Guitar Chord

Hello guys....

Gosh!!! I didnt go for jamming for almost 2 month already, that because of the fasting month and the month of Eid. I have to respect it and also busy visiting friends and relative or they visiting me.

So, yesterday I spent the whole morning by playing my guitar in my room. I have 3 electric guitar now in my room... When i took one of it, the fender stratocaster-mexican 1996. i found that the strings are rusty. hmmm..... Well. Thats because i forget one thing! I didnt take care of it since my friend used it in a function last september.

May be on that moment his hands was sweating or wet when played my strat. A bit frustated coz i dint take care of it. So, I believe thats the lesson I learn and want to share with you guys. Take a good care of your AXE and FX. coz that the thing that u will be frustated enuff when they are not in good condition.

Not just for the string, but may be on the paint, the fret wires, the bridge, the pickups, the humidity, maybe the temperature.

Most guitarists agree that we need to wipe the strings and body with clean and dry towel. Then put it in the case. And the best case that protect your AXE is the hard case, or some people use the term Coffin case. It is quite expensive compare to the gigbag or soft case. But to tell u, it really protect your guitar.

But if u can only afford the softcase or gigbag, its okay. it protect ur axe anyway, from scratch and direct heat. But remember dont lean your guitar neck to the wall... it may make ur neck bowing.

And for your FX, try not to let it just like down after playing, its good to cover it. If it has some case put it in the case. Take off the battery if not being used or else the battery will be running out. some FX just need to plug off the cable to safe the battery. Put the FX away from possibility of something fall on it or people walk on it. Dont ever spill water on it or put it on the wet floor.

There are some other ways to take care of your axe. I will tell about it some other times later...

See you!!!!

Weve previously looked at a nice sounding minor 11 chord with its root on the E string.Today well play a very common minor 11 inversion with its root on the A string.

This chord is quite easy to play barring across 5 strings with your 1st finger and holding down the B string with your middle finger. This is a common inversion and was used in the famous Miles Davis track So What from Kind of Blue - this song used a bass riff followed by Em11 and Dm11.

Minor11 chords can be played in the place of most minor chords and can replace chord ii, iii and vi in major keys. Minor 11th chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, b3, 5, b7, 9, 11 its very common to leave some notes out - our inversion is missing the 5th and 9th.

Cm11 uses the notes: C, Eb, G, Bb, D, F

Our inversion uses the notes in this order: C, F, Bb, Eb, G

Tune in tomorrow for another Guitar Chord Of The Day.

Continuing our series of Dominant 7th Guitar chords, today we have the last of our inversions with notes on the middle four strings of the guitar.


This inversion has its root note on the G string and uses the notes of the G7 chord in this order:

• B (the 3rd)
• F (the b7th)
• G (the root note)
• D (the 5th)

Know weve covered  8 different inversions of G7, make sure you can play all of the Dominant 7th inversions weve looked at and played so far. Practice playing through blues progressions in different keys without changing position using different inversions of G7, C7 and D7. Try playing blues progressions in other keys too.

Tomorrow well start the final leg of our mini-series on Dominant 7th chords and look at inversions on the bottom four strings of the guitar. Check back then for another guitar chord of the day.

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Are you suffering from TMI? (Too Much Information)

There are literally thousands of resources for learning to play guitar. Beginning guitar players are being bombarded with information, opinions, learning methods, DVDs, you name it. Theres really way too much to choose from, so your progress stops because you dont know who to listen to.


What should you learn first?

Some guitar teachers advise you to learn notes, some think its chords, other think its songs, and still others think its technique. Heres how I approach teaching a beginning guitar student. Keep in mind that I dont engage in "cookie cutter" lessons where I teach the same way whether youre 8 years old or pushing 80.


There are things you should think about.

Even though youre just starting out, you should give some thought to what youre trying to do. For example, if you goal is to play and sing, you should probably start out by practicing chords. As soon as my students can play 4 or 5 chords I get them working on a song. Its a lot more fun to practice chords when they end up sounding like something. Dont buy a chord book with the intention of just memorizing all the chords. Unless you have a use for a give chord youre not likely to remember it.

