FINGERSTYLE GUITAR LESSONS

Hey guys, Marco here! Today I am going to show you how to play a beautiful melody in DADGAD tuning.I have been experimenting with this tuning for a while, and I really like the number of harmonic and melodic possibilities that this tuning gives.

But why should you tune your guitar differently than standard tuning?

To be honest with you guys, I was never a huge fan of alternate guitar tuning. I always struggled to get my head around the different positions and open chords and for some reasons I would still go back to playing the same chord shapes.

It was always a mess until I discover a straightforward approach that I call “Forget about everything that you learned and start over again.”

You see, my mistake was that I tried to play the things I already knew in a different tuning, which clearly didn’t work at all.

Instead, start with a blank page and rewrite the chords and scales from scratch.

With the DADGAD tuning you can play awesome stuff with just one finger, (not kidding), and after a day or two, you should be able to switch between the standard tuning and DADGAD easily.

DADGAD tuning is probably one of the most famous guitar tuning out there so you will find a lot of lessons and resources. I actually started with an article from guitar player called “DADGAD for dummies” which I really recommend you read.

The chord progression we are learning today is in B minor key, and it is mainly played with open chords. The melody is mostly played within the chord.

I hope you enjoy this lesson guys.
Tab available on my Patreon page.

How to Tune in DADGAD

Now, the very first thing you should do is to tune your guitar in DADGAD. You can do so by playing the low E string in “D,” keep the 5th, 4th, and 3rd string the same with A, D, and G, then change the B string down to an “A” and the top E string down to a “D.”

There you have it guys. The DADGAD tuning.

Chords in DADGAD Tuning

Let’s learn the chord progression first. One of the things that really helped me familiarizing myself with the tuning was to stop thinking which chords I was playing.

What I mean by that is, if you play the first B minor chord, it’s inevitable that you are going to play an extended chord because of the different tuning.

At the beginning though, you shouldn’t really stress too much with trying to figure out which chord you are playing.

So, the chord progression goes as follows.

The Bmin chord is played with the 5th string fret 2, 4th and 3rd string fret 4, the 2nd and 1st string open.

The second chord is a basic A major chord played with the 5th string open, the 3rd string fret 2, the 3rd string fret 4, and the 1st string open.

The third chord is a Gadd9 chord. It is played with the 6th string fret 5, 4th, 3rd, and 2nd string open.

The last two chords are just D major and A major. The D major chord is played with the 6th string open, 2nd string fret 5, and 1st string open. The A major with just the 5th string open, 3rd string fret 2, and the 2nd string fret 4.

Melody in DADGAD

The melody can be easily added to the chords. Most of the time, the melody is played within the chords, so it’s all about the way you pluck the strings.

For the Bm chord, start by plucking the A string, then the 4th string with the thumb, and the 3rd, and 1st string together. Then play the melody by plucking the 3rd string fret 4, followed by the 2nd string fret for, and the 1st string open.

On the A major just pluck the A string open simultaneously with the 2nd string followed by the 3rd string. You want to play the bass note one more time before playing this beautiful melody on the 1st string played on the 2nd fret, hammer-on on the 4th fret, pull-off on the 2nd fret, and the 1st string open. You then have to play the 2nd string fret 4 and the 1st string open.

The next chord is G major, which we are going to pluck simultaneously followed by the 3rd string fret 4 and 2nd string fret 4.
The D is played with 6th and 2nd string together followed by the 1st string and the A chord with 5th and 2nd string together followed by the 3rd string.

You can repeat the same thing with the B minor, the A major with the hammer-on and pull-off phrase but the G major will be played with the 6th string played individually, followed by the 3rd string open and the 1st string fret 7. This position is stretchy on the left-hand so, take it step-by-step.

I hammer the bass note without plucking it. I love the percussive sound that the string makes.

The last two chords are the D major played with the 6th string open and the 3rd string fret 7, followed by the 1st string. You can do the same with the A major chord, this time through the bass note is on the 5h string. Play the 3rd string fret 6, then the 1st string open.

