New beginner YouTube channel - Going (hopefully) from dreadful to decent

[surfergirl]

Barre chords

[ShawnE]

 

Introduction of the Em, Am & Dm chords. Still have plenty of work to do with these minor chords (particularly the Dm) before I'll be comfortable enough to add the next chord & whatnot.

[Caevan O’Shite]

15 hours ago, surfergirl said:

Barre chords

They're tough at first, they take some time and effort to master- but they are your friends, and very, very useful tools,

Nobody hated barre chords more than I did when I started out! I swore I'd never use 'em- and I use all manner of barres all the time now.

Then again, I don't think that B. B. King played barre chords- or much of any chords, for that matter...

[KuruPrionz]

4 hours ago, Caevan O’Shite said:

They're tough at first, they take some time and effort to master- but they are your friends, and very, very useful tools,

Nobody hated barre chords more than I did when I started out! I swore I'd never use 'em- and I use all manner of barres all the time now.

Then again, I don't think that B. B. King played barre chords- or much of any chords, for that matter...

They ARE your friends!!!!! And very, very useful tools. A few basic shapes will go a long way since you can use them everywhere up and down the neck.

Learn the barre chords that are the same "shape" as E and A in the cowboy chords, learn major, minor, dominant 7th, major 7th, minor 7th  and you are off to a great start. Learn the basics of chordal "scales" and you've just about got most popular music fairly well covered. There's lots more but that's a great start. 

 

I've seen many bands or duos where the guitarists strum the same strum and play identical chords. That may actually work in about 1% of all popular songs but for the most part it should be avoided. "Whatever I do, don't do that." is a great instruction to hold close. Learning the barre chords does not mean you have to fret or play all six strings all the time, that's something else to consider. Every barre chord contains 3-4 note chords, 4-3 note chords and 5-2 note chord fragments and all of those options are useful, especially if you can get everybody on board. 

 

Playing solo guitar can be quite different than playing in an ensemble. If possible, learn to do both - it will give you more options regarding playing live. 

[surfergirl]

Barre chords were difficult for me, my fingers just weren't strong enogh when I started. I use them now. ShawnE shouldn't have the same difficulty I had. I credit basketball with helping me, gripping the ball forces you to extend your fingers to the max.

[KuruPrionz]

11 minutes ago, surfergirl said:

Barre chords were difficult for me, my fingers just weren't strong enogh when I started. I use them now. ShawnE shouldn't have the same difficulty I had. I credit basketball with helping me, gripping the ball forces you to extend your fingers to the max.

It took me a good while to get barre chords and longer to integrate them into my own way of going about things. 

I use them all the time, both for backup and solo work. I may strum, I may only chose 2 or 3 notes from the barre chord, I may play arpeggios or slide up and down the chordal scales with a chord fragments. It really depends on what else is going on in the music, I've no fear of using silence as part of the sound.

 

We used to go to the dress rehearsals at the Fresno Philharmonic and seeing the conductor suddenly bring in or silence the strings, horns, woodwinds and percussion per the composition totally changed my approach to music. We don't have to always play!

I always end up intuitively considering barre chords part of the shapes we use to create music. They've expanded my music universe immensely. 

[Larryz]

The hardest chord for me to learn as a beginner was the F chord.  The issue is that it uses a partial barre on the 1st and 2nd strings using your index finger.  But it is a chord that must be learned and so you just have to work at it.  The reward is that you can now move that chord formation (which is the same as the open E chord formation) up and down the fret board and know all of your major chords (A B C D E F G) using the 1st string as the root to name the chord.  If you barred all six strings you would also know all of your major chords using the 6th string and/or the 1st string, as the root to name the chords. Barre chords will become important to the majority of beginning players a little later down the road... 😎

[Caevan O’Shite]

2 hours ago, surfergirl said:

Barre chords were difficult for me, my fingers just weren't strong enough when I started. I use them now. ShawnE shouldn't have the same difficulty I had. I credit basketball with helping me, gripping the ball forces you to extend your fingers to the max.

There ya go! (Plus, I'm sure that you can mortifyingly embarrass me on the court, as well as on the waves... !)
 

 

4 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:

They ARE your friends!!!!! And very, very useful tools. A few basic shapes will go a long way since you can use them everywhere up and down the neck.

