Subject: Wrestling With 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, One of the fundamental topics guitar players need to learn very early on is basic guitar chords. We all know this, and every guitar instructor out there knows they need to be effective in helping their students get over the hurdle of basic open chords (barre chords can come later).The problem we run into is not so much the chords themselves, but the frustration that students feel when their fingers don't do what the brain is telling them to do. After all, barring your favorite contortionist, no one looks for ways to to put body parts into strange positions! We all know when we start playing guitar that we're going to have to learn a bunch of new things, but getting your body, arm and hand in line with good chord-playing posture can feel quite un-natural. It's fairly safe to say that if it feels wrong, you're probably forcing it and there is a better way to approach holding and playing your guitar. Chords can be a real challenge for new students. There are all sorts of "moving parts" that come into play. Let's look at some of these: You've got to memorize some basic chord shapes. Fortunately there are only five primary chord shapes in the open position (usually played within the first three frets). These shapes are actually movable, so they can be reused in different locations on the guitar neck for different chords. Initially your brain needs to direct your fingers, but over time your hands will take over and muscle memory does the work. I've already mentioned un-natural finger placement. Our fingers need to be taught what configuration they need to be in to produce the chord. This is your brain's job initially, but as I've mentioned, eventually the muscles take over and it becomes progressively easier to learn new chords. Add to that the aching fingertips. Play for more than five minutes and the strings start digging into your fingertips. Of course, because we're so intent on learning these chords, we apply a great deal of pressure (probably more than we need to) in order to get the notes correct. After a couple weeks of practicing, this will be less of an issue because you will have callouses developing on your fingertips, and that's a good thing. The tougher skin will help in two ways - first the fingers won't ache as much and second, the harder skin surface will allow you to use less surface area of your fingertip to get the same results. Stretching fingers across the fingerboard is more a problem for people with smaller hands (like me). To compensate for this, you've got to get used to adjusting your forearm and changing hand position when necessary. Sometimes it involves changing your thumb placement on the back of the guitar neck, but overall, it's a matter of finding a comfortable position. I often see students actually pushing their guitar neck away from them and hunching over the guitar body to reach the end of the neck. When I see this I remind them to sit up straight and pull the guitar body closer. Posture is important when playing because poor posture will tire you out and reinforce bad habits that can become painful later on. Strain on the back, forearm and hand can lead to injuries. Here's a video explaining some guitar posture issues and how to fix them. If you are experiencing muscle aches and cramping in the hands, the first word of advice is RELAX! If you are applying so much pressure when trying to fret these chords that your hands are fighting back in protest, you may need to make some adjustments in how your holding you guitar (posture) rather than applying vice-grip strength to the guitar neck. Trust me, the neck will win! Before you start playing, try some easy finger, hand and forearm stretching exercises to get limber (download). If your hand gets tight or cramps, set your guitar down and shake your hands loosely at the wrists. Another training point is finger independence. Have you noticed that your lesser-used fingers (the ring and pinky) tend to like to play follow the leader? Again, it's not a difficult issue to correct with some simple finger independence exercises. These exercises take some work to implement, and they can be challenging to perform, but they are simple to understand and put into a regular practice routine. Unintended string muting can be the most frustrating aspect of all because after you've put in all the work to place the fingers in the proper positions, you expect the chord to ring out nicely. Instead you get part or all of the chord muffled and muddy sounding. Argh - you're not getting the payoff for all the work! I already talked about toughening up your fingers to use less finger surface area, and that will help correct this issue. String muting is a very useful technique to keep strings from sounding, but not when those strings are supposed to be heard. Many times this is caused by not having the proper finger arch. Proper finger arch is a common problem, particularly for small hands. Many students tend to want to mash the strings down with the pads of their fingers rather than the fingertips. Again, developing callouses, correct posture and diligence are the keys to helping alleviate the problem of muddy-sounding chords. These are a few of the challenges I've encountered myself or observed with students. The great news is they're all correctable. I've mentioned possible solutions throughout this article. Did this article help? Have you seen or experienced other issues? Let me know here. On the topic of just learning basic chords, is there an easier way? I believe so. First off, you don't have to know or understand chord theory. I'm guilty about sharing too much information when it comes to explaining chords. New students don't really care that a C major triad is made up of the first, third and fifth notes from the C major scale. They just want to know what the shape is and where on the guitar neck to put it. Sure, as time goes on, teaching the theory behind each chord shape will help richen the learning experience, but remember, at the end of the day it's all about the song, not the technicals behind the individual parts. I'm taking a new approach with brand new students. When I teach chords, I'll start with one finger and open string chords. I'll work through each basic shape teaching exercises that use these simplified chords. It will be a lot easier for students to memorize where to place one finger rather than trying to remember entire shapes. And playing through songs will be immensely more gratifying when students can actually change chords during a progression while maintaining the tempo of the song. Ultimately, I want everyone who picks up a guitar to reach whatever goals they set for themselves. Most people just want to be able to play music they like for their own personal enjoyment, so I look for ways to make it as easy for them to do that. It's a work in process, so thanks for your patience. 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! I review products before recommending them. 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