The second part is rhythmically and melodically different. We are going to play a melody on the 4th string.

The melody is played on the fret 12, 11, 9 and 7, then fret 5, 7, and 4. Play this melody with the thumb and add the 2nd and 1st string when you feel ready.

Then we have a G major chord played with 6th string fret 5 together with 4th and 3rd string open. Play the 2nd string alone.
You can then play the D major chord with the 6th string open, 5th string fret 5, and 4th string fret 4 followed by the 1st string open.
The last chord is the A major, played with the A string, 2nd string fret 4, 1st string open, and back to the 2nd string.

We will then repeat the same melody with three notes fingerpicking arpeggio on 4th, 1st, and 2nd string played with thumb, middle, and index finger. Try to play it as evenly as possible.

Each note of the melody gets three notes.

When you get to the fret 7, play the three notes plus the bass note on the 6th string. Then do the same on fret 5, 7, and on the fret 4, play the 4th string with the thumb then the 6th string open.

The G major and D major are played just like we learned it followed by the A major chord played with the A string open, 4th and 3rd string fret 2, and 2nd and 1st string open. Strum the chord three times with a downstroke, upstroke, and downstroke again. Strum all the strings.
You can than stum three more times with down, down and up before getting into the last chord which is played with the strumming technique.

Strum the 6th, 5th, and 4th string and play the fret 2, 4, and 5 on the A string followed by the fret 4, 2, and open string on the 6th string.
The last chord is a beautiful Gadd9 chord played with 6th string fret 5, 4th string open, the 3rd string fret 4, and the 2nd and 1st open string.
Strum and let it ring out.

You can then repeat the same Bm7, A, and finish the music on the G chord.

Let’s Wrap This Up

Beautiful and simple melody in DADGAD tuning. I hope you enjoy this lesson guys.

Learn the different chords before you try to come up with your DADGAD chord progression.

Marco.

Hey guys, Marco here welcome back to another fingerpicking lesson. Today I am going to show you how to play a beautiful folk chord progression in B minor.

One thing I like a lot about playing in B minor is that you can play a lot of basic chords such as G major, and A major but also open strings chords like Dadd11, Bm(add11), and G6.

This chord progression can be interpreted in many different ways.
For me, this is excellent music for a journey. The chords are flowing smoothly and the rhythmic pattern played by the thumb creates a lot of movement.

It’s easy to imagine someone driving on a dusty high-road.

On the second part of the song, I added a very interesting percussion played on the guitar body. I basically rubbed my hand on the top body following the rhythm of the song. This technique created a cool sound that reminds me of an old steam train.

I hope you enjoy this lesson guys.

1. How to Play this Folk Chord Progression

The first step is to learn the chord progression.
We are playing a

Bm(add11), which is played with fret 2 on the A string, 4th and 3rd string fret 4, B string fret 3, and the E string open. You are playing the Root note, 5th, root again, minor 3rd, and perfect 11th.

The second chord is a beautiful Aadd9(6) or a Bm(add9)11/A. It’s played with the A string open, D and G string fret 4, the B string fret 2, and the E string open. If you consider this chord an Aadd9(6) you will play the Root note, the major 6th, the major 9th, major 3rd, and perfect 5th.

The third chord is a simple Em7 played with low E string open, D string fret 2, G string open, B string fret 3, and E string open.

The last chord is a Gadd9(6), played with low E string fret 3, open D, G string fret 2, B string fret 3, and top E string open. This is a very interesting chord with Root, major 3rd, major 9th, perfect 5th, and major 6. A very rich chord.

Play the chords for a while before start practicing the fingerpicking pattern. All the strings should ring out beautifully.

2. Simplified Fingerpicking Pattern

The fingerpicking pattern is the same throughout the entire song.
We are using a technique called ” The Travis picking,” in which the thumb plays two bass notes on a steady rhythm while the index, middle, and ring finger take care of the top strings.

