Guitar Technique Archives | Chordbook.Com Blog

Tips for Teaching Children How to Play Guitar Chords

When children decide they want to learn an instrument, the guitar is often a popular choice. This is because it is a versatile instrument that can be used for many different styles of music. Sometimes, it is also because it is an instrument played by one of their favourite pop stars. If you are planning to help teach your child how to play the guitar, one of the first steps is to teach them how to play guitar chords. Here are some tips on how to do this.

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Guitar Chords: Am I too Old to Learn?

Whilst many people are lucky enough to have the opportunity to learn an instrument at school, others do not get the same chances early in life. As a result, they hold a lifelong burning desire to play their favourite instrument but fear they are too old to take up lessons and learn. If you have always wanted to play the guitar, you might worry that it will now be too difficult to learn the various skills required, such as playing guitar chords. But, are you ever really too old to learn guitar chords?

Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why it may even be advantageous to start a little later in life!

More skills

As you get older, you learn skills from other activities which you have participated in. In fact, the older you are, the more skills you are likely to have. Many of these skills will be useful when you begin to learn how to play guitar chords, reading chords and other guitar playing skills. Continue reading “Guitar Chords: Am I too Old to Learn?”

How to Practice Fingering Guitar Chords

Learning to play the guitar requires learning many new skills. One of these is learning how to play guitar chords. This in itself requires a number of strengths, including learning how to finger the chords correctly. There are several problems that people often come across when learning how to do this. Here are some tips.

Use a wider neck
One of the simplest solutions is to use a guitar with a wider neck as the strings are further apart. This reduces the likelihood of you touching the wrong strings when playing guitar chords. Alternatively, get a twelve string guitar but have only string six strings fitted as this will give you more space between the strings. Continue reading “How to Practice Fingering Guitar Chords”

7 Adaptable Guitar Chords Progressions

If you are at the stage of beginning to write your own music, then it is not uncommon to want to create your own original chord progressions. However, in the case of guitar chords it is close to impossible to create chord progressions that have never been used before. When you are learning guitar chords, guitar scales and chord progressions, you will also begin to learn songs. It is then that you will notice patterns in the music that you play and you’ll start to recognise chord progressions that feature regularly in a variety of songs. However, it is important to bear in mind that this does not mean that by using them your music will be any less unique or in any way inferior. Continue reading “7 Adaptable Guitar Chords Progressions”

Top Tips for Speedier Changes of Your Guitar Chords

When you first start out playing the guitar, there are many different skills you will need to master. You will need to learn guitar chords, how to tune your guitar using a guitar tuner online and how to play guitar scales. You will also need to learn how to change from one chord to the next too and this can prove to be one of the trickier skills to get to grips with. However, with practise and effort, it is something that you will master. Here are the top tips for how to perform speedier chord changes:

Learning the chords
To make smooth chord changes, you must first be confident of the chords. You will need to learn the strings you use and the finger positioning for all the guitar chords necessary. Until you are confident with each of the guitar chords, it is unlikely you will be able to make a smooth transition between them. Learn each one individually and practise until you are confident at playing that particular chord before moving on to the next. Continue reading “Top Tips for Speedier Changes of Your Guitar Chords”

Where to Start – A Beginners Guide to Guitar Chords

If you are planning to master the art of playing the guitar, the first thing you will need to learn is the most commonly used chords. Once you have learned these, you will be able to play many different tunes on your instrument. You can learn how to play these chords online so, before you begin, why not try practising virtual guitar chords on your keyboard to learn the different sounds each chord makes. Once you’ve got your ear tuned into the sound of each you can begin to learn how to play them.

Here is a beginner’s guide to guitar chords:

E Minor (Em)

When you learn guitar chords, the first one to learn is Em. The small ‘m’ stands for minor. This is the most commonly used chord and it will play a big role in many of the songs that you will learn along your journey. Continue reading “Where to Start – A Beginners Guide to Guitar Chords”

10 Tips for Crisper Guitar Chords

How you play your chords is an important part of making the sound you want when you are playing a tune. One way that you can improve the sound is to play your guitar chords in a crisper fashion. But, how do you go about doing that? Here are ten tips that will help you get there:

1) Practice

Practice is key in getting sharper guitar chords. If you are a beginner, then try practising with virtual guitar chords online first. You must first learn guitar chords before you can improve the way you play them, so master each of them in turn. Practise just two chords at a time until you can achieve a crisp sound.

2) Use your fingertips

You will get much clearer chords if you use your fingertips instead of the pads of your fingers. Bear this in mind each time you position your fingers for a new chord. Continue reading “10 Tips for Crisper Guitar Chords”