Subject: Happy Valentine's Day
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, Happy Valentine's Day! Well, tomorrow, but hey, it's always the right time to show a little love, right?A fellow guitar teacher posted an awesomely funny video on Facebook called "Obey The Beard." I couldn't resist sharing it with you guys. If you don't "get" it, well, maybe you just don't understand... ya know, it's a beard thing. 'Nuff said. Sifting through the mail bag again, I've had a few questions about barre chords, so today let's just cover some tips to help you out. Curtis let me know he's having some trouble "memorizing the chords," and he's experiencing "sore palm from squeezing for barre chords." I think I can help. If you're not sure what a barre chord is, here's the rundown. A barre chord is simply a shape that allows you to play a chord at different positions on the guitar neck. The "barre" part is the kicker in this equation. It essentially replaces the nut when you construct the chord. When we play a barre chord, we are "barring" across the strings with our index finger at a fret location up the neck. It could be at the first fret, the seventh or the fifteenth - it all depends on the chord you want to play. If you've ever tried to play a barre chord before, you know these can be a real challenge. It's not just using your index finger to press all the strings down. You also have to get your other fingers to cooperate and form various shapes. Here's A Pointer Let's focus on just the index finger to start (AKA your "pointer" finger). But first, a disclaimer: your fretting hand is going to be sore. There's no getting around it. You can help build up your grip strength by getting a racquetball or stress ball to squeeze. These are great because you can exercise while you're doing other things. Like with all guitar chords, you will be using the muscles in your hand in new ways. They're bound to complain a bit as you strengthen them up. You will feel soreness in the big muscle between your thumb and index finger, and you're likely to work muscles in your forearm as well. You will also need to train your hand to adjust position on the neck for different chords. As I said, there is going to be soreness initially, but as your muscles learn the positions and strengthen, that soreness will go away. If you find yourself with pain of any sort, stop playing. You don't want to do any damage to your body. In this case you may need to find someone who can give you tips on how to finger the cords so you don't hurt yourself. Soreness is okay, but never should playing guitar be painful. It's like working out in a gym. Exercising can make you sore, but you shouldn't be doing anything that hurts you. The goal with your index finger is to be able to press across the strings at a fret so that when you strum the strings each note sounds out clearly without buzzing or muffling. If I'm looking at the palm of my hand, it's the first two joints of my index finger that cover the strings. For most people, this will also be true. I don't press the strings with the exact middle of my finger - I tend to angle my finger just a little off-center as I add other fingers for the chord shape. The pad of my thumb is placed directly under the index finger on the back of the neck for the best leverage. Practice pressing your index finger on the fingerboard and pinching the neck between your finger and thumb. Strum the strings, adjusting the amount of pressure you use to press the strings down until you get a clean sound from each string. If you practice this exercise for a couple minutes each day, you'll have no trouble strengthening your hand up to play barre chords. Don't be afraid to adjust finger, thumb and hand placement on your guitar neck. If for some reason you have discomfort in your hand, wrist and arm, you'll need to adjust. This is a good reason to have someone to coach you on the basics. Add Chord Shapes I'm not going to go into a lot of detail today, but to play the most common barre chords, you only need to learn two shapes - the major and minor shapes. If you can play open chords already, then you know the major and minor chord shapes we use with barre chords. With most barre chords, we'll have the root note of the chord on either the sixth or fifth string. If you can learn where each note is on those two strings, then you know where each chord can be played. Once you learn the note locations on the frets, all you have to do is add the E major chord shape or the A major chord shape. For chords rooted on the sixth string, you'll use the E shape. Use the A shape for chords rooted on the fifth string. The Barre Chord "Cheat" Do you want to learn these quickly? I created an ebook that helps you "cheat" as you're learning the location of each barre chord. In it I explain how we can substitute power chords for barre chords when we're starting out. You'll learn all the positions for each barre chord, but in a way that allows you to play them quickly and easily. It's called "Easy Power Chords" and you can get it this weekend for 50% off the normal price. Check out the details here. Since there are literally thousands of rock songs out there that use power chords, you could be playing your favorite songs today! Chord Shapes Maybe you're just starting out and you're not sure what I mean by chord shapes. When we play major chords (these chords have a happy sound when you hear them), there are five basic shapes we can use to play all around the guitar neck. Here's a free download to show you each of the five chord shapes. You'll notice that the E major and A major shapes are shown here - the same shapes you'll use for the major barre chords. I know I'm just scratching the surface with this information, but you have to start somewhere. Have yourselves a great weekend, and don't forget to check out Easy Power Chords if you wanna rock today! 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? Please let me know at: dave@learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com As always, please feel free to forward this email to a friend! 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