So you've decided to pick up the old 6 string. But dont have a clue what to do? Well, I'll try to help you out. First of all, make sure all of your strings are in tune, you're going to need a tuner for that, or someone to tune the guitar for you.
Once your guitar is tuned, we can start. First off, holding your guitar. Take your left hand (if your playing right-handed) and place it on the neck of the guitar - where the frets and strings go across. Then, the body of the guitar should rest comfortable on your thigh. Got that? Thats how it should be whenever you decide to play guitar. After that, holding the pick. Holding the pick is crucial, hold too little, and you'll drop the pick, hold too much, and you won't be able to hit the strings, so find a comfortable amount to hold, and make sure its enough to keep a good hold on it.
Once all that is done, we can move on to actually playing the guitar. The way I learned was tablature, or "Tab" for short. It is a diagram of six lines, each line is for a different string. A diagram will follow, but I'll explain first. On the line, there would be a number, ranging from 0 - 24. That number co-responds with the fret you put your finger on, and what string you play.
E |---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B |---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E |---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
That is a tablature. The letter beside is the string note, from highest to lowest. The low E (On the bottom), is the top string, since it is the lowest sound. The second from the bottom -- A, would be the second string from the top. and so on. If you haven't noticed, the tab is opposite of the guitar. It may seem confusing at first, but eventually you will get the hang of it.
Once you first start searching for a song, pick something easy, such as "Smoke on the Water", or "Layla". Once you learn those, and can play them, no questions asked, you should move onto something a little more challenging, there are many songs to choose from, or if you're the creative type, try making your own song. There are many sites that distribute tablature written by people, most are their own versions of songs written by famous bands. But, just keep with it, whether you play every day, or every week, eventually you can play songs at the campfire, not sure about the singing, but you can play! Good luck!
