Chords for TIPS FOR AN OLDER Or Longtime Beginner Guitar Player

_ Are you an older beginner or a long time beginner guitar player?
[D] _ _ [A] _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ _ Today we will [A] look at two things that most [G] of us neglect as [B] beginners.
[C] _ _ _ _
[Am] If you feel stuck in a rut, you probably aren't working [D] on these two things. _ _
[C] So grab your guitar, let's get right into [D] it.
_ _ _ [F] _
_ _ [N] So tip number one, we really need to know basic theory.
What I mean by that is we really need to know the relationship of the chords.
[G] Let's say a G, _ _
[C] C, _ _ [D] _ _
_ D7.
Why do those chords work together?
[G] If we look at the G major scale,
_ _ [B] _ _
[C] _ _ [E] _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ _
so that elementary scale that we really don't pay much attention to [F] a lot of times,
there's a chord associated with every one of those notes.
For G major, it's G, _ _ [Am] _ second note, A minor, [Bm] B minor, _ _ [C] C, _ _
_ _ _ [D] D, _
_ [Em] E minor, _ _
_ [Gb] _ F sharp diminished, [G] back to G. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ [G] _ _ _
Sure we can play a pentatonic scale over those chords,
but why does that even work over those chords? _ _
Minor pentatonic works and some of those notes aren't even in the chords.
Why is that?
[N] We don't need to get deep into theory,
but [G] knowing that these [C] three chords,
_ and you can do [D] this in any key,
_ but they [G] belong to the key of G. _
_ _ _ If we [Eb] make them seventh chords and more of a [G] blues, _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _
[A] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ then they become connected in a different way.
That _ minor [F] pentatonic scale comes into play a lot more.
[D] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ Blues players have been mixing the major and minor sound for decades.
Rock players have adopted it.
[C] We love that sound. _ _
[Ab] _ _ _ [Bm] _ _ _
[G] _ _ _ _ _
[Eb] Don't neglect this.
It's so important to know how the chords and scales work together.
[G] _ _ G is the I chord, 1, [B] 2, [C] 3, 4.
Four notes up in that scale is a C note, C chord.
_ 1, 2, 3, [D] 4, _ 5 is a D note.
_ _ _ _ D7 or D major works. _
[N] So they work together.
They are connected.
Everything on this fretboard is connected.
Whether we realize it or not.
So tip number two.
This is so neglected, and I have no idea why,
but beginners just try to bypass learning the fretboard.
_ And why is this important?
[G] Because we need to know _ these, _
especially the root notes of each chord,
but it helps you to play phrases and [A] chords anywhere on the fretboard.
I [C] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ _
_ [G] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ [Eb] just did that by knowing where the root note of that chord is all over the fretboard.
A lot of you beginners [N] probably don't know that.
So here's a great way to get started _ memorizing this fretboard.
_ _ _ No, _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ we don't want to look at it as that big blob of notes.
We want to look at it in a musical way.
We need to see the note, hear the note, and memorize it.
I'm sure some of you might have seen this, but the two fret up and two down rule is where
the actives are located.
On the E string, _ _ _ two frets up _ and two frets down is the active of G.
_ _ _ [A] _ A, [B] _ _ [C] _ _ _ [E] _
_ _ _ E, D, [B] C, [A] E, [G] A, _ G.
[Gb] That is a great way to learn [G] because you're using these chords.
You need to know the root note of each chord. _ _ _
Just do that [Gb] with the chords that are in a progression.
[C] C, _ _ two [N] frets up, one, two, and two frets down, one, [C] two. _
C note.
_ [D] _ _ _
[E] _ _ _ [G] _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ _ _ _
[E] Then as [G] you keep doing this, this G note that you just found the active, _ _ there's another
one right there.
When you shift down to these last two strings, then you shift over three, one, two, three,
and down two. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ Knowing where those spots are, there's little chords you can play.
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ [A] _ _ _ _ _
[Em] _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ Don't neglect this fret board.
Learn it.
Try every day [Eb] to get a piece of it in your head, hearing it, seeing it.
_ Just start with the chords that you use all the time.
Don't try to memorize. _
Really, just the first 12 frets is what your goal would be.
_ Try to memorize those notes.
_ I'm telling you, all the lessons that you watch, if you do these two things, _ everything's
going to start connecting because you're going to know why they connect.
You're going to have so much more confidence, more fun on this instrument we've been blessed with.
As a beginner, we need to be working on this stuff.
We don't want [G] to turn into a long-time beginner.
If we just play some chords _ and play [Bb] the pentatonic scale _ _ _ [C] _ _
[Bb] _ _ and don't know why those connect, _ _ we're
just going to be guessing.
We're going to play over backing tracks, just kind of connect a few notes [N] here and there
that might sound good.
You have no confidence.
You can't be creative.
You're not a good improviser.
Without knowing why chords work together in scales, they're all connected, _ and learn that fretboard.
The confidence level will go up huge.
_ Hopefully you'll start working on this stuff and become an intermediate to advanced player
because if you do not know these two things, you are not in the intermediate level yet.
Thanks so much for hanging out with