Learning The Basics of Guitar

Send in your questions that you might have...

2011-09-05T12:22:00.000+08:00

Hello to all who view and read this blog. This is a post to ask for suggestions on other topics about learning the guitar that I could help to answer.

At the moment, I have attempted to answer all the more common questions on the basics of playing the guitar. If I have missed out any topics that you might want to know, feel free to either post a reply to this, or even to send me an email using the link on the top right hand corner of the screen (below my picture).

Send in your questions and if I am able to, I will attempt to answer them through the blog.

List of Split Chords / Slash Chords

2011-09-05T12:21:00.013+08:00

In this post, I will write down the various split chords that I have been using over the years. This page can be used as a library to go to, in case you want to find out about certain split chords.

Remember, when you read the split / slash chords, the note on the left is the root note and the note on the right is the bass note.

Note: This list is not exhaustive and I will probably be updating it as and when I learn more split / slash chords.

Split Chords
---------------

A/F# - 2x2200
A/C# - x42200
A7/Bb - x12020
Am/F# - 2x2210

B/Eb - x64400
B/G# - 4x4400

C/B - x20010
C/E - 032010

D/B - x20230
D/F# - 2x0230
D/G - 3x0230
D7/F# - 2x0213

E/G# - 422400

G/B - x20033

List of Major and Minor 7 Chords

2011-08-23T23:28:00.000+08:00

In this post, I will write down the common ways of playing major and minor 7 chords. This page can be used as a library to go to, in case you forget how to play any major and minor 7 chords.

Major 7 Chords
----------------
Amaj7 - x02120 / 576655
A#maj7 or Bbmaj7 - x13231 / 687766
Bmaj7 - x24342
Cmaj7 - x32000 / x35453
C#maj7 or Dbmaj7 - x46564
Dmaj7 - xx0222 / x57675
D#maj7 or Ebmaj7 - x68786
Emaj7 - 021100 / 079897
Fmaj7 - 132211
F#maj7 or Gbmaj7 - 243322
Gmaj7- 3x0032 / 354433

Minor 7 Chords
--------------
Am7 - x02010 / 577555
A#m7 or Bbm7 - x13121
Bm7 - x24232 / 797777
Cm7 - x35343
C#m7 or Dbm7 - x46454
Dm7 - xx0211 / x57567
D#m7 or Ebm7 - x68676
Em7 - 020000 / 022030 / 079787
Fm7 - 131111
F#m7 or Gbm7 - 242222
Gm7 - 353333

List of Major and Minor Chords

2011-08-15T18:00:00.004+08:00

In this post, I will write down the common ways of playing major and minor chords. This page can be used as a library to go to, in case you forget how to play any of the major or minor chords.

Major Chords
----------------
A - x02220 / 577655
A# or Bb - x13331
B - x24442
C - x32010 / x35553
C# or Db - x46664
D - xx0232 / x57775
D# or Eb - x68886
E - 022100 / 079997
F - 133211
F# or Gb - 244322
G - 320033 / 355433

Minor Chords
--------------
Am - x02210 / 577555
A#m or Bbm - x13321
Bm - x24432 / 799777
Cm - x35543
C#m or Dbm - x46654
Dm - xx0231 / x57767
D#m or Ebm - x68876
Em - 022000 / 079987
Fm - 133111
F#m or Gbm - 244222
Gm - 355333

HOW TO change/transpose the key of a song (Method 2)

2011-07-27T14:48:00.001+08:00

In this post, I will be writing about another method that you can use to help to transpose the songs that you play. However, in order to use this method to transpose your songs, you will need a good knowledge and understanding of the guitar.

Not to worry, all that you need can be found on various posts on this blog. All you need to do is to follow what I'll write here step-by-step, and if you apply these steps correctly, you should be on your way to transposing your songs!

Step 1 - Write out the major scale of the key of the song that you are currently playing your song in.

Step 2 - Write out the major scale of the key of the song that you would like your song to be transposed to. For steps on how to write out major scales, please click here.

Step 3 - After you have written the 2 major scales (the major scale of the song you're playing, and the major scale of the song you want to transpose to), add a minor to the 2nd, 3rd and 6th note.

Step 4 - Add the number 1 - 7 on top on each chord of the major scale.
      1    2       3     4   5      6      7
Eg. C    Dm    Em    F    G    Am    B

Step 5 - Now, you are going to "convert" the chords of the song you're playing into numbers. For example, let's assume your song is in the key C, and the chords you are using to play it are: C F Am G. If we were to convert it into numbers, it would be 1 4 6 5.

Step 6 - Take a look at the key that you want to transpose the song into, and find out what is 1 4 6 5. ! Eg. Let's assume you want to transpose the above example to the key of G:
1    2       3    4   5      6      7
G    Am    Bm    C    D    Em    F#

So, 1 4 6 5 would = G C Em D

There you go, you have just transposed the song! I hope I have managed to explain this method clearly. In any case, if you find that you are having trouble applying this method, feel free to drop a message and I will try to explain it better.

Hope it helps!

HOW TO... Read Chords

2011-07-11T17:32:00.003+08:00

This post is sort of an add-on to one of my previous posts entitled "HOW TO...Read Guitar Tabs". In particular, I will post about how to read the kind of chords that looks like this - xx0232.

So, how do you read xx0232? Well I will write it down step by step.

1. The 6 numbers (for this case, "x" is also a number) represents the 6 strings on the guitar.
2. The left number represents the 6th string (lowest sounding string) and the right number represents the 1st string (highest sounding string).
3. The numbers represents the fret which you are supposed to press.
4. "x" means you do not play that string

So, based on the above description, this is how you read xx0232. In words, it means:

Don't strum the 6th and 5th string. Put your fingers on the 3rd string 2nd fret, 2nd string 3rd fret and 1st string 2nd fret. Then, strum it from the 4th string down. You will realise that this is actually a D chord.

So, to practice if you have fully understood this explanation, you could try writing these chords out (highlight to see the answers) :

A - x02220
C - x32010
E - 022100

Hope you passed the practice!

Importance of God's Word, Prayer, and the Church

2010-10-11T10:57:00.003+08:00

I just wanted to write this post to talk about what I have found to help in my walk with God. This thought came about because I asked myself the question "What good is it if we use our talents God has blessed us with to play for Him in worship services or cell groups, when we ourselves are not grounded firm in His Word?" How can we know God more?

To me, the answer is quite simple. In order to grow in a deeper relationship with God, we need to read His Word. What better way is there to know God more than to read His Word which He has so graciously revealed to man? Through reading the bible, we get to see God's characteristics, His nature, His justice, His love, His mercy, His grace, and the list goes on. We also see in the New Testament that Jesus himself was grounded in the Word. He would regularly go to the synagogues to teach the Word and to correct the Pharisees and Sadducees from their erronous teachings. This would only be possible if we are grounded in the Word.

The other aspect which we should have is prayer. Prayer is something which helps us to communicate with God. We read in the bible that people would regularly pray through their sufferings, pray for thanksgiving, pray as a form of worship etc. Jesus himself would even pray to his Havenly Father. If Jesus found prayer important, I think we should take it seriously as well. Another good example would be King David. We read in Psalms of all his feelings and how he relied on God for his strength and support.

The Church is also important. When I refer to the church, I am not referring to the physical building, but the people. God knows that we are not meant to live like a hermit on a remote mountain without any human contact. In fact, Jesus even chose his 12 disciples to help him in his ministry on earth. Furthermore, we read in Acts that the church community was very closely knit and they all shared whatever they had, so that no one was found lacking. This is why I believe the church is important. In life, we go through trials and temptations, and without the support that the church can provide, we would find ourselves going through the ordeal alone.

So in conclusion, I believe we need three things in life: God's Word, Prayer, and the Church. How does this tie in with our worship to God? Well, I believe if we have these 3 in increasing amounts, our worship to God will be that much sweeter as well. How can we worship God if we do not know him intimately?

My fingers are not strong enough

2010-07-22T20:29:00.007+08:00

This question was asked a while back ago. Esentially, the asker was trying to look for a way to strengthen his fingers so that the chords that he plays will sound clearer.

Well, I do have a simple exercise that will help you to achieve just that. In particular, this finger exercise that you will watch in the video below will help you to:

Strengthen your fingers - your chords will eventually become clearer and clearer. No more buzzing sounds due to weak fingers!
Finger control - you will be able to find it easier to control each finger. Have you ever felt like your fingers sometimes won't move according to how you want them to? Eg. "I can't move the ring finger without my middle finger moving out of position" etc.
Precision picking - With this exercise, you will be able to control your pick better to hit the desired string.
Picking technique - The "down up" motion on your pick will help you to be able to pick faster than just doing a "down" motion alone.

Alright, now that I've explained the benefits of doing this finger exercise, let me show it to you (this is not my video but it would be similar to what I would have put up. I was just trying to make use of what is already up on Youtube instead of posting a new video on it):

There you go. Take a listen to it and practice hard.

What's the difference between a C7, Cm7 and Cmaj7 chord?

2010-06-03T09:22:00.007+08:00

In this post, I will be covering the differences between a C7, Cm7 and Cmaj7 chord. Iwill choose the C chord because it has the easiest scale with no sharps or flats. Of course, you can apply the technique that I will be explaining to other chords as well.

First of all, we need to take a look at what the chords are called. As you would have guessed, a Cmaj7 is called "C major seven" and the Cm7 is called "C minor 7". How about C7? Well, the proper name to give it is actually "C dominant 7".

Now each of these 3 chords are played differently and I will attempt to explain how to play each of them.

In my previous posts about constructing a major and minor chord, we saw that the formula to take for a major chord is the 1st note, 3rd note, and the 5th note (1, 3 ,5). And, we saw that the formula to take for a minor chord is the 1st note, flat the 3rd note, and the 5th note (1, b3, 5).

Now, the formula for the major 7 is (1, 3, 5, 7) and the formula for the minor 7 is (1, b3, 5, b7). The formula for the dominant 7 is (1, 3, 5, b7). Remember these formula because you will use it when constructing a major 7, minor 7 and dominant 7 chord.

Now, let's take the C chord as the title of this post suggests. To play a Cmaj7 we would need 1, 3, 5, 7. The C major scale is C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. Now we just have to simply count the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th note on the scale. That would give us C, E, G, B. Now, find these notes on your guitar. You will eventually find that one way to play a Cmaj7 chord would be like this:

From the diagram above, we can see that the chord satisfies all the notes that would make it a Cmaj7 chord.

Now, let's try the Cm7 chord. Applying the formula (1, b3, 5, b7), the notes needed for a Cm7 chord would be C, Eb, G, Bb. Try to find these notes on your guitar. You will find that one possible way of playing a Cm7 chord would be like this:

( A# = Bb / D# = Eb)

Notice the notes in the diagram above? They contain the notes needed for a Cm7. Therefore, this is one way of playing a Cm7 chord.

Lastly, the C7 chord. Let's apply the formula (1, 3, 5, b7) and see what we get. It would give you C, E, G, Bb. Likewise, let's find these notes on the guitar. You will find that a possible way to play C7 would be like this:

(A# = Bb)

So, there you go, now you know the difference between a major 7, minor 7 and dominant 7 chord. Remember, you can apply the formula to other chords as well. Have fun figuring out how to play these chords. What I showed above was only one way of playing a Cmaj7, Cm7 and C7 chord. There are many other ways to play those chords mentioned. If you have the time, try finding them out too.

So next time, when you see a song sheet which has major 7, minor 7 or dominant 7 chords in it, don't be afraid. You know exactly how to play them.

HOW TO construct a minor chord?

2010-05-27T10:45:00.003+08:00

This post will somewhat go hand-in-hand with my other post about constructing a major chord.

In the post about constructing a major chord, I mentioned that all you need to do is take the 1st, 3rd and 5th note to achieve it. For a minor chord, all you have to do is to take the 1st, flat the 3rd, and 5th note.

