Best Way to Teach Yourself

-kieran- · #1 January 25th, 2007

Is it best to learn a lot of basic chords and be able to hit them well everytime then begin incorporating them into tunes or is there a better way to learn?

Fretsource · #2 January 25th, 2007

No - it's better to learn just a few basic chords first and find simple songs that you can use them in. Even just 3 simple chords such as A D & E lets you play a lot of songs.

garry marshall · #3 January 25th, 2007

Learn a few to get you started and keep learning them, but you can also start learning some tunes to hold your interest and get the juice going. Learning new tunes will become the impetus to learn new chords and techniques.

Becca · #4 January 25th, 2007

I agree with learning a few basic chords. Find some songs that you like on the internet such as on azzchords.com, they have a good selection of songs there and you should be able to find some that you like and would like to play. Most of the songs they have on this website use the basic chords. After playing with basic chords and concept then you may want to progress to bar chords as well.

Becca · #5 January 25th, 2007

I'm sorry, I misspelled the website...

AZchords.com

IMPATIENT MIKE · #6 January 25th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fretsource

No - it's better to learn just a few basic chords first and find simple songs that you can use them in. Even just 3 simple chords such as A D & E lets you play a lot of songs.

I like the sound of this,can you recommend some easy songs to get me started using just a few of the easier chords

si16 · #7 January 25th, 2007

Off the top of my head 'Blue Suede Shoes' and 'Coward of the County' are quite easy songs that use those chords.

Fretsource · #8 January 25th, 2007

Let's all throw in some three chord song suggestions. The key doesn't matter. As long as it's major, it can be played with A D & E. (or E7 in place of or in addition to E - ok that would would make it a four chord song but who's counting?)

Wild thing
Louie Louie
Jailhouse rock
Rock around the clock
Tutti Fruity
Amazing Grace
Just about every nursery rhyme and a heap of Christmas carols
Obladi Oblada
Summertime Blues
Mr Tambourine Man
Blowing in the wind (Technically it needs F#m too - but D does the job)
I still haven't found what I'm looking for
Happy Birthday
Get Back
The ballad of John and Yoko
Mull of Kintyre
Revolution
That'll be the day
Bad Moon Rising
Sweet Caroline and many other Staus Quo songs
Colours
Catch the wind
Banks of the Ohio

If you also make them all seventh chords (A7, D7 & E7) Then you've got countless blues songs too. Some of the above list might also sound better with 7ths instead of straight majors.

-kieran- · #9 January 25th, 2007

wow didn't know so many well known songs could be played with just a few basic chords! cheers guys!

IMPATIENT MIKE · #10 January 25th, 2007

Now thats what i was looking for,enough songs to keep me going until 2008
Ive just played my first song , it was a really slow and poor version of leaving on a jet plane.
Ive got a great tip for beginners sing really loud when your playing ,that way you cant hear your mistakes.
cheers Fretsource

doug russell · #11 January 25th, 2007

Hey fretsource, that's one hell of a good list, some of them I might add to our set list. I think "Wish you were here" is a nice beginners song aswell.

totamed · #12 January 25th, 2007

As you endeavor to learn new songs you will learn "new" chords and more difficult ones. You will surprise yourself as to how many chords you will know in a fairly short time.

Fretsource · #13 January 25th, 2007

Thanks guys - and that's just a tiny, tiny sample of songs that can be played with those three chords. In fact you can recognise three chord songs even without having seen the chords. They have a simplicity to them that marks them as probable three chord songs. The reason (in case you're interested) that so many songs can be played with three chords is that between them, those chords contain ALL the notes of the scale.
Songs in the key of A major (for example) are mostly made with notes from the scale of A major (A B C# D E F# G# A)
The three chords A, D & E are made up of
A = A C# E
D = D F# A
E = E G# B
So in a simple (ish) song EVERY note can be harmonised by at least one of those chords. Even if the songwriter has chosen another chord, you can often use one of those three instead as is the case with Blowing in the wind.
The (D) answer my (E) friend is (A) blowin' in the (F#m) wind
can be played as
The (D) answer my (E) friend is (A) blowin' in the (D) wind

The original F#m is better - but you could get away with D, if your F#m isn't up to the task yet.

As Totamed says - it doesn't take long to build up a decent chord vocabulary - and it's great to see your potential for learning new songs expand each time you master a new chord.