Beginner · Lesson 1 of 8 · 10 min
Lesson 1: Getting to know your guitar
Every part of your guitar and the names of the six strings.
What's what on your guitar?
At the top is the headstock with the tuning pegs. You use those to tune the strings. Then comes the neck: the long strip with little raised lines on it, called frets. At the bottom is the soundhole (on an acoustic guitar) or the pickups (on an electric guitar). That's where the sound comes from.
The wooden strip on the neck where you place your fingers is called the fretboard. Each fret is the space between two of those raised lines.
The six strings
Your guitar has six strings. From thick to thin they're called: E, A, D, G, B and E.
- 6th string (thickest): E — the low E
- 5th string: A
- 4th string: D
- 3rd string: G
- 2nd string: B
- 1st string (thinnest): E — the high E
Exercise
Exercise: explore your guitar
Tap gently on the wooden top near the soundhole and listen. Then pluck all six strings one by one, from thick to thin.
Slowly turn one tuning peg while plucking the string: can you hear the pitch go up or down? That's how tuning works.
Finished practising?