Nick's house build thread

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That shit is like weightloss gimmicks... you need to hit the 'gym' with your fingers, not buy shit.



learn 3 chords...

D A G and play them over and over again (I used to love her GnR)
111-D%20chord.gif
112-A-chord-normal.gif
131-G-chord-std.gif


if you get adventurous, change the A to an A7 (take the G string index finger off to make the note a G, the 7th of A (-1 whole step from the 8th/root) and go D G A7 and now you're playing AIC, don't follow. strum it, then try to pick it string by string.

151-A7-chord.gif


don't worry about notes yet. notes are a 'lead' type thing and you'll never get the 'positioning' until you understand how chords work and the music theory behind it.

most 'normal' chords are triads: eg, 3 notes....

root note, major or minor 3rd, and a 5th.

if there's more than 3 strings, it's because they are octaves of the root/3rd or 5th.

'weird' chords are things like 7ths, 9ths, augmented/diminished 5ths, and as you can imagine, the 9th is really a 2nd, up an octave (the "8th"). These add 'uncertainty' around the notes and lead towards progression into the next chord that 'resolves' that tension. These often have 4 or more notes, such as a 1/3/5/7, or substitute out a 5th or 3rd for the 7th like 1/3/7

When you understand this, guitar will make much more sense.
The muscle memory, finger strength, callouses, etc will all come in time. But you need educational foundation for it to make sense. WHY are my fingers here? Why am I using these notes/shape to make this chord?

'power chords' (think green day/offspring/nirvana) are usually 1/5/8 or just 1/5 and lack the major/minor tonality of the 3rd.

Let's explore the D chord

111-D%20chord.gif




the low E and low A strings are muted/not played (X's at the nut).
your fret hand thumb should wrap around a bit and just barely touch the low E to stop it from vibrating unintentionally. The A, if you can reach it, should be the same way. It's easier to block strings from making noise than it is to not strum them unintentionally.

The D string is open (the o at the nut). That is your root.
On the next string up , G string, we are on the 2nd fret with your index finger (finger 1). G + 1 whole step = A. A is the 5th of D. ( D,E,F#,G,A,B,C#,D is the D major scale = 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)
On the next string, the B string, we are 3 frets in, or 1.5 steps up from B. As you may know in music, B and E are unique in that they do not contain 'sharps'. Think of the piano. 2 blacks, 3 blacks. The 2 blacks are just before the B and E as there is not Sharp for these. really, B# is C. So, by that logic, B is open, C is 1, C# is 2, and we're on 3 to get D. Our octave.
so now we have a 1/5/8 pattern. The final string gives us our 3rd.
The high E 2nd fret gives us an F#. E,F,F# (remember, there is no E#). F# is the major 3rd of D.
1/5/8/3
the 3rd TECHNICALLY is an 10th in this set up, but it doesn't really matter. There's at least 20 ways to play ANY chord on a fretboard. The root note is usually the lowest note, but it doesn't' always have to be. There are things called inversions where the set up is 3/5/1 low to high which is still TONALLY the same chord, but has a different sound/feel.


Chords without implication are always major's.

D = major

minor gets marked

Dm = minor

Minor is always a 'flatted 3rd, 6th, and 7th'.
( D,E,F#,G,A,B,C#,D is the D major scale)
( D,E,F,G,A,Bb,C,D is the D minor scale


A major scale always matches a minor scale. D major has the SAME NOTES as B minor.

Bm = B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G, A, B

you just start at a different root note.


The 6th in the major is the parallel minor. B is the 6th of D


Bm is a difficult chord to finger for a novice player as it requires Barre'ing the fret board. A major (verse) to minor (chorus) is a common musically transition.

D,G, D, G, D
Then
Bm, G, A, D for a chorus




and now you've mastered guitar
 
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if going the video game route at least get Rocksmith and learn to play using an actual guitar instead of buttons and a paddle

Yeah, i've definitely looked into Rocksmith. I think the only way to really learn is to get my hands on the guitar and maybe take some actual lessons. It's like learning a language. If you really want to learn, you have to just start talking that language 24/7.
 
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