Chords Guitar - Google Blog Search

Chords Guitar - Google Blog Search

<b>Guitar Chord</b> Lessons – Top 10 Mistakes - Solo Lessons

Posted: 26 Oct 2009 06:52 AM PDT

Anyone currently practicing guitar, especially beginners, may be curious to know what the most common mistakes made by novice guitar players are. Knowing this information will not only give one the incentive to learn to play guitar chords correctly but will let the new guitarist know that in times of trouble he or she is not alone. Experienced players can more likely guess what a lot of them are. The top ten mistakes made by novices are as follows:

1. Giving up too soon

Without doubt this is the most common mistake new guitar players make. What these people fail to realize is that whenever you learn a new skill, you're going to be extremely poor at performing it. As for playing the guitar even stars like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton sucked at it when they first started out. It's going to be very difficult when you try playing guitar chords for the very first time. This is when perseverance is needed most. The most crucial time is when you're almost there, you're able to make the shape of a chord and at times you can strum it clearly. So, you've been practicing for 7 days straight and haven't seen any improvement. That's the worst time to give up at learning guitar chords. Just hang in there, keep reading and keep practicing, but whatever you do, don't give up.

2. Not visualizing finger movements

Here are some simple steps when forming a chord: Notice where your fingers are at and next, visualize where they need to be. Figure out how you'll move them the least distance possible as you form the new chord. You may not even have to move half your fingers since they'll be used in the other chord. Meanwhile, keep thinking up ways you can speed up your playing. If you follow these steps I guarantee you'll change chords more quickly. Just remember, it's imperative to visualize where each finger is going to move to and how that will happen while you are trying to play easy to learn guitar chords.

3. Making it too hard for yourself

The best way to learn guitar chords is by switching from one guitar chord to another. This definitely goes without saying. Just concentrate on the easy chords and don't attempt to play chords that are way too difficult. Trying to play too hard of chords will just make you forget what you were trying to do. Choose some easy ones like G to A, E to A, or D to G.

4. Not working on your fingers

It's apparent that you use your fingers to form chords and to strum them as you learn the guitar chords. Don't you think you need to exercise them as well as build strength in them? Absolutely! You can do this by pressing down hard on the strings, doing wide scale exercises (stretch those fingers and use that pinky), and doing finger press-ups (one that very few like to do). There are also little finger weights you can use.

Looking at your hands too much

Once you master guitar chords changing from one open chord to another should be second nature. That means you must be able to switch without looking at your hands. In fact, you should be able to form and play each guitar chord blindfolded. You don't see professional guitar players looking at their guitars every time they need to make a chord change, do you? Absolutely not! Still some may if they're making a tricky change or when they're playing a solo. (We'll get more into this later). This comes with practice and as they say, "practice makes perfect".

5. Only practicing one chord at a time

Here is a common trap many players fall into when they practice: only practicing one chord at a time. Still, these novices are not to blame. This is simply the way they've been instructed by tutors or books they've read. Unfortunately, many of these training sources don't really comprehend the learning process of guitar playing. By practicing 3 chords at the same time, you'll discover that you'll learn the fingerings for each of them more rapidly than practicing only one of them at a time. This all depends on how your brain functions. You simply give your brain 3 different patterns to memorize but in different orders. This strengthens the pathways in your brain enabling it to pull up information faster. Give it a try and you'll see what I mean.

6. Leaving your pinky out of sight

As strange as this may sound, this is something I see a lot of guitar players do. Your fingers should be hovering over the strings of the guitar AT ALL TIMES. So when you form a D chord your pinky should be hovering somewhere over the high E string or the B string. Many players have a tendency to hide their pinky behind the fretboard or in some other weird place. This makes it even harder for them to learn more advanced chords later on as they progress in their practice.

7. Not understanding the root note

A chord's bass not is also its root note. This is the beginning string to strum or pick from. The root note for an E chord is E which is played as the open low E string on your guitar. This simply means you start strumming or picking at that note.

8. Not picking the chord

When strumming a chord you will often realize you're hitting a lot of dead notes. Still, most beginners will tend to stop there and keep strumming until it comes out right. This is a rather difficult way to learn guitar chords. Experienced players realize it's better to pick each note one by one until they find the string causing them the dead note. They can either apply more pressure or move the finger slightly to get it into a better position. Doing this saves one a lot of time and frustration.

9. Not using all your senses

Learning to play a guitar should be a sensual activity as well. One who practices would benefit from seeing the guitar chord in a photo of someone playing it, in a diagram that illustrates where your fingers should be, or better yet, in a video so you can watch the player put his fingers into position. Sight, no doubt is a great way to learn. Still, as you try to learn guitar chords, you won't get very far without hearing the chord strummed or picked. Once you hear the chord played, you'll be able to compare how it sounds when you play it versus when a professional plays it. The more ways you can get information into your brain at once, the more successful you'll be at learning how to play guitar chords in a short amount of time.

In conclusion, these tips are in no particular order. Still they are very valuable tips to know when learning to play guitar chords faster than anyone else. What you might like to do is write each one down on a piece of paper and start using it in your daily practice. You'll be surprised at how fast you'll see results.
| Tuesday, 7 October 2014 | |

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