Learn the barre chords that are the same "shape" as E and A in the cowboy chords, learn major, minor, dominant 7th, major 7th, minor 7th  and you are off to a great start. Learn the basics of chordal "scales" and you've just about got most popular music fairly well covered. There's lots more but that's a great start. 

 

I've seen many bands or duos where the guitarists strum the same strum and play identical chords. That may actually work in about 1% of all popular songs but for the most part it should be avoided. "Whatever I do, don't do that." is a great instruction to hold close. Learning the barre chords does not mean you have to fret or play all six strings all the time, that's something else to consider. Every barre chord contains 3-4 note chords, 4-3 note chords and 5-2 note chord fragments and all of those options are useful, especially if you can get everybody on board. 

 

Playing solo guitar can be quite different than playing in an ensemble. If possible, learn to do both - it will give you more options regarding playing live. 

Indeed.

[ShawnE]

Wait... so are you all basically telling me that things only get more & more difficult from here on out...? For crying out loud.

 

Just kidding... I am very aware that the road ahead is mega bumpy 😂

[KuruPrionz]

28 minutes ago, ShawnE said:

Wait... so are you all basically telling me that things only get more & more difficult from here on out...? For crying out loud.

 

Just kidding... I am very aware that the road ahead is mega bumpy 😂

It just gets more fun as you develop skills!!!! Once you get a grasp on half a dozen chords, it's time to learn songs and go play open mic nights. There will be all sorts of different people there with different levels of talent. I learned a LOT playing open mics.

The only rule is "I will clap for everyone and hope that everyone claps for me." It's not about "who is good and who isn't" it's about getting up there and doing something. It will change your world in a positive way, forever. 

[Caevan O’Shite]

3 hours ago, ShawnE said:

Wait... so are you all basically telling me that things only get more & more difficult from here on out...?

 

3 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:

It just gets more fun as you develop skills!!!!

In some ways, it actually kinda sorta gets easier.

As you learn more about how chords are built from stacking intervals, you'll find ways to come up with your own chord fingerings that convey what you want, sometimes using three or even just two note grips.

[ShawnE]

 

This is after 7 weeks of learning. For the second week in a row I put the main focus on the Am, Dm & Em (I wasn't comfortable enough with them last week to move onto new stuff) so now we have a little run through of the 5 songs I've been practicing once a day to start getting to grips with them.

Took me a little while to warm up so there's plenty of mistakes in the first 3 songs in particular but pretty happy with my run through of the last two songs - overall I'm pleased enough after just 7 weeks.

Still doing all of my other regular practice of course, playing through these songs is just what I do at the end of my more technical exercises etc.

This coming week I look at the C chord for the first time.

[Larryz]

@ShawnE, You may find it easier to play that dreaded D minor chord with your index finger on the 1st string, your ring finger on the 2nd string (instead of the pinky), and your bird finger on the 3rd string.  😎

[Caevan O’Shite]

Tom Waits is cool.  |

Forgive me, but that third chord would be an E (E Major) Chord, both to be in the Key of Am, ad also to match the actual song (more or less, as the original is wonkily out of tune, played on banjo and upright bass, and in the Key of E♭m (E Flat minor); going E♭m, A♭m, B♭. Transposed to the Key of Am, it'd go Am, Dm, E (E Major). An 8 Bar Minor Blues, Im IVm V (1 minor 4 minor 5 [Major]).

  

7 hours ago, Larryz said:

@ShawnE, You may find it easier to play that dreaded D minor chord with your index finger on the 1st string, your ring finger on the 2nd string (instead of the pinky), and your bird finger on the 3rd string.  😎

👆 Yes;  👆 THIS. Similar to the fingering for the Am, crossing to the treble-side of the next group of three strings, with that 3rd ("Ring") Finger shifting up to the 3rd-Fret. Hold that Am form, lift, transplant and move the 3rd-Finger up a Half-Step (to the 3rd-Fret) in the process. Back and forth, back and forth, you'll get it, you'll do just fine.

After getting that down smoothly, slide that entire Dm fingering up two frets, a Whole-Step, to the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd strings; play only those three fretted strings (the 3rd, 2d and 1st), hold that ringing out, and pick the Open 6th-String (ignoring the 5th and 4th Strings). Ta Da- you've just discovered a 4th-Position, higher Em voicing... !