So, let's take an example to see what this means. We know in our previous posts that the C major scale is probably the easiest example to use because it does not have any sharps or flats in it. The C major scale is C D E F G A B C.

If we were to take the 1st, flat the 3rd, and the 5th note, the notes would be: C, Eb and G. So, to play a C minor chord, you will need these 3 notes. Let's look at a C minor chord to see if it fits the criteria that we have determined.

Notice the notes that are played in a C minor chord? C, G and D#(same as Eb). So, as with any other minor chords, as long as you use the rule of 1, flat 3, 5, you will be able to construct a minor chord.

When you do have the time, feel free to try out other chords as well. Eg. D minor, B minor, A minor etc. Just remember the steps:

Write out the major scale for the chord you are figuring out.
Apply the rule of taking the 1st, flat the 3rd, and the 5th note.
With these 3 notes, find them on the guitar and play them together. This will give you the minor chord.

How do I learn / figure out a song on the guitar?

2010-05-14T09:09:00.000+08:00

I was asked this question a while ago. Actually, I think the person wanted to know how to figure out to play a song. But I'll be writing about how I figure out a song. So here goes, this is how I do it.

Listen to the song and take note of a few things:

The beat of the song (is it played in 4/4, 3/4, 6/8 etc.)
The strumming pattern of the song (for some songs, the guitar is really clear. Listen to the rhythm guitar and see if you can get the strumming pattern. If the strumming pattern is not clear, or if the song uses a piano, you can choose your own strumming pattern, as long as it fits the beat of the song)
The bass guitar (most of the time, the bass guitar will play the root notes of the song. If you know what notes the bass guitar is playing, you can know the basic chords for the song)

That is basically it. Particularly, I find listening to the bass notes that the bass guitar plays effective in figuring out the chords for a song. To illustrate to you what I mean, I will use a song as an example.

The song I will use is "With Or Without You" by U2. If you are my age or older, you should definitely know this song. If you are younger, I guess this song is worth listening to. Here's the video. Take a listen to it.

The beat of the song - After listening to the song, you should be able to find out that it is a 4/4 song.
The strumming pattern for the song - You will realise that this song is basically bass guitar driven, so you can come up with a strumming pattern that suits a 4/4 beat. In this case, I would just choose 8 downstrokes per 4 beats, and even mute the strings for a more driving/rock effect.
The bass guitar - Take note of the bass guitar (it's really obvious in this song). Listen to these bass notes and find them out on the guitar. You will eventually figure out that these 4 notes are D A B G.

Ok, before I go any further, I should also mention that you need to find out the key the song is played in. Why is the key important? Well, because depending on the key, certain chords will be a minor instead of major. The good thing is that most songs like to start off with the key of the song. This means, the first note you hear is probably the key of the song. But if you come across one that doesn't start with the key of the song, then try the first note of the chorus as the key.

I don't really know how to explain about figuring out the key of the song. But if you follow the rule of thumb I mentioned above, you should be right most of the time. Anyway, for this song, it is played in the key of D (what do you know, it's the first note of the song).

So now that you know the song is played in the key of D, you can look at the family of chords that belong to the the D family, and you will find out that you need to play D, A, Bm, G. Take note that the B is now a Bm.

So you have the beat of the song, you've chosen the strumming pattern for the song, and you know the chords for the song. There you go, you have just figured out a song.

I hope I've managed to explain it quite simply, but if you have any further questions or need to clarify something, please feel free to let me know.

HOW TO know if your guitar is warped

2010-05-03T13:50:00.001+08:00

First of all, what does it mean when someone says a guitar is warped? Well, it is actually referring to the neck of the guitar. The acoustic guitar is made of wood, and wood can be warped due to humidity and weather. Imagine what would happen if you leave your guitar in the baking sun? Not only will the strings expand, but the wood will start to bend too. When this happens, we say that the guitar is warped.

So, how do you know if your guitar is warped? Well, have you ever experienced tuning your guitar correctly, only to find that it sounds terribly out-of-tune when you play a chord? This is a tell-tale sign that your guitar could possibly be warped.

Another way to check if your guitar is warped is to play the first string for example, and then play the 12th fret of the first string. This should give you a sound that is one octave higher. So, they should sound the same (only that the sound on the 12th fret is one octave higher). If the 2 notes do not sound the same, then your guitar is probably warped.

So, how do you "de-warp" or rather, fix a guitar that is warped? I would suggest to bring it to the guitar shop and have them fix it for you. However, if you are feeling confident enough, you could attempt to fix it yourself (not recommended unless you know how to do it).

From what I know, you will have to adjust the truss rod of your guitar with a type of allen key. (Here's a picture of how a truss rod looks like. It is in your guitar.)
Then, you have to locate the truss rod and use the allen key to straighten it. Some guitars have it at the neck, and some have it in the body. Here are pictures on where the truss rod can be located:

Yup, so after you have located the truss rod, you have to attempt to straighten it by inserting the allen key and rotating it till it's straight.

I have not done this before, so I wouldn't recommend to try this unless you really know what you are doing.

How can I make my strings last longer?

2010-04-26T13:00:00.000+08:00

I know I've asked myself that question before. I think it's really irritating when strings burst, or when I need to change my strings after using it for few times only. I mean, strings cost money, and sometimes, I do not want to spend so much on strings.

I must say it did take me a bit of trial and error to find out how to "make my strings last longer". But yes, I'm here to tell you that you can prolong the lifespan of you strings. Here are some ways you can achieve that:

What brand of strings do you buy?
----------------------------------
This is actually quite an important question, or at least that's what I have realised through my years of playing the guitar. When I started out playing the guitar, my mindset was to just get the cheapest strings possible. So, I used to find those unbranded strings which only cost a dollar for each string. Trust me, a dollar per string is cheap. Because of that, I found myself having to change strings quite often because they got rusty pretty fast. I guess I should have expected it - you get what you pay for.

I'm here to tell you that there are strings out there which are designed to last longer. Yes, they do cost a little more expensive, but in the end, if they last longer, you'd ultimately be saving on strings. So, look out for strings which are specially coated, or extended play strings etc. these might be strings worth buying. In fact, you could try some of the brands out there, and when you've found one that you like, stick to that brand.

Wipe down your strings after you play
---------------------------------------
This is another way you can extend the lifespan of your strings. Each time you play the guitar, your fingers produce some sweat and this will cause your strings to rust. So, make it a habit to wipe your strings after you play. You can purchase special treated cloth at most guitar shops. I'm not really sure why these cloth have to be specially treated, but I think it's still worth getting one.

I have even heard of people using some kind of liquid to coat their strings each time after they play the guitar. I'm not too sure what brands are out there, but I do know that guitar shops do sell them. I have not personally used these liquids, but if they help you extend the lifespan of your strings, you might want to check it out too.

What string gauge do you use?
-------------------------------
I think this is probably quite a controversial suggestion because different guitarists prefer different kinds of sound. And, the string gauge can play a part in achieving that sound. I think it is no secret that the thinner your string gauge, the more susceptible your strings are to bursting. So, you could consider using heavier gauges (if you find that your strings are bursting too easily too often).

If you perform often, you could use another guitar for practicing
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This is only applicable if you have more than one guitar. You can practice more on the guitar that you won't be using for performances.

If you have any other ways of making your strings last longer, feel free to drop a comment. I would like to know as well =)

How often should I change my guitar strings?

2010-04-19T16:27:00.000+08:00

I was recently asked this question and I think there are a few factors which determine when you should change your guitar strings. Let me share with you three factors which you could use to decide if you should change your strings.

Are your strings rusted?
------------------------
I think this is probably one of the most obvious signs that you should change your strings. I know I've felt a rusty string before, and the feeling is horrible. You can feel the rust collecting on your fingertips when you play the strings. Not only that, but the rust will even leave marks on your fingertips after you have played it. When this happens, it's time to get new strings.

Is your guitar starting to sound dull?
-------------------------------------
Have you played a guitar with brand new strings before? What is the first thing that you notice when you strum it? Well, the most obvious thing you will notice is how much the strings ring and how bright it sounds. Now, strum that same guitar a few months down the road, and you might notice that this ring and brightness is lost and now your guitar just sounds dull and boring. This is another sign that it's probably time you change your strings (unless you're fine with your guitar sounding like that).

When your strings start to burst
---------------------------------
When this happens, I think you're left with 2 choices. 1. Should I just change the string that burst, or 2. should I change all six strings? Most people would choose to change the string which burst because it's cheaper to change one string than all six. However, I'll leave this decision to you. But as a rule of thumb, if your strings are still fairly new, then it would make sense to just replace the string that burst. However, if your strings are months old, then it might be better to just change all six strings. There is a reason why I say this. The problem with mixing new strings with used strings is that they might not blend well together. This might just make your guitar end up sounding weird.

There you go, three factors you could use to determine whether you should change your strings.

I foresee that another question one could ask is on how to extend the lifespan of your strings. I mean, changing strings cost money, and if you could spend less on strings, wouldn't you? So, a practical solution would be to get your strings to "last longer". How can this be achieved? Well, I'll share with you some ways to do so in the next post.

How do I construct a major chord?

2010-04-14T11:38:00.008+08:00

As you have read in my previous post on "How to figure out the notes for a major scale", this post will now talk about constructing a major chord.

What are major chords? They are chords that you would have definitely come across when learning to play the guitar. Examples of major chords are A, A#, B, C, C#, D etc... Of course besides the major chord, there are other chords out there like the minor chord, diminish chord, dominant chord etc. But for this post, I will be focusing on the major chord.

Remember in my last post how I was differentiating between a note and a chord? Well, a major chord is made up of 3 notes. The notes are the 1st note, the 3rd note, and the 5th note. So, put these 3 notes together and you would have constructed a major chord.

Let's take the C chord for example. We know that the C major scale is C D E F G A B C. So, just simply count the 1st, 3rd and 5th note from the scale. This will give you the notes C, E and G. These 3 notes give you the C chord. Now, let's look at the C major chord pictorially (you will soon understand why it is played the way it is played) :

The picture above shows the standard C chord that most of you will know how to play. Notice the 3 notes C, E and G? That is what this chord you're playing is a C. Isn't that interesting? It's really fun to finally understand what a C is play the way it is played.

What this also means is that you can probably find many other ways to play a C major chord on the guitar. So, when you have the time, play around with the guitar and find out different ways to play a C major chord.

Let's take the E chord now to see if you understood what I was explaining. The first step is to find out what the E major scale is (read my post "How to figure out the notes for a major scale"). The E major scale is E F# G# A B C# D E. Now, look for the 1st, 3rd and 5th note. They are E, G# and B. Let's look at the E major chord that we all have used so commonly:

Notice the 3 notes that are in the E chord above?

So, if ever you are faced with a situation where you do not know how to play a major chord, just apply the steps I showed you. You will be able to construct a major chord this way.

You can try the other major chords as practice. The really fun part comes when you find other ways of playing a major chord. You will soon realise that there are many different ways you can play a C etc. Have fun figuring out other ways to play a major chord.

HOW TO figure out the notes for a major scale

2010-04-08T17:40:00.006+08:00

In this post, I will attempt to explain how to figure out the notes you can use when you play a song. Do not mix up the difference between a note and a chord. A note is simply just one note (you know, when you put a finger on a fret on the fretboard and play it). A chord on the other hand, is made up of various notes. So, if you put a group of notes together, it can give you a chord. For this post, I will be talking about notes, and not chords.

In this post, I am particularly referring to a major scale, which most songs are played in. You know when you hear someone saying "This song is played in G", it kind of means that it is using a G major scale. Before I start explaining, bear in mind that this has to do with music theory (which I am currently trying to improve on), so it might be a little dry. However, I'll try to explain it the best I can.

