Today I am going to show you a simple yet beautiful chord progression on fingerpicking guitar. The chords I am about to show you are among the most popular chords we play all the time, yet they sound different.
Let me explain why.
Ask yourself this question: How do we learn chords on the guitar?
For many of us, chords are a bunch of shapes to put together when playing a song. I don’t want to oversimplify, but this is what chords are.
Certain shapes are more popular than others. Think about G major, E minor, A minor, D major, etc. These are the basic chords we play all the time.
But what if we try to play these simple chords differently to create beautiful music?
Let’s give more character to the chords by adding a fingerpicking pattern, a simple melody, and a structure.
This is how we write beautiful music.
In this lesson, I am going to transform a straightforward chord progression in G major into something sweet and lovely to play.
There are three different parts. I recommend that you start from the very first step, but feel free to click around if you want.
Discovering minor chord progressions has always been one of the things that drive my passion for guitar.
People say minor chords are sad and emotional. If this is true, someone who is in love with minor chords should be a quite sad person.
I am a very happy human being but I love minor chord progressions. Even more strange, minor chords don’t make me sad at all. Because I find them so beautiful, I am happy every time I play them.
In this fingerstyle guitar lesson, I am going to show you eight awesome minor chord progressions in eight different keys.
The reasons why we are going to explore so many keys is because each natural minor key is going to give you a different range of notes, open strings and harmonic ideas available.
What we play in C minor doesn’t feel quite the same in C# minor.
I feel each minor key has its own space, time, and gravity. A unique planet as no others.
You can get the tab for everything I play in this lesson. Check my Patreon page.
In this article, I am going to show you a bunch of exercises to improve your guitar playing and how to become better at playing the guitar.
If you already know some of the concepts, move on to the next thing and use this guitar guide as you prefer. This article is not a “How to get good at guitar quickly” type of lesson.
Some of these lessons take time to learn. Be patient.
If your goal is to become a better guitar player and you want to know what to practice to become a great guitarist, go through each step and enjoy the ride.
These are the 18 things every guitar player should know.
Lesson 1: Learn the Right-Hand Position
Lesson 2: How to pluck the strings of the guitar
Lesson 3: The left-hand position
Lesson 4: How to practice a simple scale on the guitar
Lesson 5: Basic chords and how to play them
Lesson 6: How to play a simple melody on guitar
Lesson 7: Learn Sus2 and Sus4 chords
Lesson 8: Learn advanced scales
Lesson 9: How to combine chords and melody
Lesson 10: How to play the pentatonic scale
Lesson 11: How to play basic percussive acoustic guitar
Lesson 12: Learn a simple Spanish melody
Lesson 13: How to write emotional chord progressions
Lesson 14: How to play extended chords
Lesson 15: How to easily record acoustic guitar at home
There are three golden rules that I use all the time. Learn these simple rules, and you will never have problems plucking the strings.
Fingerpicking Rule #1 – The Thumb Position
Position the thumb in front of the fingers and pluck with the side of the fingertip. If you play with fingernails, use a combination of flesh and nail and try to avoid plucking the strings with the fingernail only.
Position the index, middle, and ring finger at a 45-degree angle and pluck the strings with the side of the finger. If you play with nails, I recommend that you pluck the strings with flesh and fingernails. I don’t like the sound of the string played with fingernails only, but this is my personal preference.
Fingerpicking Rule #3 – Knuckles Movement
There are two movements your fingers perform when plucking the strings: Preparation and plucking.
With the preparation, we bring the thumb away from the string to build momentum and power. The preparation ends the moment we touch the string with the finger and becomes plucking.
The preparation and plucking are possible, thanks to the knuckles of your hand. Understand how to articulate the knuckles and the difference between plucking with the thumb and fingers.
2. How to Pluck the Strings of the Guitar | 5 Fingerpicking Patterns
Before you learn these five simple patterns, let me show you how we name the right-hand fingers.
Right Hand Fingers Name
We name the right-hand fingers from the Italian/Spanish language.
The thumb becomes “pollice” and is indicated with the letter “P.”
