Learn To Play Guitar Chords – Tips you Should Know

When you first start to learn to play guitar chords, there are several pitfalls that you should be aware of. These tips come from 20+ years of playing, and 5+ years of full-time teaching guitar. Don’t take the advice lightly!

Here are the main problems I’ve seen in the last five years:

1. When students first start to learn chords, they look at each individual finger. That’s fine, and you should- at first. As soon as possible, though, you want to see a SHAPE for each guitar chord, not just individual fingers and strings. How do you learn to see your guitar chords as a shape? Play faster. How do you learn to play faster?…

2. …USE A METRONOME! This should be your FIRST priority. Don’t even worry about playing any guitar chord until you can at least SOMEWHAT feel a beat. You don’t have to be great at it, but if you can’t keep up with the metronome without an instrument, why would you think you’d be able to play guitar chords too??? Spend a LOT of time tapping along with the radio, metronome, clock or…

3. …USE A FRIEND. Guys- you get good at something by doing it a LOT. Guitar chords are no different. Hang around musicians as often as possible, and ask for LOTS of advice. Seriously. Do it. Now.

4. Your fingers are MUSCLES!- All muscles start out weak, and when you work out, you get stronger and faster. Same thing with learning guitar chords. You have to spend time each day “working out” your fingers. The first SEVERAL times you try to play guitar chords, your fingers will be weak- keep going!

****(BTW- if you skip a day at first, you’ll have to start almost completely over. Once you’ve been playing for a while, it won’t be a big deal to take a couple of days off. But at first, your body wants to see how serious you are about what you’re asking it to do- guitar chords are hard!!!)****

5. There’s no extra credit for doing something one time. The goal is not to just play a chord once, the goal is to be able to play ANY chord we wish, as fast and as often as I want! DON’T STOP in the middle!!!! Doing a chord once or twice is cool, but songs last four minutes!!! It takes a SERIOUS amount of endurance to play a whole song- Remember: We’re working out!

There they are! There are obviously other elements and practice methods that would help- you can find more of them at the website listed in the resource box- but start with these.

If you:

-Practice at a steady beat,
-Increase speed so you challenge yourself each time
-Go for longer than you “think” you should (endurance… Don’t be dumb with it, but push yourself!)
-Don’t get frustrated (muscles- they’re muscles…) and
-Build your support group. Friends. Music friends.

…you should be able to accomplish any goal you wish when you learn to play guitar chords.

Michael Arthur is the owner of The Rock Star’s Academy in Flint, Mi. Go to http://www.TheRockStarsAcademy.com, ****or go to http://www.LeadGuitarScales.com for more FREE chord advice, scale stuff, Free software, and… whatever else we throw at ‘ya. We’ll tell you later… Just Go!***