by Ric on October 13, 2009
OK, I know it’s not a guitar, it’s a ukelele, but when I saw this clip I just had to share it with you. Quite frankly I’ve never seen anyone play ukelele like this. Now, I have seen heaps of brilliant guitarists and there’s really no reason why you wouldn’t be able to play this on the guitar with the same arrangement.
Although everyone starts out as a learner and can’t play a note or a chord, you can aspire to greatness and become a world class musician. It takes persistence, application and lots of practice. And the first step is to learn guitar chords of course. It’s the easiest place to start and guitar is one of the least expensive ways you can find of getting into music.
Anyway, enjoy the video and let me know what you think by leaving a comment. I hope you’re as amazed as I was.
by Ric on September 3, 2009
Here’s a video I did on how to tune a guitar and the method I use. In the video I mention that I would provide a photo of the current style of tuner and also a link to the site where you can find out more information about these remarkable “gizmos”.
But first…. the video.. 
You will find more information on these guitar tuners at http://www.tuners.com/ I was going to put a photo here on the blog, but you can see what the latest models look like easy enough by going to the site.
Good luck with tuning your guitar and learning guitar chords.
by Ric on September 2, 2009
I just posted a video on YouTube about the mistakes I made when starting out learning the guitar. I’ve already covered some on this in a previous post about how to learn guitar chords, but with the video, you get to see my “mug” and that I am a real person.
Anyway, I thought I would post the video here too in case you came to the site direct. I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think by leaving a comment and also if you have any suggestions for other videos about how to learn guitar chords, then let me know.
by Ric on August 31, 2009
My love affair with the guitar started with a song. Now, I’m writing this post at age 54 and some of you reading it may not have heard of the song, but it is a classic. The song was called “The House Of The Rising Sun”. I just loved this song and it was the motivating factor in learning guitar chords.
I could of picked thousands of songs that were a lot easier, but at the time, I didn’t know any better. This song uses the chords Am, C, D, F and E. I persisted and did learn the song and along the way learnt a lot more about the guitar. In the overall reality of things, I probably couldn’t have picked a harder song when I started to learn guitar chords. Although the Am, C, D and E are reasonably basic, the F chord can be quite difficult for beginners. In fact, along with Bb and B, it is still one of my most “hated” chords today.
My advice is to start with three easy chords and I suggest either D, A and G or G, C and D. The first set are the major chords in the key of D and the second the major chords in the key of G. Generally speaking you should be able to sing along to whatever song you choose in one of these keys, so pick the key that suits your voice best. Singing along whilst learning can really help you get rhythm and will motivate you to learn the guitar much more. I really believe that doing it this way will help you no end to learn guitar chords properly.
by Ric on August 28, 2009
To learn reading the chords of a guitar, one must have the basic knowledge on what a chord is and how is it produced. This is essential to learn guitar chords.
A chord is a set of tones producing a melody and is played on a guitar. The chords of a guitar can be made up of different notes that are played one string at a time whether doing it on a plucking or strumming method. Chords are played with two or three notes, but it can be more than that. Some are even played with only one note. Of course, for the chord to sound right, the guitar must be in tune.
Categorically, there two kinds of chords – minor and major. And the basic primary chords are the C,A,G,E,D chords, or CAGED (for ease of remembering). If you are new on playing the guitar, mastering the CAGED pattern must be the first and foremost thing you should do. A lot of artists who mastered these basic chords confessed that it paved the way for easy manipulation of the other difficult chords.
The basic thing that you should know when learning the chords is to learn how to read the guitar chords chart. Guitar chords charts are the backbone of your future in learning guitar. Reading these successfully will be essential to your success.
A guitar chords diagram is an illustration with instructions on how to play a particular chord. To be able to achieve successful guitar manipulation, there should be a good interpretation of each chord stated in the diagram and the musician must read it in the most accurate way.
Imagine yourself looking at a guitar. Now put your attention to the fret board. You’ll notice that a whole fret board is composed of 6 strings attached to it. Well, not really “attached” but on top of it. These strings are what makes it possible to produce the chords and melody. If you’re going to focus on fingering first, you might as well memorize the different chords produced in every fret. There are five basic and easy chords that will enable you to learn other harder chords.
Often a lot of beginners complain how sore their fingers are after finishing one session with their guitar. This is a normal reaction. You should be surprised if you’re not hurting even a bit. It means that you’re not playing it right. The proper way to carry out fingering is pressing your fingertips hard enough on the strings. When you notice that there is a buzzing sound or the echo is not the way it should sound, try to press harder on the strings.
Finally, remember that it is only practice that makes perfect when you want to learn guitar chords.
