guitar

[Dr. Greenthumb]

yeah i'll see if your on...the only thing i really need help with right now is how to grip the frets for some reason im doing it wrong and mutes it

[Gorecore]

Gripping the frets when you first start is tricky. Unless you do manual labour for a living, or some other dexterous exercises with your fingers, your fingers right now are really weak.

If you did get an acoustic for Christmas, then your fingers will build up faster than with an electric. Plus you can play some kickass tunes on an acoustic. There are some great acoustic songs out there by Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Neil Young, etc. etc.

Fretting the notes is a personal taste. There are guidelines for proper, and improper fretting to acheive a clear note, or chord. But applying different pressures at certain points makes some really cool noises.

Here, I'll give ya a simple, but commonly used technique. See the 5th, 7th, 12th, and 19th frets? Just count 'em manually, I do. Okay, I'll give you one that's easy. Go to the 12th fret on the neck. Then place the tip of your finger lightly to the string, just barely touching it. Then just pick the string with your pick or finger. It takes some practice, but eventually you'll get a nice sounding ring. That is a harmonic.

You can get harmonics on fret numbers 5, 7, 12, and 19. There's probably some others, but those are the main ones.

Whew. I'm done typing for a bit. Time to spark a doob