We can break down the arpeggio into two separated steps.

Position the B minor chord and pluck the A string with the thumb followed by the D and B string with thumb and middle finger. Go back to the A string with the thumb again, then hit the G string with the index and the D string with the thumb again.

The pattern isn’t complete, but you could practice the chords with this very first choice. Remember to repeat the pattern twice for each chord.

3. Full Fingerpicking Pattern

You can then complete the fingerpicking pattern by playing the A and top E string with thumb and ring finger, the D string with the thumb, the B string with middle finger, A string with the thumb, G string with index, and finally the last D string with the thumb.

Play the same pattern for the other chords too. Remember that the pluck will always pluck two bass notes.
For the B minor and A chord, the thumb plucks the A string and D string.
For the Em7 and Gadd9, the thumb plucks the low E string and the D string.

4. B Section Opening with Dadd11

There is also another section of the songs which is played with different chords.
The fingerpicking is the same!

You will play a beautiful Dadd11 chord on the A string fret 5, D string fret 7, open G, B string fret 7, and E string open. Use the same pattern.

The next chord is a simple A major played with A string open, and 7, 6, and on the D, G and B string. You will also have to play the top E string open.

Moving on to the E minor chord played in position VII. Play the A string 7, D and G string fret 9, the B string fret 8 and the top E string open.

The last chord of this section is the Bm11. You will play with only half of the fingerpicking pattern. Go all the way to plucking the strings with thumb and ring then play two single notes on the A string fret 2 and 4.

Play the Dadd11 again, the A major and then play this beautiful G6 on the low E string fret 3, D string fret 5, G string fret 4, B and E string open. Play a full pattern and pause on the bass note then play an F#7, fret 2 on the low E string, D string fret 4, G string fret 3, and E string open.

The last chord is Bm11.

Let’s Wrap This Up!

That’s it for today guys. I hope you enjoyed this lesson.
Learn each chord step by step.
You can get the tab, check my Patreon page and subscribe to the channel if you want to keep up with all the upcoming lessons.
See ya!

Hey, guys Marco here welcome to another guitar lesson.

Today I want to talk about chords and chord progressions, and I want to try to answer this question “What makes a good chord progression.”

Now whether you are a musician or not, you agree with me that certain elements make a chord progression good.
It could be because it’s catchy, or sad, or bluesy and reflects an exact state of mind or emotion.

So today we are going to analyze different chord progressions and see why they sound the way they sound and what are the elements that you can apply into your playing that will create the same character or vibe.

Enjoy this lesson.

Chord Progression #1: E minor.

The first chord progression is in E minor.

I played these chords in my previous video “Six chord progressions that will make you cry,” which was my very first viral video on YouTube.
So what are the things that made this chord progression go viral and why did you guys like it so much.

1. Minor chords with singing 3rd.
2. Open strings chords.
3. Express emotions with chords.

1. Minor Chords With Singing 3rd

The minor chords with singing 3rd sound melodic. It just feels like the chords are singing.

The chord progression goes as follows: Em, D, C, G, and D chord but If you play the chords in the first position of the neck, they don’t sound quite the same, and the reason for that is because chords with the singing 3rd have their character and melody.

The E minor, C major, and G major are still basic triads, but because of the interval structure of the chord, they sound amazing and, well, different.

2. Open Strings Chords

The open strings chords create space, harmony, and pianistic interval structure.

Most of the time, when we play a chord on the guitar, we start from the bass note which is, of course, the lowest note of the chord and as we go up the notes are higher and higher in pitch

Now, when a chord is played above the third fret, we can combine fretted notes and open strings just like a basic chord, but the result is different because now the notes are not necessarily only going up.

For this E minor chord, I play the low E string followed by the B note on the D string, which is higher in pitch. The next note though is the open G string, which is lower and another G follows it on the B string fret eight which is higher. The last note is the open E, which is lower in pitch.

