Monthly Archive for February, 2010

How To Read Chord Charts

Published on February 28, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

In the chord charts on this site, the chords are lined up approximately over the word where they arrive in the song.

Example:

G               C       G            D
Hey, where did we go, days when the rain came?
G           C        G        D
Down in the hollow, playing a new game

Each chord lasts one measure (four beats) unless it’s followed by a number in parentheses.  “E(2)” would be an E chord that lasts two measures (eight beats).

Example:

        A           D             E(2)
"We'll meet again someday on the avenue,"
G       D      A
Tangled up in blue.

For songs that are in 3/4 time, I’ll make a note at the top of the chart. For those songs, one measure lasts for three beats.

You may also come across songs where each chord lasts only half a measure, for two beats. “Waiting Wishing” by Jack Johnson and “Carolina In My Mind” by James Taylor are two examples of this quick-change style.

I don’t have a good shorthand for this yet, so I’m just noting them as full measures. You’ll notice they feel a little slow if you strum four beats on each chord at normal speed, so try picking up the tempo and they’ll start to sound more natural.

Nanochords
As far as I know, the Seattle-based guitar teacher Rob Hampton of Heartwood Guitar invented this great shorthand for chord fingerings:

G 320003       D xx0232     C x32010    Em 022000

From left to right, the numbers tell you what frets to play from your lowest bass string to your highest treble string. So “G 320003″ means “third fret on the low E string, second fret on the A string, open G string, open B string, and third fret on the high E string.” An “x” means to skip that string.

Strum Patterns
If you don’t have a lot of strum patterns in your repertoire yet, try just strumming each chord once and singing the words. The rhythm of the words will keep the beat moving, and you can start to get a feel for the song.

If you’re quick at switching chords, try four quarter notes, or eight 8th notes. Either of those patterns is four beats long, so they’re good for one measure each. I’ll write “D” to indicate a downward strum and “u” for upward strums:

D D D D

or

D D D D D D D D

or

D u D u D u D u

Hopefully that gets you started! Ready to try some of my free chord charts?

How To Use An Electronic Tuner

Published on February 23, 2010 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

An electronic tuner listens to your open string and tells you what note you’re tuned to, usually using a horizontal dial that swings left when you’re too low, and right when you’re too high.

With this type of tuner, you know you’re in tune when it displays the correct note name and gives you an arrow that’s straight up the middle.

To get started, just pluck the open string, reach over and find the correct tuning peg, and then turn it slowly while the string is still ringing. If you go slowly and watch the tuner’s display, you can see if you’re getting closer to the middle of the dial or farther away.

String Names
You’ll need to know the string names: E A D G B E. That’s counting from the 6th string (the lowest-pitched bass string) to the 1st string (the highest-pitched treble string). It helps to play the strings in order, either 1-2-3-4-5-6 or 6-5-4-3-2-1, rather than jumping around, so you don’t mix up which strings you’ve tuned and which ones still need to be adjusted.

Common Problems:

1. You can be perfectly in tune to the wrong note.
Make sure the note name on the tuner matches the correct note name for the string, without any “b” or “#” symbol after it. There are usually three versions of each note: flat, sharp, and natural. Ab is A-flat. A# is A-sharp. A is A natural. You want all natural notes.

2. The tuner gives the wrong note name.
Sometimes your tuner will flip between two totally different notes for the same string, for example B and F#, seemingly at random. Try playing the 12th fret rather than the open string. It’s the same note, played an octave higher, and in some cases, the tuner will hear that note more clearly than the open string.

Or better yet, play a harmonic on the 12th fret. Lightly touch the string directly over the fret and pop it off as you pluck it with your pick far right and close to the bridge (where your strings attach to the body of the guitar). It will give you a high-pitched version of the open string note and leaves both of your hands free to adjust the tuning.

Why Use An Electronic Tuner?
In the long run, tuning by ear will be more valuable, since it teaches you to listen closely and develop your musical ear, but for right now, it’s more important to get your guitar sounding good quickly, so you can focus on learning the hand skills that guitar requires – using the tips of your fingers on the strings, strumming, and always stretching out to get close to the fret.

Plus, a clip-on or plug-in electronic tuner will help you get in tune anywhere, even in a noisy environment. Music is often a social event, and if you want to share your music with others, it’s a GOOD sign when you can’t hear very well: it means you have lots of folks to play for. But a crowd does make tuning by ear difficult, so get good at using your tuner.