I'm pretty sure you have heard people singing "Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do" before right? Believe it or not, that is actually a major scale. So, if you want to play a C major scale, you start with a C note (that will be your "Do"). The next step is to just play the rest of the "Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do" sounds, and you would have played a C major scale.

That is my attempt of explaining what a major scale is in lay-man terms. However, there is music theory behind this. The formula for a major scale is : 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½. What does the 1s and ½s mean? Well, they refer to tones and semi-tones. "1" is a tone, and "½" is a semi-tone. 1 tone is 2 notes apart, and ½ tone is 1 note apart. So, a C to D is a tone because there is a C# in-between. From B to C is a semi-tone because there is no B# in between etc.

I will write out the C major scale (notice the letters in bold, they are the notes that are in the C major scale):

  1   1   ½ 1   1    1  ½

C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C = C D E F G A B C

Notice how the formula 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ is applied? So, technically, if I play a song in C and use any of the notes in bold from above, the song will sound pretty alright because those notes lie within the C major scale. This is especially good for guitarists who want to play melodies to a song, or even guitar solos etc.

Anyway, let me try to explain step by step how you can figure out the major scale. Let's try a D major scale.

First step is to just write out all the notes in order starting from the note that you are writing your scale in. In this case, it is a D.

D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D

Second step is to apply the formula "1 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½" to the notes that you have written out

  1   1  ½  1   1    1  ½

D D# E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D = D E F# G A B C# D

There you go. So, the D major scale is D,E,F#,G,A,B,C#, D. Try hitting those notes on your guitar (in the order above), it will give you the "Do-Re-Mi-Fa-So-La-Ti-Do" sound. I hope this is pretty interesting to you.

Let's try one more example to see if you understood what I was saying. Let's try an E major scale.

Apply the first step (write out all the notes, starting with the E note)

E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D D# E

Apply the second step (apply the formula)

  1   1  ½  1   1    1  ½

E F F# G G# A A# B C C# D D# E = E F# G# A B C# D# E

Are you getting the hang of it? You can now try for other keys. Like F, G and A. If you want to challenge yourself a little, try with the harder keys like C#, D#, F#, G# and A#.

If you have any problems, do let me know. I hope you have fun practicing your theory =) Perhaps in my next post, I'll attempt to explain how chords are formed (it is really just playing certain notes together). Till then, please try to write out the major scales for C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A# and B

Different Plucking Patterns

2010-03-22T15:59:00.007+08:00

I received a question asking about various plucking patterns that can be used for songs. Personally, I do not pluck much on the guitar. However, I did find some videos which I thought could be quite useful. So, here are some videos of various plucking patterns that you can use on the guitar.

(I personally use Pattern 1 most often whenever I pluck songs)

Pattern 1
----------

Pattern 2
---------

Pattern 3
----------

Pattern 4
----------

Pattern 5
----------

A Plucking Exercise

2010-03-16T14:00:00.003+08:00

In this post, I will be showing you and exercise you can use to improve on your plucking. In one of my earlier post entitled "HOW TO pluck the guitar with your fingers", I showed how to place your fingers on each string, and also how important it is to use your other fingers when plucking, as opposed to what I see most beginners doing - using only their thumb to pluck.

It would be good if you read that post on plucking with your fingers because it is one of the basic things to know about plucking. So, please get into the habit of placing your fingers correctly and also using each finger to pluck the correct string.

Just like strumming, there are certain basic patterns you can use for plucking as well. I will just cover one plucking pattern that I use. The main aim of this post is to provide you with an exercise you can use to help improve on your plucking. Here's what you can do as part of the exercise:

Repeat the plucking pattern over and over with that same chord.
When you are more confident with the plucking pattern, you can move on to plucking other chords with the same plucking pattern.

So, this is the plucking pattern that you can use. Assuming you're playing a D chord in 4/4 beat timing (the numbers represents which string to pluck, NOT the frets):
4 3 2 3 1 3 2 3

If you're playing an A chord in 4/4 beat timing:
5 3 2 3 1 3 2 3

Notice the difference? Your bass note has to change depending on which chord you are playing. If you're playing an E chord, you will have to use the 6th string for your bass note etc. If you need to know the reason why, you can read my post on "HOW TO know which strings to strum for which chords".

When you are confident with the plucking pattern. Try to pluck these chords in sequence:

   D                Dmaj7             D7                G                      
e|--------2----------------2-----------------2----------------3---------|
B|-----3------3---------2-------2---------1------2---------3-----3------|
G|---2--2---2--2------2--2----2--2------2--2---2--2------0--0--0--0-----|
D|-0----------------0-----------------0---------------------------------|
A|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------3---------------|

  G?               D                Em                A               
e|--------3----------------2----------------0-----------------0---------|
B|-----3------3---------3------3---------0------0----------2------2-----|
G|---3--3---3--3------2--2---2--2------0--0---0--0-------2--2---2--2----|
D|------------------0---------------------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------------------0----------------|
E|-3---------------------------------0----------------------------------|

This will help you to:

Practice the plucking pattern over and over till it becomes natural.
Pluck the correct bass notes based on which chord you are playing.
Make use of the correct fingers to pluck the required strings.

I hope you will find this practice useful. Happy plucking =)

HOW TO palm mute

2010-03-03T09:30:00.002+08:00

I was recently asked this question on how to palm mute. So, let me attempt to explain how to do so and what palm muting can be used for.

In terms of strumming the guitar while palm muting, it can be used to achieve a more driving feel to the song, hence you will hear it being used more often than not in a Rock concert etc.

In my opinion, there are more than enough sites out there attempting to explain how to achieve palm muting. Therefore, I'll be using a picture I found from one of these sites to illustrate how palm muting can be achieved.

The steps you can take to achieve palm muting are:

Place your hand across the 6 strings as seen in the picture above.
Focus on the strings that you want to strum (most people won't strum all 6 strings when palm muting). Therefore, it is common to see people using barre/power chords while palm muting. That way, you only have to focus on the bass strings on the guitar to palm mute.
You can enhance the muted sound by applying pressure on your left hand when hitting the notes, and releasing pressure when you're not hitting the notes.
As for what angle your pick should be when strumming while palm muting, my general rule is to use it at a 45 degree angle upwards when strumming down, and a 45 degree angle downwards when strumming up. The reason is explain in my "HOW TO hold a pick/plectrum when strumming" post.

I hope this post has answered your questions on how to palm mute. Enjoy.

What is CAGED System?

2010-03-01T10:48:00.005+08:00

Have you ever come across the term CAGED System. I know I have. I used to think it meant barre chords because to me, the shape of the barre chord kind of looks like a cage-like shape. However, I realise that that is not what the CAGED system is.

Recently, I have been taking some guitar lessons (particularly on theory) to further improve my guitar theory because I am really weak at it. So, here's my attempt to explain what the CAGED system is:

CAGED is not a noun or verb etc. In fact, CAGED represents the open chords, C, A, G, E and D. These are the chords that most beginners would have learned first because they are pretty easy to play. In a nutshell, the CAGED system is all about movable chord patterns. So, what this CAGED system is trying to say is that you can use the chord patterns of C, A, G, E and D, to play all major chords.

I know it sounds kind of confusing, but perhaps some diagrams will help. Let us take the C major chord as an example. The diagrams you will see will show you how to play the C major chord using the CAGED system:

All the chords shown above are different ways you can play a C major chord using the CAGED system. Notice the red squares? These are the basic C, A, G, E and D chords that you probably already know how to play. The only difference is that you have to play them on different frets, and barre an extra fret.

So the next question to ask is, "How do we know which frets to play these patterns on?" This is again where you will need to know your fretboard well.

Diagram 1 - Ring finger is on the 3rd fret 5th string because it is a C note (C)
Diagram 2 - Index finger barres the 3rd fret 5th string because it is a C note (A)
Diagram 3 - Ring finger is on the 8th fret 6th string because it is a C note (G)
Diagram 4 - Index finger is on the 8th fret 6th string because it is a C note (E)
Diagram 5 - Index finger is on the 10th fret 4th string because it is a C note (D)

If it's still confusing, think of it as though you're using a capo. But this time, the capo is your index finger. You can read my post on "How to use a capo" to perhaps help you understand about the CAGED system.

I hope this post has helped. If it's still confusing, perhaps it's because my explanations are not clear. Do bear with me, I know my theory is not strong at all, therefore I'm trying my best to learn. I hope you all will take time to learn too =)

How to switch between chords smoothly

2010-02-24T09:19:00.003+08:00

A question was recently asked by someone on how to switch between chords smoothly. At first, I thought I had already answered the question on one of my older posts called "HOW TO change chords first" Part 1 and Part 2. In those posts, I talked about looking out for ways to change faster between each chord like looking for shortcuts and of course, practicing.

However, I realised I misread what this person was asking. In essence, he was asking about how to connect the strumming pattern between chords so that it sounds smooth when changing from one chord to another.

To answer this, we will have to take a look at the strumming patterns that I have previously posted in my post regarding strumming patterns. They are:

4/4 Songs
-----------

            1 2 3 4
Pattern 1 : D,D,D,D,DU

          1 2     3 4
Pattern 2 : D,D,DU  D,D,DU

          1 2  3   4
Pattern 3 : D,D,UDU,DD,DU

          1 2   3     4
Pattern 4 : D,UDUD,UDUD,DU

          1 2 3 4
Pattern 5 : D,DU,UDU

3/4 Songs
-----------

           1 2 3
Pattern 1: D,D,D,DU

6 /8 Songs
-----------

           12 3 45 6
Pattern 1: D,UDUD,UDU

What I failed to explain is that you should take note of how each strumming pattern ends with a "DU". This is in fact the connecting strum to the next chord. So, what I usually tell people is that at the last "DU" that you see, you can start changing to the next chord. Your right hand will just be strumming the DU while your left hand is changing to the next chord. So, you would have changed to the next chord by the time you start your strumming pattern again. This is how you achieve the smooth and connected sound when changing between chords.

So, don't wait till you finish the whole strumming pattern, then change to the next chord. Instead, begin to change at the DU.

Hope this has answered your question.

HOW TO play dominant seventh chords (A7,B7, C7 etc...)

2010-02-05T11:46:00.010+08:00

In this post, I will attempt to explain how you can play seventh chords such as A7 (A dominant 7), Am7 (A minor 7) and so on.

As you should know by now, playing guitar chords is all about chord patterns. If you recall my earlier posts on how to play barre chords part 1 and part 2, you will realise that once you have the barre chord shape, all you need to do is to move the same shape up and down the fretboard to get the different chords.

Well, this post will talk about the chord shape you can use to play dominant seventh chords, ie. chords like A7 and Am7 etc. So, what is a dominant seventh chord? To technically explain it, it just means to minor the 7th note and add it into the chord. At this point, you must be wondering what the 7^th note of a chord is. If you're a beginner, I'm sure this will make no sense to you at all. So, hopefully, I'll be able to explain some theory in my future posts (I'm really terrible at theory because I learned the guitar on my own)

For now, the more important thing is to learn how to play these dominant seventh chords. Below is a pictorial view on playing dominant seventh chords:

Barre chord on the 6th string

Barre chord on the 5th string

Simply put, in order to play dominant 7th chord on the 6th string, you just have to take off your last finger. Yes, it’s that simple. So, take the F chord for example. To play a F7, you just have to play the F barre chord, minus the last finger. The same applies for all the other chords using the barre chord pattern.

If you're using the barre chord on the 5th string, you play the standard barre chord and minus your ring finger. So the example above shows a Bb chord. To play the Bb7, just take off your ring finger. The same applies for all the other chords using the barre chord pattern.

Practically, you can use 7th chords to give the song a more jazzy feel (in my opinion). Go ahead, try to use some 7th chords in the songs you play. It will definitely add more flavour to your playing.

What does drop-D tuning mean?