Change that last to a D (Major) fingering, but up a Whole-Step, and it's an E Chord (E Major).

[ShawnE]

@Larryz Yeah my lessons have suggested that I learn it this way first using the little finger on the B string. It is pointed out that it's often played with the ring finger but reasoning for learning with my pinky for now is as it starts using that finger early on & is typically easier to reach the fret than it is with the ring finger. Though it does also note that further down the line it'll be useful having the ability to play it both ways depending on the upcoming chord transition in a song... so I am giving practice time to both ways behind the scenes.

Same with the A chord we discussed I guess & it's 3 or 4 different popular ways of forming it!

[ShawnE]

@Caevan O’Shite Well damn... it seems I didn't pay attention to the tab 🤦‍♂️😂 It was a song thrown in with other Am, Dm & Em minor songs so I just assumed & didn't check hahah... well that puts a big void on the whole video but so far you're the only person to have had the knowledge of that song & clocked it! Thanks for letting me know! At least it's served a purpose & helped me with practice a bit 😂

[Caevan O’Shite]

Just now, ShawnE said:

Well damn... it seems I didn't pay attention to the tab 🤦‍♂️😂

Either that, OR the Tab may have had it wrong; that happens AN AWFUL LOT- A LOT- across the internet. A LOT.

[KuruPrionz]

On 9/24/2023 at 3:40 PM, Larryz said:

@ShawnE, You may find it easier to play that dreaded D minor chord with your index finger on the 1st string, your ring finger on the 2nd string (instead of the pinky), and your bird finger on the 3rd string.  😎

What Larryz said...

[KuruPrionz]

On 9/25/2023 at 4:50 AM, ShawnE said:

@Larryz Yeah my lessons have suggested that I learn it this way first using the little finger on the B string. It is pointed out that it's often played with the ring finger but reasoning for learning with my pinky for now is as it starts using that finger early on & is typically easier to reach the fret than it is with the ring finger. Though it does also note that further down the line it'll be useful having the ability to play it both ways depending on the upcoming chord transition in a song... so I am giving practice time to both ways behind the scenes.

Same with the A chord we discussed I guess & it's 3 or 4 different popular ways of forming it!

Much depends on the width of the fretboard and the size of one's fingers. 

I play an open A chord by putting my second and third finger down on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th string at the second fret and press them all down. That makes it easy to switch to Am or do play an A7 by letting the 3rd string (open G) play and just pressing down the 2nd and 4th strings. 

I can also just mash down the 3 strings and use my little finger to play the 3rd fret - 1st string, which is also a G note and makes an A7 as well.

Others do it differently, I'm not here to say my way is right, the way that works for you is right for you. 

[Larryz]

@KuruPrionz I also use the pinky to add the same G note (on and off) to the 1st string when using my suggested Dm triad fingering for a nice, suspended chord sound.  Some beginners are very young and have small fingers and some old guys have fat fingers and/or arthritis.  +1 on using whatever works... 😎

 

 

[ShawnE]

 

Well.... I learned the C chord this week.

However, with that opening me up to an abundance of new songs I was immediately reminded that I have to work on continuing to polish up not only the chords I've previously learned but also the action of changing between them all - of course, I'm aware certain changes are more commonly used than others so it makes sense to at least prioritise those for now - namely the changes that specifically take place in the songs I'm practicing.

So, it took all of 10 seconds into a new song to discover that I'll be putting a ton of work into the changes between Em and D, Em and C, and C and D (just as a main focus - still doing all other standard practice stuff & whatnot) for the next week or two before I reassess. I don't expect to vastly improve these within a matter of weeks but I do want to feel more comfortable with them before introducing yet another chord (.....G!).

Thanks for watching!

[ShawnE]

 

This one isn't for the squeamish... if you don't like looking at calluses forming you may want to give this one a miss...

If you're morbidly curious like I am then you may want to give it a watch... 😂

Short 6-7 minute documentary outlining the 54 days it took for my calluses to develop before settling down.

[ShawnE]

 

10 weeks in... not too much change as I've mainly been going over the same things for the past 2/3 weeks... hopefully just some small improvements with bits & pieces.

 

The polishing of chord changes, technique, strumming, picking, rhythm etc. continues.. onwards & upwards with the G chord next.