The index becomes “indice” and is indicated with the letter “i.”
The middle becomes “medio” and is indicated with the letter “m.”
The ring becomes “medio” and is indicated with the letter “a).
We never pluck the strings with the little finger even though some guitar players do.
Fingerpicking pattern #1 | Pluck with Thumb Only (P)
Let me show you one of the most simple fingerpicking patterns you’ll ever learn.
We are going to pluck this simple Spanish melody with the thumb only. You can watch the video here.
Fingerpicking Pattern #2 | Thumb and Index Finger (P,i)
In this simple example, we are going to play a beautiful chord progression with just the thumb and index finger.
This fingerpicking pattern shows you how to write a good chord progression. You can apply this concept to common chord progressions or your songs.
Fingerpicking Pattern 3 | Thumb, Index and Middle (P, i, m)
This three fingers pattern helps you understand rhythm and syncopation.
I like to consider this pattern a 3 + 3 + 2 pattern. Even though the notes are all 16th notes, you should emphasize the note on the 1st, 4th, and 7th count. I count it like this: 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 with the fingers going like this P i m P i m P i. Good luck!
Fingerpicking Pattern #4 | P i m a
The most common fingerpicking pattern on guitar. This basic pattern is played with thumb, index, middle, and ring finger in sequence.
So many songs have been written with such a simple pattern. I love the chord progression too.
Fingerpicking Pattern #5 | P I m a m i
The last pattern is in six, and it reminds me of “House of the rising sun” by The Animals.
The chord progression is straightforward!
3.The Left-Hand Position
If you want to become better at playing the guitar, you should learn the correct left-hand position.
Let me show you the three left-hand golden rules I learned when I started playing the guitar.
Rule #1: Left Hand Thumb Position.
Rule #2: How to press the frets.
Rule #3: Palm position
Left-Hand Thumb Position | Classical vs. Modern
The truth is, there are two different left-hand positions on guitar depending on the thumb position, the “Classical position” and “Modern position.”
“Classical approach”: With the “Classical approach,” you should position the thumb at the back of the neck, not too high, and leave space between the bottom neck and the palm. This approach helps you cope with chords and melodies that requires fingers stretch and speed. Classical guitar players use this approach all the time.
“Modern approach”: With the “Modern” approach, you should keep the thumb on top of the neck and the palm closer to the bottom neck. This approach works better with strumming chords as you have more control over the strings and over-ringing.
How do you know which approach you should use?
I say, learn them both. Use the classical approach with the fingerpicking technique and the modern approach for strumming.
Practicing scales on the guitar is one of the top 18 guitar lessons you should learn.
A lot of guitar players always ask me, “What’s the point of practicing scales on guitar”?
The benefit of practicing scales is mainly technical; however, if your goal is to learn how to play melodies on guitar, you should consider practicing scales.
These are some of the benefits of practicing scales:
Improve your plucking and picking techniques.
Improve timing and sense of rhythm.
Scales improve finger dexterity.
Write melodies and chord progressions.
Let me show you three simple scales you must practice.
C Major Scale
A Minor Scale
E Major Scale
5.Basic Chords and How to Play Them
Learn basic chords and how to play them is another top 18 acoustic guitar lesson everyone should learn.
Learning a bunch of chords doesn’t make you a savvy guitar player. You should know how to build chords from scales and how to create chord progression for songs.
This is a fundamental music theory lesson that every guitar player should learn.
What are Chords in Music?
A chord is a group of notes played simultaneously. The most basic music chord is three notes only, the Root, 3rd, and 5th, also called triad.
The most common triads are Major and Minor and can be easily played with the guitar.
How Chords are Built from Scales?
A chord is a layering of several notes from the scale. The root note is the 1st degree of the chord, which gives the name to the triad.
Step 1: Laid down the scale and highlight the Root note. If the root note C, then the chord will be a C chord.
Step 2: Highlight the 3rd and 5th degree of the scale, the note E and G.
Step 3: Play the three notes simultaneously. In this example, we are playing a C major chord. The three notes we selected from the scale are C E and G.