2010-01-21T16:53:00.002+08:00

This question was asked by one of you. First of all, it is important to know what the Standard Tuning for a guitar is. It is EADGBE. The first letter on the left represents the 6th string (the thickest, lowest sounding string), and the last letter on the right represents the 1st string (the thinnest, highest sounding string).

Of course to achieve this tuning, you have to tune the guitar by turning the tuning knobs at the end of the guitar. If you have a tuner, you can use it to help you find the correct note for each string.

For Drop-D tuning, all you have to do is to "drop" the 6th string to a D note. So, Drop-D tuning looks like this: DADGBE. Notice the word "drop"? So, logically, you tune down (loosen) from the standard tuning of E to a D. If you try to tune up to the D (tighten), I am pretty certain the string will snap on you.

There you go, this is what is meant when someone says he/she is using a Drop-D tuning. There are other alternate tunings (that's what all other tunings apart from the Standard Tuning are called), but I'm not expert on that. My advise to all beginners would be to learn how to play the guitar on standard tuning.

HOW TO start singing

2010-01-12T09:37:00.004+08:00

A user sent me this question and I'll attempt to answer it.

I'm not sure whether this topic fits the purpose of this blog because my main idea was to focus on the basics of playing the guitar. However, I guess it does make sense because if one were to play the acoustic guitar, the next step would be to sing along with it while playing.

To answer this question, I have actually previously posted a topic on "HOW TO play the guitar and sing at the same time". Perhaps this post could answer the question. However, I think the intention when this question was asked was to find out how to sing/improve on the singing portion.

With that in mind, I have to firstly say that I think personally, I know I'm not a great singer at all. At the most, I'd consider myself an average singer. I say this because I have not taken any professional singing lessons, or even learned any special techniques. I basically just sing because I love to sing.

So, here's some things that I did to be able to sing like how I sing today:

Sing during your church worship service - This actually stems from the fact that we all need to practice in order to improve. I find that the church worship service is not only a time of giving God the glory that He rightfully deserves, but at the same time, we can improve on our singing abilities.
Imitate what you hear - This has been by far the method I have been using all along since I started singing. What I usually do is to listen to the song, and imitate the singer. I think this is probably why most people over Youtube comment that when I sing, they can't hear any accent. But when I talk, they can tell that I have some sort of Asian accent.
If you are able, join a choir - This can prove to be important because you can learn certain techniques when singing in a choir. For myself, I recently joined a choir and it has taught me to learn to sing using your diaphragm (and not your throat), and also tips on hitting higher notes.
Do not be afraid to sing out confidently - Over the years, I have realised that when I can't hit certain high notes, it's because I was afraid that I couldn't reach the note, hence I would sing softly when those high notes came. As a result, I would usually not be able to hit those notes. However, when I attempt to sing those notes with more confidence, I find that more often than not, I am able to hit those high notes.
Enjoy yourself - I believe that the most important thing is to enjoy yourself while singing. Even though techniques are important when singing, don't let it take away the joy of singing. Enjoy yourself when you are singing. After all, you are singing to the Lord, and not to people.

I hope these tips have somewhat helped. Continue to play and sing for the Lord. I know He listens and is well pleased.

What's the difference between barre chords, power chords and open barre chords

2009-12-23T23:32:00.012+08:00

I was recently asked this question. It was actually just the difference between barre chords and power chords. I added in "open barre chords" because to me, it's also important to know what they are.

First of all, I did a google search but couldn't find the term "open barre chords", so I guess I just invented another term. Not to worry, I'll explain later in this post what I mean when I say "open barre chord".

Okay, I think by now, you should know what a barre chord is, and how to play a barre chord. If not, you can read about it here and here. So now, let me explain what a power chord is then. A power chord is almost like a barre chord. The only difference is that you don't strum all 6 strings (if you're playing on the 6th string), or 5 strings (if you're playing on the 5th string). Instead, you strum only the 6th, 5th and 4th string (if you're playing on the 6th string) or 5th, 4th and 3rd string (if you're playing on the 5th string.)

I will use two chords as an example. Let's use the example of a power chord A (on the 6th string), and a power chord D (on the 5th string):

("X" means you do not strum those strings)

So, if you play the above, you will get an A and a D power chord respectively. An interesting thing to note about the power chord is that it can be used regardless whether the note is a major or a minor. So, that means if you're playing a song in the key of G (you have an Am in the family of G), you just need to play the above power chord A. You don't have to play an Am (there is no power chord Am anyway).

Generally, power chords are used by electric guitar players. They also add effects to it such as distortion, and it sound pretty nice, especially for rock or heavier song.I would not suggest you to use them in acoustic songs - unless you want the song to sound heavy.

Next, I'll talk about what an open barre chord is. I will also show you two examples. One of them on the 6th string, and the other on the 5th string:

Okay, notice the difference between the open barre chord and a standard barre chord? Your index finger doesn't have to barre the whole fret. You let the other strings ring. I kind of use these chords quite often in my videos as well because I find it has a really nice sound as compared to a standard barre chord.

One thing to note about this open barre chord is that it does not sound nice on all chords. The chords where it sounds nice are:

6th string - F# (2nd fret), A (5th fret),
5th string - B (2nd fret), C# (4th fret), E (7th fret)

Of course you could try the other frets, but some of them just sound terrible.

I hope this post has made it more clear the difference between a barre chord, power chord and open barre chord.

HOW TO play special / split / slash chords

2009-12-16T10:27:00.014+08:00

In this post, I will be writing about how to play special / split / slash chords on the guitar. First of all, I need to qualify what I mean when I use the term "special". For a lack of a better word, the chords that I am actually referring to are those where you see a "/". For example, I'm sure you would have come across chords such as D/F#, D/B, C/E, A/C# etc. (thanks to Bob for letting me know that these are called split chords)

Alright, let's get things started. I used to think that the "/" meant that you could either play the chord before the "/" or the chord after the "/". But I was wrong. It's okay if you thought that as well because I thought that too. Anyway, simply put, the chord after the "/" just means that you have to play that bass note. So, if you see a D/F#, it means you play a D root note, and a F# bass note.

How does this translate to playing the chord? Well, here's how it looks graphically:

For myself, I personally like to use the D2/F# or Dsus/F# chord. But if you have watched my videos over youtube, I just generally call them D/F# because I don't want to get too technical with the names.

Ok, here are some other "special" chords that I have used before (I'll just use the general names as well because I don't want to get too specific on what their correct names should be):

There are many more "special" chords out there. So don't get scared of you happen to see an unfamiliar one while reading a music sheet or learning a song using some online tabs. All you have to do is take a deep breath, look at the chord before the "/", play that chord, then look at the chord after the "/", and play that bass note.

With that being said, this is also why you need to know your fretboard well. Where is the B bass note on your guitar? Where is the C# bass note on your guitar? If you know your fretboard well enough, playing these special chords will be a walk in the park.

I hope this post has been useful and informative. Continue to practice hard, and remember, I am even learning new things about the guitar everyday.

HOW TO pluck the guitar with your fingers

2009-12-09T17:30:00.000+08:00

In this post, I will attempt to answer the question on how to pluck the guitar the proper way.

First of all, I can't really say whether the way I pluck is the proper way to do so because I have never taken any guitar lessons. So, all of this is what I feel is correct.

Ok, during my lessons with my guitar students, I have noticed that many of those who are total beginners have the tendency to pluck in a certain way. They pluck each string using just one finger - the thumb. So I'll just say it now, you should use the rest of your fingers as well to pluck the guitar!

The pictures above shows you two ways which you can position your fingers when plucking. For myself, I prefer to use the one on the right (where the pinky is on the guitar) because I find it helps to keep my plucking hand in place. The only drawback is that after a prolong period of placing your pinky in this manner, it gets stiff and can hurt a little.

Anyway, notice how each finger is placed on a string? In my case, I make use of 3 fingers and the thumb. So the next question you might probably ask is "There are 6 strings on a guitar, if I'm only using 4 fingers, what finger do I use for the remaining 2 strings?"

The answer is simple. For me, I use my thumb to pluck the 4th, 5th and 6th string (I call these strings the bass strings). So, when I play a D chord for example, I'll use my thumb for the 4th string. If I play an A chord, I'll use my thumb for the 5th string. If i use an E chord, I'll use my thumb for the 6th string. The rest of my 3 fingers are placed on the 1st - 3rd string.

Yup, that's basically it. In another post, I'll probably be talking about simple plucking patterns that you can use for songs.

HOW TO hold a pick/plectrum when strumming

2009-12-02T20:48:00.010+08:00

In this post, I will be talking about how to hold a pick or how to hold a plectrum when strumming. They are both the same, just different names.

First of all, we need to know how to hold a pick correctly. Here's a picture to show you how it should look like:

Top View Bottom View

Next, we will proceed to how you should hold the pick when strumming. Don't get me wrong here, you should hold the pick the way you see it in the pictures above. What I meant was that there are certain things to take note of when strumming with the pick. The reason why I say this is because people have sometimes been asking me how come their guitar strumming seems to sound so loud and forceful. So, here's what you have to take note when strumming:

For strumming, the pick should be held at a 45 degree angle tilted upwards when doing a downstroke. This will ensure that there is not too much force used when strumming. Most of the time, I see beginners holding the pick 90 degrees or perpendicular to the strings when strumming. This will cause the strumming to be very forceful and loud. More importantly, this is the wrong way to hold a pick when strumming.

The same thing goes for the upstoke when strumming. If you do the upstroke holding the pick 90 degrees or perpendicular to the strings, you will get a loud and forceful strum. So, you should hold the pick 45 degrees downwards, and just use your wrist to flick upwards on the upstroke.

I can imagine that all this can be quite hard to visualise. So, here's some pictures to visually explain more clearly what I am referring to.

Strumming (Downstroke)

Strumming (Upstroke)

I hope this post has been useful and helpful. Feel free to ask any questions if you have any doubts.

HOW TO change/transpose the key of a song (Method 1)

2009-11-24T17:34:00.007+08:00

This is actually a pretty important question to answer. To prove it, let me ask you this: Have you ever listened to the radio or any CD, and found that some of the songs are just too high for you to sing? Well, I have. I have often come across songs where the verses are probably singable, but once it reaches the chorus or bridge, it becomes almost impossible to reach. The solution? To change the key of the song of course. This is also known as transposing.

Changing/Transposing the key of a song is pretty much like just doing basic maths. What do I mean by this? I will give you 2 scenarios that you might have experienced, then, I will give the solution on how to solve these problems:

Scenario 1:
The song is too high for you to sing
-----------------------------------------
This is where you will have to transpose DOWN. So lets say for example the song is in the key of G. Transposing down would mean to transpose the song to a lower key. What is a lower key? It's just simple alphabets. What comes before the letter G? Well, the answer is F. So, you could try playing the song in the key of F. That will make the song more singable. If it's still too high, you could go down even lower to E, and so on.

Scenario 2:
The song is too low for you to sing
----------------------------------------
This is where you will have to transpose UP. Taking the song to be in the key of G again, transposing up would mean to transpose it to a higher key. Once again, using alphabets, the letter that comes after G is H. BUT, we all know that there are only 7 notes for music (A, B, C, D, E, F, G). So, that means it goes to A. So, try playing the song in the key of A, that will make the song higher. If A is not high enough, you can transpose it again to B, and so on.

Ok, all that just explains why you should transpose the song up or down. However, it doesn't explain how to do it. This is the part where knowing your fretboard will help tremendously.

Let's say you know the song uses G, C , D, C, G. Now, you want to transpose the song up because it's too low for you to sing. So, you choose to transpose it to the key of A. G to A on the fret board is 2 frets up (refer to the diagram to understand what I'm talking about). Apply the same principle for the other chords (move them 2 frets up). In the end, it will become A, D, E, D, A.

The same thing goes for transposing down. Using the same chords G, C, D, C, G, you now want to transpose it down to the key of F. Looking at the fretboard, transposing from a G to F would mean 2 frets down (refer once again to the diagram). So, apply the same principle for the other chords (move them 2 frets down) and you will get F, Bb, C, Bb, F.

