Basic Guitar Chord Charts. All You Need to Start Easy Chord Guitar Today.

Basic Guitar Chord Charts -
making sense out of them

Confused by guitar chord dictionaries with pages full of tiny diagrams? The basic guitar chord charts in this lesson are all you need to get started playing basic chord guitar today.

Here's a "heads up". Most of the guitar chords listed in those massive guitar chord libraries? You'll never use them. Or if you DO use them, you'll likely be advanced enough to be able to create them for yourself.

You're far better off being able to play a handful of chords well. Don't drive yourself crazy trying to memorize a bunch of abstract shapes. Get to know these few guitar chords well and you'll surprise yourself with what you can do. You'll be making music :-)

Here's where to begin...

If you have little or no experience with a musical instrument , start with the Absolute Beginner basic chords listed below. After 2 or 3 days of practicing those, move to the Beginner basic guitar chord charts. Give yourself time with these ones. They will be at the core of your guitar playing for the rest of your life :-)

The basic guitar chord charts on this page, along with a couple of other skills, are all you need to play most of your favorite songs. You'll eventually need to learn a few guitar bar chords and some guitar playing techniques, but there's no hurry is there? Enjoy...

ABSOLUTE BEGINNER

How to Play Guitar Notes the Right Way.

Do You Know How to Play Guitar Notes...
the right way?

Learn how to play guitar notes the right way in this easy guitar lesson. For the purpose of this lesson, guitar notes means how to properly press down on the strings. Are you here to learn how to read guitar notation or tablature instead? Click here to go to that page and find out how. Otherwise, stay here and learn some basic guitar playing skills.

This is important because that's how you get a good clear sound from your guitar. It doesn't matter if it's an electric guitar or acoustic guitar. You've probably noticed that when you play some of the basic guitar chords some of the notes(strings) don't ring.

What You need to Know...

Make sure you're holding your guitar properly as in basic guitar lesson
Use the fleshy part of the fingertip. As you advance, you'll begin using other parts of your fingers. For now, keep it simple.
Do your best to keep all the joints in your fingers "arched" and strong. Don't allow them to flatten or collapse. See photo below.
Check that your fingers aren't stopping other strings from ringing - as best you can.
Keep your finger close to the fret that you are playing. If you're playing the 3rd fret, keep your finger close to the 3rd silver fret wire.
Be patient and persist. This will allow you to build the callous on your fingertips that you need. You'll also be developing more strength and control in the muscles of your fingers and hands.

How To Read Guitar Tab - Do You Know How?

Do You Know How To Read Guitar Tab?

If you're just beginning guitar lessons, knowing how to read guitar tab is a basic skill. It's easy to learn with this free guitar lesson for beginners. All you have to do is follow the simple instructions on this page. And practice ;-)

The single best reason I can think of for wanting to learn how to read guitar tab is that there are literally tens of thousands of free songs in tab format on the Internet!

Despite this, some music teachers are against guitar tablature (tab). Some of their points are valid, BUT...probably unrealistic. Tabs have been around for centuries. The reason they are useful for the modern day guitarist is that they're simple to read! And to restate the above point, there are thousands of free songs available.

Pros and Cons...

Standard music notation's great but it takes at least a few years to get fluent with. Not everyone has had the benefit of music lessons in childhood. Not to mention that on the guitar there are many places on the fretboard where the exact same note can be found.

Musician's Joke: How do you get a guitar player to play softer? Put some music in front of him/her ;-)

Most other instruments don't have this situation. A certain note is found in one place. End of story. With guitar tabs you don't have to think about which "middle c" note to play. It tells you which fret and which string. Great!

The other criticism of tabulature (another spelling) is that it's not musical. Personally, I agree with this. When a highly trained musician sees music notation the tune starts to automatically play in their mind. However, nowadays with the availability of recordings it's not a serious issue.

Here's the first important point to keep in mind. When you use tab to learn songs or licks its extremely important to know what it sounds like.Get a recording of what you are trying to play.

Here's How to Read Tab...

The horizontal lines represent the guitar strings
The numbers on the "strings" tell you which fret to press down on
The notes are played in order from left to right
If notes are "on top" of one another, they are played at the same time
Some TABS have the rhythms included. This is helpful if you can read standard notation and rhythms. If not, listen to the recording

That's it! If you're following the steps above, you should at least be able to find your way around simple examples - like a lot of the ones on this website.

Try Reading This...

Now you know how to read guitar tab. Easy isn't it? I would strongly suggest investigating beginning music theory for more helpful information. Especially counting and reading simple rhythms. Thanks for joining me here at how to read guitar tab. All the best in guitar and Life,

Dave



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How to Play Guitar Chords. Try This Free Beginner Guitar Lesson

How To Play Guitar Chords and...
Sound Great!

Find Out What You Need to Know

Get clear instruction on how to play guitar chords. Learn basic chord guitar with this excellent lesson. If you're a complete beginner on guitar, I would recommend clicking here to get started. Come back to this page later :-)

Switching between basic guitar chords.