Note reading, tabs, and chord charts.

While its easy to find tablature, or tabs, for songs, its still a good idea to learn at least a little about standard notation. Reading music is not as difficult as most people think it is, and there are lots of times when its more useful. Tabs are not standardized, so most of them dont indicate rhythm. To use a guitar tab youll need to have a recording of the song and preferably a way to slow it down. The program we use to slow songs down is: RiffMaster Pro. (Affiliate link.) The advantage to tab is that its a number system so its easier to read sometimes. Most songbooks come with the chords listed at the top of the 1st page and placed over the correct words.

Find yourself a teacher, at least in the beginning.

A professional, experienced teacher can help you sort through the choices available as well as answer questions. One of the problems with teaching yourself to play guitar is that it can take a long time to learn what a teacher could show you in a few minutes.

The main thing is to get started doing something!

After reading this post, Im hoping youre ready to get started. Another negative from too much information is not knowing where to start, and putting off learning the guitar completely. Once youre on your way to playing you can make educated decisions about what to learn and in what order.

Any questions or comments? Post them below this article and Ill be happy to reply to them.

Todays Guitar Chord of the Day is another dissonant guitar chord in our occasional series on Dissonant Chords. As with our other dissonant guitar chords this one has 6 semitone halfsteps.

Here are the notes for this guitar chord:
D#, E, F, F#, G, G#

As this chord is very dissonant and is made up 6 half-steps, it cant really be labeled in the usual way.
Tune in to Guitar Chord of the Day tomorrow when well look at how to make lots more chords from our 12 Dominant 7th Chords Every Guitarist Should Know.

Do you want to speed up your progress?

I was always interested in learning to play guitar, in fact I had my first guitar lesson when I was 5 years old. Unfortunately, that was my last one until I was in high school. I didnt have a guitar and remember sitting on the floor, guitar book next to me, pretending I was strumming. Im sure my parents and the music school were just humoring me since I never got to go back. When I did start to play guitar, it kind of happened by accident. A friend and I were at a high school basketball game and started up a conversation with a guy we thought we knew. As it turned out, we didnt know him, but we became friends. He had a guitar, an old Kay archtop he was learning on, and I would play it when I went to his house. Soon after that, another friend at school told me his dad had a guitar he wanted to sell. We went and looked at it and since he didnt want much for it, I was the proud owner of a new guitar.

Practice + A little friendly competition = PROGRESS!

Since my friend Rich and I both knew people who played guitar, it was fun to learn something new and then show it off the next time we got together. However, youd only be able to be better for one day since the person that you were showing off to would immediately go home and learn what youd played! In addition, I found a guitar teacher so it helped both of us learn more quickly.

Finding someone to practice with can really help.

There are several advantages to having a practice partner. Its a lot less frustrating to know that youre not alone in the beginning stages and that there are other people struggling to improve. If you find someone with similar taste in music you can have fun trying to learn new songs. Things tend to go faster when you have a little friendly competition. It tends to make you practice more.

How to find someone.

Not knowing someone can be a deterrent, but there are lots of ways to solve the problem. The first resource would be your guitar teacher or the place where you take lessons. We offer controlled jam sessions and have had several friendships develop in the classes. Not taking lessons? Try going to an open mic or a jam session. In our area there are several open jams and open mics. You dont have to play at first, maybe just listen and see if theres someone at your level. While its ideal to have someone that plays better than you, if theyre too advanced they may not be interested. Good luck and I hope you find someone to pick with. It really does make an enjoyable hobby even better.

Todays Guitar Chord of the Day is E minor11 or Em11.  This chord is down in open position and works as a nice variation on a regular Em chord.

Weve played a few other minor11 guitar chords here.
Minor11 chords can be played in the place of most minor chords and can replace chords ii, iii and vi in major keys.
Minor 11th chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, b3, 5, b7, 9, 11
Em11 uses these notes E, G, B, D, F#, A
Our guitar chord of the day uses the notes in this order:
E minor11 guitar chord E, B, F#, G, D, A

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Actually, your pinky will work if you start using it.

