5 Guitar Playing Tips - Learn to Play Guitar Chords

Many people are aspiring to learn how to play the guitar. The guitar has risen into a certain level of popularity that it has become a symbol of talent, creativity and "coolness."

However, learning how to play the guitar is no joke. Learning to play the instrument requires one to learn how to play the chords. This article tries to give some helpful tips to individuals who would want to learn how to play guitar chords.

1. Get a chord chart
Playing guitar chords is just like playing chords in an organ. If one is learning to play the guitar alone (without a teacher), having a guitar chord book is his best bet. A guitar chord book demonstrates the different finger positions when playing different types of chords. The pressed strings are usually depicted with dots and the strings which are not supposed to be plucked are marked with an "x."
A chord book is a beginner's best friend. Memorizing chords without the help of a guitar teacher will be an impossible task if not for the chord book.

2. One at a time
There are dozens and dozens of different guitar chords which show themselves in different formations. Trying to memorize them in a single blow is close to impossible. Learning how to play guitar chords requires patience and lots of practice. Try practicing three chords that are can be played together (ex. A-E-D) on a single day and try to familiarize oneself with the transition between these chords. Don't try to take every chord in one sitting, it simply can't be done.

3. Be aware of the right hand
An important thing to remember when learning how to play guitar chords is that the movement of the right hand is as important as the movement of the left hand. Most beginners would find themselves taking breaks in strumming until the left hand positions itself properly for the next chord. This is normal during the first few day of practice, but at some point, the right hand should dictate the tempo of the movements of both hands. Strumming or plucking shouldn't be delayed.

4. Listen to guitar-intensive songs whenever possible
One should learn how to play the guitar with some inspiration at the back of his head. Listening to good guitar players will give one some idea of where he would want to go in the future.

5. Learn the different forms of chords
As stated earlier, guitar chords present themselves in various forms. One should be familiar with the different forms so as to bring flexibility in to playing. One popular form of chords which is widely used in rock music is the "power chords" they are simply and heavy-sounding.

Playing guitar chords is not as hard as one would think. Learning to play guitar chords is a basic and essential part of guitar playing, it lays down the foundation of good guitar playing skills. If one has the perseverance and the passion to play the guitar, he will eventually learn how to play the chords and advance into more intricate lessons.

To learn more tips on guitar playing, please visit http://www.guitar-playing-tips.info/

Learn to Play Guitar Fast - Tips to Help You Play Guitar Fast

If you want to learn to play guitar fast you must have a few things. Besides the material things like a guitar and a metronome, you also need patience, and lots of it. Even though people might think that they wont learn very fast if they take things slowly, I can safely say that by speeding things up you will make sure you don't learn anything fast. With that in mind, I decided to write down a few tips that helped me learn to play guitar fast.

Before showing you the tips I would just like to say that there is a natural order of things when learning guitar. There are people who love the instrument from early age so they can patiently learn anything because they really like it. There are also people, like me, who would like to learn to play the guitar just for the fun of it or as a hobby. For these type of persons, wasting an hour or two a day to practice the guitar, slowly can be a drag. Speeding things up will only get you used to playing fast but using a very poor technique. So using these tips is very important to really learning how to play the guitar fast and using a proper technique.

Tips To Learn To Play Guitar Fast
1. Too many players start slow, as it is recommended, but then accelerate too fast. They haven't really learned the moves so their muscle memory isn't ready for a faster pace. In the end they end up losing what they already learned or learn a bad technique.
2. There are many different exercise patterns out there. Look for one that is more suited for your level, you don't want one that is too hard and too easy. You need a pattern which is easy enough for you to use but hard enough to offer a challenge. Having a goal is very important when you want to learn to play guitar fast.
3. Whenever you get used to an exercise, try and move on to another. You don't want to overdue an exercise, that way you will avoid the stress repetition syndrome. Before moving on to another exercise, take a few days break. That break will help you consolidate what you've learned.
4. When hastening the pace at an exercises, make sure you do it right. Move up to the point where you start making mistakes. From that point it is very important to go back to the speed you started with. This helped me quite a lot.
5. It is very important to have a goal. When picking an exercise pattern, tell yourself at what bpms you want to do it. After that try and get there, having reached your goal you will gain the confidence and patience to go on.

Before starting a practice session, make sure you warm up properly. The best way to do that is to repeatedly squeeze a tennis ball or something similar for a few minutes with each hand. Then warm up on the guitar for a bit with some simple exercises. Make sure you use all 4 fingers and work your way up and down the chords. Taking it slowly you will be able to play whatever songs you want as fast as you can. And that, my friends, is how you learn to play guitar fast.