These instructions get you switching between basic guitar chords. The goal is to be able to change between 2 different chords without hesitation. That is the first challenge to overcome when learning basic guitar.

Memorize 5 chords first... This lesson on how to play guitar chords is based on an earlier exercise from a different page. Go to that page now. Check that you know a minimum of 5 chords from the chord charts there. If you don't, I strongly recommend going through that lesson. And watching the guitar lesson video on that page. Then come back here.

OK. Let's get started...

Choose any 2 basic guitar chords.

Check to make sure all the necessary strings are ringing through clearly when practicing how to play guitar chords.

Make sure you know which string to hit first with the pick! For example, don't hit the low E (string 6) first when playing a D major chord.

Follow the previous steps for the 2nd guitar chord that you chose.

Strum downward only. Switch to the other chord after 8 strums. Do not stop strumming.

If you "miss" the chord change, simply continue strumming. Adjust your fretting hand if necessary.

After 8 strums, switch back to the 1st chord. Continue alternating like this until your fingers bleed ;-)

Kidding aside now. When learning how to play guitar chords it's very important to VISUALIZE the chord BEFORE you make the switch.

At this point, you can try the same exercise with only 4 strums. Once mastered, pick 2 new chords and go through the entire process again.

Playing songs...

If you can now switch a handful of chords with some degree of confidence, you're ready to try this method on a song that you like. Important! Choose a song you already know most of the chords to.

If there are one or two chords you don't know, that's OK. Learn them! Most songbooks have a basic guitar chord chart above the lyrics. If not, go to guitar bar chords . That should give you all the ammunition you need :-)

Relax! There aren't all that many chords to learn if your goal is simply to accompany yourself to songs. That's why I strongly recommend singing along as best you can. Eventually, singing while you play will be effortless. Just like picking up a book, or walking from one room to another.

If you aspire to play lead or solo guitar, you've got a longer - but very rich journey ahead. Interspersed with bouts of frustration, of course. Is that why some rockstars used to smash their guitars onstage? Although personally, I consider that an extreme waste of wood and value ;-)

Moving forward...

There are a couple of other very important skills to develop when learning how to play guitar chords. You've got the ball rolling by being able to switch between some of the chords. Now it's time to add rhythm to the mix.

When it comes to playing guitar chords, rhythm usually means strumming. Notice how close the word strumming is to drumming. They are almost the same. Actually, some people go as far as classifying the guitar as a percussion instrument. This is because when a guitarist is strumming chords, she's keeping the beat. We hope ;-) Here's a free video guitar lesson on strumming.

As always, be patient and persist. Enjoy the moments you have to learn guitar :-) Best in guitar and Life,

Dave

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Easy Guitar Songs To Play

You're back? Depending on how far along you are with guitar lessons, you might have noticed that "House Of The Rising Sun" isn't quite as easy as you think. If that's the case, don't give up! Although it's classified under easy guitar songs, it can be demanding for a raw beginner.

Here are some Tips...

Make sure you know how to play all the chords.

If the F chord is difficult try using a capo. And make sure to use light guage strings as well. Remember if you use a capo you'll be at a higher pitch -- so it won't match the videos on this page. That's fine! Play the song on it's own and refer to the videos for guidance.

Remember the beat is in a straight 6/8 feel.

Practice changing basic chords in the meantime and come back to "House Of The Rising Sun" at a later time. No need to give up in frustration!

You'll need to dedicate some time to practice. At least 15 to 20 minutes everyday.

Look through some of the guitar lessons for beginners under the "Beginner" tab on the navigation bar.

Watch the videos. Your brain can learn a lot by watching. But don't forget to practice.

Is it mainly the F chord that you're struggling with? Here's an excellent lesson on barre chords that will help.

Even though "House Of The Rising Sun" is considered to be one of the classic easy songs to play, it will still take some practice! But it's a beautiful song and much more than just a guitar lesson for beginners - it's a rite of passage :-)

I hope you enjoyed this free video guitar lesson on how to play "House Of The Rising Sun." There are many other such as "Happy Birthday" or "Amazing Grace." You can also visit the Guitar Shop page for more ideas on .

Best in guitar and Life,

Dave

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Fingerpicking Lessons Teach the Proper Technique for Beginning Fingerstyle Guit

Fingerpicking Lessons...
Start With Good Technique.

If you want to start learning acoustic fingerstyle guitar, these fingerpicking lessons will get you properly started. A free video guitar lesson is included to help you see what your fingers need to do. This lesson is best for those of you who already have some experience strumming basic guitar chords. Now you can add some new tricks to your bag ;-)

These instructions will be worded for right-handed guitarists. If you're a lefty just reverse everything. In other words, if I'm talking about your right hand, it means the hand you use to "pick" the strings. And that is the hand we will be dealing with the most in this lesson.

The 1st of these fingerpicking lessons will focus on the right hand technique exclusively. We'll also discuss a little about fingernails. In the 2nd lesson we'll use some basic guitar chords along with our fingerstyle techniques. Both lessons will be demonstrated in the free video guitar lesson below.

