Always wondering where to start when it comes to considering learning guitar chords, an essential part of playing the guitar? Well, I have got an answer to this. If you are a music learner, this article will be a treat for you. This will aid you to find out guitar chords swiftly and conveniently.
1. Be Passionate
I believe passion comes from interest and is the most crucial aspect of learning. It’s only curiosity and excitement that makes us keep learning and exploring new things. But sometimes, despite all the energies within, passion takes a backseat, and that’s alright too. In life, it happens to everyone. Be associated with it in a peripheral way, and contemplate the enrichment it brings to your life. Keep the passion going and this will never let the fire of learning go away from your heart.
2. Learn Basic Skills
It takes time to learn the basic skills to play the guitar. You will certainly make errors in the beginning and face difficulties in setting your fingers right. Yet, this is something that all guitarists experience initially. Though it may take time and more efforts in the beginning, but trust me, it’s important to first learn basic skills properly.
When playing a chord or scale, pluck every string individually to make sure it sounds clear, and use the correct fingers. Let’s be honest with ourselves, there is no easy way out to learn new things. So don’t be satisfied until you learn the right chords. It will certainly not be long before you are start playing chords correctly and effortlessly.
3. Practice, Practice and Practice
This was the only advice I was given by my teacher when I started learning to play chords. This will drive you crazy though, but you have to tell yourself to practice more than the last time. It is important to practice every day, as your hands need to play the chords persistently, in order to train your brain to locate your fingers on the right place instantly, without having to consider the guitar fretboard every time.
4. The Habit of Listening
This is one underrated habit that helps us learn the minutest of details while playing. Initially, it is important to listen to every chord that you are playing, and discovering what each chord sounds like. Each and every chord has a distinct sound, and experts can identify every chord just by listening to them. This will not just bring in confidence to play the guitar, but also allow you to select chords from tunes that you hear from somewhere else. To be a great musician, you need to possess this simple but explicit quality.
5. Slow but Certain
There is nothing wrong if you are a slow learner ,as long as you are learning the right way. Start with easy chords, like the perfect chords, and then increase the level of difficulty depending on your confidence. The interesting part is that there are thousands of tracks that you can play with just three or four chords, the Death Bed Chords, and you will sound terrific playing them. You will certainly develop mastery over shifting chords, and soon, you’ll be able to play brand-new tunes and impress your audience.
6. Learn to Read Chords
It’s important to know how to read a chords chart. In today’s world, when everything is available to us at the click of a button, finding and learning chords is not a difficult task at all. Do remember that it’s important to know the note titles of each string. It is worth learning the notes for each fret, and along each string, because while strumming, if you play an incorrect bass note in your guitar chord, then it might sound out of tune.
7. Develop your Motor Skills
Finger memory (motor skills) plays a vital role in strumming the guitar. It’s important to develop your finger strength. Practising frequently and exercising your fingers will build up not just your mastery, but additionally the toughness in the muscle mass of your fingers. Keep up the entirety of your fingers close to the strings so they are accessible for utilisation, and you will find that this pays off when you look for more mind-boggling harmonies.
8. Play with Others
This might sound out of the box, but playing with other musicians teaches you a lot of new things and turns out to be a unique experience each time. You will have the opportunity to see how other musicians play and also get tips from them to improvise your skills.
9. Start With Your Favourite Song
The primary reason for picking up your favourite song initially is so that practising the guitar doesn’t get you frustrated. The desire to play your favourite song will let you practise the chords again and again.
10. Enjoy the Learning Process
There is a famous saying, “Fun in learning has positive effects on the drive within and it keeps learners coming back with more enthusiasm.” It’s important to enjoy your journey from an amateur to an expert. Applaud yourself for your small achievements, and celebrate your victories as it refuels your enthusiasm and keeps you motivated.
Though I agree that more points could be added to this list, but I feel these are the most relevant principles one should follow to become an expert in playing the guitar or any other musical instrument in life. Theoretical knowledge combined with everyday practise will take you galaxies farther than just looking up tabs online and watching the greats on YouTube.