I hear it and see it all the time, beginning guitar students doing everything they can to avoid using the pinky. They find lots of creative fingerings to get around it instead of exercising it, working with it and training it to function. Yes, its hard at first, yes, it seems easier to use one of the other fingers, no, its not the best way to play the guitar. With a little time and effort your pinky can work as well as the others.

 Exercises to strengthen the pinky.


Most guitar students spend way too little time warming up. You need to stretch and strengthen your fingers and loosen up before you start to actually play songs and scales. Here are a couple of basic exercises to get you started. The important thing to remember is that YOU HOLD THE 1ST (INDEX/POINTER) FINGER DOWN THROUGHOUT THESE EXERCISES.

Exercise 1:

• Play the 1st string, (the skinny one), with your 1st finger at the 1st fret.
• Play the 2nd fret, 2nd finger, 1st string.
• Play the 3rd fret, 3rd finger, 1st string.
• Play the 4th fret, 4th finger, 1st string.

So you should have played the 1st fret, 2nd fret, 3rd fret and 4th fret using one finger for each fret. Now go backwards, 4th fret, 3rd fret, 2nd fret, 1st fret. Practice this exercise twice on each string, playing as many strings as you can play comfortably. Remember, its like any other exercise program, start out slowly and dont play it to the point of being in pain. Most beginning guitar students will be able to play the first two or three strings. As your fingers get stronger youll be able to play the exercises more easily and on more strings.

Exercise 2:

• Again, start at the 1st string, 1st fret, 1st finger.
• Now play the 1st string, 3rd fret with your 3rd finger. Dont forget to leave the 1st finger on the 1st fret.
• 4th fret, 4th finger, 1st string.
• 3rd fret, 3rd finger, 1st string.

Again, do this exercise twice on each string, as many strings as you can do comfortably.

Exercise 3:

• 1st string, 1st fret, 1st finger.
• 1st string, 2nd fret, 2nd finger.
• 1st string, 4th fret, 4th finger.
• 1st string, 2nd fret, 2nd finger.

You know the drill, twice on each string, as many as you can do comfortably.

Start out each practice or playing session with these exercises and soon your pinky will work as well as your other fingers.

Thumbs up.

Theres always a question as to whether or not you should use the thumb to fret notes. Most classical guitar players and teachers frown on that, but most players in other styles of music find it useful. Jimi Hendrix, Chet Atkins, and many others have used the thumb, so if its convenient, use it. I use my thumb to fret the 1st fret of the 6th string when I play the F chord, and at other frets as well. Some people have hands that are too small for that to work, but you should feel free to experiment. I sound like one of those drug commercials on TV....."ask your teacher if using the thumb is right for you!"

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Today were starting a new mini series on 4 string dominant 7th chords. Well cover 12 different inversion of these dominant 7th chords for guitar. These are great chords to learn, remember and use... why?

• Youll be able to able to play any dominant 7th chord in any area of the neck. Chord changes sound better when they flow with good voice leading.
• You can easily modify these chords to make minor 7th, major 7th, half diminished, altered, 9th chords and more
• These chords are great for blues, funk, jazz and pop but can be used anywhere.
• Learning and using these will improve your musicianship and make you a better guitarist.

Each of these chords is played on four adjacent strings. The first guitar chords in our series will be played on the top 4 strings. So heres our first inversion:


This chord is a G7 and has its root note on the 3rd fret of the E string, but you can easily move it to other frets to transpose it.

Dominant 7th chords use the 1, 3, 5 and b7 notes of the major scale.
For a G7 chord, this is G, B, D and F.

Tune in tomorrow for the next in our series of 12 dominant 7th chords you should know.

Todays Guitar Chord of the Day is D13. 13th chords together with 9th chords are really great for playing through blues progressions. Try playing through a regular blues progression using these Blues Guitar Chords in place of regular 7th chords.