Step 4: Repeat step 1,2, and 3 starting from each degree of the scale. The chords that the C major scale generates are:
Playing melodies on the guitar can be quite rewarding. Chords are great, but we don’t sing chords, right? We sing melodies.
What if we can combine the melody with the chord progression?
Lesson 6 from the 18 best acoustic guitar lessons teaches you how to play a melody along with the chords. We will combine melody and chords to create a beautiful fingerpicking song easy to learn.
Learn the Fingerpicking Pattern
The time signature is 3/4. For each beat, we will play three notes. This rhythm is called a triplet.
The fingerpicking pattern is the same throughout the exercise and goes like this: P/a – m – i – a – m – i. Practice the fingerpicking pattern for a few minutes before learning the melody.
Learn the Chord Progression
We are in E minor key.
Check the video lesson to learn how to play this easy melody for beginners.
7.Learn Sus2 and Sus4 Chords
Sus2 and sus4 are among the most popular chords on the guitar. A suspended chord is a musical chord with its 3rd lowered or raised. When we lower the 3rd of the chord down to a 2nd, we are playing a sus2 chord; when we raise the 3rd of the chord to the 4th, we are playing a sus4.
To build a simple triad, we use the three main notes of the scale: The 1st, 3rd, and 5th. For the C major, the notes are C – E and G.
The Sus2 Chord
The sus2 chord replaces the 3rd of the chord with the 2nd. The C major chord, C E G, becomes C D G. If, for example, you are asked to play a Dsus2, lay down the notes of the chord, D F# A, and LOWER the F# down to the E.
The Sus4 Chord
The sus4 chord replaces the 3rd of the chord with the 4th. The C major chord, C E G, becomes C F G. If, for example, you are asked to play a Dsus4 chord, lay down the notes from the D major chord D F# A and RAISE the 3rd to the 4th D G A.
Most Common Sus2 and Sus4 on Guitar
8.Learn Advanced Scales
Practicing more advanced scales help you improve your timing, rhythm, accuracy, finger dexterity, and musicality. Plus, if your goal is to learn how to solo on guitar or learn how to write simple melodies, then you should learn advanced scales.
Advances scales are played over an extended number of frets. Playing advanced scales help you:
What’s the difference between a Beginner and Advanced Scales
It’s pretty challenging to explain the difference between beginner and advanced scales.
For me, the more the scale moves horizontally, the more advanced it is.
Let’s have a look at this E major scale. I consider this scale a beginner scale because it can be played in one position of the neck. I like to say that the scale is played “Vertically.”
An advanced scale moves horizontally.
If we take a look at the same E major scale diagram, you notice that this is now a full neck scale moving from the open strings in position one to the fret twelve.
This scale is more challenging to memorize. You have to learn how to connect the scale patterns between the different positions of the guitar neck. Some of the notes will be played with the same finger to slide into the next scale position.
Check the diagram below to learn the E major advanced music scale on the guitar.
I am also going to show the guitar tab with the left-hand fingering. Notice how we slide with the same finger between positions.
If this is the first time you are practicing playing chords with a melody, I suggest that you start with a simple chord progression.
For this exercise, we are going to play this chord progression: Am | F | C | G. Play the chord in the first position with the fingerpicking technique.
Step 2. Connect the scale to chords
The chord progression is in A minor key. Therefore we are going to use the A minor scale. We are going to connect the scale to the chords by playing the A minor scale on the top three strings only.
Play the chord, then the scale.
Step 3. Play the Root note of the chord only
In this step, we are going to simplify the chords by playing their root note only.
For the A minor chord, play the open A string,
For the F major chord, play the D string fret 3.
For the C major chord, play the A string fret 3.
For the G major chord, play the Low E string fret 3.
Then, play the scale by plucking the bass note of the chord and the first note of the scale simultaneously.
Check the example below:
4.Combine Chords and Melody
Now that you’ve simplified the chords, it should be easy to mix the notes of the scale and combine chords and melody.