 

Thanks for watching!

[KuruPrionz]

First video I've watched. In the long run, you will benefit greatly if you stop pinning your right hand little finger onto the top of the guitar!!!! Keep your right hand free, pinning your finger creates unwanted tension and will really interfere with a variety of strums that you may want to learn. It will make some strums and finger style techniques impossible. NOW is the time to stop doing that, let the middle forearm lightly on the front edge of the top lower bout and relax your arm from the elbow down. I've noticed you do lift the finger when you strum but lift it when you are picking single notes as well. 

 

That's the best advice my 55+ years of playing experience can share with you. Keep at it, you'll get there!!!!! 😇

[Larryz]

@KuruPrionz I think it depends on the style of picking that determines whether or not you anchor the pinky.  If you go on YouTube and call up Chet Atkins and Tommy Emmanuel, you'll find your anchor men.  They along with Jerry Reed use thumb picks and play finger style.  Jerry really doesn't anchor the pinky and plays a similar style but with the thumb and 4 fingers while Chet and Tommy use the thumb and 3 fingers and anchor the pinky.  Tommy lifts the pinky a lot more than Chet as he gets carried away with a lot of his other strumming and guitar bongo techniques LoL! 😎

 

+1 I too prefer not anchoring the pinky as it limits my strumming techniques.  I can't stand using a thumb pick as it just doesn't work for me and pinches my thumb.  I use a regular pick and 3 fingers hybrid style.  But, if I could ever learn to play like Chet Atkins, I gladly anchor that pinky LoL! 😎👍

 

ps. How about those Strat players that wrap that pinky around the volume knob? LoL! Merle Travis anchors all 3 fingers and uses a thumb pick and just uses his index finger to pick with.  He started Chet, Tommy and Jerry thinking about that thumb pick style! 😎

[KuruPrionz]

25 minutes ago, Larryz said:

@KuruPrionz I think it depends on the style of picking that determines whether or not you anchor the pinky.  If you go on YouTube and call up Chet Atkins and Tommy Emmanuel, you'll find your anchor men.  They along with Jerry Reed use thumb picks and play finger style.  Jerry really doesn't anchor the pinky and plays a similar style but with the thumb and 4 fingers while Chet and Tommy use the thumb and 3 fingers and anchor the pinky.  Tommy lifts the pinky a lot more than Chet as he gets carried away with a lot of his other strumming and guitar bongo techniques LoL! 😎

 

+1 I too prefer not anchoring the pinky as it limits my strumming techniques.  I can't stand using a thumb pick as it just doesn't work for me and pinches my thumb.  I use a regular pick and 3 fingers hybrid style.  But, if I could ever learn to play like Chet Atkins, I gladly anchor that pinky LoL! 😎👍

 

ps. How about those Strat players that wrap that pinky around the volume knob? LoL! Merle Travis anchors all 3 fingers and uses a thumb pick and just uses his index finger to pick with.  He started Chet, Tommy and Jerry thinking about that thumb pick style LoL! 😎

Guitarists do all sorts of things, including creating their own special handicaps or simply trying to overcome things they have no control over. 

Django Reinhardt comes to mind, with his damaged left hand fingers and his persistence leading to beautiful art, but he had no other choice. Jeff Healey is another who has a unique approach to the guitar and is clearly self-taught, he's also a fantastic post-Hendrix guitarist by any standard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwgOUzodS6E

Jeff is also blind and found a way to play that you don't see often. 

 

That doesn't mean we should limit ourselves with poor habits. Anchoring the little finger prevents one from utilizing the vast array of useful tones one can facilitate if they are free to float the hand back towards the bridge or up near the neck and all points in-between. Anchoring the little finger creates tension in the hand - there is no benefit to doing that, relaxation provides more options, including stamina. Just one example - if you root your little finger so you are playing up near the neck, instantaneous muting of some notes or passages becomes less instantaneous. Since Shawn E is just getting started I thought I'd bring the anchoring thing up, he should be able to avoid that habit. His choice obviously. I'm glad the friends that were showing me how to play both urged me to keep my right hand free to position as needed for expression, it does make a positive difference. 

 

Great players like Chet Atkins overcoming their self-inflicted obstacles are common. We'll never know what they could have accomplished if they'd avoided poor habits. 

