In today’s lesson, we are going to talk about one of the most challenging guitar techniques for beginners: The bar chord technique.
The bar chord (also called barre chord) is the left-hand technique that allows you to play multiple strings with just one finger.
So, how can we play multiple strings with the same finger? With the bar chord technique, you can place the index finger straight on the strings. The fingertip will cover the lowest string while the phalanges take care of the other strings.
Most of the time, we bar the frets with the index finger. However, some chords can be played by barring the frets with the ring or little finger.
You should learn and apply the three-bar chord rule below:
Rule 1. Keep the thumb behind the neck.
Rule 2. Keep the palm away from the bottom neck.
Rule 3. Keep the index finger straight.
Rule 4. Keep the finger close to the fret wire.
Rule 5. Adjust the finger.
There are a lot of bar chords. In this lesson, we will take a look at different bar chord positions ranging from two to six strings. You can isolate each set of chords and practice them separately.
Hey guys, in this video, I am going to show you a bunch of beautiful and emotional fingerstyle melodies on the guitar. The goal is to create simple and slow melodies that can be easily played on the guitar.
Now, emotional doesn’t necessarily mean that the melody should be played in a minor key. You can make a melody sounds emotional in both major and minor keys.
So, what are the elements that can make a melody sounds emotional?
First of all, let’s define emotional. Feeling such as sorrow and sadness can be linked to an emotional feeling. We can use minor keys to express such feelings.
Also, happiness, relief, joy, and hope can be considered to be emotional stated. For these, I like to use major chord progressions.
Finally! In this ukulele (OMG, it sounds so weird hehe), I am going to show you how to play a beautiful chord progression on the ukulele.
I bought this uke a few weeks ago, and this is the very first lesson I am posting on my channel. I feel like I want to share my journey with you switching between guitar and uke.
The ukulele is an insanely beautiful instrument that feels completely different than the guitar and inspires you differently.
In this chord progression, we will learn how to play a chord progression in F major. As always, we will keep things musical so that you can understand the chords but also hear how they sound in “real life.”
IMPORTANT: The chords I teach during the tutorial are slightly different than the ones played at the beginning of the video (I messed up); therefore, there will be two tabs. One for the music video and one for the guitar tutorial.
Hey guys, welcome to Just Play Along Module 7. In this module, we will be taking a look at a melodic solo/melody in E major in Reggae style.
One of the things that I love about the Reggae style is that it puts me is such a joyful mood. I love the major vibe as well as the dancing groove that is so characteristic of this genre.
The solo is split into four different sections. In each section, we will try to use the E major scale in various ways to create a dynamic and beautiful melody/solo.
We will also learn how to play the E major and B major arpeggio.
Just Play Along is a guitar course that put scales into practice. The goal for this course is to introduce you to music scales with musical examples played along with a backing track.
By becoming a Patron, you will access this course as well as all the other courses on my Patreon page.
Watch the video introduction here and move on to the next video to learn this excellent solo.
Hey guys, in this video, I am going to show you 15 beautiful minor chord progressions on guitar played with both strumming and fingerstyle.
Now, minor chord progressions don’t mean that we can only play minor chords. We can play both major and minor chords (as well as extended chords) as long as we stick with the minor root.
Chord progressions like the ones I am about to play come from the natural minor scale. The natural minor scale generates three minor chords, three major chords, and a diminished chord.
The chords generated, for example, from the A minor scale are Am (i) Bdim (ii) C (III) Dm (iv) Em (v) F (VI) G (VII). We can mix these chords to create beautiful minor chord progressions.
In this video, I will play 15 chord progressions in different keys ranging from two chords up to six chords.
There are a lot of different guitar techniques that we can use to bring our emotions into music. One, in particular, is used to create a beautiful bell-like tone that is unique and sophisticated.
These types of notes are called Harmonics, and when played with open strings, they can be called Natural Harmonics.
We can achieve such a beautiful tone by touching the string on specific frets. The three most common are the XII, VII, and V, which are the ones we will use in this guitar lesson.