Let me show you a few steps on how to write a melody over chords. If you want to make up a basic melody on the guitar, you should always start with melodic patterns.
Melodic Pattern #1
This is one of the first melody writing techniques I learned.
In this melodic pattern, we are going to play intervals of a 3rd. I still consider this an exercise even though it already gives more melody to the scale.
Melodic Pattern #2
Let’s change the rhythm and make the pattern even more melodic.
The scale can become an easy melody for beginners by making some of the note value longer. We can also play an additional bass note on the 3rd count to make it sound more classical.
Melodic Pattern #3
With the melodic pattern #3, you learn how to write a song on guitar. Change the rhythm and mix the notes of the scale to make it more interesting.
We are still using the same notes we learned in Step 2, but with few changes, we create a beautiful melody on guitar for beginners.
10. How to Play the Pentatonic Scale
The pentatonic scale is one of the most played scales on the guitar. Virtually every guitar players that play guitar learn this scale.
From Blues to Jazz, Pop, Funk, R&B, Soul, Rock, Metal, Latin, Asian, and many other styles of music have been influenced by the Pentatonic scale.
On the guitar, this scale is straightforward to learn and loved by beginners and advanced players. The simple shapes and interval structure make the Pentatonic scale an easy scale to solo.
The Pentatonic scales are two: The Major and Minor Pentatonic scale.
There is also a variation called the Blues Pentatonic, which has an additional note (the blue note) between the 4th and 5th degree of the scale.
In this section, we are going to explore the Major Pentatonic, Minor Pentatonic, and Blues Pentatonic.
The Major Pentatonic
Penta stands for five, meaning the Pentatonic scale is five notes.
Let have a look at the C major pentatonic scale.
The note degrees for the Major Pentatonic scale are 1 2 3 5 6, meaning we only play the C (1st note), the D (2nd note), the E (3rd note), the G (5th note), and the A (6th note).
The scale is straightforward to memorize and works for any major key.
Memorize the Major Pentatonic scale interval construction so that you can easily transpose the scale in different keys.
The 5 Major Pentatonic Scale Shapes
Let me show you the five major Pentatonic scale shapes in C major.
The Minor Pentatonic
The relative minor scale of the Major Pentatonic scale is called the Minor Pentatonic scale.
The Minor Pentatonic scale shares the same notes of the Major Pentatonic scale starting from a different note. We say that the two scales are in a relative relationship.
Let me show you how it works.
To know the relative minor scale of a major scale, we have to count six notes on top of the root note (the starting note) of the scale.
The C major pentatonic scale degree is 1 2 3 5 6. Even though we are missing two notes, the 4th and 7th, we can still count six notes from the root note.
The relative minor Pentatonic of C major is A minor. The scale degrees are 1 3 4 5 7. A C D E G A.
The 5 Minor Pentatonic Scale Shapes
Let me show you the five major Pentatonic scale shapes in A minor. Notice how the shapes are the same as the C major, but the root note is now on a different fret.
11. How to Play Basic Percussive Acoustic Guitar
Another top 18 lessons every guitar player should know is how to play basic percussive acoustic guitar.
There are different levels of fingerstyle percussive guitar going from beginning percussive guitar to melodic percussive fingerstyle backbeat.
I am not saying you should become a percussive acoustic guitar player like Jon Gomm, Andy McKee, Kaki King, and Mike Dawes. However, learning a basic percussive guitar is essential.
In this lesson, I am going to show you two simple fingerstyle percussive techniques I use all the time: Thumb slap and Slap&Strum.
The THUMB SLAP Percussive Technique
With the thumb slap technique, you can easily add percussion to your guitar playing.
Strike the strings with the right-hand thumb. The strings that give you the best percussive snare sound are the low E string, A string, and D string.
The slapping movement comes from your wrist. Prepare the thumb by moving the finger away from the strings to generate momentum and power. Twist your wrist on the axis and strike the string with the side of the thumb.
The THUMB&SLAP Percussive Technique
The thumb&Slap is an enhancement of the thumb slap technique. Perform the same movement as the thumb slap but with the strumming as well.