By the way, if you are a beginner and don't know where to start, try these Free Guitar Lessons.
But if you want some more advanced lessons, I strongly recommend the professional e-course I've using. It helped me set some very solid basics and advanced grounds. You can find it here: Learn to Play Guitar Fast.

How to Play Guitar Better, Stronger and Faster

The stage was set, the crowd was roaring, the band was kicking it in the green room waiting for the top of the hour, and I was tuning my guitar and feeling slightly nervous about this duo guitar lick that kicked off our set. One might say I didn't feel quite up to speed.

When I was learning how to play guitar I was more concerned about looking cool than I was about playing with speed. After all, I was just beginning and hadn't yet developed the skills to play better, stronger and faster. I had some online guitar lessons under my belt just so I could learn how to play guitar chords and be a rhythm guitarist.

I also could sing a little so I found myself in a band situation fairly early in my music making career. The band was about sounding good and looking like rock stars while we were doing it.

As the years ticked by more and more was expected of me as a player. Unfortunately for me, my rock star look (with my low slung guitar) was hindering my playing ability. And worse yet, I didn't even know it.
When it was time to kick off the show with me and the other guitarist blazing this power lick...well, let's just say it was interesting. I had practiced the run and had it down, but when I was on stage I couldn't pull it off.
Don't be a slouch!

See, when I learn to play guitar licks I usually was sitting down. I was positioning my body better for playing without my even knowing it. And when I stood, all that good positioning shifted down to where it has hampering my technique.

All this happened about the time I start college. With all my interest in guitar, it was only natural of me to make music my major. And, since college professors don't view rock music as serious music, or as seriously as they do in some online guitar lessons, I enrolled in the first of my many classical guitar classes.
It was then, after years of poor positioning I learned the secrets of how to play guitar better, stronger and faster. And at that point, I decided playing better was much cooler than looking good and sounding like a hack.

I had some hurdles to get over and it would have been much easier if I had learned how to play electric guitar properly in the first place. Here's what I learned:

Get in line...
Regardless of whether you're finger picking or using a pick, you can greatly increase both your speed and accuracy by having your right wrist, fingers and forearm nearly in line with the strings at the bridge. With your wrist directly above the bridge you can let the strings ring out, or by placing your wrist on the bridge you can play with a palm muting style.

Rolling your wrist towards your thumb allows you to only mute the bass strings, allowing the treble strings to ring purely which is great for the Travis picking stuff.

If you're speed picking, you'll find your wrist perfectly positioned for alternate picking, which is using your pick stroke down-up-down-up regardless of which note or string you're playing on. Even if you skip a string or have a syncopated rhythm, you always play with the down-up-down-up stroke.

Assume the position!
Good clean speed technique applies when learning how to play guitar to your left hand as well. Your thumb shouldn't be draped over the top of the fingerboard when you learn to play guitar in this position, but rather be placed in the center of the back of the neck of the guitar. With this positioning, you'll notice that the palm of your hand doesn't grip the neck. Instead, a loop or U shape is formed by the outline of your thumb and first finger which droops to the floor. While some guitars have necks that look like Louisville Sluggers, they're not baseball bats.

Positioning your thumb in this way takes off some of the pressure work your fingers would otherwise have to do so you'll be more nimble.

With your thumb in the center of the back of the neck (and pointed towards the headstock), you'll also find that your left wrist is now parallel with the neck. Your fingers will also be parallel with the frets, which will make using your little finger much easier as it won't have to stretch nearly as much.

Distance is time, meaning the further your fingers have to travel the longer it will take for you to finger the correct note. So, if your little finger is aligned with the fret, you're halfway there.

If you did this while sitting, you can adjust your guitar strap so the guitar is held in the same position when you stand.

It might feel uncomfortable when you learn to play guitar positioned like this for the first time after years of improperly holding the guitar. Just relax and don't give up. Try to use this technique whenever you're practicing, using online guitar lessons, or up on the big stage.

Sounding good looks good...
And as for looking cool...look at it this way...you may look more Steve Howe than Jimmy Page, but sounding bad never makes you look good.

I could go on, and on, and on, but space here is limited. Here's a great resource about how to play guitar that dives deeper into this and includes video examples. Now, go forth and make music!
You can also find more details on how to play electric guitar

4 Simple Steps For Mastering Guitar Chords

By Russell Strider 

 

The guitar is a relatively easy musical instrument to play but it's also not something anyone can just pick up and learn overnight. This six string instrument is one of the oldest musical instruments to retain its basic function and it is played mainly by coaxing the melodies out through the use of guitar chords. Use these easy tips for mastering guitar chords and you'll be playing the guitar confidently in no time.

