| One of the biggest mistakes a new guitarist can | | | | matters here - just a smooth action or change |
| make at the start of their musical career, | | | | over. |
| whether for profit or pleasure is to go out and | | | | 3. Use a drum machine or metronome at around |
| look for or buy a compendium book of six | | | | 80 - 90 beats per minute and strum all the strings |
| thousand chord shapes and all the variations and | | | | of one chord and then move to the next. What |
| permutations that are involved. | | | | you want here is to just listen to the sound you |
| You will instantly be overwhelmed with way too | | | | are creating. This will be satisfying to begin with |
| much information and thoughts of dread at the | | | | for you to know that it is possible for you to |
| amount of time and effort involved in what you | | | | make some music. Also you will be gaining finger |
| want to achieve. Learning all those shapes and | | | | strength and building muscle memory. The next |
| fingerings is a massive undertaking and you will | | | | time you come to play these chords you will find |
| never finish it anyway. | | | | it gets easier and easier to play. If you keep |
| Most musicians seem to make the assumption | | | | learning new chords all the time to begin with you |
| that they have to know all the music before they | | | | won't make any significant improvement. |
| can create any for themselves. Nothing could be | | | | 4. If it is possible, you need to record what you |
| further from the truth, you do not have to learn | | | | are doing into your computer or tape player. |
| all of those chords before you can start to play | | | | Listening back to your playing the next day will |
| the guitar or any other instrument for that | | | | benefit you tremendously. I must admit that you |
| matter. | | | | might cringe a little bit at your own playing at first, |
| You must have heard about songwriters who | | | | but if you take the plunge you will make the |
| have created songs with only three chords, the | | | | decision consciously or unconsciously to want to |
| Beatles for instance. Thousands of songs have | | | | get better, quicker. In a very short time frame, |
| been written with 3 chords, so for the time being, | | | | you will get use to hearing what you sound like, |
| three chords is all you are going to need to | | | | that is when you will start to have some real fun. |
| concentrate on. You will make much better | | | | You will start to generate your own ideas. |
| progress by learning familiar 3 chord progressions | | | | 5. Stay relaxed while you play and don't force |
| and familiarising yourself with the structure of | | | | yourself to do anything. Ten minutes of focused |
| how the chords work together than trying to | | | | practise at a time will yield far more results than |
| learn hundreds of chord shapes that don't have | | | | mincing about for a few hours with no focus. |
| any relevance to one another or that you can't | | | | If you are one of those people who will do what |
| relate to. | | | | is discussed above, you will instantly be in front of |
| Here are a few areas that you may not have | | | | the pack. Go to any music shop and listen to the |
| thought about but will advance your playing a lot | | | | new guitarists sitting their showing off. Most of |
| quicker than just knowing a bunch of fancy | | | | them are playing a bit from here, a snippet from |
| chords. | | | | there, there is not much that is refined or |
| 1. Pick a few easy chords that you know you | | | | practised. This habit can be with them for the |
| could and would like to play. Lets take a C Major | | | | rest of their natural playing life. |
| chord as our example as this is almost a standard | | | | If you start out gradually and focus on building |
| army issue chord that everyone uses or will | | | | slowly on what you have previously learnt, chord |
| come across at one time or another throughout | | | | by chord, your playing will be much more |
| the coarse of their playing. | | | | confident, natural and above all, worth listening to. |
| 2. Focus your time on learning how to get your | | | | Learn about yellow watermelon and watermelon |
| fingers from that chord shape to the next shape, | | | | diet at the Benefits Of Watermelon site. |
| i.e. C Major to G Major. Speed is not what | | | | |