There you go, you now know how to transpose a song.

The only thing you have to watch out is that if you transpose a song to a different key, it would mean you will have to use different chords. So, your knowledge of playing different chords has to be very good. Alternatively, you can use the capo to help change/transpose the key of the song.

I hope this post has given you more insight as to why/how to transpose the key of a song. As always, if you need any help or clarification, feel free to post a comment or contact me.

HOW TO know the different parts of the acoustic guitar

2009-11-11T09:38:00.006+08:00

It is important to know the names of the different parts of the guitar. In this post, I will talk about the different parts of the acoustic guitar and its functions. I mean, if you play the guitar, you have to know at least what each part is called.

First of all, what you see above is a diagram of an acoustic guitar that I managed to find off the internet. It has been labeled so that you know which part it is referring to. I will now go into detail what each labeled part is for, starting from the top.

Head/Headstock
-----------------
The head/headstock is the portion that holds the Machine Heads (tuning pegs).

Tuning Knobs/Pegs/Machine Heads
------------------------------------
These are sometimes referred to as tuning knobs. It is basically used to tune the guitar. What you do is the turn them clockwise or anticlockwise. For the 1st, 2nd and 3rd string, turning the knobs clockwise will tighten the strings, while turning the knobs anticlockwise will loosen them. For the 4th, 5th and 6th string, turning the knobs anticlockwise will tighten the strings, while turning the knobs clockwise will loosen them. Some of you might be asking how come it's different. Honestly, I don't know.

Nut
----
The nut is that piece of the guitar (usually white in colour) that is between the neck and the headstock. It has 6 grooves so that each string can run through each groove to reach the tuning peg. Also, you can think of the Nut as the zero fret. And, the nut can play a part in determining how low/high the action of the guitar is.

Fret
-----
I sometimes get confused with this term. The fret is actually the metal bars that you see running across the guitar. So when someone says "2nd fret", technically, they are referring to the 2nd metal bar that you see on the guitar (the one the diagram above is pointing to). However, when you hear someone referring to the "2nd fret", it actually means the area between the 1st and 2nd metal bars. This is just someone to take note of.

Neck
-----
The neck of the guitar is the portion that has all the frets on it.

Sound Hole
------------
The sound hole of the guitar is actually what gives the guitar its volume/sound. This is because when you strum the strings, it causes the body of the guitar to vibrate and hence sound is produced through the sound hole. This is also why you will notice that if you play an electric guitar (they don't have sound holes), they do not produce any audible sound, and have to be plugged into an amplifier to hear what you are playing.

Body
-----
The body of the guitar probably determines the kind of sound the guitar makes. Therefore, people will say that if the guitar is made of such-and-such a wood, it will sound such-and-such a way. In general, the higher quality the wood, the better sound it produces. Also, the body can come in different sizes and shapes.

Bridge
-------
Don't take my word for this, but I think the bridge of the guitar can also play a part in increasing/decreasing the action of the guitar. If the action is too high, get a lower bridge etc. Other than that, I'm not really sure what other functions it might have.

Yup, so that's basically the different parts of the guitar. I hope you've understood more through this post. Oh, and just a disclaimer: This post is based on my own opinion about the guitar.

HOW TO do hammer-ons and pull-offs

2009-10-15T12:03:00.003+08:00

In this post, I will be talking about how to be able to do hammer-ons and pull-offs. Many people have asked me this question over Youtube before.

So, before I begin, I'll explain what they are.

Hammer-on
-------------
No, this has nothing to do with an actual hammer. The "hammer-on" is called a hammer-on because of the action your finger makes. It is as though you are "hammering" your finger onto the fretboard to achieve the effect.

Why is a hammer-on used in songs? Well, in my opinion, it give a song more flavour and also sounds more fluid.

Pull-off
--------
A pull-off is using your finger to pull-off from the fretboard, so as to achieve the effect. It is "pulled off" (no pun intended) when you play a chord or note, and use one of the fingers involved to pull-off from the fretboard.

Why is a pull-off used in songs? Like the hammer-on, it is used to also add flavour and fluidity to the song. Pull-offs can be used right after a hammer-on, or on its own.

Okay, I realise that trying to explain what they are using words can be pretty confusing. So here's a video how to play hammer-ons and pull-offs.

From my experience of teaching others, I know most people will have the problem of achieving a clear sound when attempting the above. This is common, so don't be disappointed. Here it comes...: to improve, you have to PRACTICE. Hopefully, the video will show you the right way to achieve a hammer-on and pull-off. The rest is really just practice.

Hope this post has clarified any doubts you had.

HOW TO play the guitar and sing at the same time

2009-09-28T17:56:00.008+08:00

This has been a topic that I've been thinking of for some time. It's a very real and important question that people have been asking, and I've been thinking of how to write about this.

Honestly, how I learned to play the guitar and sing at the same time was just through sheer practice. I know that is an unsatisfying answer because as you probably know from all my previous posts, "practice" has always been part of my answers. So, I'll do something more by explaining how to practice it.

Start with a simple strumming pattern
---------------------------------------
I would suggest that when you play a song, use the most basic of strumming patterns. This means, for a 4/4 beat song, use 4 downstrokes. For a 3/4 beat song, use 3 downstrokes.

You might ask why we need to use such simple strumming patterns. The reason is, it's the simple strumming patterns that allow you to focus more on your singing, rather than the strumming. Imagine, if you were to use a complex strumming pattern, you would have to concentrate a whole lot on the strumming pattern. Adding the singing in would be very hard and challenging.

So, let's use a song for example. Since this is a christian blog, I'll be using the song "Jesus Loves Me". I'm quite sure most of you know this song. It's the one that goes "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so..."

This song is in 4/4. The chords for the verse: D, D7, G, D, D, Bm, GD,AD (chords that are separated by the commas are 4 beats, chords that are not separated are 2 beats).

Then comes the chorus: "Yes, Jesus loves me..." Chords are: D, G, D, A, D, G, DA, D

Step 1: Use the simple strumming pattern to play the song WITHOUT singing till you are comfortable the chords and able to change quickly

Step 2: With the same strumming pattern, add in the singing.

Step 3: After you've mastered playing and singing with the simple strumming pattern, move on to the next strumming pattern (D,D,UDU,DD,DU)

Step 4: Try out other strumming patterns that I have mentioned over my blog before (D,DU,UDU)

The video below should make things clearer:

And yes, I will end my post with something which every aspiring guitarist should do: "practice, practice, and practice".

HOW TO change chords fast (Part 2)

2009-09-22T12:05:00.018+08:00

As promised, here's the 2nd part to my first post on HOW TO change chords fast (Part 1).

Within this post, I will be sharing with you certain shortcuts that I use when I change from chords to chords. This is of course the chords that I commonly use, most of which are basic chords.

To make things easier, you will find that the diagrams I have come up with have red colourings on it. These red portions are the fingers which you can leave in its position when changing to the next chord.

Without further ado, let's go through certain chord changes.

G to C9
--------

C9 to D
--------

G to Em
---------

Em to C
--------

C to Am
---------

C to F
------

These are just some examples on how I change from chord to chord. Of course, there are many more shortcuts that you could use. Of course, you can find them out for yourselves.

Remember, the aim is to be able to change quickly to the next chord. Finding such shortcuts will greatly help. All the best to your journey in learning the guitar!

HOW TO change chords fast (Part 1)

2009-08-31T16:46:00.007+08:00

In this post, I will be covering the topic of changing from chord to chord quickly. From my past experiences, I have found that there are several things you can do to achieve this.

Look for shortcuts
-------------------
What I mean by this is to find ways in which you can change to the next chord without having to move ALL your fingers. If you were to take a look at most of my videos over Youtube, you will notice that sometimes, you don't see my hand moving much when changing from chord to chord. Let me give you some examples:

When playing a song in the key of G, you will find that 3 common chords you will use are G, C9 and D. This is how the chords look like pictorially:

Okay, so notice how each chord is played. There are shortcuts you can use when changing from chord to chord. The common mistake I see beginners do is to play the G chord, then take off ALL their fingers and position it to the C9 chord, and then take off ALL their fingers and position it to the D chord. This is not the best way to change from chord to chord.

From G to C9, notice that the only 2 fingers that need to move are the 1st and 2nd finger (index and middle finger). The 3rd and 4th finger stays. From C9 to D, notice that the 3rd finger (ring finger) stays, while the other fingers move. From D to G, notice that the 3rd finger is still at the same position. If you follow these shortcuts (not having to take off ALL your fingers when changing chords), it can greatly increase your speed of changing from chord to chord.

Practice
--------
This is always the best way to improve changing chords. PRACTICE. Now that you've seen an example of how you can look for shortcuts, you can do likewise with other chords. However, with that being said, there are some chords which you will have no choice but to take off all your fingers and position it for the next chord. That is why PRACTICE is important.

Believe me, you can practice to a point where you can memorise how each chord pattern is played. A good way to know if you've memorised the chord is to see if you can even finger the chord pattern without having a guitar fretboard to place your fingers on.

I will probably be posting up more diagrams on how I change between chords in my next blogpost. Till then, practice hard!

HOW TO use a capo

2009-08-16T17:37:00.005+08:00

In this post, I will be attempting to answer the question on how to use a capo. First of all, what is a capo? I'll show you some images below on the different kinds of capo that are available out there:

Honestly, capos can come in many shapes and sizes. I personally have the first two capos shown above. Ok, so the next question is, what is the function of a capo?

Well, a simple way to think of a capo is that it is a tool that helps you to play a song in whatever key with easier chords. What do I mean by this? Let's take an example. If a song requires 3 simple chords, G, C and D, it would be easy to play it. However, what would happen if the song uses the same progression, but in a different key? This means instead of G, C and D, it becomes A#, D# and F. This would pose a problem because all 3 chords now require you to play some sort of barre chord.

To solve this, the capo can be used. We could place the capo on the 3rd fret and play a G, C and D pattern. This would give you a A#, D# and F. Confused? Maybe a pictorial example might help explain a bit more:

From the diagram, we see that the capo (the gray rectangular piece) is placed across the 3rd fret. So, what happens now is that when you play a G pattern with the capo at the 3rd fret, you are in fact playing an A# (or a Bb, both are the same).

So then, lets test if you know what I am talking about. If I were to place the capo on the 1st fret and play a G pattern, what chord would I be playing? Ans: G# Now, if I were to place the capo on the 5th fret and play a G pattern, what chord would I be playing? Ans: C

I hope you're getting a hang of this. Ok, lets try one more example to see if you really understand what I'm trying to explain. If I have the capo on the 2nd fret and I play a C pattern, what chord would I be playing? Ans: D

If you need anymore clarification, feel free to ask. I know this post has not been too in-depth because honestly, there are many frets you could place the capo on to play whichever songs you are playing. I only gave a few examples and hopefully you have had some of your questions on using the capo answered.

My Everything

2009-08-04T09:35:00.005+08:00

Indeed Lord, to You, I give you my everything.

I just like to share with you a song that I had written about a year back. This was actually the first song that I had ever written, and to me, it expresses my feelings towards God. Here's the video of me playing it, and the lyrics goes like this:

My Everything - Daniel Choo
------------------------------
When I think of You
And All that You've done for me
All the suffering You've been through
I'm humbled

Lord why would You even care
For someone so undeserving
The cross yet You chose to bear
I'm speechless

Chorus:
You are all I need
My everything, Jesus
Your blood has purchased me
My everything, my everything

Bridge:
I just surrender all of my life
And let You guide me with Your hands
My heart just wants to say "I love You"
I love You

I am honoured that people have used my song in their churches for worship. To me, all that matters is that the lyrics touches people's lives. Indeed, we cry out "I love You" to our God and Saviour, the One who has borne our sins on the cross at Calvary. What's even more amazing is His resurrection. The curse of sin (which is death) has been overcome by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Jesus lives today and is sitting at the right hand of God, interceding for us. For without Jesus, we cannot enjoy the close relationship that we now have with God. Lord Jesus, indeed I love you.