So, what’s a natural harmonic? Well, when the string vibrates, it produces a note. Our ears can hear the fundamental frequency of that note. However, the note that we perceive is also colored by other frequencies called “Overtones.”
The Harmonic allows you to isolate certain overtones of a guitar string, giving you this whistle-like tone that is higher in pitch as we move down the fretboard.
In this lesson, I am going to show you how to play a beautiful melody with natural harmonics.
One of the things that I love about chords is that there are countless ways of playing them. There are a lot of different chord shapes, but I am not specifically referring to that.
I am thinking about the different dynamics, tone, and interpretation that each chord can unlock.
Strumming every chord with the same intensity isn’t the same as playing with dynamics and feel.
In this lesson, I am going to show you my five steps for fantastic chord progressions and how to take a simple progression to the next level.
We will talk about:
Step 1. Dynamics.
Step 2. Extensions.
Step 3. Rhythmic Notes.
Step 4. Add a Melody.
Step 5. Combine strumming and fingerstyle.
I will cover each example with both strumming and fingerstyle so that you can have an idea of how the two techniques can inspire you to play the same chord progression differently.
Hey guys, welcome to another guitar lesson. Today I am going to show you a bunch of chords that inspire me a lot.
Being able to play chords in different positions of the next can be such a fantastic skill to acquire, especially because each position can unlock unique melodic possibilities.
In this lesson, we will be taking a look at a bunch of chords that I use all the time when I feel like noodling around with a few scales.
We will learn the Eadd9 chord and the E major scale that goes with it. The Dm(add9) chord and the D minor scale and D harmonic minor scale. The Gsus2(#11) and the D major scale (G Lydian). We will also learn the Em9 and the E Dorian scale.
Practicing scales is such an essential part of any musician’s life. The beauty of playing scales is that there are no rules on how we should approach them.
We can study the concept behind each scale (the interval patterns, note choice over chords, or the chords that come with it).
We can also completely ignore the music theory and play the scale in a position and memorize the sound of each note and how they fit over a chord.
Now, in this lesson, I am going to show you how to use both. We will approach the mechanical and technical way of playing the scale over a backing track and also the more creative approach using the scale to play a solo.
This exercise can be done on any guitar. I used an acoustic guitar, but we can do it on the electric or classical as the notes are the same.
We are also going to do it with the major scale only, and we are going to apply the major scale over different chords so that you have an idea of how it sounds.
In the first example, I am going to play the C major scale in seven positions. I will play the C major scale starting from each note of the scale. So, if the notes are C D E F G A B C, I will then play the scale starting from each note.
Three things will instantly change the way you sound on the guitar. Practicing more technical exercises will give you more techniques and skills, but in this lesson, we are not referring to that.
I am far more interested in developing my tone and songwriting abilities, so even though I think that practicing technique is essential, I don’t consider it to be the number one priority.
In the musical idea, I played at the beginning of the video, I have implemented three techniques that I use all the time that allow me to focus more on the music rather than the technique.
The first technique is called “Over-ringing.” With this technique, we try to let the notes ring out as much as we can. The over-ringing allows you to sustain the chords and notes of the melody beautifully. A few notes played with this technique can sound bit and touching.
The second technique is called “Note choice.” I always try to play the melody in the smartest way possible. In this example, the notes of the melody are entirely played within the chords. Now, believe it or not, this isn’t random. It takes time to accurately decide the notes of the melody and how to play them. I know that many of you don’t see this as a “Technique,” but trust me, it is.
The third technique is called “Melody shape.” A melody shouldn’t be different from a sentence. When we formulate a thought, we carefully decide how to put the sentence together using different words. I like to do the same thing with a melody. Developing the musical idea by keeping some of the rhythmic and melodic elements helps you create a strong, catchy, and distinct melody.
In this guitar lesson, we will take a look at these three techniques and how to use them over a beautiful chord progression in E major.