Strum the G, B, and E string with the middle finger simultaneously with the thumb slap.
This percussive technique needs more accuracy than the simple thumb slap.
I recorded a video where I show you how to play simple fingerstyle percussive techniques on acoustic guitar. In this lesson, I am also going to show you a beautiful chord progression in C# minor.
Good luck!
12. Learn a Simple Spanish Melody
Every guitar player should learn a simple Spanish melody on the guitar.
Spanish guitar playing is often associated with Flamenco music and Classical music. This style of music positively influenced Western and Latin American music.
In this lesson, we are going to have a look at the most famous Spanish guitar chords and a simple Spanish fingerstyle melody.
Spanish Guitar Chords
The most popular Spanish chord progression on guitar is Am | G | F | E. You can play this Spanish chord progression in other keys, but A minor works beautifully.
You can play these Spanish chords with a simple fingerpicking pattern for beginners that goes like this:
Spanish Guitar Melody
Once you are done learning the Spanish chords, you can then add a simple fingerpicking melody.
Learn the chord progression below:
13. How to Write Emotional Chord Progressions
One of the top 18 guitar lessons you should know talks shows you how to write emotional chord progressions on guitar.
Being able to create intense emotions through your instrument is one of the essential things musicians should know. After all, music should always express our feelings.
In this lesson, we are going to talk about emotional chords and how to play with feelings.
I am going to show you three things that will make your chords sad, melancholy, and sweet.
Chord 1. Chords played with a shape that emphasizes the minor 3rd sounds extremely sad
Chord 2. Add9 chords sound very sad,
Chord 3. Chords played with the 153 shapes (root, 5th, and 3rd) sound sweet.
Chord 1. Sad Chord in E minor
This E minor chord is played with a shape that emphasizes its minor 3rd. Such chord shapes have a more profound and sadder sound.
Try to play a simple E minor chord then switch to the emotional E minor to hear the difference.
Chord 2. Melancholic Chord in A minor
Add9 chords are among the most melancholic chords you can play on the guitar. In this example, we are going to have a look at the Am(add9) chord.
The add9 chord is an extended chord played with 1 3 5 9. The Am(add9) notes are A C E B.
Play a simple chord first, then the sad chord.
Chord 3. Sweet Chord in C major
Emotional chords don’t have to be always minor. We can create a sweet chord progression with major chords.
In this example, I am going to show you how to create a sweet chord progression in C major key using this beautiful C major chord.
I call this chord shape “153” because it is played with root, 5th, and 3rd.
This is the difference between a simple C major chord and a sweet 153 chord.
More About Emotional Chords in This Guitar Lesson
14. How to Play Extended Chords
One of the things that will take your guitar playing to the next level is to learn how to play extended chords.
Extended chords are chord shapes that use notes above the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th of a chord.
Some of the most popular extended chords on acoustic guitar perfect for songs are:
Major and minor 7th.
Major and minor 9th.
sus2 and sus4.
add9 and minor add9 chords.
There are also other extended chords such as:
11th extended chord
13th extended chord
dominant 7th
9th
half-diminished (min7b5)
altered extended chords
These are mainly used in Jazz music.
This is a list of the extended chords every acoustic guitar player should learn.
Major 7th Chords
Major 7th chord interval constructions: Root, major 3rd, perfect 5th, major 7th
Minor 7th Extended Chords
Major 7th chord interval constructions: Root, minor 3rd, perfect 5th, minor 7th
Sus2 and Sus4 Extended Chords
Sus2 chord interval constructions: Root, major 2nd, perfect 5th.
Sus4 chord interval constructions: Root, major 4nd, perfect 5th.
Add9 and Minor add9 Extended Chords
Add9 chord interval constructions: Root, major 9th, major 3rd, perfect 5th.
Min(add9) Extended Chords
min(add9) chord interval constructions: Root, major 9th, major 3rd, perfect 5th.
15. How to Easily Record Acoustic Guitar at Home
Let me show you my basic home guitar recording setup.
An electrified guitar.
Audio interface.
Speakers or monitors.
