Log in to become a member of Steven Rogers's Fan Club!
This lesson I'm going to teach you a song. First how are you making out with your first chord, the C maj? The chord should feel easy and sound clear. If you fingers are still hurting, don't worry that is normal. They will for a while until those calluses form on your fingers. Don't let that discourage you because they will come. You can't rush them. The good news is that once you get them they are yours and they will never completely go away. Once a guitar player always a guitar player! I hope you have had fun with the c chord. I hope you have tried different patterns of strumming the strings and the whole chord. If it still doesn't sound right I want you to check your tuning first from the thickest string to the thinnest they should be tuned E-A-D-G-B-e. If it still doesn't sound right I want you to fret the E string at the 5 th fret and play that string and the A string they should sound the same. If they don't, tune the A string so that it matches the fretted E string. We are going to do this with every string except when you get to the G-string fret at the 4 th fret. Then back to the 5 th on the B string. This will tune your instrument to itself and make it sound right. If you are still hearing buzzing when you play, fret the chord and play each note individually and when you get to a buzzing string look at why it is buzzing. Is the string fretted hard? Are any other fingers touching the string that isn't supposed to be? Fix these problems before moving on. There is no rush. It is important that you take your time and do it right.
Now that we have established the correct technique I am going to teach you two new chords, the G and the D. These three chords are a real common chord combination. There are tons of songs that use these three chords. Chords come in families but that is for another time and lesson. This is not a family of chords. It is simply three chords that sound good together and are the building blocks for a number of songs. I'm going to tab the new chords and then talk a little about them.
I put the C in there to give you some perspective for the new chords. I want you to notice the similarities in the C chord and the G chord. The lowest two notes are fingered the same just a string apart, while the highest fretted notes are a few frets apart. This makes the quick transition from one to the other a little difficult. One way to overcome that is to finger the G chord with your middle, ring, and pinkie fingers leaving your index finger in place to put down on the 1 st fret of the C chord. This is a good way to teach you hand the G chord. This also will give your pinkie finger some time on the strings so that it has a chance to build those calluses along with fingers one, two, and three. Unlike the C chord, when you play the G chord you strum all six strings, so make sure to strum through all six strings. There is not much to say about fretting the D chord. I use my index finger on the G-string, my middle finger on the e string, and my ring finger on the B string. Do notice that the top two strings are not played and the D string is played open. There are a few ways of not playing those strings the easiest and most common is to mute the strings. When you mute a string you just barely touch it to keep it from ringing. With some practice you can do this with a finger that is fretting an adjacent string as with the C chord. When there are not fretted strings as with the D chord it just takes practice to learn where to start your strumming action.
You need to practice these chords a lot. Pay attention to the correct fingering and tiring to make smooth transitions from one chord to another. Tap you foot and strum each chord as you do keeping the timing consistent. This gets boring so to give it a little structure I want you to play the G for two taps, the D for two taps, then the C for four taps. Then repeat and do this over and over several times. Make sure to watch your posture and have fun. When you get used to this try strumming up and down or whatever you like just try to keep in time with your foot. Two taps G. two taps D. four taps C. If you're listening maybe you are starting to hear music. That's right you are making music. This chord progression is what is used throughout the song Knocking on Heaven's Door (Bob Dylan not Guns and Roses). Pretty cool huh? Sing with it and have fun. Now just practice practice practice, and next time we will learn more chords and songs to play and sing along with. Till then Keep Rockin'!!!
Steven is a self proclaimed right wing Christian extremist. He is a former Marine and currently work in the laboratory of a cancer research and treatment facility. He is the father of two little girls and is referred to as genius by his wife (mostly as a sarcastic term of endearment!)
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
tweet this!