As part of learning how to play what’s up guitar chords, it’s crucial that you internalize each finger’s position on the fretboard so as to quickly transition between chords and use a fretboard diagram to determine which notes are being played.
Use a diagram to discover that C is located on the eighth fret of the low E string.
Authentic strumming pattern
Strumming patterns are an indispensable part of every guitarist’s arsenal. Not only can they help develop your timing but they are an excellent foundation from which more advanced strum patterns can be developed.
As you practice an authentic strumming pattern, be sure to relax your hand so it doesn’t twitch too much – this will allow for consistent rhythmic playing and sound quality. Furthermore, be careful not to overplay certain chords – for instance raking your guitar’s lowest string against C major 7 will clash!
Practice this pattern until it becomes second nature with a metronome or jam track, although this may take some time. Once mastered, once this strum pattern becomes second nature you can use it with any song and will give you confidence to experiment with more complex strumming styles later on.
Chord changes
If you want to play guitar well, understanding chord changes is key. These basic building blocks form the backbone of every song, and can be utilized across numerous styles of music – for instance the 1-4-5 blues progression can be seen in many genres of songs as well as 12-bar blues.
Chord changes are straightforward to learn and can help hone your improvisational abilities. Most chords are easy to recognize, while using the slash (/) symbol will indicate which last note from a previous chord should serve as bass note for the next one; this feature is especially helpful if you are unfamiliar with the key of the song you are performing.
The slash symbol shows which string and frets are being played, with muted strings represented by an “x,” while numbers denote which fingers are playing each fret. These symbols, known as chord functions, remain consistent across all keys.
Using a capo
Employing a capo when playing guitar can help your chords sound brighter and clearer, while simultaneously opening up new keys without needing to learn new chords. But it is crucial that the capo be placed correctly so as not to send your strings out of tune.
Capo use also makes playing chords up the neck easier, providing beginners or those with small hands a boost when starting out, as well as helping prevent callused hands from suffering finger pain.
To experience how capo changes the tone of a chord, try playing C chords both with and without it. You will discover that playing one with a capo makes it sound brighter and livelier while the one without one sounds duller as shortening distance between nut and fret bar alters tone of string.
Using your third and little fingers
Your little finger can provide you with increased control of intervals on bass strings, and adds an additional chord tone to power chord riffs. However, it is essential that your fingers stay close to the frets so they do not hit directly onto strings, thus relieving pressure from fingertips and avoiding pain.
Ideal position for the little finger: just above pointer and ring fingers Ideally, beginners with small hands should position their little finger above their pointer and ring fingers so they can make clean jumps over larger fret distances during faster runs and phrases with greater ease. Unfortunately, this may not always be possible.
Learning guitar left-handed will allow you to fully utilize all of your fingers. Tony Iommi had two fingertips missing on his fretting hand and Jerry Garcia used only two, yet both became icons within their respective genres. Django Reinhardt even played his entire repertoire using just two useable fingers!