Subject: 5 Tips to Better Sounding Guitar Chords
You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on www.learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com. If you don't want to receive these e-mails any longer, go to the bottom of this message and click on "unsubscribe." Hey there Friend, Wow, can you believe it? This is the second month in a row that we've had a Friday the 13th! Lucky for us St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner to counteract any bad luck (for you superstitious folks). As for me , my dad was born on a Friday the 13th, so I've never been too bothered by it.And don't forget Pi Day tomorrow - 3.14.15. Make sure you celebrate with your favorite type of pie. Pizza, cherry, chocolate silk, pecan, shepherd's, lemon meringue ... Mmmm... pie.... Before I get to what I wanted to chat with you about today, here's a couple of guitar treats to help you celebrate this holiday weekend... Any Queen fans out there? How about fingerstyle players? Here's an incredible rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" for your listening pleasure and amazement... And if you're particularly drawn to fingerstyle, who better to get a lesson from than Mr. James Taylor? While there isn't much explanation in the video, you can clearly see both hand positions and finger usage through the two camera angles they used to film. Here's "Fire and Rain". Speaking of fingers, I received a few messages this week about some finger challenges people are experiencing, particularly when it comes to chords and chord changes.
Memorize Chord Shapes Serena didn't elaborate on which chord changes she's fighting with, but we know there are a couple buggers we have to deal with... G major comes to mind, as well as F and B. My guess is her trouble has to do with changing from a chord like open D or Em into the G chord, and vice versa. For Darren, getting clean sounding chords is also affected by your skill in moving quickly to the next chord. For both of them, devoting time to developing the muscle memory for each chord will have huge payoffs. You see, when most of us practice, we tend to try and play through exercises. We don't typically pay special attention to problem areas - we're more interested in just completing the exercise. A better approach is to isolate problem areas. Analyze the performance of the exercise and identify areas that need fixed or improved. Break the exercise down into sections that you play with no trouble and those that present a challenge. Then isolate practice to just one problem area until you can play it smoothly. Start adding the rest of the exercise back into your practice and make sure you can play through the entire exercise. If not, identify where the next issue is and clean it up. For example, if a song (exercise) requires that you change chords from a G to a D and that's a problem, first practice playing just a G chord until your fingers automatically know where to go. Then play just the D chord until your fingers are on autopilot. Play each chord perfectly so you don't develop any bad habits or sloppiness. Next, work the chord change from G to D. Do it slowly at first at a steady tempo (like 60 BPM) until you can play each smoothly and in time. Increase the tempo by 5 BPM and practice the chord change. Keep doing this until you are at the exercise's designated tempo. Until the chords have been ingrained in your muscle memory, smooth chord changes will be a struggle. You must get the chord shapes memorized and this only occurs through physical practice. Chord Efficiency Another thing that might be slowing you down with chord changes is the fingering you have adopted. For example, many people learn the G major chord using the index, middle and ring fingers. They place their index finger on the fifth string, second fret, the middle finger on sixth string, third fret and the ring finger on the first string, third fret. I teach my students to use their middle, ring and pinky fingers in those respective positions. Why? Is it because I'm sadistic and enjoy watching my students struggle with the hand stretch and finger curl, forcing their pinky to do more work that it ever has before? No, I'm not a sadist. I teach this chord shape because it is more efficient for chord changes. By freeing my index finger from the chord, it's now ready to move quickly to other chord shapes. My middle and ring fingers can easily get to the fourth and fifth strings for a C major chord - they're already in the correct shape for both chords. You can identify how efficient your fingering is by looking at common chord changes and seeing which fingers are either in the exact position or very close for both chords. If a finger stays in the same relative place for both chords, you now have a finger anchoring your hand so you can shift your other fingers quickly based on the memorized chord shapes. Where's Your Thumb? Another problem I've noticed with students is thumb placement on the guitar neck. Where your thumb goes can have a huge effect on your ability to play chords cleanly. I see it all the time. When we grab the neck of the guitar, we tend to want to wrap our hand around it, kind of like a baseball bat. The problem is, when we're trying to learn chords and make them sound clean (without touching the other strings with each finger), having your thumb wrapped all the way around causes your fingers to angle in a way that naturally mutes other strings. This could be Vic's primary challenge (in addition to the other issues mentioned). String muting is a more advanced topic, Vic, so quit trying to jump ahead! Your thumb is movable. When you're getting your hand used to playing guitar, your thumb is an ideal anchor for the rest of your hand. Having good thumb placement will make your notes and chords sound better, and you'll build up hand strength. The muscle between your index finger and thumb plays a huge part in guitar playing. I suggest you place your thumb in an area of the back of the guitar neck below where your middle finger is. This isn't a hard, fast rule, but when you're starting out, to get the proper finger pressure and to build hand strength, this is a good rule of thumb (pun intended!). Pump Up Your Hand While just working through your practice time will help build up hand strength, you can accelerate by using a hand grip exercise tool, or you can get a racquetball and squeeze that. This will help both your hand and your forearm. In case you hadn't noticed yet, playing guitar works the forearm as well, especially with guitar chords. Just make sure you work on both hands - you don't want to be lopsided! Keep Practicing and Learning When you combine the suggestions I've made here today, it might take a little time to get to a point where you're satisfied with your progress. It can be a little frustrating in the beginning, but the great thing about playing guitar is that what you learn is cumulative. It's an endeavor that you can always improve - you'll never learn or master everything there is to know. But becoming proficient with the fundamentals in the beginning gives you a foundation to build from, and each new thing you learn will be a little easier to master than the last thing you worked on. Success with guitar is easy - you're already halfway there. You got started. The second half of success is just a decision - keep at it. Don't quit. Use the suggestions today to help keep you on the path. And don't forget to... Practice, practice, practice. Peace~ Dave Dave "Eddie" Vance is a rock guitar enthusiast and gear nut. He has been playing guitar for over 30 years and enjoys tormenting the neighbors every chance he gets. When he's not slaving for the man, you can find him rocking out with his B.C. Rich Bich guitar, a cold beer and some sweet tunes. He also runs Learn-To-Play-Rock-Guitar.com, but you knew that already! Follow Learn To Play Rock Guitar:I welcome your feedback! Did you like today's message? What other topics would you like to see covered in my e-mails? 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