BC-101 • Common beginners questions answered

[Dr Winterbourne]

F is hard.

Some of the tips in this video are really useful if you are having trouble getting started.

http://justinguitar.com/en/IM-111-EShapeMajorMinorBarreChords.php

[Rolandson]

I had the same problem with the G chord and I I thought I never can change fast enough to this chord.
The G chord is so easy for me now and the same thing will happen with the F chord. It takes longer but I will get there with practice.

[PeteP]

Is is a bit odd that I find my acoustic easier to play than my electric?

I've been learning for less than a month (and probably only racked up 10 sessions in that time), but I started with an acoustic then decided that to help me progress a bit faster I would get an electric guitar as they're supposed to be easier for a beginner.

My acoustic is a cheap Ashton which has a nice tone and no shortfalls that I can see at this stage. My electric is a Yamaha Pacifica 112J which seems set up ok. I can play the same 3 chords on both but I find it must easier to get the clean sound and change chords on the acoustic. Logic says that it should be the other way round, doesn't it?

Also, I was struggling a little with the D chord using fingers 1, 2 & 3, so I experimented with 1, 2, & 4 and found it much more comfortable although the change up down is a little harder after only 10-12 attempts. This only applies to the acoustic - on the electric it's back to 1, 2 & 3.

OR

Am I trying to read far too much into it at such an early stage?

[shadowscott007]

The difficulty with acoustics tend to be action related.  The strings being difficult to physically press down.  This aspect tends to be easier on an electric.  An acoustic with a good set up can mitigate this, as compared to an electric with highost action. 

But electrics tend to have closer string spacings.  This means is can be more difficult to get the notes of a chord to ring more cleanly.  So that aspect can be easier on an acoustic guitar.

Plus you get used to what you have been playing, different guitars in general have a different feel and require slight adjustments.

I would stick with the 1 3 2 fingerings for the D chord.  In the future you will want your pinky free for embellishments (Dsus4). 

Shadow

[PeteP]

Ah, I did think the electric strings seemed closer together. That would explain it.

Good point about the D fingering - not a good idea to make something easier now if it will ultimately come back to bite me.

Thanks.

[PeteP]

Argh! I can get the chord pattern right with my left hand but the strumming isn't coming together. I'm still working on D, A, and E but I can't seem to get my right hand to strum the right number of strings.

The only one that is right is E, and that's only because you're supposed to play all 6. Playing A doesn't sound too awful if I hit all 6 (more often than not), but D is as bad as you'd expect. I sometimes manage to only play 5 strings for D but not consistently, and it's still no use.

If I watch my right hand while playing it's a little easier but then my left hand tends to get a bit sloppy. I started to try Three Little Birds, but frankly it was a mess.

What's the secret to getting the strumming right? Rythm isn't an issue for me but that's not enough to mask a duff chord.

[TB-AV]

Most people are going to be muting the low strings with their thumb.

Mainly just go slow. The pick / strum alternate bass can be helpful too. "Travis" picking.

pick E strum E chord, pick A strum E chord, pick A strum A chord, Pick D strum A chord etc.. Watch Johnny Cash

[stitch101]

You need to practice your accuracy. The A chord, pluck the open A then strum the chord. Do it slowly with
no mistakes. Try not to look at your hands use your ears. If you miss the Open A don't strum the chord.
Do the same with the D chord. Pluck the open D then strum the chord. Practice this for 5 minutes a day
until you can hit the open string every time. Them try switching between A and D chords.

[fabi]

Pete, you're not alone.   Really struggled with strumming the correct strings (without using any muting techniques).  I think I even posted about it a while back.  There's no secret, other than muting, that I've heard of.  Good news is that it gets better with practice.  I remember it really holding back my chord change speed at first.  Left cooperated but right was blind.  Three months later, I only still experience the problem with fast (or faster) songs.  Anything with a reasonable beginner speed works now.  So, chin up, and keep practicing slow.  The speed and accuracy does improve with more practice.  I hate that it can't be rushed, but I learned the  hard way that 10 hours of practice in one day does not equal 10 hours of practice divided equally across 5 days.  There's no substitute for the calendar time requirement in this learning process.

ETA:  you said 5 strings for D but it's 4.  5 for A

[fabi]

TB, I tried that a couple of weeks ago on a stage 1 song.  Spent a few days on it but never got it smooth.  It's harder to do than it sounds, for a beginner.  I thought it was called a walking bass.  Guess I was wrong about that too.  Travis picking?

Stitch I did do what you describe for a few practice sessions.  I think it helped.

ETA: I noticed this isn't something that Justin covers in his first few lessons.  How to strum the correct number of strings for each new chord introduced.  I assume he doesn't explain it because the answer must be 'slowly and carefully'.

[PeteP]

Thanks guys. If it's just practice that I'm lacking then so be it, but I found it odd that on the D chord thread it was only the fret end of the guitar that people seemed to struggle with, yet I find that relatively easy after only a few practice sessions. Lucky me, eh? 

[shadowscott007]

The secret is the same for most guitar issues:  Practice, practice, practice.  And as much as possible SLOW and perfect practice.  Everytime you do it wrong you are training your muscle memory to do it wrong.  So you want the slowly and perfectly to WAY out number the fast and sloppy.

So for the D, form and hold chord.  I would start with all down stroke to start.  Focus on starting open D string and strum down through the chord.  Repeat.  Start out ridiculously,  stupidly slow.  If it takes you 5 seconds making sure you pick is positioned at the D string so be it.  Very, very gradually speed up. 

You could if you wanted use a metronome.  Set it to say 60 BPM.  Get the pick in place and strum on a click.  Give your self three clicks to get all set up for another perfect strum, then strum with the next click.  So, strum 2 3 4 strum 2 3 4 strum 2 3 4 strum 2 3 4.  When that becomes easy (10 times perfect is no sweat) I would bump up the BPM a bit, say 2 to 5 BPM.  If you hit a speed where you start making mistakes, slow down until you aren't.  Continue until, say, you get to 120 BPM, with the same strum, click, click, click, strum, click, click, click, strum 2 3 4 cycle.  When you hit 120, go back down to 60 and do strum, click, strum, clik, strum 2 strum 4.  Lather rinse and repeat...

You have to decide the appropriate speed and when you want to try to add upstrokes.  But the KEY to the concept is you need to go SLOW enough that the "play it rights" vastly out number the "play it wrongs".  The above is one way to apply the slow and perfect concept.  The concept is way more important than my specific implementation suggestion.

Muscle memory is like a recalcitrant child, if you let youself get away with doing it wrong over and over, you will do it wrong.

Shadow

[fabi]

Pete, my experience so far has been exactly like yours.

Shadow.  Yes.  The metronome.  I did that too, but mostly with chord changes.  Great idea.

[TB-AV]

... I thought it was called a walking bass.  ...

No, that is something else all together.

Walking bass.
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-------------5----7--|-------------5-5-----7
--------7-------------|---------7------
--5-------------------|---5--------
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Actually it's not really Travis picking it's just alternating bass.... sometimes loosely called Travis picking. I probably should not have said that. Alternate bass.
------0-------0---------
------0-------0---------
------1-------1--------
------2-------2--------
------2---2--2------------
-0---0------------------------

[bradt]

ETA:  you said 5 strings for D but it's 4.  5 for A

It typically is, but since A is also a note in the D chord, it can sound OK to play the open A string too sometimes.