#1. Electrified Guitar
I don’t use external mics to record my guitar. My acoustic guitar has a built-in condenser mic that is perfect for home recording.
The condenser microphone inside the guitar reduces the noise, works perfectly with percussive guitar, and it’s efficient.
I am currently using two guitars:
Eko Massimo Varini Signature
Journey Instruments Sitka Sapele OF410
Both guitars sound great, and even though they use a different pick-up system (the Eko has a built-in condenser mic, the Sitka uses a piezo), the sound quality is great, and I never felt I had to use external mics.
If you are looking for a practical and easy way to record your acoustic guitar home, consider getting a guitar with a built-in mic. It will save time and money.
When it comes to recording the guitar at home, I like practicality and portability. If one day, I want to record guitars in another room, I want to be able to take my audio interface with me quickly.
For this reason, I always use a pocket recorder for my home recording.
I am currently using a Boss BR80, a small eight tracks recorded. This is indeed my favorite choice. A lot of people use a laptop as well, but I like this small machine.
#3. Speakers and monitors.
I don’t use monitors for my guitar home recording. My favorite choice is to use a good quality headset that I plug into my Boss BR80.
Using a headset is important if you want the recording session to be quiet. I also like the fact that I can isolate myself from the outside world and dive into my recordings without external noises.
Most guitar players prefer speakers. Make your choice based on your needs.
16. How to Organize your Guitar Practice
Let me show you how to plan a guitar practice routine.
There are 12 tips that you should follow if you want to create an effective guitar practice schedule. You should build your guitar routine around your lifestyle.
Adapt these 12 tips based on the time you have to practice guitar.
Tip o1. Remember what you are practicing for. Have a clear structure of what you want to practice so that when you grab the instrument, you don’t waste time noodling around. If you only have 60 minutes, practice the core exercises for 45 minutes, and use the last 15 minutes to play everything you feel like playing.
Tip 02. Check the time. If you have limited time to practice, you should schedule the exercises in a specific time window. Scales 15 minutes, songs 30 minutes, etc. It’s tempting to spend more time playing the stuff we enjoy. Check your time and give enough practice to everything you have to play for the day.
Tip 03. Don’t forget to warm-up. Include fingers warm-up into your practice schedule. Warming up for as little as 5 minutes can prevent over-stretching, wrist pain, and tendinitis.
Tip 04. Write it down! Write down all the things you are supposed to practice the day before. When I decide to practice, I want to grab my guitar and get into it. Don’t waste precious minutes thinking about what you are going to play the very moment you sit down. Instead, plan your guitar routine with a clear mind.
Tip 05. Use a Metronome of Backing Track. If your goal is to improve speed and accuracy, practice with a metronome or backing track. When someone asks me, “Do I need to use a metronome,” they usually see my eyes rolling. Practicing with a metronome of backing tracks will:
Improve your timing.
Improve your speed.
Give you a tangible goal to reach.
Make your recording better.
There is no reason why you should practice without a metronome. Now, do you have to use it all the time? Not.
Tip 06. Bring back an old routine every once in a while. Guitar routines change at all times. I used to have a method for scales and arpeggios, a routine for technique, a routine for songs and chords. As you become better at playing guitar, it can be beneficial to go back to practice an old method to see how it feels. If your technique improved, the old routine should be easy to play through. If you struggle, then go back to it.
Tip 07. Play with your friends. If one of your buddies play guitar, have a jam every once in a while. Practicing in front of other people is beneficial for your confidence, and it’s a very low-pressure way to get used to an audience. Also, if you know you are going to play in front of other people, you will practice harder. You become more aware of how to deal with stress for live performances without necessarily being on stage.
Tip 08. Switch it up. Don’t practice the same routine over and over. Switch things up through the week. This is a practical example:
In this example, I show you a typical three days of the guitar practice routine. Notice how I try to diversify things every day. On Friday, I completely change the routine and only practiced songs.
Tip 9. Practice scales regularly. Scales are an essential aspect of music. By practicing scales on the guitar, you will not only develop technique and musicality. With scales, you will be able to understand music theory, chords, keys, melodies, and solo. I always keep an extra 10 minutes to practice scales.
Tip 9. Add new chords every month. Keep adding new chords to your vocabulary is essential for your musical growth. You should always add new chords into your playing. Start with simple sus2 and sus4 and learn simple songs that have these chords. Then move on to major and minor 7th and 9th chords. If you like jazz, explore 11th and 13th chords. Don’t just learn the chord. Instead, play the chords inside a chord progression.
Tip 10. Record your session. Record your session every time you can. So many students as me, “Why is it essential to record myself?. Simply put, your ears don’t tell the truth. By listening to yourself playing, you will find sections that you thought sounded good, but they don’t. Recording your session helps you fixing your weak spots in your guitar playing. Don’t go too fancy. You can record it with the phone or webcam. The whole point is not creating the best recording of your life but evaluating your playing.
Tip 11. Share your progress. Make sure you tell your friends you are playing the guitar. Play in front of them as much as possible and be open to feedback. So many times, we only want to practice in our room. Go out there and shape your progress to the world. Use social media if you prefer. Don’t make the music you play seat in your room only.
Tip 12. Talk to a teacher. If you feel you are practicing a lot and not getting enough results, it’s time to talk to a professional teacher. You will be surprised at how many things a guitar teacher can fix in your playing. Even just one session with a guitar teacher can drastically change the way you play. Most of the time is about fixing bad habits that are slowing you down. Fix them quickly so that you can focus on becoming a more excellent version of the guitar player you are right now.
17. How to Create Beautiful Chords Easily
Let me show you how to create beautiful chord progressions on the guitar quickly. This is one of the top 30 acoustic guitar lessons I can teach you.
One of the fantastic things about the guitar is that we can combine fretted notes and opens strings.
We already do that when we play basic chords.
If we stop to basic chords, then there isn’t much we can do. But if we start experimenting with chords, we can then come up with beautiful chords that are easy to play yet sound beautiful.
Let me give you a practical example.
In the top picture, we are playing a basic D major chord. Now, we can transform this simple chord into a beautiful extended chord by adding an open string.
In this example, we are going to add the G open string to the chord and make it a Dadd11. Notice how the chord shape is simple to play, yet it sounds beautiful.
18. Learn Arpeggios on Guitar
An arpeggio is a chord played one note at a time.
If I am playing a C major chord by strumming all the notes, this is not an arpeggio. But If I pick the note of the chord individually, I am playing an arpeggio.
Another term for arpeggio can be broken chord (Classical guitar) or sweep arpeggio (Rock guitar).
So, how to play guitar arpeggios and where should you start?
Let me help you!
Which Guitar Arpeggio Should you Learn First?
The most simple arpeggios to learn first are the Major and Minor arpeggios. These shapes outline the notes of the major and minor chords such as C major, E minor, G major, and A minor.
This is a list of the most common guitar arpeggios on the guitar that every beginner should learn first.
IMPORTANT: Follow the numbers on the music stave for left-hand fingers.
Guitar Arpeggios For Speed
Guitar players practice arpeggios in many different keys to improve the fingerpicking technique, left-hand finger dexterity, and picking technique.
The reason why guitar arpeggios are so beneficial for your fingers is because of the number of shapes available.
When you start learning a new arpeggio shape, you are asking your fingers to move in a way they didn’t before. The challenge of learning a new arpeggio is the reason why your fingers become stronger and faster.
These are some of the most popular guitar arpeggios every guitar player should know.
I suggest that you learn the arpeggios mechanically. Once you become familiar with the shape of the first arpeggio, move on to the next one.
Arpeggio Speed Shape #1
In this first example, we are going to play four different arpeggios on three strings.
The chord progression is D | A | Bm | G. The arpeggio shape is the same for the three major chords.
Arpeggio Speed Shape #2
For this example, we are going to play the arpeggio on five strings.
The chord progression is Em | D |.
Let’s Wrap This Up
I hope you find the list of my 18 best lessons interesting.
I like to keep them handy and come back here sometimes to refresh the concepts and come up with new ideas.
Let me show you how to make difficult chords easy and beautiful with this simple trick I use all the time.
Learning how to play chords easily is one of the most useful skills we can master as guitar players.
Now, not all difficult chords can be simplified. However, specific keys allow you to transform a chord progression from challenging to easy completely.
Today we are going to explore the B major key.
How many of you have been playing in B major, raise your hand! Not many I believe. The thing is, who wants to play chords in B major key if all we have is bar chords?
Fearn no more the B major key guys. Today I am going to show you how to change between difficult chords by making the chord shapes easy to play.
Also, we are going to make the chords beautiful and enjoyable to play.
If you are fed up of always playing in the same keys, try this lesson! I am sure you will love it.
Hey guys, let me show you this easy classical melody in A minor for Beginners by Mauro Giuliani from le Papillon.
This is a classical melody but it can easily be played on acoustic guitar. Practicing classical piece can be beneficial for your technique and musicality.
Classical music is usually more complex than Pop music and even a simple melody like this one can challenge your technique no matter how long you have been playing guitar for.
Let me show you the number one trick that I use all the time to create beautiful chord progression on guitar.
In this lesson, I am going to show you beautiful chords that are easy to play yet they sound nothing like the same old chords you have been playing for years.
This trick is straightforward. By adding an open string to the chords, we can quickly come up with beautiful extended chords on the guitar.
Extended chords are chords played with notes that extend over the standard three notes of the chord. A standard C major chord is built with three notes, the C, E and G (1 3 5 chord degree).
Every additional note we add to the standard chord is called extensions. The extended notes are the 7th, 9th, 11th and 13th.
The reasons why this trick is powerful is because it allows you to add extensions to the chords by using open strings easily.
This isn’t always possible, and it doesn’t work for all the keys so in this video we are going to have a look at a few keys only.
In this guitar lesson, I am going to show you how to play five simple yet beautiful fingerpicking melodies for beginners. Each melody is played in a different key and with a different scale.
We are going to learn a:
Fingerpicking melody in A major played with the A major pentatonic scale.
Fingerpicking melody in E minor played with the E minor pentatonic scale.
Fingerpicking melody in A minor played with the A minor scale.
Fingerpicking melody in E major played with the E major scale.
Fingerpicking melody in D major played with the D major scale.
The goal for this lesson is to show you how to make solo fingerstyle guitar arrangements of a simple melody. I did my best to keep the arrangements very simple and beautiful.
Learn the melodies, then try to come up with your musical ideas.
Let’s learn more beautiful chord shapes on guitar.
Today I am going to show you an awesome chord progression in B minor and D major played with the fingerpicking guitar technique.
The chords I am about to show you are among the top 10 favorite chord shapes I know. There are different reasons why I love these beautiful chords so much.
These chords can be played in the first position of the guitar neck.
The B minor and the D major key has chords that can be played with the open string bass, such as the A major and D major chord.
Some of the most beautiful guitar chord progressions are written in B minor and D major key.
It’s easy to add extensions to these chords and make them interesting.
I hope you enjoy this beautiful chord progression guys.
Take it step by step and let me know if you like it.
For some reasons, beginners always think that playing a slow tempo melody is boring.
Honestly, I had the same problem when I started. I would refuse to practice chords and melody slowly, and as a result, my guitar playing was sloppy and mediocre.
The thing I didn’t realize at that time was that practicing slowly improve the rhythm and timing fast. As I heard once, “Slow it down, learn it faster”.
Now, timing and rhythmic exercises can be quite frustrating. You should be using a metronome and track every simple beat you add. Even worst, things sound awful when played slowly.
So how do you improve your rhythm and timing? Well, you need to practice something that sounds good played at a slow tempo.
In this fingerpicking lesson, I am going to show you how to play a slow tempo melody on guitar. I was recording the guitar at 45bpm (beats per minute), which is a click every “once in a while. You don’t have to practice with the metronome. I suggest that you only use the metronome once you learn the melody.
Take things step by step and get the tab if you need it.
