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Your First Chords
Up until this point in the tutorial we've only played single notes on the guitar at any one time, however most guitar pieces involve playing more than one note simultaneously. This is called a chord. Don't worry, the first chord is easy, just two fingers on your left hand is all you need. The hard part is trying to interpret my chord diagrams.
Excercise 5
The illustration below is supposed to represent the guitar fret board, showing the strings running horizontal and the frets vertical. The yellow dots are the first and second fingers of your left hand holding down the chord called E minor. (Abbreviated to Em). The tricky part is that these diagrams are written upside down because that is how you look at your own guitar while you are playing it.
Place the tip of the first finger of your left hand next to the second fret of the fifth string. Now the tip of your second finger on the second fret of the fourth string. Bring your second finger as close to the fret as possible without actually being on top of it. Your first finger should rest right next to your second finger. (Just like on the diagram... right???) Try to support the back of the guitar neck with your thumb directly behind your fingers.
Only the tips of your first and second fingers and your thumb should be touching the neck of the guitar.
Now strum slowly down all the strings of the guitar with the plectrum in your right hand. (Remember the very first sound we made on the guitar was a strum). Have a listen to Excersise 5 sound file *. Don't worry if your chord doesn't sound exactly like mine, we'll find out why in a moment. If you are getting a buzzing sound on any of the strings it's probably because your left hand fingers are either not close enough to the frets or not held down hard enough. If some of the strings sound muffled you're probably not standing your fingers upright enough and they may be interfering with adjacent strings. If this is the case reposition your fingers and then try another strum. Pretty soon you'll get the hang of it.
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Exercise 6
The next chord we'll play is called A minor, (that's written Am). We're going to be adventurous and use three fingers on your left hand. If you stare long enough at the diagram below you'll notice that the second finger is in the same position for both the Em and the Am chords.
Hold down the Em chord again, then to change to Am move your first finger down next to the first fret on the second string whilst keeping your second finger in position on the second fret fourth string... and one hand tied behind your back blindfolded upside down underwater... NOT... Forget about the one hand tied up etc. then bring your third finger next to the second fret on the third string. You might have to reposition your second finger just a bit to accommodate your third finger.
When you're ready give it a strum. No wait... I forgot to tell you what the X next to the sixth string means. It means: Try not to strike the sixth string with the plectrum when you strum. Now strum. Once again listen to the sound file * (Exercise 6). If you're not happy with your sound then adjust your fingering like you did with Em. The most common reasons why your sound might not be clear are either your fingers are not close enough to the frets or not standing upright enough.
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You'll also notice that when playing a chord, not all fingers holding down the chord will sit right next to the frets. That's O.K. we're only human. On the Em only the second finger will rest against the fret, and on the Am only your first and third fingers will do the same. Practice changing between the two chords you've just learnt, each time give the guitar a strum and pretty soon you'll be familiar with the sound of each one. On the next page you'll learn how to use these chords in a chord progression (you know... like in a song).
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