Guitar Chord

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Learning to play in front of your teacher and others

Most students have a hard time playing their songs for their music teacher. When I went back to college I had to take class piano. In addition to classes where we had electronic keyboards with headphones, we were also required to play one on one for our teacher in a little room with a real piano. Not once in the 2 years that I took the class was I able to play as well as I could in the classroom or at home. What was particularly frustrating is that I was playing the guitar in public 5 or 6 nights a week and had no signs of stage fright or anxiety. So, what is it? The first thing a guitar student needs to understand is that youre not being tested. Its your guitar teachers way of judging your progress and watching for what needs to be corrected. Knowing youre being watched by someone who knows how to play can cause you to be nervous and afraid youll make a mistake. In addition, its frustrating to be able to play a song at home and not be able to play it as well at your lesson.

Getting over the stage fright, nervousness and anxiety

The only way to get over all three is by performing in front of other people. The more you practice the guitar, the more confident you become, and confidence is what gets you over the hump. Start out by playing for friends and family, your guitar teacher, and your fellow students. If you have the opportunity to play at a open mic or a jam session, go for it! Our studio offers controlled jam sessions which consist of part instruction, part jamming with others. If you can find a place that offers something like that, by all means get involved. Most cities have coffee houses or other venues that offer open mics or jam sessions and thats another good alternative. Remember, playing guitar or any other instrument is lots of fun when you can share it with others. So practice to build confidence, test your playing out on friends and family, then take the next step and get out in public.

Sending negative messages to yourself.

It never fails to amaze me how many students start off a song with a phrase like "this is the one I always screw up." Or, "I just cant get that part to sound right." Theyll then proceed to experience the self-fulfilling prophecy and screw the song up or complain, "see, that part doesnt sound right."

What causes these problems?

In many cases its not lack of practice, but lack of confidence. Do negative thoughts or statements instill confidence? Absolutely not. How do you develop the ability to play confidently? Start off by listening to yourself play the song. Isolate the trouble spots, and concentrate on smoothing them out. If you continue to think a part doesnt sound right, listen to a recording of it. Dont try to play along at first,  just listen several times so you know exactly what it sounds like. When you can hum it or sing it, then go back and fix your mistakes.

Theres plenty of help available, do some research.

With You Tube videos, guitar teacher websites, recordings, and all types of instructional material available, theres really no reason to struggle on your own. Find a guitar teacher, watch videos of the song youre trying to play, or any combination of those.

Change your attitude and your outlook.

Ive talked a little about this in other posts, but it bears repeating. Think positive thoughts, focus on what youre playing, and try to improve each time you play. Practicing the parts you already do well doesnt help. Work through the difficult passages, playing them slowly at first, then build up the parts around them. I tell my students to work on the hard part, then add a measure or two that lead into that part, and then on the measure or two after it.

Do you practice the same songs over and over?

Have you settled into a practice routine thats in your comfort zone? Is playing the same old songs keeping you from learning new material? While its a good idea to review and not lose the skills you have, you also can improve your guitar playing by working on newer, more challenging songs. I see students who pretty much refuse to move forward once theyre comfortable with their repertoire. Or, sometimes they get so hung up on a song they end up in a rut.

Become a pioneer instead of a settler.

While its not easy to pioneer new sounds, stretching out and playing other kinds of music, listening to different genres, and exploring the fingerboard are all ways to improve your guitar playing. Not sure what kinds of music youd like to play? Have your guitar teacher play some different styles for you, listen to some of the best guitar players and keep an open mind. There are fantastic guitar players regardless of the type of music they play.

How many of these names do you recognize?

Heres a list of guitar players you may or may not have heard of. Spend a little time listening and learning about them and you just might be surprised as well as inspired. In no particular order and in no particular style:

• Chet Atkins
• Doc Watson
• Eric Clapton
• Jimmy Paige
• Tony Rice
• Joe Pass
• Django Reinhardt
• Carlos Santana
• Jerry Garcia
• Andres Segovia
• Julian Bream
• Les Paul

This is a very, very small sample of great guitarists past and present. Do some research and prepare to be shocked and amazed.

Multi-tasking is overrated, I repeat, Multi-tasking is overrated.

Beginning guitar players are understandably excited about learning the instrument, but that can also get in the way of progress. There are so many concepts, techniques, and skills you need to learn, it can be very hard to know what to work on first.

Mastering one thing at a time.

• There are lots of ways to get started on playing guitar, and what you learn first is at least partially decided by what you want to do with the guitar. For example, you may want to play and sing, which means youll work on chords, then strumming techniques and then ways to spice up your playing.


• Jazz or classical guitar? You should start out by reading music, being able to play single notes, and then adding chords.

• Rock or country guitar? Chords, scales and lead guitar techniques. Every style of music has its own sound, but before you can learn that you need to build a good foundation.

Pick one aspect of playing whether its notes, chords, scales or songs, and then concentrate on that until youre able to play and move around easily. Only after you master one thing should you think about learning something else.

If you have any questions or comments, Id love to hear from you. For more tips about getting the most out of lessons be sure to visit my webpage: www.blguitars.net

Whats so hard about using the pinkie?

Beginning guitar students are way too eager to avoid using the pinkie finger at all costs. It wont stretch that far, its not strong, I cant get it to work right, and who knows what else? Ive watched ______ play and he or she doesnt use it.

Practice stretching exercises and quit avoiding it.

When youre serious about learning and improving your guitar playing, you use all of the tools available to you. Your guitar teacher can give you plenty of stretching and strengthening exercises to get the pinkie moving. Start out on frets 9 through 12, playing them in both directions: 9-10-11-12 and then 12-11-10-9, and be sure to use all 4 fingers. The other secret is to leave the 1st finger down through the whole sequence. When you can do that comfortably on those frets and all 6 strings, move to frets 8 - 11. Youll be pleasantly surprised at your progress.

