There are hundreds of YouTube channels designed to assist budding guitar players. Nepali E Chords was one such channel established in April 2013 by an immigrant Nepali from America.
Gurasai Fulyo by 1974 AD is a popular folk-rock song that makes an ideal first lesson song on guitar for beginner students. The chord progressions are straightforward and its strumming pattern easy to pick up.
Basic chords
Guitar chords form the backbone of every song. Composed of three to four notes that are played simultaneously to form one chord, guitar tabs use notation systems to illustrate their playing; downstrokes are indicated with thick horizontal bars with legs pointing down both sides and upstrokes are marked with an upward-pointing V above each note to be played.
Many popular Nepali songs are appropriate for beginning guitar players, such as Mohani Lagla Hai – a party song popular among Nepalis that can help novice guitar students improve their strumming techniques – or Gurasai Phulyo (1974 AD), another folk rock tune perfect for novice guitarists.
Major chords
Most guitar chords consist of 3 to 4 individual notes that combine to form the chord; however, playing a correct version of a song may require single notes or arpeggios that do not appear on the chord chart; this requires practice and experience to recognize these notes correctly.
Beginner guitarists should begin by learning some fundamental songs. Bipul Chettri’s Syndicate features a rhythmic pattern which can help beginners hone their strumming techniques. Furthermore, Hamro Nepal Ma by Neetesh Jung Kunwar provides another patriotic tune which novice guitarists can use to enhance their strumming capabilities.
Discover over 1,000 chords for Nepali guitar and ukulele songs with Chordpedia, the definitive chord encyclopedia for both beginners and professionals alike.
Minor chords
As part of learning guitar chords, it is essential to remember that most songs use more than one chord. Most commonly, you will need to master both major and minor triads for maximum effect; major chords provide upbeat melodies while minor ones produce mournful tones.
Discovering which chord type it is can only come through experience; by listening and comparing between sounds you will learn which are distinct. For instance, G/B chords resemble regular C chords but require different bass notes in their bass note ranges.
At first, it may be easier to simply play a regular C on the bass guitar until you become comfortable with this approach. Many folk songs use only two chords so this song would fit right in with campfire fun!
Sustained chords
Sustained chords (or sus chords) are chords composed of notes without an accompanying third note – creating an open and airy sound, full of tension. You’ll often find sus chords used in jazz or soul music.
These chords can add variety to a chord progression or be played alone as solos. Guitarists also find them invaluable tools for improvising; their wide variety of scales allows for creative musical improvisation.
Sustained chords are simple to learn, and can easily be implemented into any song. For instance, The Police’s hit Message in a Bottle employs multiple suspended second (sus2) chords in its guitar riff for added tension and urgency.
Bending strings
Bending strings may be one of the more challenging guitar techniques to master, yet its rewards can be immense. Try practicing down- and upbends as well as smear bends (which sound washed-out or muggy). For large bends, wrapping your thumb over the fretboard may provide extra leverage for greater success.
Step one in performing a fantastic bend is selecting your target note, which should be half or whole steps lower than your starting note. This allows for new sounds not possible with traditional scale approaches.
Be mindful when reading guitar tabs that fretted strings are indicated with numbers while open strings are indicated by 0. Use these techniques until they become second nature to you.