The same thing happens with the other chords. With the C major and G major chord, we can double the same notes of the chord, and with the Dadd11 the cluster between the note A on the D string and the open G is what makes this chord so unique.

Now, don’t ask me why but for me this chord sounds more like a piano than a guitar.

3. Express Emotions with Chords

Emotionally this chord progression is great because it expresses an exact feeling. It could be a struggle, a difficult moment, a fight, or a moment of inspiration.

Chord Progression 2: B minor

Moving on to the second chord progression. Let’s check this chord progression in B minor.

The number one thing that I think when I play these chords is “I am going on a journey.”

I picture myself sitting on a train while I am looking outside the window thinking about something. It’s an insanely beautiful chord progression which I took from Paul Davids in one of his videos.

There are a few things that make this chord progression good.

1. The rhythm played by the thumb, which resembles the Travis Picking technique creates a lot of movement and motions. This is why I instantly feel like this is good music for a journey. Even if I change the chord progression, but I keep the same rhythmic fingerpicking pattern it feels the same.

2. The Chords sound pretty folky and rich. They are all extended chords with 7th, 9th, or 11th. We are playing a Bm(add11), a Bm(add9)/A, an Em7 chord, and a Gadd9 chord.
The fingerpicking pattern spreads out through the entire measure.

3. Dynamically the chords are mostly played quietly, and I am emphasizing different beats of the chords. The 1st beat and offbeat, and the 3rd beat.

4. Let the chords ring out beautifully.

Chord Progression #3 – A major

A good chord progression will fire up your emotions. Whether it’s joy, happiness, sadness or fear you know that a chord progression is good when gives you goosebumps.

In this example, I am going to show you one of the saddest chord progression I know. Amazingly enough, this is also the simplest because it’s played with just two chords, the I and minor iii.

So grab your guitar and some tissues.

In this example, we are playing an A major chord followed by a C#m chord.

There are three reasons why this chord progression is good.

1. It’s simple and goes straight to the point. Just think about it. How many people can you make feel sad with only two words? Almost impossible right! But you can do that with two chords.

2. Moving between the two chords isn’t enough. You should single out a few notes from the chords to create a chord/melody harmony that sounds quite, simple, and heartbreaking.

3. The A major is a basic triad played with a bar chord on fret five. The reasons why I don’t play the basic chord in the first position is because I want to have full control over the strings and I don’t want to chord to ring out too much.

The C#m chord is played with the singing 3rd, which works perfectly in this example.

Let’s Wrap This Up

That’s it for today folks. I hope you enjoy this video.
Make sure you learn the examples I played in this video and then create your music.
You can get the tab, check my Patreon page and subscribe to this channel if you want to keep up with all the upcoming lesson.
Have a super day, people.
M

Why some guitar players sound better than others and how can you become better at playing guitar? In this guitar lesson, I am going to show you five guitar tips that professional guitar players use all the time.

Believe it or not, it isn’t about how many chords, scales, or melodies you know but rather HOW you use them.

There are hundreds of guitar tips that you can learn but in this lesson, we will be focusing on dynamics, strumming, fingerpicking chords, and tone.

Becoming a professional guitar player doesn’t necessarily means you have to be the best guitar player in the world and record selling albums.

For me, becoming a professional guitar player is about learning the things that will make you play differently than most of the guitar players out there and the number of notes you play has nothing to do with that.

We will be learning:

• Strumming and dynamics.
• Fingerpicking chords.
• Left-hand position.
• Fingerstyle melodies.
• Vibrato technique.

Enjoy this lesson.

 

Hey guys, Marco here for another fingerstyle lesson. Today I am going to show you the most simple fingerpicking pattern on guitar played with beautiful chords.

This is one of the top 5 essential fingerpicking patterns every guitar player should know. It is also the very first pattern my teacher gave me when I first started playing guitar in 1994.

A simple fingerpicking pattern is worth nothing without a beautiful chord progression as the right-hand only controls the tone, volume, and dynamics.

The left-hand is responsible for playing these amazing chords, and we have to be smart enough to pick the right keys.

