One of the most popular instruments for young people to learn how to play these days is the guitar. The instrument is among the most universal in use and it seems to be well suited for anyone looking to advance his musical abilities. While there is much to learn about the guitar, one of the most vital lessons for beginners and those transitioning to the intermediate stage is to have a full understanding of guitar chords. With that in mind, we want to help you know how to learn guitar chords in your free time. Here are some of the tools and tips to master these finger placements on the guitar.
Watch Videos on YouTube
We live in a world saturated with video content allowing you to learn how to apply makeup, change the oil in your car, or complete a difficult DIY home renovation project. Millions of guitarists have been helped by sites like YouTube to learn how to play their favorite songs or pick out their next instrument. You should always look for credible teachers when seeking advice online, but we suggest you find some help on YouTube if you’re having trouble with guitar chords. You can find practice methods, helpful charts, and more just by going online.
Learn From an Instructor
If you’ve never taken lessons from an instructor who knows her stuff, we highly recommend you think about doing so. A good teacher can unlock musical talent and help you fly higher as a musician than you ever would have thought. Since many of these instructors have been utilized by beginner level players, they know how to cover the basics. If you don’t know how to learn guitar chords, an instructor can give you tips on your form and tell you which chords to nail down first. The one-on-one attention you can get from a teacher, plus committing to practice consistently, will help you master guitar chords in a hurry.
Search for Advice Online - How to Learn Guitar Chords
Piggybacking on our advice about YouTube, heading to your favorite search engine can also help you understand how to learn guitar chords. Musician forums, social media, guitar magazine sites, and instructor blogs are just a few places where you can find useful advice for learning how to play the guitar. Even though understanding chords is something probably best done through a visual medium, there’s plenty of good advice out there in the written word. Again, try to seek out websites which appear to be credible and experts who know what they’re talking about.
Teach Yourself How to Play Basic Songs
Once you have mastered a couple of guitar chords, it’s time to start playing some music. You will continue to pick up new chords along the way, of course, but it’s important to put what you already know into practice. As you learn to play some of the easier songs out there, you will grow more accustomed to the chords themselves and improve on your ability to transition between them. Knowing some of the main chords and being able to string them together is the one of the first building blocks to becoming a real guitarist.
Schedule Chord Learning into Your Practice Sessions
Want to know how to learn guitar chords in your free time? The same way you acquire any other new skill: practice. Spending any time fooling around with your guitar can make you a better musician, but it also helps to use that time wisely. As you are practicing with your instrument each day, set aside specific time for certain activities. A beginner guitarist should spend a large portion of time developing familiarity with chords. Without them, you won’t be doing much playing of any kind.
Get Advice From Musician Friends
Just as you might seek out study partners and groups to gain an edge in your academic pursuits, conversing with fellow musicians can help you conquer any problems standing between you and a more advanced understanding of music. There are two kinds of relationships you should hope for between yourself and other musicians. The first is that of a colleague. These are people you can share your struggles with and play music together. Another important friend to have is that of a mentor. This is someone more advanced than you (not necessarily in age) who can show you the way as a musician.
Keep Notes on Which Chords You’re Learning or Want to Learn
Simple advice for musicians who don’t know how to learn guitar chords: keep track of your progress and where you would like to go. This goes far beyond just trying to master chords. Using whatever means you find appropriate, try to gauge how far you have come and where you want to be in the next year or two. Unless music is a little hobby you could take or leave, you should be trying to maintain and grow in your abilities.
Focus on the Most Common Chords First
You have to start somewhere, so it might as well be the most common and easy to play guitar chords. Among the top contenders for these titles are G, C, and D. These chords are extremely popular in music throughout several genres. For beginners, the goal is to gather the easiest guitar chords and master them so you can move on to something more difficult.
Repeat What You Know Until It’s Automatic
Related to the previous two points on our list of how to learn guitar chords, guitarists need to build a collection of reliable chords they can use to play covers and write their own material. Without practice, the chords you know today may not be as easy to recall next week. You have to keep your nose to the grindstone or else those musical muscles you’ve been working out will succumb to atrophy.
We hope these helpful hints will guide you to know how to learn guitar chords in your free time as you continue to advance as a musician.
Music camps give young musicians the chance to explore and learn in new ways, whether they are beginners or relative experts. At Camp Electric, we bring together the biggest names in Christian music to teach teenage musicians from around the country. Click on the link below to find out how you can take part in our workshops, classroom sessions, and more.