Should I use my thumb?

While classical purists frown on thumb use, many guitar players use the thumb to fret the 6th string. Youll be in good company joining Jimi Hendrix, Chet Atkins, Mel Bay, and many others in using the thumb. I use it on some difficult chords as well as in songs when its convenient. Angie, by Bert Jansch and recorded by Simon and Garfunkel is an example of using the thumb. I use the thumb to play the barre chord F at the first fret. Guitar students with smaller hands may find it more difficult, but the best thing to do is try it and see what happens.

Get a different view of what youre playing. While most beginning guitar students own a strap, not many seem to try it out. The different angles and views when you stand present a whole new challenge. Its hard to see the frets, your hands are in a different position and the whole experience can best be described as awkward. Not being able to see things the same way results in having to get used to standing up while practicing.

Watch your hands in the mirror. I know it sounds weird, but if you practice in front of a mirror youll be able to watch where you need to place your fingers. At first youll feel kind of funny looking at yourself playing the guitar that way, but it really will make the transition to standing easier.

Attaching the guitar strap. Lots of guitars have a strap button on the end, but no way to attach the other part of the strap. The solution? Some people drill a hole in their guitar and attach the strap to the heel of the neck. While that does work, you may not like the idea of drilling holes in your prized instrument. Some straps have a shoelace like string to attach the strap by running under the strings and simply tying a know in it. I use, sell and recommend a nifty device that has a quick release. You attach it to your strap and if you want to take the strap off you just push the two little buttons on the side. Very convenient, easy to use and theres no drilling required. Its from a company called Planet Waves, and it works great! Theyre under $10 and all of your strap attachment problems are solved.

How high or low should your guitar be? The best suggestion here is to experiment and see what you like. Youll see professional guitarists with the guitar at waist level or below while others have it up pretty high. Try to find a position that enables you to reach everything while still feeling comfortable.

For more hints and tips, or to register for guitar or banjo lessons, visit our website: www.blguitars.net

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What makes a guitar student a beginner?

I was teaching the other day and a guitar student of mine, after having played for 6 months, told me he felt like he was still a beginner. My reply? You ARE still a beginner. One of the hardest things to accept about learning an instrument is that you cant speed the process up very much. Yes, you can practice more, take more lessons, do research on the internet and buy books, but your muscle memory has to catch up. So, what does indicate that youre a beginner? If your chords are still sloppy, you have trouble changing from one to the other, your fingers dont move very quickly and you can only play a couple songs all the way through, youre still in the beginning stage.


How do you make the jump?

First and foremost, take a deep breath, relax, and understand that everyone makes progress at a different rate. If youve never played guitar or any other instrument, havent had a musical background, your parents or siblings dont play, youll just have to go slow and learn at your own pace. With the wealth of information out there today, sometimes it does more harm than good. More and more lately I have students asking about theory and techniques that really arent going to be useful at this point. They want to learn songs that theyre not capable of playing, and that just makes it more frustrating. The ability to focus, go slow, and really learn a song, concept or technique is where the emphasis should be placed. Getting to the next level requires basic skills, at least an elementary understanding of the music youre trying to play and the ability to play it well.

Dont be tempted to multitask.


Having a clear goal in mind and concentrating on one thing at a time is the best way to make steady progress. Dont worry about trying to master chords, notes, scales, or intervals all at once. Your guitar teacher can help you decide what to learn first. How you start learning guitar depends on what kind of music you like, whether or not youre going to sing and how much of a musical background you have. So work with your teacher on finding what will help you get where you want to go with music.

How to go about learning new material

Listen to the song. Get a copy of the new song and listen to it several times. Before you attempt to play your guitar on a song you have to listen and understand exactly how it goes. Many times a student will insist he or she knows how it goes, only to find a part they dont remember. Being able to hum or sing the song means you have the ability to know what its supposed to sound like.

 Dont practice mistakes. When youre just starting to learn a song on your guitar, go slowly enough that you cant make a mistake. Guitar playing is all about muscle memory and your fingers remember all of it, good and bad.

Do what works best for you. Everyone has a different way of learning. Some guitar teachers advocate learning one measure or even just a small phrase while others encourage you to play the whole song. The best thing to do is experiment and see what works for you.

Be patient and dont try to rush. A common beginning guitar player mistake is to try to play fast. Remember, if you cant play it slow, you cant play it fast.

Using these playing tips should help you improve at a faster rate, so experiment and give them a try.

Todays Guitar Chord of the Day is A minor add9. This guitar chord is simply to play: just two fingers needed, but is a great sound variation on a regular Am guitar chord.

Add 9 chords can also be written /9 (Ted Greene is a fan of writing add9 chords this way). So todays chord can also be written as Am/9.

Minor add9 chords can be played in place of most minor chords. It can replace chords ii, vi and iii in major keys (although using it instead of chord 3 introduces a non-scale note it still sounds good).

Minor add9 chords use these degrees of the major scale: 1, b3, 5, 9
A minor add9 uses the notes: A, C, E, B
Our inversion uses the notes in this order: A, E, C, B, E

Weve featured an alternative inversion of this guitar chord here: C minor add9

Follow or subscribe to the RSS feed and tune in tomorrow for another Guitar Chord Of The Day.

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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!"

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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Hi,

I still want to write more about the major scale. Hence, today I am very happy coz my friend namely Ponco Satrio. A very good guitarist originally from Indonesia willing to share his video regarding the E major scale classical style.



Look how firm his picking and fingering. Maybe some of you feel this video quite fast. Then you should try to play it slowly.

Anyway. Thanks to my friend Ponch(Ponco Satrio)