Chords Guitar - Google Blog Search

Making Music With Acoustic Guitar Chords - So Anthro
The 8 Most Important Open Guitar Chords For Beginners
Play Guitar: Beginner Chords to Sound Like a Pro - conFITdent
RoboTar strikes a chord for those whose disabilities prevent guitar ...

Making Music With Acoustic Guitar Chords - So Anthro

Posted: 14 May 2014 11:49 AM PDT

When you play several notes on your guitar at the same time, you are actually playing an acoustic guitar chord. There are many different acoustic guitar chords that you can learn with online guitar lessons, but you only need to know a few to be able to play hundreds of different songs. You can even vary how you play a song so that you only use the chords you know. There are two types of chord you will need to learn. Major chords produce a brighter sound, whilst minor chords have a much darker, sadder sound when played.

As is the same with tabs, guitar chords are notated using diagrams. The difference between the two is that, with tabs, the lines will run across the diagram (horizontally), whereas chords are represented by the string lines running top to bottom (vertically)

When you take a look at a chord diagram, the first thing you will spot is a grid. The vertical lines represent the strings and the horizontal lines represent the frets (the area between two metal bars on the fingerboard). The dots tell you where you should hold the string down. You will also see numbers, either at the top or the bottom of the diagram. These tell you which finger you should use to hold down each string, with 1 meaning index, 2 middle, 3 ring finger and 4 is the pinky. Where you see a number 0, that string is left open and played. Where you see an X, that string is left open and should not be plucked. The thumb is only used on rare occasions, but when it is, it's noted as T.

So, lets look at a couple of easy acoustic guitar chords that we can start with:

G-major

To play G-major, start off by placing your middle finger at the third fret on string six. Next, put your index finger on string five, fret two. Finally, your ring finger should go on the first string, third fret. Now play each string one at a time, including the open ones. Listen to each note as you play it, and if it sounds a little off, check that you are holding down the strings tightly and that your fingers are not overlapping the strings then try again until you are happy with it. You can then strum all strings at once and voila! You have played your first chord.

E-minor

For this chord, you need to place your index finger on the second fret of the fifth string, and your middle finger on the fret two of string four. Make sure there is enough room on the fret for both fingers without letting them touch each other. Once again, start by strumming each note until you are happy with finger placement and the individual sounds, then strum the full chord.

Some other basic acoustic guitar chords you can learn are D-major and A-major. We cover these in part one of the free online course. You will then be ready to move on to chord progression.

Chord progression is basically moving back and forth between acoustic guitar chords. The key is to try to get your fingers in place as quickly as possible. You will probably find that it takes a little time to perfect, so start by getting your fingers in place one at a time. Do this over and over again, aiming to be quicker each time. Doing this helps build muscle memory, so that, eventually, your fingers will just fit in place automatically.

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The 8 Most Important Open Guitar Chords For Beginners

Posted: 15 May 2014 04:14 PM PDT

Bigstock photo
Where do you start when you want to learn to play guitar?

Well learning chords and strumming songs is the first thing you want to work on.

The chords are the building blocks for your songs, they give you the harmony. The strumming delivers the rhythm and together they are the accompaniment for your or someone elses singing voice which in turn provides the melody.

The 8 chords every beginner guitar player should learn first are: C – A – G – E – D – Am – Em – Dm. (you can memorize the first 5 open major chords by the word CAGED)

With these chords alone you can play an endless amount of songs. For example there are about a zillion songs that use this chord progression: G – D – Em – C (also called the I – V – vi – IV progression).

Songs like "You're beautiful" by James Blunt, "With or without you" by U2 and "She will be loved" by Maroon 5 can all be played with just these 4 chords. Not all of these songs are originally in the key of G but you could easily fix with the help of a capo and play it in the appropriate key.

The open chords are also the starting point and components for the more advanced chords that follow like barre chords. All barre chords are derived from open chords. But that is for another post.

For now check out and learn these 8 treasures to build your most important chord vocabulary:

The numbers on the dots in the chord diagrams above indicate the finger positioning:
1 = index finger, 2 = middle finger, 3 = ring finger, 4 = pinky

The best way to learn these chords is to apply them to songs to get you all fired up. Start with three chord songs to begin with and later when you feel more comfortable playing and switching between chords you can try some four chord songs.