Heres the fingering for this chord shape:

You can find more inversions here:

• 13th Guitar Chords
• 9th Guitar Chords

D13 uses the notes: D, F#, A, C, E, G, B
Our inversion uses the notes in this order: D, F#, C, E, B

Tune in tomorrow for another Guitar Chord Of The Day

Have you ever wondered if youre learning guitar the right way?

After working on playing guitar for a few months, a beginning guitar student will wonder if theres something he or she can be doing better so that they learn guitar the "right way." The first thing to keep in mind is that everyones tastes and goals are different, so you may want to start thinking instead in terms of learning the "right way for me."


The guitar is a very versatile instrument.

Since the guitar is so versatile, there are many approaches to teaching and learning. One of the first things you and your guitar teacher should do is have an interview to help you understand the different teaching methods and ways of getting started. The type of music you like, the equipment you own, your previous musical background, and the level of commitment will all be considerations. Its a good idea to think about these things before you set up your first lesson. Hint: "I just want to learn guitar, I want to learn songs," and other general statements Dont Help! Dig deeper and find what really would make you want to stick with learning guitar. Think about particular artists, bands and styles of music. The more details you can provide the better.

So, whats the right way to learn then?

Set goals, learn technique and remember that youre supposed to be having fun. If youve never played an instrument before youll have to develop a basic skill set to work from. Your guitar teacher will help you learn what tools youll need to play the style you like. For example, if you want to play rock guitar you need to work with using a pick, and you cant give up on it. Too many beginning guitarists get discouraged and think theyll find a short cut to learning. Believe me, it will catch up to you and youre not going to like relearning something.

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The A minor guitar chord, is one of the first minor chords that acoustic or electric guitar players learn. Minor chords have a sad sound compared to major chords. Am is an easy guitar chord shape to play and an easy guitar chords for beginners.
Put your first finger on the 1st fret of the B string, your second finger on the 2nd fret of the D string and your 3rd finger on the 2nd fret of the G string.

The A minor guitar chord can be written as Am or A minor. Try playing this together with the C major chord and check back soon for another guitar chord of the day.

Make your music more musical.

What makes a great guitar player sound that way? Attention to detail. No strings buzzing, no squeaks, no deadened strings, playing clean, clear notes. Its things like that you need to listen for. Whats the best way to hear them? Record yourself. Recordings dont lie, they pick up every sound good or bad. When the strings buzz you need to push harder or play closer to the frets. A deadened string is almost always caused by something being in the way. Keep your fingernails short, push up your sleeves and arch your fingers so they dont bump into the other strings.

Listen closely to the recording and youll hear the trouble spots.

A lot of times we get so intent on playing that we dont hear ourselves. Ive had to tell students to listen to their playing and gotten blank stares in return. You need to hear what you sound like before you can  fix the bad spots. Once you pick them out, then you grab your guitar and start slowly and methodically making the song sound better.

Attitude means a lot.

Once you find the phrases that need work, practice them slowly and build up speed so you can play them with confidence. Saying to yourself: "here comes the part I always screw up" becomes a reality. I hear lots of negativity during lessons and it will definitely affect the students performance. A positive attitude can make a big difference in helping you progress.


Put it all together, practice it and try again.

After youve eliminated the rough notes, cleaned up the chords and corrected the timing, record yourself again. If youve followed through and worked hard at improving your sound, the results should make you very happy. If not, repeat the above steps. 

Todays Guitar Chord of the Day is C Minor 9. This guitar chord can be played in the place of most minor chords. It can be a bit of a stretch in some positions, but its a great sounding chord to play so well worth stretching those fretting fingers for.
Weve featured an alternative inversion of this guitar chord here.

Minor 9 chords can be played in place of minor 7th chords, and almost always in place of minor chords. It can replace II, III and VI chords in major keys.