Here's the song being played in a church. It's all for Your glory Lord, may You be glorified.

HOW TO know your fretboard well

2009-07-29T09:50:00.004+08:00

To a beginner, the different frets on the fretboard might seem intimidating. Just take a look at it, there's so many different frets on the guitar. So then, how do we know which note these frets represents when we play them?

I would actually suggest that there is no simple way to memorise which fret is which note because there's really too many. However, there are ways to make the process of identifying the note simpler/easier.

Let's take a look at the fretboard of a guitar below:
Here are some tips that I would suggest to help you remember the guitar fret board a little easier.

1. Remember the tuning of the guitar
--------------------------------------
In this case, it is standard tuning EADGBE (shown on the right of the diagram). This is very important because knowing what note you're playing when you play a free string helps tremendously.

2. Know your alphabets
------------------------
The notes on your guitar fretboard is like saying your alphabets. For music, it's from A to G. So, lets look at the 6th string, the one on top (E). To every note, there is a sharp (#). The only 2 exceptions are E and B. So, we see in the diagram that the free string for the 6th string is E, followed by F (remember there's no such thing as E#), then F#, then G, G#, A, A#, B, C (remember there's no such thing as B#), C#, D, D# and finally back to E (this note is one octave higher than the free string E). Notice it's just like reciting your alphabets? A B C D E F G. The only difference is you add in the sharps for notes that have them.

3. Apply the same "formula" for the other strings
-------------------------------------------------
This is why knowing your guitar tuning is important. The 5th string free string is an A note. So, apply the same "formula" to figure out what the other notes are. Free string is A, followed by A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G# and finally back to A again (one octave higher than the free string A).

4. Use "anchors"
--------------------
Knowing all this is good, but the best way to remember (I've realised), is to use what I term as "anchors". An anchor is something that holds a ship to a spot in the sea. In the same way, all you need to know are certain frets on the guitar and their notes. From these "anchors" you can know the other notes. For example, if you know that the 6th string 3rd fret is a G, then you'll also know that a F# is the 6th string 2nd fret, and a G# is the 6th string 4th fret. Also, if you know that the C is on the 5th string 3rd fret, then you'll also know that a B is the 5th string 2nd fret, and a C# is the 5th string 4th fret.
To remember these "anchors", you can use the dots (fret markers) on your guitar to help you (most guitar have them). They are commonly placed on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 12th frets of the guitar like shown in the picture below:

These 4 tips should be able to help you out with your guitar fretboard.

At this point, I'd just like to talk about the first diagram again. I still haven't explained the chords that are in brackets. This is actually just to tell you that a F# can also be known as a Gb, G# can be known as an Ab, A# can be known as a Bb and so on.

So, if you happen to see in some chordbooks Eb, Db, Bb, Ab or Gb, don't be surprised. An easy way remember this is that every chord has a sharp and flat (only E and B does not have sharps). So, lets say you're at 6th string 3rd fret which is a G. If you move to the 4th fret, it's a G# or Ab, if you move to the 2nd fret, it's a F# or Gb.

I know it's quite confusing, so just remember one or the other. This information was just to let you know that there are sharps and flat.

I hope this post has been useful. If you have any questions to clarify, feel free to post a response.

HOW TO play chords that sound clear and not muffled

2009-07-14T16:27:00.006+08:00

For this post, I will be writing about my ideas on how to be able to achieve a clear sound on each guitar chord that you play.

For beginners, it is very common to play a chord, and find that it sounds muffled and not clear. This can be because of several things. Eventually, the aim is to be able to play any chord and to get a clear sound from each of them. Yes, even for the dreaded barre chords which every beginner will hate.

I have come up with 3 reasons why chords come out muffled and unclear.

Reason One
------------
Check your fingers! Yes, it's true. For beginners, the main reason why your chords do not come out clearly is because your fingers are still not "seasoned". If your fingers are not "seasoned", you will tend to press your chords lightly because the harder you press, the more painful your fingers will feel. One way to confirm if your fingers are "seasoned" is to take a look at your left hand (I'm assuming you're playing a right-handed guitar). Feel the tip of your left hand fingers. Are they soft? If they are, that means your fingers are still not seasoned. With more playing, your finger tips will become calloused (hardened). When this happens, you will find it easier and less painful to press down each chord that you play, thus achieving a clear sound.

Reason Two
-------------
Arch your fingers! This is another common mistake made by beginners. When you play any chord for that matter, you need to arch your fingers in such a way that it only presses the string it's supposed to press, and not accidentally touch others. Here is a picture of the C chord which sometimes gives beginners some problems:

This is a C chord. Just take a moment to look at the picture. See the ring finger on the 3rd fret 5th string? What commonly happens is that this finger is not arched enough and it accidentally touches the 4th string. Take a look at the index finger on the 1st fret 2nd string. What commonly happens is that this finger is not arched enough and it accidentally touches the 1st string.
When all this happens and you give the chord a strum, you will not be able to get a clear-sounding chord. So, you need to remember to arch your fingers.

Reason Three
--------------
Place your fingers near the frets! Yes, this is a really good tip to remember. Let's take the above picture again as an example. Notice how each finger is placed near to the fret (the metal bar)? So you might be asking, how will this help achieve a clearer sound? The reason is pretty simple. If your finger is closer to the fret, it will require less strength to press the string down.

So that's the three reasons/steps I have come up with to be able to help you in achieving that clear sound when you play any chord. The most important thing to do is to of course, PRACTICE. With more practice, your fingers will naturally become "seasoned". With more practice, you will be able to control your fingers to arch properly. With more practice, you will remember to place your fingers near the frets when playing chords.

I hope this post has helped!

How TO play the guitar with dynamics

2009-06-23T11:32:00.003+08:00

In this post, I will attempt to answer the question above.

What is dynamics? Well, think of it as being able to use your guitar to express a lot of different feelings to people who listen to you playing it. Okay, that was a bit confusing. Let me try to explain myself a little clearer.

When a song is played on a guitar. A person playing it with no dynamics would just play it through with it all sounding the same. That is to say, the intro, verses, choruses and bridges all sound the same with the same volume, same feel etc. This would make the song boring and sometimes draggy.

Consider this: What if you play the song with dynamics? The same song that was played straight would sound much better. So then, how can this dynamics be achieved?

I can think of a few simple ways to achieve at least some sort of dynamics.

Intro
------
The intro of the song can be really important. It kind of sets the mood to how the song will sound like. For example, if the song is a slow meditative song, it could start off with plucking of chords, instead of strumming. If the song is a fast lively song, you can start of by strumming full force.

Verses
-------
For soft songs, the plucking intro could proceed into the verse with plucking as well. This really sets the mood. For faster songs, you could even choose to die it down after doing a fast/lively intro. It's like bringing the song to a climax, then bringing it down to get people to focus on the words.

Choruses
----------
For both slow and fast songs, or for all songs for that matter, the chorus is always the part where it reaches the climax of the song. So, if you had been plucking for the intro and verses, this is where you build up at the end of the verse to strum at the chorus. Likewise for the fast song where the verse was played softer after the fast/lively intro. A simple build up is really to just use downstrokes to enter the choruses. You can listen to the example here. Notice how just before I reach the chorus, i use the downstrokes to get into it. Also, notice how the strumming patterns change.

Bridge
-------
The bridges for songs can really go both ways. Some people die down when it goes to the bridge while others continue its fast/level level. It's really up to you. A good practice would be to follow what you hear the original performers of the song you're playing does. If they climax there, you can do likewise.

So, that's basically if you're playing on your own with a guitar. When it comes to band dynamics (assuming you have a pianist, drummer and bassists), more dynamics can be achieved because all these other musical instruments can play their part at adding dynamics to the song too.

For myself, if I could put a general rule for dynamics to a song, I would put it something this:

1. Intro: Soft
2. Verse: Loud
3. Chorus: Loudest
4. If it's verse, back to 2.
5. Bridge: Soft or Loud

But remember, this is only a general rule. You can play around with the dynamics according to what feelings you want the congregation to feel, or what story you want to paint for them.

I hope this post has been of some help to those who were interested in knowing more about dynamics.

HOW TO determine the strumming pattern for songs (Part 2)

2009-06-09T14:46:00.002+08:00

As promised, this is the second part to the post "HOW TO determine the strumming pattern for songs"

I hope this video has been of some help to you. So, if the song you're playing is in 4/4, try out one of the 5 strumming patterns shown in the video. See which one fits the song. Of course, you could come up with your own strumming patterns, as long as it fits the beat. If you have any other strumming pattern which you think is commonly used and I have missed out. Feel free to comment and tell me about them. Enjoy.

HOW TO determine the strumming pattern for songs (Part 1)

2009-05-26T17:49:00.026+08:00

In this post, we will talk about how to determine the strumming pattern for songs that you hear. The simplest answer I can give is to listen to the song itself, at least that is how I do it. However, this is not a simple thing to do as it requires you to be able to listen well.

Not to worry, in my 12 over years of playing the guitar, I have come up with a list of strumming patterns that can be used for songs. In particular, I will be focusing on songs that are 4/4, 3/4 and 6/8

4/4 Songs ("D" represents a downstroke, "U" represents an upstroke)
-----------

            1 2 3 4
Pattern 1 : D,D,D,D,DU

            1 2     3 4
Pattern 2 : D,D,DU  D,D,DU

            1 2  3   4
Pattern 3 : D,D,UDU,DD,DU

            1  2  3   4
Pattern 4 : D,UDUD,UDUD,DU

            1 2 3 4
Pattern 5 : D,DU,UDU

3/4 Songs
-----------

           1 2 3
Pattern 1: D,D,D,DU

6 /8 Songs
-----------

           12 3 45 6
Pattern 1: D,UDUD,UDU

If you notice, I have 5 different patterns for 4/4 songs, and only 1 pattern each for 3/4 and 6/8 songs. The good news is, most songs that you hear on the radio are in 4/4.

In the end, choosing which strumming pattern (or even coming up with a new one) to use for a song is really up to you. My general rule is that you can use any strumming pattern you want as long as it sounds good to you. But of course, if you want to use the same one that the song you listen to uses, then it would require you to listen carefully to the song.

I realise that just showing you these "D"s and "U"s will be of little/no use to you if you don't know when to play it in relation to the beats. So, for the next post, I'll be posting up a video of audio examples on these different strumming patterns that I have mentioned above. Stay tuned for it. I just hope I have enough time to get down to making the video.

HOW TO know which chords belong to which family

2009-05-05T11:29:00.014+08:00

Before you start asking "chords have families???", let me explain what it means. Basically, what this means is that for every key that you play a song in, there are certain chords that go with that key.

What is a key? Well, whenever you play a song, you have to choose a key to play that song in. This key determines how high or how low the song is. So for example, if you play a song in the key of G, and it is too high to sing, you can try a lower key like F or E etc.

Okay, back to chord family. I'll just take the most common key that beginners play songs in (mainly because playing songs in the key of G has simple chords):

The G family
--------------
Common chords that can be used for songs in the key of G are G, D, Em, Bm, C, Am. Of course, there are other chords that can be played, but these are the more common ones.

Here are some other chord families:

E family - E, B, C#m, G#m, A, F#m
A family - A, E, F#m, C#m, D, Bm
C family - C, G, Am, Em, F, Dm
D family - D, A, Bm, F#m, G, Em

So there you have it, if you ever play a song in any of the above keys I mentioned (G, E, A, C, D), be sure to go through the chords above. This will greatly help you in figuring out the chords for songs. Of course with that being said, the most important thing then is to find out what key the song is played in. After that, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out the rest.

