More chord problems .. help

Gaz

Hi all ,

A few more questions if i may ...

Ive only started to learn guitar as i said in a previous post and im trying learn the basic chords , i found what appears to be a good site www.chordguide.com but could one of you guitar players have a look at it and tell me if its right , for example ive seen the D chord on some sites saying dont play the top two strings but this site says just dont play the 1st one , is this right ? There are other chords like that.

Also ... how in the name of Jebus do you get your fingers into the position to play B and F ??? Maybe im doing something stupid but im finding it very difficult to get all my fingers in the right place , even then it sounds terrible , never mind jump to it from another chord.

thanks for all help and im sure i'll be back with more questions

This guitar lark is bloody difficult ...fun (and painful) though

ogy

You should definitely try to avoid hitting the 1st string when playing D but the 2nd string is a matter of preference. Every chord is made up of 3 notes, D is made of D F# and A. If you hit the 2nd string then the bass note of the chord your playing is A (as thats the A string) but if you dont hit it then the 3rd string which is D becomes the bass note. Some think it sounds better if the root note of the chord (D note is the root of D chord) is the bass note, but if your strumming away it doesnt really matter that much.

F and B are played with barre chords. A barre chord is when you play a chord (usually E or A) with your last three fingers instead of your first 3 . THen you slide the chord up a fret and put your first finger down over every string on the first fret. This takes a while to build up power to do. But if you get it it means you have access to alot more chords as when you move a chord e.g. A up a fret and then put your first finger across the first fret, you get Bb. you can keep moving this shape up the guitar and you get a different chord on each fret. So A on the 3rd fret instead of the second with your finger across the first fret = Bb, an A shape across the 4th fret with your 1st finger across the second fret = B. To work out any chord just start with A or E, move it up a fret and put your 1st finger across the 1st fret then count up the frets till you get to the note you want (E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D D# E). Theres no E sharp or B sharp and F#= Gb, A#= Bb etc.
Also if you change the basic chord (E or A) to a variation of it (E min Amin E7 A7) the same thing happens to the barre chord.
SO to make a chord like C# minor start with an Amin shape played with your 2nd third and fourth fingers. move it up a fret counting as you go (A, A#, B, C, C#) So four frets up the guitar you get C#. Put your finger across the fourth fret and hold the Amin shape and you get C#min
The main difference in how you actually play barre chords is that, with open chords your thumb is around the neck of the guitar, but with barre chords put your thumb against the back of the neck parrelel to the strings, this helps you squeeze your fingers into the guitar.
hope all this waffle helps a bit and if it doesnt maybe it will in a few months or something
(btw F is E one fret higher, B is A two frets higher)
ogy

Gordon

Basic music theory is what you want Darth, you have time and inquisitiveness on your side, you will grasp it in no time I promise you.

Don't go to lots of sites showing you different chord shapes there are tens of ways of playing DMajor twentys, thirtys forty ways man and you'll fry your brain trying to remember them all.

Three things to learn you have to do:

1) Learn the notes on the guitar (it's easy there are only 6 strings - the notes inside you can count up slowly)
2) Will take more time: Learn the major and minor scales (read: intervals. Remember that word INTERVALS)
3) Now learn what makes a DMajor chord a DMajor chord. Google will show you the way.

A chord is a combination of (usually) three or more notes. That is all. A DMajor chord is note D plus it's fifth note in the major scale plus it's third note in the major scale.

Most chords consist of the (tonic) fundamental note plus its third plus its fifth. To find out what the third and fifth are you count the intervals on the scale.

Then you will find chords that have more than three notes such as D7th and Dsus2 but that's another lesson.

Music theory, it's not difficult but it's like being given a net to fish with for a lifetime instead of free fish for a day.

(those chords on the website are fine but if you don't think the string should be played don't play it. Start using YOUR choice in what sounds good or not. Many people don't play the E bass string on the chord C for example, many do, it's all about your taste)