Minor 9 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, b3, 5, b7, 9
C minor 9 uses the notes: C, Eb, G, Bb, D
Our inversion uses the notes in this order: Bb, D, Eb, C

Learn a new guitar chord every day by subscribing to the RSS feed and tune in tomorrow for another Guitar Chord Of The Day

photo by notsogoodphotography

Open your guitar's wiring cavity. Watch out on the body finish.

1. Switches

A (Gibson): If you have problems with a Gibson-style switch, try to look at it closer. Do you see that springy, thin pieces of metal. Try to carefully push them to the inside of the switch. Sometimes, after years of work, they are pushed out a little bit.

B: Use compressed air (or just blow) to get rid of dust inside the switch. You might be surprised what a little bit of dirt can do.

2. Connections, joints:

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Continuing our occasional series of playing guitar chords with natural harmonics, todays Guitar Chord of the Day is C Major 9.

Play the guitars bottom E string with your little finger while lightly resting your first finger on the D, G, B and E strings of the guitar.

Major 9 guitar chords can be replace major 7th chords replacing chords I and IV chords in major keys.
Major 9 guitar chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9

The C Major 9 guitar chord uses the notes: C, E, G, B, D
Our C Major 9 chord uses the notes in this order: C, D, G, B, E

Learn a new guitar chord every day by subscribing to the RSS feed - tune up and tune in tomorrow for another Guitar Chord Of The Day

Inspiration or show-off?

Theres a fine line when it comes to showing a beginning guitar student how a song goes, and having him or her interpret it as showing off. Ive had students tell me I was showing off or trying to show them up, when actually I was playing the song fast enough that they would hear what it was supposed to sound like.

Does your teacher show off sometimes?

Absolutely! Most of the time its when Im asked to play something, maybe even on a different instrument. Students have asked me to play the banjo for them, or if they play banjo to play something on the guitar. Sometimes theyre searching for credibility or checking to see if you really can play a particular song.


Whats the problem?

The problem pops up when your guitar teacher does more playing than teaching. Were not talking about accompanying you, but rather playing instead of teaching. This happens a lot with teachers who are either inexperienced, lacking in self confidence or just trying to impress the student.


What should you do?

It depends on how comfortable you are with it. When Ive been accused of showing off I explain why I played that song or passage in that way. I try to lead by example and make it clear that what I just played is for the benefit of the student. There are times when a certain technique or song has to be played at a faster pace for it to make sense. So, listen to what your teacher is playing, and if you have any questions or concerns about the motive behind it, just mention them and see what the answer is. Most of the time it will be played with every intention of instructing rather than showing off.

Just for a change we have another Dominant 7th guitar chord today :) Carrying on our series of Dominant 7th chords we move to the bottom four strings of the guitar. Once you have all 12 dominant 7th guitar chords under your belt, youll have the foundations of a really strong harmonic understanding of the guitar.


Todays inversion uses the bottom 4 strings of a common guitar inversion based on an E barre chord. It uses the notes of the G7 chord in this order:

• G (the root note)
• D (the 5th)
• F (the b7th)
• B (the 3rd)

These inversions with their notes on the bottom 4 guitar strings have a lot heavier, fuller sound than the inversions on the middle or top 4 strings of the guitar. Start incorporating this chord into your practice and mixing it up with the other Dominant 7th guitar inversions youve learned already.

Tune back tomorrow as we move towards the end of our miniseries on 12 Dominant 7th Guitar Chords every guitarist should know.

Here are some links to soundtracks (YouTube):

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly theme (most famous Alessandronis riff)

For a Few Dollars More theme (cool whistling)

Once Upon a Time in the West theme (my favorite riff)

Links:
www.alessandroni.com - official site
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alessandro_Alessandroni
www.pollodelmar.com/mart/morricone - about spaghetti western themes

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Today, I would like to recommand you some videos in how-its-made style. They will show you how some guitar makers are working on custom electric guitars. Really nice close-ups.

Witkowski Custom Guitars

Peters Instruments

Noshtims Custom Guitars

Aldomath Guitars

Marchione Guitars

King Blossom Guitars

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