 

And, I can't use a thumb pick either, very cumbersome. I either play with a pick or I use my thumb and 3 fingers. 

[ShawnE]

16 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:

First video I've watched. In the long run, you will benefit greatly if you stop pinning your right hand little finger onto the top of the guitar!!!! Keep your right hand free, pinning your finger creates unwanted tension and will really interfere with a variety of strums that you may want to learn. It will make some strums and finger style techniques impossible. NOW is the time to stop doing that, let the middle forearm lightly on the front edge of the top lower bout and relax your arm from the elbow down. I've noticed you do lift the finger when you strum but lift it when you are picking single notes as well. 

 

That's the best advice my 55+ years of playing experience can share with you. Keep at it, you'll get there!!!!! 😇

Cheers for that.. all inputs of advice are massively appreciated! The reason I've anchored my pinky in this video is mainly because in the lessons I'm following I was advised to try a bunch of different things to see which felt more comfortable.. these riffs are being run as basic first-base finger exercises rather than trying to play them as songs etc. - I note you said this is the first video you've watched - in some of my previous videos I'm running the same riffs but without anchoring the pinky at all. As it turns out I prefer playing them without anchoring the finger... though haven't yet found the ideal comfortable spot... sure it'll come in time!

[KuruPrionz]

8 minutes ago, ShawnE said:

Cheers for that.. all inputs of advice are massively appreciated! The reason I've anchored my pinky in this video is mainly because in the lessons I'm following I was advised to try a bunch of different things to see which felt more comfortable.. these riffs are being run as basic first-base finger exercises rather than trying to play them as songs etc. - I note you said this is the first video you've watched - in some of my previous videos I'm running the same riffs but without anchoring the pinky at all. As it turns out I prefer playing them without anchoring the finger... though haven't yet found the ideal comfortable spot... sure it'll come in time!

The real bottom line is that relaxation is everything. Tension in the hands causes discomfort, fatigue and sometimes error. Tension in the mind can affect music as well. Your hour a day regimen will certainly yield positive results, keep at it!!!! 

[ShawnE]

27 minutes ago, KuruPrionz said:

The real bottom line is that relaxation is everything. Tension in the hands causes discomfort, fatigue and sometimes error. Tension in the mind can affect music as well. Your hour a day regimen will certainly yield positive results, keep at it!!!! 

I promise I'll be bearing all of this in mind! I have seen & felt the result of how much easier things are with less tension & a more relaxed approach... I find changing these basic chords to be a lot easier when that left hand is very relaxed... but oftentimes doing appears a lot more difficult than saying while it's all still pretty foreign 😂 I'll certainly keep at it & fortunately it can surely only improve with time, practice & all this useful advice!

[Larryz]

On 10/16/2023 at 8:54 AM, KuruPrionz said:

That doesn't mean we should limit ourselves with poor habits. Anchoring the little finger prevents one from utilizing the vast array of useful tones one can facilitate if they are free to float the hand back towards the bridge or up near the neck and all points in-between. Anchoring the little finger creates tension in the hand - there is no benefit to doing that, relaxation provides more options, including stamina.  

 

Great players like Chet Atkins overcoming their self-inflicted obstacles are common. We'll never know what they could have accomplished if they'd avoided poor habits. 

 

 

@KuruPrionz I think we all know how great Chet could have been using his finger picking method anchoring his pinky.  He has many players including Tommy Emmanuel who are proud to accomplish his "CGP" certified guitar player certificate and have it inlayed at the 12th fret on his guitars.  They are both world renowned finger picking guitar players.  There are many others who agree with the pinky anchor (Django is not involved LoL!).  I think we have to agree to disagree. There is a perfectly good reason to anchor the pinky if you want to learn Chet's style.  He is known as "Mr. Guitar" and there are tons of videos of him on YouTube.  I remember one where Johnny Carson introduced him Paraphrasing  "I would give up everything I ever wanted to have or do if I could just play the guitar like our next guest".  Anyway, my comment is not to disagree with you as many players including myself share your opinion for the most part.  Chet also used a pick and played as a studio musician at RCA backing Elvis and many other musicians so he didn't always anchor the pinky either...anyway here's Tommy showing how it's done for beginners who want to learn "Chet Style."  Its not a recommendation for anyone, unless it's their choice:

 

 

😎👍