There is another way to find out which chords can be used for which family. However, it will require you to know how to write out a major scale. So, I would suggest to read the post on writing out a major scale before progressing any further.

After you have done so, the next step is just to add a minor to the 2nd, 3rd and 6th note. Here is an example of what I mean:

C major scale
--------------

C Dm Em F G Am B

Yup, so this is the other way you can figure out the different chords of a family. Hope it helps!

HOW TO play barre chords - Part 2

2009-04-12T22:44:00.010+08:00

In part 1, we saw how barre chords are played. Specifically, I was referring to the 6th string. Now, we can also play barre chords on the 5th string. What do I mean by this? Well, this is what playing a barre chord on the 5th string looks like:

Notice the difference between the last post (part 1) and this. It is essentially the same pattern, except everything is moved down a string. Also, notice, while using this barre chord pattern on the 5th string, it becomes a minor chord. So, the next question you should ask is, "How do I play major chords using the barre chord pattern on the 5th string then?" You can do so like this:

which translates to this on a chord sheet:

As you can see, the only difference between a Bbm and a Bb chord is just by moving your 2nd string to the 3rd fret. So, by using this pattern now, you can play more chords.

I hope this has been easy to understand, but if you have any doubts or need clarification, feel free to comment and I will try my best to explain. I will also update this post accordingly to make it more comprehensive.

HOW TO play barre chords - Part 1

2009-03-09T17:54:00.009+08:00

This post will be specifically on how to play a barre chords. So, the first thing we have to ask is, "What is a barre chord?" Well, a barre chord is given its name because it basically barres a whole fret with a finger.

In chord books that you might have purchased before, or seen online, it would look something like this:

Translating the above picture into playing your guitar would look like this:

Looks hard to play? Yup, I must admit that at first, it will come across as a hard chord to play mainly because of the barring. Your index finger has to do most of the work because it has to be able to press down the fret hard enough for you to get a clear sound when each individual string is played.

There you go, that's basically what a barre chord is. BUT here comes the more interesting part. With this barre chord pattern, you can play a lot of other chords. I'll just give a brief description of what else you can play. More will be explained perhaps in a more detailed post.

From the F chord shown above, other chords can be played when you keep the same pattern. For example, if I move everything up to the next fret (2nd fret), keeping the same chord pattern, it would make it a F# chord. If I move it to the 3rd fret, it would be a G chord. Just moving it to different frets would give you different chords.

Here's the list of chords you can get just by moving your F pattern up the fret board:
1st fret: F
2nd fret: F#
3rd fret : G
4th fret: G#
5th fret: A
6th fret: Bb
7th fret: B
8th fret: C

Pictorially, it looks like this:

And it just goes on and on. However, I would not recommend you play so high up the fret board. The most I would go would be until the B chord (7th fret).

HOW TO know which strings to strum for which chords

2009-03-05T09:35:00.002+08:00

This post will be about learning which strings to strum for the different chords you play. Basically, you have to focus on the 4th, 5th and 6th string. For the sake of this post, I will refer to these strings as the bass strings.

As you all should know, the standard tuning for a guitar is EADGBE. the 6th, 5th and 4th string corresponds to the E, A and D note accordingly. REMEMBER this because it will play a part in knowing which strings to strum depending on which chord you play.

Now, let's go through the chords and I will explain why you have to strum only certain strings etc.

Note: I will be writing the chords numerically. It is to be read from left to right. The extreme left represents the 6th string, the extreme right represents the 1st string. "x" means you don't strum/play that string. "0" means you strum/play that string free (without pressing any fret). And of course, the numbers "1,2,3" etc, represents which fret to play.

The A chord written numerically looks like this - x02220. Notice the "x" on the 6th string. Now, recall the bass strings I referred to earlier on. The 5th string is an A note. That is basically why when you strum an A chord, you strum from the 5th string down.

The same can therefore be said for chords like E and D. So, for your E chord, you strum all 6 strings because the 6th string is an E note, and for D, you strum from the 4th string down because the 4th string is a D note.

The other basic rule that you can apply is that whatever your finger presses, you play. So, lets take the G for example. It is numerically written as 320033. So, we strum all 6 strings because your finger presses the G bass note (3rd fret of the 6th string)

Another example would be your C. It is written as x32010 numerically. Notice the "x" on the 6th string. It is not played because your finger is on the 3rd fret of the 5th string (which is a C note), so you strum from the 5th string down.

Yup, so that's sort of the basic rules for strumming different chords. One thing I note is that when beginners learn to play the guitar, they usually end up strumming all 6 strings. So, I hope this post has been informative. Remember, you don't have to strum all 6 strings for every chord.

If there's any chords you need to clarify which string to strum from, feel free to ask in the comments section.

HOW TO know your fretboard

2009-02-17T09:29:00.008+08:00

Knowing the fretboard is important because each fret on each string represents a specific note. In the diagram below, you will notice that I've only labeled the 6th and 5th string, up to the 7th fret. The reason for this is because in my opinion, knowing these frets well is essential for knowing how to play chords. I will further explain.
As you can see from above, the diagram represents the fretboard. The letters on the right represents the tuning of each string, which is EADGBE (standard tuning). Next, the numbers above are the frets (I've labeled till the 7th fret), and the letters in the fretboard are the notes, if you play on that fret.

Note: If you play the 6th string 1st fret, you're playing an F note. You don't have to put your finger on the fret (the metal bar) itself, as long as your finger is in the white space from the nut to the 1st fret, it is an F note.

Figuring out Chords
--------------------
You might ask the question, "Why is it important to know your fretboard?". Let me explain (with regards to playing an acoustic). To me, knowing your fretboard is important for playing barre chords and figuring out chords. I will not go into detail in this post, but if you know your fretboard, you can play every chord with just the barre chord pattern. More will be explained in a separate post.

Knowing which bass notes to play
----------------------------------
When you play chords, you have to also remember that not every chord requires you to strum all 6 strings. Let me give you some examples. If you play a G chord, you strum all 6 strings because your middle finger is on the 3rd fret of the 6th string (G note). If you play a standard C chord, you strum from the 5th string down because your ring finger is on the 3rd fret of the 5th string (C note). If you play a standard A chord, you strum from the 5th string down because the 5th string (free) is an A note. If you play a D chord, you strum from the 4th string down because the 4th string (free) is a D note. The same goes for an E chord. You strum all 6 strings because the 6th string (free) is an E note.

One more note about the labeling of notes. Some of you might ask, if there's a Bb (B flat), why isn't there any Gb or Ab etc. Well, these notes do exist, and to simply put it, it is interchangeable with the sharps. Let me give you some examples. You see on the 2nd fret an F# note. This note can also be known as a Gb. This is because when you move UP a fret from the F note, it moves a semi-tone, so it goes to F# (2nd fret). When you move DOWN from the G note, you are moving a semi-tone down, so you say Gb.

Note: Notice from E to F, and from B to C, there are no sharps/flats. There's probably an explaination for this, but I have to admit, I don't know either. It's just the way it is.

Poem!

2009-02-11T23:12:00.004+08:00

Just thought I'd share a little something which a friend over youtube did for me. She actually wrote me a poem, and I think it's a really good one.

A Little Something From My Heart To You
--------------------------------------------

A new beginning has come to start
A beginning of a beautiful friendship has had heart
Before any of us ever existed, our masters hands
Knew exactly who to make to be our friends
One might stand upon the highest mountaintop
To find this right person
Or one might sail the seas till they reach this right person
So many nights Ive engraved in my heart in knowing that
There is someone I can think of and pray and care about
At the same time, my thoughts drift across the day and I am
Confident that that same someone who I call friend and brother,
Is also thinking of me and praying for me
The same way that our Lord and savior has cared about you, so
Have I sought to follow in his foot steps and do the same anytime
You need a friend
What can I say? Its just a little something from my heart to you
I bent down to grasp the last seed beneath the earth, and as I perceived
You, I saw the light of God shining through you as a delightful light
Everything that surrounded me became indulgent with brightness and life
for so, you have inspired me and have put a smile on my face
I veered to my side and saw the hands of the potter molding you into the
Special person that you genuinely are
However, his work in you is not yet complete, but when it is, I know that
You will surpass into your true destiny, and develop into the image that
God intended for you
Its been five months already since Ive known you, yet sometimes it feels
As if its been longer
The same way our God has been there for each and every one of us, thats
How friends should react towards one another
When you would sleep in your bed at night, there he was guarding you and
Your surroundings as a keeper might watch you from his window
Whenever you cried all alone, as many times we make it seem that there is
Nobody around to see or hear us, there he was to cry along with you and
Feel your pain, and lift you right back up to your feet
The best part is, he still does this, and for everyone
Although you live thousands of miles away from me, right now at this very
Moment, I thank Jesus for you
For allowing us to be friends, even if were considered distant friends
I thank him for allowing us to be part of his same family
I thank him for what he will continue to do in the future with both of us
How marvelous is the heart that it can travel so far, even to the other side
Of the world
I pray that someday I may meet you face to face
Still, what can I say? Its just a little something from my heart to you

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Though it may be long, I think much effort was put into this, and for that, I am grateful and honored :)

HOW TO... decide which guitar to buy

2009-01-30T12:03:00.008+08:00

For this post, I will specifically be focusing on choosing an acoustic guitar. In particular, I will be going through the different criteria I use when choosing an acoustic guitar. The 4 main criteria I use are "Feel", "Sound", "Quality" and "Price". I'll go into detail what these mean.

Feel
-----
When testing out guitars at the shop, one of the criteria I use is the "Feel" factor. What this means is that when I play a guitar, I ask myself, "how does the guitar feel to my fingers?" This is important to me because when I play my guitar, I want it to feel good on my fingers. An example would be whether the action of the guitar is too high. If so, it would hurt your fingers more than if the guitar had a lower action. "Action" refers to how far the string is from the fretboard. A higher action means that the string is further away from the fretboard, therefore, to play a note, you would have to press down harder on the string. Below is a picture of a guitar with high and a guitar with low action for you to compare.Of course, it is totally up to you what kind of action you want. The main criteria is that it feels good when you play it.

Sound
------
The next criteria I use is the "Sound" factor. This of course is quite subjective because different people like different sounds. My advice to you is to buy a guitar based on what kind of sound you like. For example, do you like a more mellow or bright sound? Do you like a guitar with a softer or louder projection? In the end, it's really up to you because remember, this is your guitar that you'll be using. Make sure it is a guitar you will enjoy playing.

Quality
-------
The next criteria would be the "Quality" factor. I sometimes couple this factor together with the brand of the guitar because if the brand is a famous/reliable one, then you can be sure that their quality is just as good too. Of course, the more famous brands will come with a greater price tag. Therefore, before choosing the brand of your guitar, do some research. You'll be amazed at how much information you can find over the internet. Guitar forums are an excellent place to read up on reviews about different guitars.

Price
-----
Finally, the "Price" factor plays an important role too. If you are a beginner, I would strongly suggest getting a guitar that isn't too expensive. The reason is because if you buy a high-end guitar when you are still a beginner, you would not really be able to maximize its potential. But by all means, if you want to buy a high-end guitar, go ahead. Just remember that what matters is that you like playing the guitar you buy. An expensive guitar does not equal to a guitar you will enjoy playing. The criteria I mentioned above will ensure that you will enjoy playing your guitar.

HOW TO... tune your guitar using the 5th fret method

2009-01-20T11:20:00.010+08:00

This is probably one of the most common methods to tune your guitar. I call it the "5th fret method", don't know if there's a proper name to it though. With the help of the diagram below, I'll attempt to explain how to tune your guitar using this method as clearly possible.
What you see above might look a little confusing at first, but let me explain what it represents. At the right hand side, you see the numbers from 1-6 in red. These represents the 6 strings of your guitar. The 1st string (thinnest) is right at the bottom, and the 6th string (thickest) is at the top.

