Expand Your Musical Vocabulary - With Chords
by Guitar Tips
Summer
is finally here! Now is the time to sit around the campfire and get
those acoustics rocking. We've been busy taking down all of your
suggestions and ideas so stay tuned this Summer for some awesome
additions to your newsletter.
In this
edition, we will be continuing our journey to stardom with taking
the next step in our new practice regimen. See what other
subscribers have to say in our feedback booth and get inspired by
some words from B.B King. Lets get started!
The next step to playing like a pro...
In our
last edition, we started to discuss a new practice regimen known by
the acronym PACS (pronounced packs) and it stands for "practice
arpeggios, chords and scales." I've designed this practice regimen
to put you on the fast track to success with your playing skills. We
have already covered how to practice properly and we took a look at
some arpeggio exercises. Now, it's time to move into chords.
For most
of us, the first thing we learn to play on guitar are chords.
Someone teaches us the major chords and some of the minor chords but
that's usually where it ends unless you get a chord book. The
problem is, many of these books don't explain the technique behind
chords. Practicing chords properly not only makes you sound better
and play faster but keeps you in good health!
Getting to the root of the problem...
Feeling stressed?
I have
had many students who have come to me asking, "Is it supposed to
hurt like this when I'm playing a chord?" The answer is no,
absolutely not. When you are playing guitar, you should feel no
discomfort. Physical stress to muscles while playing guitar is quite
common amongst beginners and professionals alike. This problem is
evident when playing chords because it uses so many muscles in your
hands, arms and shoulders.
When
holding a chord, I have found that many people rap their fingers
around the neck of the guitar much like it's a walking stick. This
is fine if you need the leverage to bend a chord or if you are near
the headstock where room is small. However, the way to get maximum
results is to put your thumb behind the neck of the guitar. To
insure accuracy, put your fretting hand in the shape of a C and then
place your hand around the neck of the guitar. You will find that
you will have much faster chord changes when playing around the
middle of the fretboard. You may find that holding the chord with
your thumb rapped around the fretboard may cause discomfort, almost
like a spasm.
The
reason for this spasm is simply due to the fact that you are holding
onto the guitar like it's a parachute. To relieve this stress,
examine your posture and start looking at the problem areas from the
shoulder down. Relax your shoulders and let them hang loose, as if
you were walking. Then look at your wrist and make sure that they
aren't curved too much as this is a stress point that can cause
carpal tunnel syndrome. If you develop carpal tunnel syndrome, it
could mean the end of your playing career. Then, take a look at what
your fingers are doing while holding the chord.
If
you're not sure how much pressure you should be pressing down on the
string with, I have a helpful trick that works like a charm. Press
down on any note with the tip of your finger, barely placing any
pressure on the string (just enough to mute it when you pick). The
reason you only use the tip of your finger is due to dexterity and
accuracy.
Then
start to pick the note you want to sound while slowly increasing the
pressure you're placing on the string. Stop as soon as you hear a
clear tone. What do you automatically notice? That's right, you're
hardly holding down the string! This sensation is great for quick
chord changes.
This
will make playing barre chords a breeze. Far too often, I see people
placing enough pressure on their strings to have an aneurism...
don't let this be you! After taking these steps, you should be more
relaxed and ready to rock.
Keep in
mind that you will need to adjust pressures on a regular basis
depending on what you are playing. Try to keep things as light as
possible while keeping the firmness needed to play. For example, you
will need to adjust the pressure you place on your strings for
playing barre chords as opposed to an open G chord.
Guitar Tips
Explore the world of chords!
Learning
different chords are essential to becoming a well balanced musician.
I have personally found myself in a playing "rut" that was extremely
hard to get out of. It was as if I couldn't play anything new and my
imagination was gone when it came to writing songs. Then I
discovered chords. When my professor first suggested chords I
laughed because I considered myself a lead guitarist and I couldn't
make the connection between the two. Then I actually started to play
around with new chords that were foreign to me and something magical
happened, I started to write good music.
You will
discover a new world of options with chords. Eric Clapton is a
perfect example of integrating chords into every day playing. He
shows us that there is much more to playing chords than just
strumming. He applies a number of different techniques and concepts
that have been associated with playing lead guitar. My suggestion
and challenge to you is to learn one new chord everyday. It will
only take a few minutes and the end result will be well worth the
time that you invest. If you currently don't have the money to spend
on a new chord book,
check out this link for hundreds of chords to practice.
Putting it into practice
Now it's
time to put some of the things we have been discussing over the last
two articles into play. We have been talking about the link between
arpeggios and chords and how they rely on one another. So here is a
riff that uses both of these skills quite nicely. Lets walk through
it.
Pictured
below are five chords. They are called G, Aadd11, Bm, D, Cadd9 (in
order of appearance). They sound like they are complicated to play
but it's actually quite the opposite!
Hold the
bass note, located on the low E string, with your index finger. Use
your index finger to lightly mute the A string. This isn't hard to
do because your index finger is at a slight angle to begin with and
will stay away from the open D string, which you want to ring out.
Then, hold the note located on the G string with your third finger.
Now just move it up and down the fretboard!
Notice
how the notes that you're fretting are actually a part of a movable
arpeggio? Check this example out to see what I mean:
Guitar Tips
...compare that arpeggio to the G chord from above and you will find
that the chord is in the arpeggio. Everything in music can be linked
up at some point.
Now mix
it up and try some variations of those chords. Don't be afraid to
make it your own by adding some new strumming patterns and giving it
it's own personality. That's why we left our examples pretty simple,
we want you to add in your own style. Check out some variations of
the chords below and have fun!
Feedback Booth
Over the
past week we have received a ton of emails with regards to the PACS
practice regimen. Many of you have emailed just to say thanks and
others were thirsty for more knowledge. Take a look to see what
subscribers are saying this week.
Fred
Bono Ndyemala writes to us with this:
"I benefited from your Newsletters in the following aspects.
1) I can now try to identify different notes, and also try to
play all along the fretboard! (Before that I could not form
chords beyond the 1st three frets). Now I can play barred chords
down the fretboard.
2)I have now got a lot of courage for more hands-on the
lovely instrument-The Guitar and this has made me make a few
discoveries, though, I still have a few problems with chord
combinations especially when I feel like playing more than four
chords in one song.
3)My fingers have become more flexible and less painful as a
result of practicing more frequently due to your motivation.(I
had nearly lost hope of improving more).I'm also trying to play
single notes (I think this is called solo-I'm not so sure-and
it's quite interesting.)I'm sorry I may have written a lot but
I'm excited. Thank you so much once again."
Rafael
Henriquez comes to us with this suggestion:
"You're asking me about what I'd like to read in your
tips, well, what concerns to me, It would be good to find
how a guitarist recorded a specific song or interviews with
people ( musicians, engineers, producers,...) and talk about
what they use or how they did."
Rafael
isn't the only one asking for interviews as of late and we're
hearing you loud and clear! Stay tuned to see what pops up in the
near future.
An inspirational ending...
We try
so hard to emulate our favorite guitarists that we sometimes forget
to develop who we are. The guitar is more than just an instrument,
it's an expression of one's inner most being. How many times do we
actually take the time just to jam out on our instruments without
trying to be perfect, just letting the emotion pour through? In the
words of B.B King, "We all have idols. Play like anyone you care
about but try to be yourself while doing so." Go out and play like
there's no tomorrow and enjoy life!
Until
next time, keep on picking!
Written by
Guitar Tips
If you've always wanted to learn to play the guitar
but never had the chance, give me 17 minutes a day
for 90 days and I'll show you how to play virtually
any song you want! Visit
Guitar Tips.
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