Whilst there is no magic potion to get you shredding in 24 hours, there are some handy tricks (namely 5) that I think are worth investing some time in.
Don’t fret over finger positions
Here at Noisy we don’t show fingerings. Chord fingerings are situational and frequently change. For example, classical guitarists frown on left hand thumb use, but there are guitarists with freakishly dextrous thumbs (John Mayer, Jimmy Hendrix) that dazzle listeners with their thumb fretting.
Chord construction is MUCH more valuable information and one of the things that I wish I had been shown much earlier in my musical journey.
1-3-5 chords are very simple, starting with only three notes. When you play all six strings some or all of those notes are simply being repeated. You may still feel guilty not playing the ‘full’ chord, yet you really don’t need all six strings. Most popular songs will rarely be recorded sounding all six strings simultaneously.
When you know how a chord is constructed and shapes itself on the fretboard you are starting to speak ‘music’ and well on your way towards your own musical journey.
Ignore the notes you don’t need
Scales and Keys can often seem complicated and scary, but they actually free you up to enjoy playing more. There are 12 notes in an octave, a scale reduces the number of notes you need to worry about. The pentatonic scale reduces the number of notes to play with from 12 down to only 5!
A great place to start with is the major scale. This is the DO-RE-Mi song from the Sound of Music. Everyone is able to sing the major scale. The DO note you start singing on decides the Key. The scale instantly reduces the overwhelming number of possible chords to 7 basic chords based on the 7 notes in the scale.
Embrace keys, they free you from the tyranny of infinite possibilities.
Only play the strings you need
A chord inversion is where the root is not the lowest note (often called the bass note) in a chord. This means another note in the chord occupies the bass position. The CAGED system and Triads show you chord inversions all across the fretboard. They also show you how to play only what is needed to form a chord.
Don’t feel like you have to play all six strings! This handy video shows you how to play many different chords using just three strings.
Play with others
Playing alone can often mean you’re stuck in your own echo chamber - break free! What can it do for you? It gives you constructive criticism, inspiration, motivation, learning new tips and tricks (hopefully no bad habits), and camaraderie to name a few.
Learning with others allows you to ‘speak’ to each other through music. It’s like learning a new language. Best way to learn is to speak to others. Same goes when playing an instrument.
Picture above (left to right): David, Jaren and Phil partying with pizza and a jam session.
PLAY MORE
This wouldn’t be a Noisy blog post unless I mentioned this at least once. Playing should be fun. The word ‘practice’ can sometimes have negative connotations too … It’s hard to learn a new skill when it feels like a chore or a burden.
I get excited these days to play guitar. All I want to do is play, learn new tricks and do it everyday because I love it! Notice how I didn’t use the word ‘practice’ once in that last sentence? Keep reminding yourself why you’re doing this. The easiest way to improve your skills is just to PLAY MORE. Don’t worry about ‘practising’. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t practised your arpeggios for 3 hours today. What matters is that you picked up and played. Even if it's for 5 minutes.
Remember that music is pretty great. It is a universal language that brings joy. Have fun and enjoy the journey.