On the top, you see numbers from 1-5 in red. These numbers represents the frets of your guitar. You know the metal bars that runs vertically across your guitar board? Yup, those are the frets.

Lastly, circles with letters inside represents the notes if you were to place your fingers there. At the Nut (the white vertical bar that you can find on your guitar before the first fret) you don't have to place your fingers on it, just play it free-string.

Okay, let's start tuning the guitar.

1st string - Start off with the 1st string which is an E note. We have to assume that your 1st string is tuned to an E note (you can do this by using a piano etc)

2nd string - To tune the 2nd string, what you have to do is place your finger on the 5th fret of the 2nd string. This will give you an E note as well. So what you have to do now is to tune the 2nd string so that it sounds like the free string of the 1st string (E note).

3rd string - After you've tuned your second string, move on to the 3rd. Place your finger on the 4th fret of the 3rd string. Now, tune your 3rd string so it sounds like the free-string of the 2nd string (B note).

And so on... All the way till you reach the 6th string. There you go, your guitar is now tuned.

Note: Remember, for this to method to work, it depends on tuning your 1st string. Make sure it's tuned to an E, because you would want to use your guitar to play with other instruments. And if everyone's E is different, it will sound terrible when played together

HOW TO... Read Guitar Tabs

2009-01-03T04:34:00.008+08:00

This post shall be in relation to my brother's tabs which can be found on his website at http://grahamchoo.blogspot.com

As you all should know, my brother posts guitar tabs on his blog on the videos that I have posted up on Youtube. I shall attempt to teach those who do not know how to read tabs, to be able to read the tabs he posts.

     F#
e|---2---|
B|---2---|
G|---3---|
D|---4---|
A|---4---|
E|---2---|

Above is a tab that you can commonly find on my brother's blog. Notice that it is vertical. At the sides, there is e B G D A E. This corresponds to the strings on your guitar. "e" represents the 1st string, followed by B (2nd string) and so on. When you see the numbers in a vertical fashion, this means you strum the chord. In this case, it is a F# chord (notice the note written on top). This is how you read the tabs: 1st string (e) 2nd fret, 2nd string (B) 2nd fret, 3rd string (G) 3rd fret, 4th string (D) 4th fret, 5th string (A) 4th fret, and 6th string (E) 2nd fret.

   Em              A               Bm              F#
e|---------0---------------0---------------2---------------2-------2-|
B|-------0---0-----------2---2-----------3---3-----------2---2-----2-|
G|-----0-------0-------2-------2-------4-------4-------3-------3---3-|
D|---2-----------2---2-----------2---4-----------4---4-----------4-4-|
A|-----------------0---------------2-------------------------------4-|
E|-0-----------------------------------------------2---------------2-|

Next, you notice that sometimes you will encounter these kind of tabs. It looks slightly more complicated, but in actual fact, it's pretty simple to read. All you have to do is to read from left to right. In this case, since the numbers are not in a vertical fashion, it means you have to pluck each individual string from left to right. So, the first chord is an Em. Pluck 6th string (E) free string, 4th strong (D) 2nd fret, 3rd string (G) free string, 2nd string (B) free string, and 1st string (e) free string, and continue according to what you read. Yes, it's that simple.

e|-------------------------------5-5/7-7/9-7-6-----------------------|
B|-----2-3-5p3-5/7-5/7-5-3h5p3-2---------------7/8-7-5h7p5-3h5p3-2---|
G|-2/4---------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------|

Sometimes you will also come across tabs like these. Notice the "/" and the "h" and the "p". A lot of people have asked what these symbols mean. In short, CHECK THE LEGEND, it's at the bottom of the whole tabs, and it looks like this:

| /  slide up
| \  slide down
| h  hammer-on
| p  pull-off
| ~  vibrato
| +  harmonic
| x  Mute note

I hope this post has made it clear on how to read my brother's tabs. Enjoy learning the songs :)

HOW TO... Restring An Acoustic Guitar

2008-12-19T17:57:00.007+08:00

A basic skill that one needs to know when playing the guitar is to be able to restring it. For the acoustic guitar, there are basically 2 kinds of bridge portions.

What you see above is an example of a common type of bridge portion an acoustic guitar can have. Notice the 6 black pegs. Of course they come in other colors too. For my guitar, they are white. For this kind of guitar, you will have to take out the pegs and place the new string in, and then put the peg back over it.

Your acoustic guitar could also have this kind of bridge portion. For this kind of guitar, it is easier to restring because all you have to do is insert the string through the bottom portion, and then pull it all the way to the tuning pegs.

The video below will show you a brief overview on how to restring an acoustic guitar.

Note: It is normal to feel scared or unsure if it is your first time attempting to restring a guitar. Of course, there is always the chance that the new string might actually burst. There are certain precautions that can be taken to reduce this risk. The first is to make sure when you tune up the guitar, know what key you are tuning it to. Avoid over-tuning it because this will cause your strings to have too much tension and hence snap. Another precaution you can take is to tune slowly when you are reaching the note. It is always good to turn the tuning knobs in a fluid motion and not to jerk it constantly. Lastly, you can also purchase a set of strings with a heavier gauge. The lighter the gauge (thinner strings), the easier it is to snap. However, heavier gauge strings are definitely more painful to the fingers when playing them.

HOW TO... Tune Your Guitar Using Tuning Forks And Pitch Pipes

2008-12-03T14:20:00.006+08:00

Another way to tune your guitar is to use either a tuning fork or a pitch pipe. Unlike tuning your guitar using online guitar tuners, this method requires you to purchase either a tuning fork or a pitch pipe. Personally, I don't have either of these, so I'll use show you pictures of how they each look like.

Tuning Fork
-----------

What you see above is a picture of a tuning fork. The most common tuning fork you will find is the a440 tuning fork. A440 represents the note that the tuning fork will give you. In this case, it is an A note. There are of course other tuning forks that give you different notes, but this is the most common that you will find. You can find what note the tuning fork gives you by looking at the handle of it. It should be engraved on it.

To use the turning fork, all you have to do is hold it by the handle (above the circle-shaped portion at the bottom of the picture), make sure you don't touch the 2 vertical pole-like structures (because that is the part that will vibrate to give you the A note), and hit them on any hard surface.

Then, you can either do one of two things. First, you could either place the circle-shaped portion into your ear. This way, you will be able to hear the A note in your ear. Or, you could place the circle-shaped portion on the body of your guitar. This will vibrate the body of your guitar, resonating the A note from it.

After you hear the A note, you will then proceed to tune your 5th string to what you hear. Remember, the guitar is tuned in EADGBE. So tune your 5th string. After that, you can tune the rest of your strings using the 5th-fret method, which will be explained on another post.

Pitch Pipe
----------

Above is just an example of how a pitch pipe can look like. What you see from the picture (sorry it's quite small), are 6 different holes that you can blow into. Each of these holes are labeled based on each string of your guitar. So you will see something like E-1 (referring to your first string), B-2 and so on.

All you have to do now is to blow into each hole, and tune each string accordingly. Essentially, it's like using the online guitar tuner, except you can carry this small device anywhere you want.

HOW TO... Tune Your Guitar Using Online Guitar Tuners

2008-11-29T11:36:00.006+08:00

Like the title says, it's quite self-explanatory. Many people have been asking me about the different ways one can use to tune their guitar. This method is one such way. You don't have to buy any tuners or extra equipment. All you need is your desktop/laptop, and an internet connection. Just follow the instructions below from the instructional video.

As mentioned in the video, this method of tuning your guitar relies heavily on your ability to be able to hear the different notes. At first, it might seem hard to try to get your guitar to sound like what you hear on the online guitar tuner, but given time, it should get easier. If you don't like this method, there are of course other ways.

Stay tuned for other ways to tune your guitar...

HOW TO... Differentiate Between Different Kinds of Guitars

2008-11-24T23:07:00.034+08:00

One of the first few things I teach my students when they start learning the guitar is to be able to differentiate between the different kinds of guitars out there. For this post, I will be specifically talking about the Classical guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Electric Guitar and the 12-String guitar. Without much further ado, I will get into describing the differences between these guitars.

Classical Guitar
---------------

What you see above is just an example of what a typical classical guitar looks like. It has 6 strings and the main feature of the classical guitar is the fact that it uses nylon strings. Most of the time, the classical guitar does not come with a plug-in feature. The benefit of having a plug-in classical guitar would be that you can use it for performances to large audiences. However, if your classical guitar does not have a plug-in feature, you can still use it for performances, all you need is to put a microphone near the sound hole to amplify the sound. Classical guitars are usually used for instrumental pieces and Spanish pieces.
You can listen to a sample of how a classical guitar sounds here.

Acoustic Guitar
----------------

Above is an example of what an acoustic guitar looks like. Like the classical guitar, it has 6 strings, however the major difference is that it uses steel strings. Acoustic guitars come both with normal and plug-in features. Like I mentioned above, there are advantages to having a plug-in acoustic. In the same way, if you do not have a plug-in acoustic and wish to use it for performances, all you need is a microphone positioned at the sound hole. Alternative, you could have the plug-in installed. However, this might affect the overall sound of your acoustic guitar. Acoustic guitars are usually used in most contemporary songs on the radio.
You can listen to a sample of how an acoustic guitar sounds here.

Bass Guitar
------------

Above is an example of how a bass guitar looks like. It usually has 4 strings (sometimes 5 or 6), and it uses steel strings as well. The gauge (size) of the bass guitar strings is really high (big). I'm sure you can tell how thick it is by looking at the picture. The 4 strings represent the 4 bass notes of the normal 6-string guitar. They are E A D and G. All bass guitars have to be plugged-in because if you don't, no sound can be heard when you play it. Notice how it does not have a sound hole when compared to the classical and acoustic guitar. The bass guitar in my opinion, is a very important instrument in a band because it gives drive and groove to songs. In songs, the bass guitar can identified by listening to the lowest notes.
You can listen to a sample of how a bass guitar sounds like here.

Electric Guitar
---------------

Above is an example of how an electric guitar looks like. It has 6 strings and it uses steel strings. Even though it uses steel strings like the acoustic guitar, it would be recommended to by electric guitar strings (they're written on the set when you buy them). As with the bass guitar, the electric guitar does not have a sound hole as well, so it has to be plugged into an amplifier or it will produce no sound on its own. Electric guitars are usually used with effects. These effects come in the form of effects pedal. What you do is to connect your guitar to the effects pedal, and then the effects pedal to the amplifier. This will give the electric guitar the ability to make a lot of different sounds. The most common would be the distortion.
You can listen to a sample of how an electric guitar (with distortion effects) sounds like here.

12-String Guitar
-----------------

Above is an example of a 12-string acoustic guitar. As its name suggests, it has 12 strings, and since it's an acoustic guitar, it uses steel strings as well. There are also 12-string electric guitars too. Since it's such a special type of guitar, it has its own set of strings which comes with all 12 strings, so there's no way you can get the wrong strings for this guitar (unless you buy the electric ones). I personally don't have much experience handling this guitar at all, but I know the sound it produces is bright and actually really nice to listen to. It is also much harder to play this guitar because of the fact that it has 12 strings. Imagine having to pluck the right string!
You can listen to a sample of how a 12-string acoustic guitar sounds like here.

Alright, that was just a short description of the different types of guitars out there. I'm sure they're more but i'll just stick to these 5 kinds. I hope it was informative to all who are reading this.

Learning The Basics Of Guitar

2008-11-22T17:44:00.002+08:00

A blog about learning the basics of guitar.

Still in the developmental stages. Going to put some thought into what content I'm going to upload here.

NEW - I'm going to start on a HOW TO series, covering common questions such as:

How to differentiate between different kinds of guitars
How to tune your guitar
How to restring your guitar
How you hold your guitar pick...

and many more...

Feel free to come back and check on the progress.
In the meantime, check out my brother's blog at: http://www.grahamchoo.blogspot.com

Daniel