In this lesson, I am making it clear that not all the key sound good on guitar.

Think about the F major, G minor, Eb minor key. These keys don’t give you the same chordal possibilities as the E major, B minor, or D major key.

Today we are learning something in E major. A very simple chord progression with beautiful chords and melody.

When you have such beautiful chords, the fingerpicking pattern can be as simple as possible. You don’t need to play crazy stuff at all.

The pattern is called Pima.

I bet you used it at least once in your life.

Enjoy this lesson.

The Pentatonic is a music scale that contains five notes.

It is indeed one of the most popular scales on the guitar and also one of the simplest to memorize.

There are thousands of articles and lessons about this useful scale, so today I am going to take you to an exciting guitar trip to explore three possible ways of using this scale.

You will learn:

• The E major pentatonic scale and how to play it melodically. I am going to show you how to use the scale horizontally in three different positions.
• The A minor scale and how to use it rhythmically. We are going to talk about the riff and how to repeat the same musical idea to create a constant groove.
• The A major and A minor pentatonic scale played over a twelve-bar blues. We will mix both scales in a simple yet beautiful blues solo.

There are many things about the Pentatonic scale that you can learn in this lesson. If you are searching for practical examples of how to implement this scale into your fingerstyle, you will probably enjoy this lesson.

As always, take things step-by-step and learn one musical idea at a time.

Good luck!

 

What’s the best chord progression for a song and how can you write beautiful yet simple chord progressions on guitar?

In this fingerstyle guitar lesson, I am going to show you 7 chord progressions perfect for songs. Each example is played in a different key and shows you how to make a simple chord progression beautiful and song friendly.

For me, the perfect chord progression for a song should be simple. After all, the chords are there to enhance the melody and provide a solid background to the song.

The 7 chord progression we are checking out today are:

• G major:  Gadd9 | Em | Cadd9 | Dadd11
• C major:  Csus4 | Em7 | Fadd9 | C | G
• D minor: Dmadd9 | Bb(##11) | C
• D major: Em9 | A7(13) | Dmaj7 | B7(b13)
• D major: D | Cadd9 | G
• A minor: Am | Am/G | D/F# | F6
• C# minor: C#m | Bsus4 | F#m/A | E/B | F#m11/C# | B

Enjoy this lesson.

Tab available on my Patreon page.

Hey guys, let me show you how to play this beautiful piece by Francisco Tarrega called Lagrima.

This is indeed one of the most famous classical pieces on Classical guitar and today I am going to teach you how to play it step-by-step.

We will take a look at the melody and chords as well as the fingerpicking patterns.

Overall, this is a very simple piece that almost every guitar player learn or attempt to learn. It alternates easy and more challenging parts which make it cool to learn.

This is a top 5 pieces you should know if you like fingerpicking guitar.

The full tutorial is available on my Patreon page. By becoming a Patreon you will access all the YouTube tabs as well as all the courses available on this website. You also support my work and become an active member of the BlitzGuitar family.

Enjoy this lesson.

Listen to Lagrima by Francisco Tarrega down below.

What’s the first thing you play when you grab your guitar? Do you warm up?

I personally love guitar warm-ups. Driving blood into your fingers is an excellent way to start your practice session.

Scales, arpeggios and symmetrical exercises among the most popular warm-ups for guitarists.

There is a downside though!

Every time I practice the famous 1 2 3 4 exercises or the old time favorite scales, I inevitably start thinking about other things — that phone call I have to make or the doctor appointment.

My fingers are moving, but my brain is somewhere else.

Is this beneficial for my fingers? Absolutely! But we can’t say the same for my brain.

So, what if you could play an exercise that also warm-up your creativity?

In this fingerstyle guitar lesson, I am going to show you three warm-up exercises that will also fire up your creativity. 

We will learn how:

• How to warm-up using melodic scales.
• How to create use chords to warm-up.
• A less tedious symmetrical warm-up exercise

Enjoy this lesson guys.