tab with notes

E |—3–5–7–8———————————
B |—————–5–7–8–10—————–
G |————————————————
D |————————————————
A |————————————————
E |————————————————

Each of these numbers tell you what frets the notes are to be played on. 0 would result on picking an open string, 1 would mean fretting the first fret, etc. In our example above the first four notes are 3, 5, 7, and 8 on the high E string (the thinnest string). So that would mean pick 3rd fret high E, then pick 5th fret high E, etc.

Pretty simple, eh?

Ok, now let’s take a look at some of the symbols associated with tabs and their meanings:

P – Pull Off
H – Hammer On
/ – Slide Up
- Slide Down
T – Tap Note
P.M. – Palm Mute
~ – Vibrato
If you don’t know what some of these terms mean, don’t worry about it right now.

The downfall to tabs on a website or a text document is there is no real way to tell the time signatures. The only way to do this with tabs is to get tablature software.

Are You Ready To Play The Guitar?

Starting to play the guitar can be frustrating and exciting at the same time. Right now you’re eager to pick up the guitar, and just start shredding away to your favourite tunes. There are a few things that you have to consider before you play.

Tip #1

Stretch. Stretch your arms, hands, finger, and feet (well, ok maybe not your feet) before every practice session. Not only does stretching make you able to play faster and cleaner, it can help prevent serious injuries. You wouldn’t want to injure yourself, trust me. You won’t be playing guitar for a while!

Tip #2

Don’t rush yourself. Too many people make this mistake. They try to play the fastest that they can play, because they don’t have patience. Mastering the guitar requires discipline.

Tip #3

Find inspiration. If you have no inspiration, you won’t be playing much. You will pick up the guitar for 10-20 minutes, get bored and put it down. With inspiration you then have the drive to succeed. With this drive, then nothing will stop you.

One of the most inspirational things I found when starting to play the guitar was to watch great musicians. When you watch great musicians, you get the tingling feeling inside of you that makes you want to succeed. One way to do this is to go out, and buy music dvds.