CHORDS
On the average guitar there
are 6 strings and 20 frets equaling 120 separate fingering positions. You have
six fingers but each finger can cover more than one string position. One does
not have to be a mathematician to see that there are thousands of chord possibilities.
Guitarists generally limit themselves to a relative few. This situation must
end if progress is to be made. Playing the same old chords all the time puts
one in a rut that one must work hard to get out of.
In this lesson we will show you the main chords, just so you can avoid them.
If you have never played them before, now you can learn them all right here.
You must understand though that chords should not be played too much because
most of your time should be spent practicing more difficult tasks such as scales.
Chords are easier to play and so one tends to fall into that rut a lot. The
problem is that the more one goes in that rut, the harder it is to get out.
So it is crucial at the outset that you realize that it's a fine line between
chords and scales. Playing the individual strings of a chord is a scale. And
playing several notes of a scale simultaneously is a chord.
It is more difficult but way better to approach chords from a scale point of
view, as you will see as you gain mastery. This first Chords lesson will cover
some basics that will help your songwriting. Since these common chords have
been used in thousands of songs, we stress originality above all other virtues.
Music is an art and must be creative. If everyone played the same old songs,
then that's not art. So practice these chords but be careful not to rely too
heavily on them.
As you play chords you should also embellish them by vamping riffs within the
chord. For example: If you're playing an F chord, you can take F-4 (forth finger)
and vamp on S-6 (sixth string) , 3-f (third fret). This will strengthen F-4
and allow more creativity in the process. Vamping and riffs are playing notes
within the framework of a chord.
Now, to get you started
I will show you how to play 14 Chords quickly and efficiently. These chords
are called Bar Chords because they are to be played when you have a gig at a
bar, and because they are played by barring your forefinger across the fretboard
on top of the strings, like a capo, while you position the other 3 fingers on
certain notes to create the desired sounds. The first chord on the chart below,
on fretboard to the right, is an E major chord. It isn't a bar chord but the
rest are. I included the E because this fingering position will make chordal
transitions easier into the lower registers, as you will see. The exact fingering
positions are important and are as follows:
Starting in E, F-2 on f-1, S-3. F-3 on f-2, S-5. And F-4 on f-2. S-4. Then,
with fingers on strings, slide up the fretboard into the F chord position, and
voila! You've played your first chord change. Continue up the fretboard into
the G, A, B, C, D and high E positions. Keep your fingers pressed down on the
strings throughout these changes until you are proficient enough remove the
fingers and return them into position quickly. Practice these chord changes
up and down the fretboard until they become second nature.
Now to play these same chords in the minor key simply remove F-2 from the fretboard
so S-3 sounds as A flat. (See notation chart in Theory section) So now you're
ready to play the same chord scale in the minor key, starting with Em, then
Fm, Gm, Am, Bm, Cm, Dm and high Em. Then back down the same scale as you came
up.
More to come.