Use the right chord guide.
A chord guide may be written by a guitar genius but if you don't understand what it's trying to show you, it simply won't work. When mastering guitar chords, make sure you have the proper understanding of the guitar tab staff. This is the series of horizontal lines representing the 6 strings of the guitar. In a guitar tablature, finger positioning is marked by dots or numbers to indicate which strings and which fret the fingers must be placed on to play a chord. It's also a good idea to learn the different types of symbols that are commonly used in a guitar tab.

Develop muscle memory.
Mastering guitar chords is as much an exercise of your muscles as it is of your eye and mind. By learning the difference between an E major and an E minor, for example, you will develop the ability to play the right chords regardless of the song. Once you've committed the chords to memory, it will be effortless to change from one chord to the next. It will also help prevent any confusion in how a specific guitar chord is played, particularly if there is only a very slight variation.

Learn 3 chords each time.
When learning chords, it helps to work hard. As in all things, learning the guitar is only difficult in the beginning, so don't be afraid to challenge yourself. If you play the guitar for an hour each day, try to master 3 chords each time. Start with the easy ones such as A, E, D or G. As you master each of them, gradually add new ones until you've memorized them all.

Try simple changes.
When you're still in the beginning stages of learning chords, try gradual changes from one chord to the next. This will help "shape" each chord in your head and help you burn it into your muscle memory. Try transitioning from a G to a C to an A to an E and then back again. Once you've developed the hang of it, do the chords at random or add a 7 (such as a G7 and a C7), a sharp minor or major. You'll be surprised at how easy it will be for you to play these chords effortlessly within a short period of time.

Are you looking for the best online guitar lessons? Be sure to visit my site to learn about reading guitar notes and how to play the guitar.

Learning To Play Guitar - Your Quick Guide For The Electric Guitars

By Carlo Jimenez 

 

Playing the electric guitar is a lot different from playing an acoustic one. Ideally, you should already know how to play acoustic guitars before you move to electric guitars because most of the time, you only use an electric guitar if you want to learn how to play the lead part.

This will be difficult if you do not have any idea what a fret is or how to read notes. In any case, learning to play guitar, even the electric ones, should not be as hard as you think. All it takes are patience and determination.

This guitar was first used in jazz music in the 1930s and was first called the Rickenbacker, named after the last name of the man who made it. These guitars work by converting the string vibrations into an electric current. This current is then converted into a sound by an amplifier. There is no electric type of guitar that can play without an amplifier.

Some of these guitars have seven strings. Some even have 12 strings. Depending on your level of expertise, you can choose between these models. Most lead guitarists use the ordinary guitar with six strings. However, heavy music genres use a 12-stringed guitar.

As mentioned earlier, this guitar depends on an amplifier. This means you should buy not only the guitar but also the amps. Below is a list of what you need to complete your guitar accessories.

Amplifier - this has to be about 10-15 watts. This amplifier with this kind of power is only used for practicing but not for performing.

Guitar strap - the electric guitar is heavy and you can't play it while standing without a strap. Buy a sturdy guitar strap and do not be lured by the designs. Buy something useful, not beautiful.
A cable wire - use this to connect the guitar to your amplifier.
Guitar pick - the electric guitar is not as easily played as its acoustic counterpart. Your fingers will hurt if you do not use picks.

One of the electric guitar lessons we recommend to you is tuning. Learning to play guitar is quite difficult if you do not know how to tune your own instrument. Tuning this guitar takes more skill than tuning an acoustic one because of the amplifier's role in the sound.

The amplifier can distort your hearing sensibilities so the best step is to use a tuner. An electronic tuner does not cost more than 20 bucks. It is difficult for beginners to find their own pitch and an electronic tuner is a necessity when learning how to play guitar, especially electric guitars.

Lastly, you need to play songs that you like. It is very sad to play songs that do not interest you. In fact, you are more likely to learn faster and become more motivated if you are trying to play songs that you love. If the chords are very difficult, find some songs that have no more than six chords.

Work your way up to the more difficult ones slowly and we guarantee you, you will be singing your way towards your guitar career. Check out our amazing Electric Guitar Lessons. Feel the excitement of learning new skill and playing your first song.

Carlo Jimenez has been playing the guitar for as long as he can remember. He can give you effective tips in Learning To Play Guitar. Visit him and check out his quality Electric Guitar Lessons.