Jam Babble

Changing chords is something a lot of beginners struggle with. I have me theories that beginners tend to try and change chords too quickly while they’re learning. By this I don’t mean physcially too fast but rather too soon.

In order to be efficient at changing chords, especially while strumming, you need to first be profeccient in playing and strumming the chord on it’s own. I’m a big believer in breaking down skills on the guitar into baby steps then piecing all those steps together to create the full picture, so lets do that with chord changes.

As I already mentioned you need to be able to make the chord shapes and strum them well before you can think about moving between them. Once you’ve got that down I want you to take the strumming part out of the equation.

Let’s say you’re trying to switch from C to G. Stop strumming and just practice moving your hands from the C shape to the G shape back to the C shape etc. The movement is the same whether your strumming or not but by stopping strumming you’re allowing your brain to focus just on the chord change and manuvering your fretting hand. Once you feel comfortable with it add a straight strumming up down up down up etc. To the mix.

A couple of points to note, if you stumble switching the chord shapes don’t worry just keep on strumming. If you continue to strum steady you’ll get in the habit of being able to leave your strumming hand on auto pilot and worry about moving your fretting fingers around.

Last but not least don’t try to learn too many changes at once. Focus on one chord to one other chord at a time. Then worry about creating chord progressions you change between. Breaking the technique down almost always works for new skills on the guitar and if your patient it will work for you really well.

Other Posts:
http://guitarlessonreview.net/669/learning-the-guitar-fretboard-notes/
http://www.youguitarist.net/291/how-you-can-benefit-from-the-caged-guitar-system/

Palm Muting is a great skill that I don’t think is used all that often. I use it a lot since I enjoy playing acoustic songs that use the guitar as a rhythm instrument as well (think tunes a la Jack Johnson).

To use palm muting what you want to do is use the fleshy part of your palm below where you thumb joins your hand and place that over the strings just above the bridge. When you do this you reduce the amount of noise that comes from the strings since they are not allowed to shake as much as when there is no hand pressed against them.

By varying the pressure and location of your palm you can get some really cool tunes out of your acoustic or electric.

This technique takes sometime to master and you need to play with it but it can allow you to create some great rhythm parts or mix up a cover tune you might already know and love to make it your own.

Other Posts:
http://www.pianoplayingtips.info/beginner-guitar-lesson-on-learning-the-notes-on-each-guitar-string
http://www.guitarlessonscritic.com/blog/learning-guitar-string-notes-first-step-to-a-solid-beginner-foundation/

I grabbed this idea from the author over at Acoustic-Guitar-Blog, it was a solid enough idea that I wanted to pass it along to you guys.

If you haven’t been playing long you may not have run into the problem of your guitar slipping off your leg. It happens a lot if you have a pair of dress pants on or a fabric that isn’t denim. There is a quick solution to this how ever and it’s something I probably would’ve never thought of had I not come across this post.

The author there talks about using a piece of shelf liner that’s cut out to go on your leg first then place the guitar on top of that. It creates a non slide surface for you to rest your guitar on. The idea seems awesome and I’m going to try.

I often have issues with my guitar sliding on my leg when I’m really getting into a tune and stomping my feet.

Another idea was to use a thin peace of rubber like a bathing or swimming cap. Anything that’s thing enough to not be obtrusive and can fit right underneath the guitar between it and your leg will work.

Other Interesting Posts:
http://www.guitarlessonscritic.com/blog/intro-to-the-caged-system-locating-all-major-chords-on-the-guitar-neck/
http://guitarlessonreview.net/682/easy-guitar-tuning-without-the-need-for-an-electric-tuner/
http://www.pianoplayingtips.info/3-speed-exercises-to-learn-to-play-guitar-faster

It can be a long road from newbie to master when learning guitar, but it should be enjoyed not loathed.

There are a few things I’ve noticed that can contribute to you feeling over whelmed or frustrated and/or having fun while you’re learning to play. In this post I want to share with you a couple of ideas that can help you stay focused and have fun.

1. Get a good set of instructions or take private lesson: If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time then you’re familiar that I’m a big proponent of either using DVD guitar lessons or signing up for private lessons. Which ever you choose I suggest you do one or the other. Trying to teach yourself can often become over whelming and you can end up putting the instrument down for good. Having a proper instructor or lesson plan ensures you get the quality instruction you deserve and you won’t end up feeling like you’re not getting any where.
2. Don’t start with chords: A lot of beginners want to rush right off to learn how to play chords because that’s the stuff that songs are made of right! Well I’m going to tell you to do the exact opposite. Instead of learning chords first start with the names of the strings then the guitar string notes on each string. Chords and scales are both made up of individual notes so starting off with the notes is the better method of getting started.
3. Use Videos to Supplement Learning: If you’re feeling stuck, and not quite sure where to turn for more information or maybe even a different take on a particular guitar lesson why not check out youtube for some videos. Many guitar teachers can put together video guitar lessons on a variety of topics. Here’s a sample lesson that explains how to find the notes on each guitar string. While this concept is taught by most beginner guitar lessons and teachers another persons perspective might ring true with you more so then the videos you’re watching.

   NOTE: I’m not suggesting you should use YouTube on it’s own as a learn vehicle I think you need more structure then that when first starting out.

4. Enjoy Yourself: Whether it’s private guitar lessons or guitar lesson videos you choose to use when learning be sure to take time to enjoy your new found skills. It’s not worth having a hobby to learn something like the guitar if you don’t really really enjoy it. Once you learn how to read tab, take some time to go out and find a tab that you like and try to learn the song. That’s what it’s all about in the end right! Having some fun.

Try to keep these things in mind as you progress through your guitar journey. It’ll be well worth it in the end!

Enjoy and Happy Jamming!