OT: I suck at chords help me

[DL2]

You might as well learn your theory so you know why that's where you put your fingers.

That means you're gonna have to learn every fret's note by heart, as well as the intervals, the seven modes, building chords, chord extensions, chord scales, CAGED system, chord progressions, arpeggios, and inversions.

Sounds like a lot to know but it's the understanding of musical functions that I feel is making me a better player every day.

As for the capo, I never use one unless I'm playing certain songs, and even then, it's optional. I don't believe experienced guitar players use them very often to transpose because if you know all the jargon I was talking about above, you could do that on the fly.

I don't think reading sheet music is necessary for the guitarist, but it wouldn't kill you. I think a far more important skill is recognizing notes by ear, which is something I'm very mediocre at.

I would suggest just going to the website www.musictheory.netevery day and do each of the excersizes. You will obviously have to search around for some articles online about the nature of the phrases I was talking about above, but there are plenty on the internetz. I suggest learning in the order that I typed those topics up, because to truly understand chord extenstions one obviously must know the scales and modes, just as one must know the chord scales before attempting to undergo chord progressions. It's a very fascinating field that will increase your musical prowess tenfold if you put in the time to learn it well.

[pbone]

Yeah, all that. You need to do some homework. Arpeggios are necessary.

[tantamo]

Christ guys, this is a little overkill.

Find some songs you like. Download their chord progressions off the internet learn how to play them.

Once you start learning some chord progressions you'll start to see how a lot of songs are based off the same things. The keys change but the progressions may not.

If you just learn the basic movable chord shapes that start on the 5th and 6th strings that can take you pretty far. Something like E major, e major 7, e minor, e minor 7 on the 6th string, and the same thing for A on the 5th string. With these you can play a whole lot of songs.

Oh, and I know all the "jazz" people will come and poo poo on my advice, whatever.

[ninjaaron]

Some people stumble upon them by accident, but why not try and figure out how to play a F9#11 using open strings? Sometimes you may want that sound.

I tried.
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It was a great success. Then I had to ask myself, "Why am I playing such an playing a chord with two tri-tones a third apart? This whole-tone based {censored} is nonsense, and I'm not arty-farty enough for this chord."

Then I tried playing a F major with open strings and my mind collapsed (and don't try pulling this first inversion crap. I'm onto you ). Then I slapped a capo on the first fret and I three or four ways to play E with open strings, and I could still barre my F9#11 at the eighth fret, so I did, but it still sounded horrible.

COOL STORY, RIGHT?

[THeLoveGun]

Some good Jazz related references here. Jazz really brings you back to the basics, so I suggest a good beginners intro book.

 

root, 3rd, 5th relations will show you how chords work at the basic level.

inverted minors and diminished chords are epic for teh brutalz.

 

If you don't want Nirvana or 90's 4 chord stuff, maybe you should check out

some Jeck Buckley or Chris Cornell (Euphoria Morning) for some interesting use of chord progressions.

 

as a melodic exercise, you should play a 4 note ascending/descing bassline, while throwing in some harmonies...next thing you know, you've got some nice chord progression going on.

[ambient]

seriously. a hand full of one off lessons.

[TheHarakiriEnd]

What are you talking about? If you want to play Moldy Peaches all day you can stick to four chords but if you actually want to play rhythm guitar you should learn chords thoroughly. Believe it or not songs do exist in several different keys and you should learn how to play them without a capo. The idea is to get away from any crutch or assistance and know how to play those chords effortlessly. I guess it's because I come from a jazz background, but having an extensive chord vocabulary is nothing but helpful. Serious players are methodical. Luck favors the prepared. What happens when you are in a situation where a bandleader gives you a chord chart that reads: C-7 | Abmaj#11 | F-11 | Eb?9 ? Are you going to blow it and miss the gig because you don't know how to play that? {censored} no. Learn your chords. Learn how to play them in more than one position. I've been in situations like that and have lost the gig because I didn't know my {censored}. Be serious about it if you're going to learn it.

 

 

How long have you been studying jazz guitar again? What you are saying is right but don't you think thats like telling somebody who is wanting to get their first synth to buy a Buchla 200 series?

[ambient]

How long have you been studying jazz guitar again? What you are saying is right but don't you think thats like telling somebody who is wanting to get their first synth to buy a Buchla 200 series?

 

 

classic jazz noob syndrome

[One Man Banned]

Hey guys, So for the majority of my guitar playing career I have been in bands and those bands played songs solely based on riffs and solos, all the songs I wrote were basically vehicles for me to solo and use my big muff etc. Now my current band is going to fold at the end of the summer since the drummer is going to college in California, so lately I have been looking into covering songs to expand my knowledge of songwriting and to prepare myself to start a new band while at school. I have come to realize that I have a chord vocabulary less than ten and I lack all skill based around chords, I don't know how to go about fixing this, I really need to learn how to play rhythm guitar. so how do I go about fixing this? are there any essential chordal exercises? Is using a capo to make learning chords easier a good idea?

Get yourself some Ted Greene books (Chord Chemistry and Modern Chord Progressions) and take some time to learn how chords are built by stacking scales and modes...pepper them with non-harmonic tones.

[Jules-RM]

Learn Jeff Buckley songs.

 

The End.

[Mr. Shankly]

Chords by Joe Charupakorn is a great chord book. Also, try guitar pro and document weird fingerings that you come up with on that.

[The Lou-Dog]

B is the 7t, you don't need to call it the 15th. That's unnecessary. Besides, what you're saying is true, but as a guitar player, you need to develop the ability to know those extended notes as well as where they are on the fretboard. It's harder than just the theoretical side, but on the same token, you can move chords around unlike you can on a piano.

Fair cop.

But you can definately move chords around on the piano, because you can have so much more flexibility with close voicings :poke: