Natural Harmonics on Acoustic Guitar for Beginners

Apr 6, 2018

Natural Harmonics on Acoustic Guitar

Guitar Lesson for Beginners

Hey, guys, today I want to help you learn how to play natural harmonics on acoustic guitar.

Natural harmonics are beautiful sounding notes that you can play on Classical, Acoustic or Electric guitar.

Their sound is clear, bell-like, and beautiful to listen to. If you combine two or more natural harmonics, the effect is mesmerizing, and it will instantly capture the listener’s attention.

Today I want to share this easy exercise with you that will help you familiarize yourself with natural harmonics so that you finally integrate this concept into your playing.

There will be two different levels. The first level is natural harmonics only; then, once you feel ready, you can move on to the second level and add the bass note.

We will be playing the natural harmonics on fret V, VII, and XII.

I am super excited so let’s get started.

Grab your guitar and play along.

The Video

How to Play Natural Harmonics

Gently touch the strings.

Let me show you how to play natural harmonics on guitar.

The first step is to learn where you can find the natural harmonics on the guitar. For this video, we will play the harmonics on fret V, VII, and XII.

Check the first bard of the exercise as you can see, you have 5th fret on 3rd string.

Press down the 5th fret on the 3rd string and play the note, then release the pressure but hold the finger on the string, slowly slide the finger towards the fret wire on the right side (within the 5th fret). Start plucking the string until you hear the bell-like sound that is so characteristic of the natural harmonics.

Once you feel comfortable, try with the second note on the 2nd string fret VII and practice slowly to get a clear sound.

Watch the Video

The best way to learn how to perform Natural harmonics is to really watch how other guitar players play them.

Watch this tutorial several times before moving on to other tutorials.

Good luck, guys.

Tremolo for Beginners in Four Simple Steps

Apr 5, 2018

Tremolo for Beginners

Three Simple Steps

Hey, guitar welcomes you to another exciting fingerstyle guitar lesson.

Today we are focusing on a super creative technique called tremolo. This technique is widely used in classical, Spanish, and modern music.

Many guitar players think that the tremolo is only used in Classical music, and its main purpose is to make the melody sound more “alive” and sweet.

Let’s do the exact opposite.

I will show you how you can use the tremolo technique over chords (and not a melody) on the Acoustic guitar.

I will also make it easy for you and break it down into four simple steps so that anyone can slowly improve this technique and use it fluently.

Let me tell you more about the four steps:

Learn the chord progression.
Alternate chords with 1st string.
Practice the simplified three notes tremolo
Learn the ultimate tremolo.

Good luck with that, guys.

Let’s get started.

The Video

What’s the Tremolo?

In a few words

There are many different guitar techniques, but only one captures the audience’s attention, like the Tremolo.

Simply put, the tremolo technique is a right-hand technique where the ring, middle, and index finger play on one string sequentially.

The thumb is always the finger that starts the sequence, followed by the ring, middle, and index.

Step 1

The Chord Progression

One thing essential about practicing a specific right-hand technique, such as the tremolo, is to make sure you know exactly what to play with the left hand.

It would be tough to practice the tremolo if you don’t know which chords to play.

We will be working on a straightforward chord progression: Am – G – Dm – E7

Each chord is straightforward and basic so that you can focus mostly on the right hand.

Step 2

Chords and 1st string

Once you familiarize yourself with the chords, the best thing to do next is to start practicing the chords along with the first string.

There are three fingers (ring, middle, and index) playing on the same string when you perform the tremolo.

As we want to make this process progressive, you should start by alternating the thumb with the first string (which can be plucked with the index finger only) to get used to the sound.

Check the tab below.

Step 3

The Three Notes Tremolo

Before we get to play the ultimate tremolo pattern, you should spend a little bit of time practicing this simplified version based on three notes (rather than four).

This approach is based on triplets, and the plucking pattern is Thumb, middle, and index finger, so we are not using the ring finger yet.

I find the simple tremolo to be my favorite!

The Ultimate Tremolo

Finally, we will play the ultimate tremolo using the pattern Thumb, ring, middle, and index finger.

Start slowly! The ring fingers will take some practice, so don’t get frustrated.

5 Interesting Chord Voicing in G major You Would be Happy to Learn.

Apr 3, 2018

Interesting Chords in G major

you would be Happy to Learn.

Hey guys, today I want to talk to you about chords and voicing in G major key.

We will be working on a simple chord progression and creating interesting chords that sound different from the basic chords you already know.

The goal is to understand each chord’s intervals so that you can learn the sound of the extensions and reproduce it in different positions.

In this guitar lesson, we are going to play two chords: C major and G major. The extensions will be mainly add9 and add11 chords.

One of the things that really fascinates me is that some of the interesting chords you’ll learn today are actually basic major 7 chords and add9 chords that you might already know, but by twisting the intervals, the chords will sound different.

As always, take things to step by step. Some of these chords are really stretchy, so don’t overstretch your fingers.

Grab your guitar and play along.

Let’s get started.

The Video

Why Interesting Chords?

Why these chords sound so interesting?

The answer is simple: I am mainly playing spread chord triads.

Let me give you an example. Look at the difference between a Gmaj 7 and Gmaj7 spread chord.

The difference is clear!

Chord Progression 1

Cadd9 (#11) – Gadd9

Probably the most common chord progression in G major.

I really like the sound of the C major with the voicing on the F#.

Chord Progression 2

Cmaj7(6) – Gadd11

This is a super progression.

I really like the voicing on the first string for both chords. The Gadd11 is stretchy!

Progression number 3

Cadd9 – Gadd9

Both add9 chords that sound completely different.

Gadd9 is one of my favorite chords.

Progression 4

Cmaj7(add9) – Gmaj7

The most difficult of all the progressions.

The Gmaj7 is very stretchy, going from fret 7 to 12. Take it to step by step.

Progression 5

Cmaj7 – G

The Cmaj7 sounds very interesting with the B open string. Not a chord that you can strum, though.

Get the Tab here

Mysterious Chords in D minor | Easy Trick to Spice up Chords in D minor Key

Apr 1, 2018

Mysterious Chords in D minor

Easy Trick to Spice up Chords in D minor Key

Happy Easter, guys! I hope you are having a fantastic day.

Today I want to talk to you about the D minor key and how you can spice up chords by using a straightforward guitar trick.

I call these types of chords “Mysterious chords” because they have this obscure, mystical sound that is really characteristic of this key.

Chords in D minor key love the note “E,” and the awesome thing about the guitar is the fact that the first open string happens to be E. All we got to do is to play the chords so that the open strings are always open and never fretted.

Using this simple trick, you will be able to create beautiful, mysterious chords without changing the basic chord or having to learn more difficult shapes.

As always we will keep the exercises very practical and musical, so you feel playing some music.

Once you are done with the exercise, don’t forget to experiment with the chords and apply them to songs you already play (as long as they are in a key of Dmin).

For now, grab your guitar and play along.

Let’s get started.

The Video

The Chord Progression

Mysterious Chords in D minor

Let’s take it to step by step and learn the chords we will be working on today.

You will be surprised to see how each chord will change once the first open string is added to it.

Let me analyze every chord, and let me show you the difference between the basic and mysterious chords.

D mind add 9

The D minor chord we will be playing for this exercise sounds pretty basic.

The chord on the left is a simple D minor chord with Root, root, and minor 3rd. Once we add the E open string, the chords become Dmin(add9)

Bbmaj(#11)

This chord sounds very mysterious and beautiful to arpeggiate.

Notice that the only difference between the D minor chord and the B flat is the bass note.

The simple Bb major chord has the Root, major 3rd, and perfect 5th, but when we add the E open string, it will be a Bb(#11) chord.

The Gmin7(6)

Another interesting sounding chord. The Gmin7(6) is a basic G minor 7 chord with the major 6th. This chord reminds me of the Dorian more (because of the major 6 over a minor chord).

Cmaj (add9/11)

This chord can have two different names. Dmin/C and Cmaj (add9/11). The E open string is definitely closer to a C major chord with the 9th and 11th.

Don’t forget to Experiment.

Guys, once you are done with the exercise, you should always implement these chords in your playing.

The ultimate goal is to copy and learn, then experiment and implement.

Good luck with your journey.

Misty/Dreamy Chords | The Add11 Chord Secret.

Mar 29, 2018

Dreamy Chords in B Major

Why don’t Guitar Players Play much in B major?

Today I want to talk to you about the B major key and why guitar players don’t usually play in that key.

I find B major to be an exciting key with dreamy chords and beautiful chord-melody voicing, yet I don’t see many guitar players playing around with it.

It is true, though, that a key like E minor or D major offers easier possibilities and more “friendly” chords, but we should always push ourselves out of the comfort zone and try new challenging things.

In this guitar lesson, I am going to show you a chord progression in B major that sounds dreamy.

Dreamy chords usually have add9, add11, and #11 extensions so that we will base the chord progression around those extensions.

As always, make sure you take things step by step and learn one chord at a time.

I wouldn’t really consider this lesson beginner-friendly, but I highly recommend anyone to give it a try.

Fingerstyle makes it possible!

Be inspired.

Let’s get started.

The Video

The Dreamy Chords

How they are done

One of the main characteristics of the B major key is the fact that we can use the top two open strings (E and B) as extensions. These two strings will relate differently to each chord, so this trick doesn’t work all the time.

The trick with add11 chords are the fact that you want to play the major 3rd and 11 together. I will explain that better later when we analyze the chords.

The chord progression we are working on today goes as follows: Bmaj(add11), F#maj(Add11/9), Emaj(add9/#11), Gm, F#maj(Add11).

As you can see, a ton of add11 chords.

Let get into details.

Bmaj(add11)

Starting from the bass note, you will play the Root (6th string), root (4th string), major 3rd (3rd string), root (second string), and add11 (first string)

F#maj(Add11/9)

This chord will have Root (6th string), root(4th string), major 3rd (3rd string), add11(2nd string), and maj9 (1st string)

Emaj(add9/#11)

This chord sounds a little bit different than previews two chords. We will have Root (6th string), #11 (3rd string), perfect 5th (2nd string), and add9 (1st string).

Other Chords

There are also other chords such as G minor and a different F#maj(Add11/9), which are easier to play.

Check the diagrams below.

Melody that Sounds Jazzy | Beginner Guitar Lesson

Mar 28, 2018

Simple Jazz For Beginners

The melody that Sounds Jazzy

Today I want to help you learn a simple Jazz chord progression for beginners. The goal is to play chords such as min, maj7, dominant 7, and min7b5 combined with a simple melody.

Before you freak out, let me tell you that I did my best to really develop a simple jazz chord progression.

We will be playing 8 chords as well as a simple melody.

The chords are basic but challenging, starting on position VIII of the neck and mainly three notes per chord.

Time to play!

Grab your guitar, and let’s get started.

The Video

The Chords

Simple Jazz Chords Diagram

In this section, I really want to go into details and show you each chord individually to really understand the nature of each chord and how to (eventually) build your own chord progression.

For this guitar lesson, we will be focusing on this chord progression Em – Am – D7 – Gmaj7 – Cmaj7 – F#min7b5 – B7 – Em.

Let me show you each chord individually.

The E minor and A minor Chord

The first two chords are simple triads played extraordinarily. Playing a Jazz song doesn’t mean that every chord needs to be played with extensions.

I really like the sound of the minor triad with the voicing on the Minor 3rd.

The D dominant 7 Chord

The D dominant 7, also known as D7, is a major triad with the minor 7.

This chord sounds bluesy, and it is used a lot in blues and jazz.

In this guitar lesson, we will play the chord with the Root note, min7, and major 3rd.

The Gmaj7 and Cmaj7 Chord

The maj7 chord is a beautiful sounding triad with the maj7.

I really love the sound of the maj7 chord in jazz music and pop and Latin music.

The two chords are played with the same intervals: Both chords will be played with the root note, maj7, and major 3rd.

The F#min7b5 chord

A fancy name for a straightforward jazz chord. The F#min7b5 is a min7 chord with the flat 5th. The chords will have the following notes: F# (the root note), A (minor 3rd), C (flat 5), and E (minor 7).

The B7 and E minor Chord

The last two chords are B dominant 7 and E minor.

The B dominant 7 will be played with the Root note, min7, major 3rd, and the E minor with Root, perfect 5th, and min 3.

The Chords that Captures your Imagination | Fingerstyle Lesson

Mar 26, 2018

The Chords That Capture your Imagination

Fingerstyle Lesson inspired by Beethoven.

Today, I played around with my guitar, and I came up with these chord progressions in A minor.

Honestly, as soon as I played the second chord, I knew exactly how it would sound. There are very few music pieces that sound like this one, and even if I was improvising, I couldn’t get it out of my head.

The piece I am referring to is the Moonlight Sonata was written by one of the greatest composers of all time, Beethoven and today; we will be working on a similar idea to help your creativity, imagination, and guitar skills.

Really important, I am not going to teach you the exact chord progression from the Sonata. Instead, we will use this piece to create a beautiful and melodic exercise.

We will be focusing on the thumb movement and alternate fingering to create this effective plucking pattern that sounds amazing.

I really love this chord progression, so I hope you enjoy the lesson and get inspired.

Let’s get started with this inspirational fingerstyle lesson.

The Video

The Chords

In this fingerstyle lesson, we will be working on a straightforward chord progression in A minor. The chords are pretty basic, and it shouldn’t be difficult for you to memorize them. However, we have to play a full F major with a bar chord, which will probably challenge your finger’s strength.

The chord progression goes as follows: Am – C/G – F – Dm – C – E7 – Am

The first step would be to learn the chords perfectly. Pluck each chord one time and let it ring out before you move on to the next one.

Practicing the chords first is really important because you don’t want the left hand to slow you down when practicing the fingerstyle pattern.

The Plucking Thumb

Once you feel that the chords sound good, you can move on to this fingerstyle lesson’s next step.

It is time to make these chords beautiful so that they can capture your imagination.

The chords will be played with the thumb only, and each chord will be six notes long.

Check the example below. This is the full chord progression played with the thumb. Once you feel comfortable playing this guitar part, you can move on to the next step, which will be more challenging yet beautiful to play.

Let’s add the Accompaniment.

To get the chords to sound beautiful, there is one more step that is necessary and really beneficial for your plucking technique.

The accompaniment is elementary, and it will be played entirely on the first string.

You don’t need to change the chord or learn new ones; just alternate the thumb with the middle and index finger, as shown in the example below.

Final Thoughts

I love to be inspired by classical music.

One of the most important things about music is that we can get inspired by a song and then use it to create our own music. These are the ultimate skills you must learn!

First, learn, then Create.

Good luck, guys.

The Chords that Sound like “Love” | The Add9 Chords

Mar 24, 2018

The Chords that Sound like “Love”

The Add9 major Chord

Hey guys, today I want to share this beautiful chord progression in E major using add9 chords.

I personally think that add9 chords are probably the sweetest chords you can play in music as they sound sweet and beautiful.

In this guitar lesson, I want to show you how the add9 chords can build beautiful chord progressions that sound melodic. The goal is to play chords that sound like a melody.

I love melodies, so I want chords to sound melodic too. The basic chords such as major and minor don’t have this characteristic, so I usually experiment with chords with extensions such as add9 chords and 11th/13th chords.

I really hope this guitar lesson inspires you.

My goal is to provide inspirational content that you guys can use to write your own music.

Practicing the exercise for a technical purpose is fine, and remember to experiment and come up with your own ideas.

Good luck and enjoy this lesson.

The Video

The Chords

The add9 chord is definitely one of the most melodic chords you’ll find in music. It is an incredible tool that you can use to spice up your chords and make them beautiful.

The chord progression we will be working on goes as follows: Aadd9 – Eadd9 – Aadd9 – C#madd9 – Aadd9 – Eadd9 – Bmaj(#11).

Difference Between Major/Minor and Add9

One of the things that make the add9 chords so easy to play is that only one note is necessary to go from the basic major and minor triad to an add9 chord.

Example: The basic E major triad is built with these three notes E – G# – B, while the Eadd9 chord will have E – G# – B – F#.

The add9 chord is not only simple but also really friendly. I mean that you will be able to easily implement these chords as they don’t sound too “hard” or complex. The 9th only adds extra color to the basic chord without changing its sound.

Chords such as 11th, 13th, b13, or alt are much harder to learn and implement.

Get the tab Here

Get the Tab here.

The Easiest Fingerstyle Arpeggio on Guitar| Beginner Guitar Lesson

Mar 21, 2018

The Easiest Fingerstyle Arpeggio on Guitar

Beginner Guitar Lesson

What’s the easiest fingerstyle arpeggio on guitar?

There are hundreds of different fingerstyle patterns available and probably thousands of different variations.

If we really want to find the easiest fingerstyle arpeggio, we have to look into the three main characteristics that make an arpeggio easy.

Musical
Manageable
Symmetrical

In this guitar lesson, I will show you what I think is the easiest fingerstyle arpeggio on guitar.

This lesson is beginner-friendly, so I encourage everyone to give it a try.

Let’s get started.

The Video

Chords and Pattern

Always Start with the Chords

One of the things I do every time I start a new exercise is to focus on the left hand first, and there is a particular reason I do that.

It isn’t easy to practice the fingerstyle pattern if you don’t know which chords to play.

Also, if the chords are sloppy, the right hand will struggle as well.

The first step is to focus on the chord progression and learn it by heart before moving on practicing the fingerstyle pattern.

Here’s the chord progression: A – E – D – A – E – F#m – E – D sus- A – E – A.

Don’t get scared! Even though it looks like many chords, the majority of them are actually the same, so all you got to do is learn the first chord bunch of chords and then repeat.

Here some of the chords.

The Fingerstyle Pattern

It is time to learn the fingerstyle pattern.

Believe it or not, this is one of the first patterns I learned when I started playing guitar. I was 10 years old, and I remember playing this plucking pattern after a few months of guitar lessons.

It is based on eight notes. Thumb, index, middle, index, ring, index, middle, index better written as P i m i a i m i.

I highly recommend you check this article about plucking and thumb position, which will definitely help you understand the right-hand movement.

Check the pattern below.

Get the Tab

Spice up Chords in E minor with Something Creative!

Mar 19, 2018

Spice up Chords in E minor.

Play Something Creative

Are you bored of playing the same chords in E minor key?

Awesome! Let me show you how you can spice up chords in E minor key with something fun to play that sounds more creative and musical.

Don’t get me wrong! All the chords you already know works absolutely fine, but with this lesson, I really want to give you something different to play around with.

I want to inspire you to play in a different neck position and try different chords and a simple melody.

These exercises helped many of my students breaking plateau and find inspiration and drive!

There is a lot to cover for chords and melody, so this is only the tip of an iceberg, but still a creative guitar lesson that can inspire you.

Have fun, guys.

The Video

Chord Progression

The E minor key

The E minor is one of the most popular keys on the guitar.

How many of you learned the E minor chord as the very first chord ever? Definitely me!

I think E minor is an amazing key because it allows you to play chords that resonate beautifully.

The chord progression we are working on today is Em – C – G – D, and we will be playing it in a different position of the neck so that we can spice up the chord progression with different chord shapes.

The Easy Chords

The first step will be to learn the chord progression before we apply the melody between the chords.

The chords we are about to learn are fundamental, and some of them only have two notes.

Here’s the diagram with the spice up a chord progression.

You should notice that even though we are playing in a different position of the neck, the chords still keep the same basic shape.

The E minor chord has the same shape as the basic A minor chord. The C major looks like a G major chord. The G major shares the same C major shape, and the D major is like a basic A major chord.

I hope it makes sense!

Time to add the Melody

Once you feel comfortable playing the chords, you should try to add the melody.

This is one of my favorite exercises because it allows you to spice up chords with a simple melody.

You can keep things very simple and add one or two notes to create movements between chords. One of two notes it’s enough to make the chords interesting.

Learn this guitar part below.

How to Practice

Let me share a few tips on how to practice this exercise with you to make a constant improvement in your playing without a necessary struggle.

If you are a beginner, start playing around with the simple chords. Learn the chord perfectly and play them using different rhythmic patterns.

Come up with your own plucking and rhythm.

Once the chords are perfect, come back and start practicing how to play the melody.

Even though the chords are still basic, some of you might still struggle to get the chord change fluent.

If that’s you, slow down and practice on this at the time.

You will be fine!