Why Learn Acoustic Guitar?

The sound of the acoustic guitar has become more and more prominant in music over the past few years. Almost every band now will incorporate and acoustic song or two on their lastest albums. Most guitar songs take shape on the acoustic guitar and this is why it is essential to learn acoustic guitar.

This article will cover some of the main aspects you need to know when you learn acoustic guitar.

Techniques used when you learn acoustic guitar.

Most acoustic guitar playing styles are dependant on the actual guitarist and their style of music. Take for example a song like Pinball Wizard by The Who, the acoustic guitar is very prominant all through the song. The way the acoustic guitar is played through this song is based on power strumming and fast rhythm playing.

Alternatively, if your playing a gentle Celtic melody you would be looking to use a finger picking technique. This style, using you thumb for the bass notes and your index, middle and ring finger to pick the lower strings on the acoustic guitar, has been used by many great guitarists. Check out some of Simon and Garfunkels work and listen to how he uses a finger picking style to create his unique sound. By using simple strumming or finger picking techniques you will learn acoustic guitar quickly.

Other styles used on the acoustic include a style called drop "D" tuning. This allows the guitarist to change the note on the top "E" bass string down a tone to a "D" note. This gives you an opportunity to play more melodic, open sounding chords.

When you learn acoustic guitar don't forget to experiment with the instrument. By simply playing a chord, say the "C major" chord, using both strumming, picking and finger picking tecniques you will hear how the chord sounds when played using different styles. It will surprise you how much you can expand on just one chord and milk it for all it is worth! This is especially true when you fingerpick as you are playing more notes within the chord and not just the one sound of you strumming the chord.

Another quick way to get a fanatastic sound from the acoustic is to move a chord position up and down the neck. Try playing the open "E" chord, one of the simplist chords to learn, and shift the chord shape up to the fifth fret and then up th the twelfth fret. You will hear how the one chord can shift up the fretboard and create a unique sound without having to change finger shape.

All these tips make learning guitar more fun and give you a wider knowledge of the instrument. So when you learn acoustic guitar don't forget to be experimental to get the best from the instrument.