Douglas Taylor asked:

Learning guitar chords are one of the first steps to great guitar playing. You will be surprised how many different songs you will be able to play just by mastering a few simple guitar chords. By learning the G, C, D, A and E chords you will be able to play a lot of popular music. Learning guitar chords are one of the secrets to playing real music.
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You need to start with the basics when you first start learning guitar chords. Chords consist of three or more notes played together. Every chord has a unique fingering on the frets and strings. If you want to master playing the guitar you will need to spend plenty of time getting your fingers in just the right position. Take enough time to memorize each one until it becomes natural to do. Repeat this over and over until your fingers remember the right spot to go on the guitar neck.

There are many different ways to learn how to play chords. It would be great if you have a friend or teacher to show you the way. When you get stuck it always helps to have someone you can turn to help you learn things the right way. However if you do not know anyone who can help you out there are many good guitar books.

Another way to learn how to play is to use a guitar chord sheet. These can be found in many books and all over the Internet. Chord sheets are pictures that show you where to put your fingers. There are lines that show you which string to use and tell you the correct fret to be on.

Although the basic chords are pretty simple to learn, as you advance in your playing you will find some of the fingerings will get hard. These will take you a little longer to get down but once you can combine both the simple and hard chords you will be well on your way to becoming a great guitar player.

You will not believe how many great tunes you can play just by mastering two or three chords. Once you learn a couple of chords it is time to get busy making music.

If you want to master guitar chords you can do it with practice. It is not that hard but it will not happen overnight. Spend as much time as you need learning guitar chords right so you will not have to undo any bad habits. Once you get it you will have a skill that will be with you all of your life.

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Andreas Wahlstedt asked:


Every aspiring guitar player faces the following question: “What’s the best way for me to learn guitar?” Should you should teach yourself or hire a professional? Which guitar courses are recommended most often? What about those Internet-based guitar training sites?

These are all valid questions because how you learn to play the guitar is just as important as what you learn to play. Teaching yourself how to play might work just fine if you’ve got a good ear and some previous exposure to music theory or proficiency on another instrument.

If you’re totally new to playing any instrument at all, though, it would be a good idea to get a teacher — or — join an online program where you can interact with multiple teachers as well as fellow students. In fact, I would recommend finding at least one ‘mentor’ or a ‘study buddy’ to learn with even if you lean towards teaching yourself.

Why?

In short, you learn more and make more progress faster than you would in isolation because you’ll be exposed to alternative ways of thinking about your approach to the guitar. Other players can share tips and techniques you haven’t seen before, as well as help you conquer a problem area that they’ve already mastered.

Ultimately, though, the question of how to learn guitar is up to you and your choice should be guided by consideration of your own unique situation. The following list of questions should help you make a solid decision:

1. How much can I afford to spend on lessons, books, etc, and how much am I willing to invest to get started?

2. How do I learn best? For example, can you pick up concepts easily just by reading about them, or do you prefer to have audio and video demonstrations you can follow along with?

3. Am I looking to learn a specific style of guitar such as Classical, Blues or Jazz? You’ll still need to learn basic music theory for any style of music, but you might want to look for instruction that focuses on teaching the theory in one of these contexts.

4. How much time can I devote to practice? This is really important if you’re thinking of hiring a guitar teacher. Most teachers will require you to master a lesson before moving on to the next one.

You’ll still be paying for those lessons even when you aren’t making much progress. So, if you’re strapped for time, I recommend investing in a home-study or online couse. This will give you 24/7 access to the information you need outside of your regular guitar lessons.

5. How ‘good’ of a player do I want to be? If guitar is just a hobby for you, then you’ll likely do well with just about any method of instruction. If you want to go pro or start a band, though, you should learn from as many different sources as possible.



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Andreas Wahlstedt asked:


A lot of beginning guitar players write to me and ask for advice how to play guitar ‘fast’. I inevitably write them back to ask whether they already play guitar, and just want to be faster on the fretboard, or whether they’re beginners who want a shortcut to basic proficiency.

This got me wondering whether there might be a connection between the two. It seemed far-fetched; but, the more I thought about it, the more parallels I saw between these two seemingly different levels of training.

So, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that:

1. You can learn guitar faster by studying the techniques involved making your overall playing ability ‘faster’, and..

2. You can become a ‘faster’ guitar player by re-focusing your practice sessions on the basic concepts and techniques taught to every beginner.

The reasons for this overlap and can be summed up in a handy acronym: M.O.S.T. — or, “Memorization, Observation and Strength Training.” Let’s cover each one to clarify the point.

Memorization

One of the things that slows down both beginning and intermediate guitar players, no matter how good of an ‘ear’ for music they have, is a failure to memorize:

1. All of the notes on the fretboard

2. Chords and scales for the Major and Minor Keys

It doesn’t matter whether you’re just starting out, or have a few year’s playing experience already. The fact is that ‘hunting and pecking’ for the right chord or note will slow you down.

You don’t have time in the middle of a song to stop so you can figure out if a Dbminor chord will work in the key of B, and then figure out where that chord is relative to your current position on the fretboard.

If you’re a beginner, then memorizing your fretboard is the place to start. This will make it easier for you to memorize chords and scale patterns, as well as understand the relationship between them in music theory.

If you’re already playing, then you should focus on strengthening your knowledge in both areas. You probably have a good part of your fretboard memorized already, but can you jump to any note or chord automatically?

Observation

Your senses of touch, sight and sound are all involved in playing guitar. As you play, you will no doubt feel the development of ‘muscle memory’ as your fingers play across familiar chords and scales. You will see patterns and relationships on the fretboard. You will hear what you’re playing and come to connect it with all of the above.

Memorization is the foundation for observation, and observation is the key to training your mind and hands to work in concert automatically.

If you want the ability to play anything you hear ‘in your head’ the moment your fingers reach the fretboard, then you must wed memorization with observation when you practice.

Strength Training

No, I’m not suggesting you lift weights at the gym! Strength training, which really includes ‘dexterity’ training, is part and parcel of everything we’ve covered so far.

Beginning guitarists often struggle to hold down chords, and to play scales with all four fingers. This is simply a matter of building strength, muscle memory and dexterity through consistent and correct practice.

Intermediate players who want to get faster on the fretboard must realize that the most likely culprit(s) behind issues with ‘speed’ will be a deficiency in strength, dexterity, correct techqnie or all three.

Beginners should focus on strength building exercises and on performing those exercises perfectly. If you’re given an exercise that requires you to hit a note with your pinky, but you decide to ‘cheat’ by using your ring finger, know that your playing will hit a wall down the line.

Likewise, players who can’t seem to exceed their current speed on the guitar should examine their own technique. Have you stopped working on your strength training because the exercises are boring? Is your technique ‘sloppy’?

There are some things you simply can not get away with at 160 beats per minute the way you can at 120 beats per minute.

In conclusion, the key to learning guitar faster – as well as playing it faster – rests in following the M.O.S.T. formula. It really is all about getting the basics right from the start!



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