Guitar chords require exerting pressure with all five fingers at once, which takes practice before becoming second nature.
A chord can be defined as any combination of three or more notes played simultaneously. For example, an open D Major chord comprises two D’s and three E’s.
Major
Beginning guitarists usually begin by learning major chords – this forms the core of most songs and offers an invaluable foundation.
To create a major chord, start with the root note and add two notes a major third above and one minor third above it. These three notes make up what is known as a triad; this foundational set can then be expanded upon to create numerous other types of chords.
Music theory doesn’t need to be intimidating! By learning how to implement its concepts into your daily practice, music theory becomes less daunting and more rewarding.
One way of playing a major chord with one finger is by leaving the top string open, creating an A bass note and producing rhythm parts with unique sounds – often known as barre chords.
Minor
As soon as you begin learning guitar, it is imperative that you master all of the essential chords and strumming patterns. This will enable you to build muscle memory, enabling you to play any song you desire. As an excellent starting point, beginners should master A minor chord – one of the easiest for novice players! To play this chord simply place your index finger on the first fret of fifth string followed by second finger on second fret of fourth string; mutes sixth string; only strumming thinnest five strings simultaneously.
Practice this progression on your own or use an online chord chart as a resource to see which notes go together to form these chords, as well as gain a better understanding of music theory. Over time, these chords will allow you to write original songs!
Scales
Guitar scales are an essential element in a guitarist’s arsenal. From being building blocks of music, to providing you with inspiration when improvising over backing tracks – scales serve a multitude of roles!
No matter if you are playing major, minor, or blues scales, there are certain patterns which will help you memorize them more quickly and successfully. One way of approaching it is through “positions” and “patterns,” with positions being specific fretboard locations while patterns being numerical rearrangements of scale notes.
Example: the A minor pentatonic scale features a pattern starting on the fifth fret of the sixth string known as an “A minor box shape”, and can be moved up or down by aligning its red note (which represents its root note in this scale) with any key on either string.