So... what's so great about Fingerpicking?

I'm sure you've heard some of the great guitar playing of artists like Paul Simon or James Taylor. You may even already have learned the classic Beatles tune "Blackbird". That's fingerpicking. Sounds pretty cool, doesn't it? Some call it Travis picking...which was made famous by Chet Atkins. This is a particular technique of fingerpicking which is well worth looking into. We will touch upon it in these lessons.

Of course, there are also more exotic styles of fingerpicking such as some of the folk blues and open tuning approaches. Those are fascinating approaches to the guitar but beyond the scope of this lesson. We'll stick with getting your right hand organized first. Then apply that to some chords. The right hand is doing most of the work in fingerstyle guitar playing :-)

The main advantage to using your fingers as opposed to a guitar pick is that you can have multiple lines of music. You can have a bass line moving along with the other "voices" of the chord. It's also much easier to add a melody on the top strings. You can also play 2 notes that skip strings at the same time. Just like a piano player.

LESSON 1

This lesson will focus on "planting" the right hand properly on the strings. The technique comes from classical guitar. This sets the stage for all of your fingerpicking endeavors in the years to come :-)

Planting is simply placing your fingers in a "ready to play" position. The flesh and nail of you fingers will be grabbing the string.

Fingernails?...Regardless of what you may have heard, fingernails are mostly a matter of preference. On nylon string guitars it's definitely a plus with both the sound and control. On steel strings it also helps...but some players do exceptionally well fingerpicking with no nails. No nails gives a warmer sound, but it's probably more challenging to get the same amount of control and volume.

There are plenty of opinions around...I would suggest "picking" up a good classical guitar book for beginners from your local music store. Try out what they suggest, but don't be afraid to experiment. I'll also show you my nails in the fingerpicking lessons video.

My opinion... I don't want something that's too difficult to maintain. I have a basic shape that allows my nail to "glide" across the strings without getting snagged. It also allows the flesh of my fingers to be a part of the string attack. Since I don't specialize exclusively in fingerpicking and enjoy playing piano, I keep the length as short as I can get away with. I also play classical guitar and have no major issues with tone or control. That's my way of doing it. You'll have to find out what works best for you and your situation :-)

Let's Play!

Before we begin the fingerpicking lessons, I just want you to aware of a basic point. You can rest the body of the guitar on the same leg as your picking hand or on the opposite leg. The opposing leg is classical position...if you prefer this way, you'll need something to raise your foot with. There are guitar footstools you can buy or you could use a yoga brick or book... as long as it's fairly stable.

When playing my acoustic steel string guitar I generally keep the guitar on the same leg as my fingerpicking hand. When playing my nylon string guitar I use classical posture. I'll demonstrate these 2 postures in the guitar lesson video.

Side Note: I tend to use classical posture when practicing on my electric guitar as I find this feels more like how it does standing up. I can also execute wider stretches with my fretting hand :-)

Watch the fingerpicking lessons video and then follow these tips and pointers...you'll also see Lesson 2 demonstrated. Just watch it for now and then come back here for some more tips.

Keep your thumb ahead of your fingers when fingerpicking.

In books, you'll see "p, i, m, a" . This is thumb, index, middle and ring fingers.I'll use the same terminology so you can get used to it.

Pick from your knuckles...not from the middle joint in your fingers.

Slow down! This is probably the most important advice of all. Aim for a good sound and clean production of the notes.

Practice the patterns over and over. A large part of good guitar playing is muscle memory. This comes by getting your reps in.

Try This...

Plant "p" on string 6

"i" on string 3

Guitar Strumming Patterns With Free Guitar Video Lesson

Guitar Strumming Patterns...
let's make music !

This free chord guitar lesson gets you started with guitar strumming patterns. Read the instructions and then watch the online guitar lesson video.

Before we get to the instructions, let's discuss a couple of things. You should know at least 1 or 2 basic guitar chords...are they memorized? Do you know how to hold your guitar properly? Your pick? How about tuning your guitar?

If you can't answer "yes" to all of the above questions, I strongly advise going to the beginners section right now. Scroll down the page to the lesson topic links. Bookmark this "guitar strumming patterns" page and meet me back here when you're ready :-)

Strumming and Drumming... are almost exactly the same word. That's not a coincidence. When you strum chords on your guitar, you're keeping a beat. Just like a drummer does...hopefully ;-)

You need to be able to count to 4. Isn't music great? Music either has 3 beats per bar or 4 beats per bar. You already know this whether you think so or not. That's why you "unconciously" tap your foot when you hear music that you like. There's a well known song by the rock band Queen that demonstrates this perfectly. If you don't know the song, don't worry. It'll all make sense in the guitar video part of this lesson.

We Will Rock You...by Queen. It's played at a lot of high profile sporting events because it has a beat that pumps up the crowd. There are 4 beats to the bar (or measure) in that piece of music. We count it 1