Here are some pointers to focus on when practicing chords:

Tips:
- Press the strings with the very tips of your fingers.
- Bend all three knuckles.
- press the strings hard enough.
- Make sure your fingers are as close to the fret as possible.
- If you press a string make sure your finger isn't touching and muting the string below.
- Rest your thumb on the back of the guitar neck, not on top of it.
- Check each string to see if all the notes sound clean and clear.
- Learn to switch between chords.
- Start practicing three chords songs (G – C – D). and later four chord songs.
- Practice your chords daily.

Have a great day!

"Three chords and the truth, that's what a country song is" ~ Willie Nelson

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Play Guitar: Beginner Chords to Sound Like a Pro - conFITdent

Posted: 14 May 2014 02:54 AM PDT

by Alfred

Learning how to play the guitar will make you more skillful, attractive, and will stimulate your mind. There are plenty of basic tutorials that you can find online and you can get a decent guitar for under $100 if you're looking to just get familiar with some of the basics.

In case you didn't know, most songs are based on a collection of chords. By getting familiar with some of the easier or most common chords, you'll be able to navigate your way through some songs that will bring out your inner virtuoso.

Helpful Resources:

>>>Learn to Play an Instrument

>>>Learn to Play the Drums

>>>Learn to Play the Piano

Playing with Only Two Fingers

Even when you are just a beginner, you can play guitar with just two fingers: your index and your ring finger. Just place your fingers one fret apart from each other, fingers at the two top strings, then strum the guitar.

Repeat strumming and experimenting with the proper placement of your fingers until you hear a good vibrating sound or music from your guitar.

Playing with Only One Finger

You can also use a single finger to play guitar: your middle finger. Make sure that you lower down the top string from 'E' to 'D' before doing so. This way, you will get the right kinds of sound from your instrument.

Just use your middle finger on the top string and strum away. You can use notes for a 'dropped d' song as a guide so that you can truly play a piece.

Strum Pattern

If you've been able to slap a table to play the drums, then you know that the right rhythm means a lot. Pay very close attention to the tempo and strum patterns of songs as you learn them to make the song sound familiar.

If you want to play guitar like a true pro, practice chords. Even if the chords above are easy to play, they can sound awful when you do not know how to strum properly. Your fingers also need to get used to pressing the strings. Also, your timing should be improved to make you sound like you really know what you are playing.

Alfred

Alfred is an expert when it comes to culinary skills, combat medicine, hand-to-hand combat, and tactical analysis. His mission is to provide service content that will make you smarter and more skillful.

RoboTar strikes a chord for those whose disabilities prevent guitar ...

Posted: 16 May 2014 06:12 AM PDT

The Premise. It's often said that learning a musical instrument can be tough, and it is. But teaching a musical instrument can also be a difficult task. You need to have an instrument to demonstrate on, but also need to be free to make corrections to your student.

The Product. RoboTar is a robotic guitar hand. More simply put, it can be placed over the first four frets of any standard size guitar and it plays chords while you strum. The device attaches to a computer, tablet or smartphone via a USB cord. Existing songs or songs of the musicians own making can be loaded onto the app which controls the product. A foot pedal allows the player to change chords. The product is made of a thin white plastic and lights show which frets are being played when RoboTar is on.

The Pitch. RoboTar's creator speaks in his video about how his father's debilitating stroke inspired the product. He was looking for an instrument that could be played by anyone unable to use both hands. From there, the product's uses branched out to novice players and music teachers. The campaign also shows footage of people using RoboTar, making it easier to understand the product. RoboTar is aiming for an ambitious $230,000 goal in its 40-day Kickstarter campaign.

The Perks. For a first production run version of the RoboTar, backers will have to donate $795 for delivery in December 2014. To save $50, backers can also opt for the later second production run RoboTar for $745 set to ship in June 2015. Higher tiers offer a wireless version of the product which uses Bluetooth technology and a battery pack.

The Potential. Any product that allows someone to play a musical instrument who otherwise would not be able to is awesome. In addition, it has great benefits for everyone else like holding chords while the melody is played higher up on the fingerboard, cutting out the need for a rhythm guitarist. The MiKord is a similar product aimed at helping novice guitar players perform songs, but doesn't give the freedom to change chords at will. However, the MiKord's lack of freedom makes it much less expensive than the RoboTar. Still, the RoboTar is a great product for anyone who would like to play the guitar, but is unable to do so.

Chords Guitar