Chords

We started to learn chords last week. I'm having a bit of a tough time. My hands are small and I don't yet have the feel for the chords. My fingers tend to touch more than one string. I'm sure I get it with more practice, but right now chords seem very difficult.

Except for the f chord. The f chord seems to be impossible.

I'm really liking the guitar though and I'm practicing about an hour a day. I can now play "Michael Row The Boat Ashore" and "Oh Susanna" and "Old McDonald Had A Farm" and a few simple made up songs with simple three string chords.

I can't wait to get better.

 

Rob,

The F chord is a difficult reach for beginners as it requires some finger strength and reach.

You might try this exercise:

Use the high E string for ease. Place your index finger on the 7th or 8th fret, then stretch your pinky out 3 or 4 frets up the neck. The frets are closer together up the neck, so the stretch won't be as hard. As that preliminary stretch becomes easier, you can move back down the neck and again try to stretch across 3 or 4 frets. You'll start to widen your reach and grabbing those chords will become easier.

Justin

 

Justin,

Thank you for the tip. I'm going to try that.

Rob

 

How's that F chord working, Rob? It does get easier with practice..

 

Justin,

I'm still having a great deal of trouble with the F chord but I am making a lot of progress in spite of it. I've decided that the F Chord is impossible to play so it'll just take me a little longer to learn it. I have done a few interesting things.

I just bought a new guitar. I bought the Taylor Baby Taylor BT2. It's a travel guitar and considerably smaller than the one I've been using (a full size dreadnaught). I am small with small hands and this is a much more comfortable guitar for me. Remarkably, now that I've been playing the BT2 for a week and a half, I'm doing much better on the full size guitar as well.

http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars.../baby-mahogany

I bought a new beginning book. I like this method much better. You learn chords as you learn the strings. After two strings you learn two string chords, after three strings you learn three string chords. It seems now that I'm teaching myself this way, learning is much easier. No knock on the adult ed course, it got me started, but since I'm doing it this way I seem to be making better progress.

I've focused on learning the strings for the last 10 days. Up until a few days ago, I didn't really feel proficient at playing the notes. Now I'm feeling much better and am more confident about learning the chords. Some of this is because it's natural as time passes and some because I practice at least an hour a day.

I've started to experiment. I've downloaded sheet music (amazing what you can find for free on the internet) to some of the folksongs that I like and want to play and have tried them. Not the chords, just picking the notes but "Goodnight Irene" and "Puff the Magic Dragon" are starting to sound the way they are supposed to sound.

I'm still not the next Dwayne Allman, but I am getting better every day. I'm determined to learn to play well enough to entertain myself and most importantly, I'm really having fun with this. I really do like it.

 

Better learn quick Rob. Only 27 more days till tax season, then all play is over.

 

Actually that's one of the reasons I bought a travel guitar. I'm thinking of taking it into the office and practicing in the stairwell between 11:00 pm and midnight. I might also put in a half hour when I get in in the morning between 7:30 am and 8:00 am.

 

That is a beautiful guitar, Rob!

It's great that you are practicing every day - that makes such a difference in your progress. It also toughens up those calluses and stretches those fingers!!

Another tip: after you download the free songs and start working on them, do a search on YouTube for the songs - you will be amazed at how many free lessons you can find out there. While you pluck out those melodies, you are training your ear at the same time - you are learning what a C note or an F note sound like. Pretty soon, you'll hear a song and know what chords the guitarist is playing - which is really cool the first time it happens.

Best of all, you're having fun!

Justin

 

I've probably mentioned before that I have three guitars hanging in my office and will pick one up and just play for a few minutes. It is remarkable how just 10 minutes will clear my mind and allow me to re-focus. Just don't play Brahm's Lullaby at midnight in the stairwell! You might have everyone in the office taking a snooze...

 

That is a beautiful guitar, Rob!

It's great that you are practicing every day - that makes such a difference in your progress. It also toughens up those calluses and stretches those fingers!!

Another tip: after you download the free songs and start working on them, do a search on YouTube for the songs - you will be amazed at how many free lessons you can find out there. While you pluck out those melodies, you are training your ear at the same time - you are learning what a C note or an F note sound like. Pretty soon, you'll hear a song and know what chords the guitarist is playing - which is really cool the first time it happens.

Best of all, you're having fun!

Justin
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Thanks Justin.

I have been using YouTube exactly the way you mention. I still can't identify the chords when I hear them, but I've been going to YouTube to hear how the music should sound. Not so much for the songs that I know but for the songs in my books that I'm not familiar with. YouTube gives me the opportunity understand how the notes come together. I'm pretty confident that in the near future I will be able to identify the chords too.

Funny thing is since I've started learning to play guitar I've found myself listening to music a little differently. No I listen specifically for the guitars.

So far so good. I'm really having fun with this.