Mark introduces minor barre chords that utilize the shape of the "open" Em chord.
Taught by Mark Lincoln in Basic Guitar with Mark Lincoln seriesLength: 13:10Difficulty: 2.0 of 5
- Warm-up the hands.Warmed up and ready to go? Good!
- Stretch the wrists.
- Play the major and minor open chords.
- Warm up your strumming muscles by relaxing the wrists and letting the pick flow over the strings.
- Play the E major chord in the "new" way and play the type 1 barre chords.
- Play the A major chord in the "new" way and play the type 2 barre chords.
- Practice the "sloping A" technique.
or the familiar "down down-up down" pattern. Don't forget to concentrate on relaxing your wrist and allowing the pick to flow over the strings lightly. If your sound is muted or not sounding as you think it should, use the individual string pluck method to find where you are not holding down the string hard enough or are perhaps touching the fret marker.
or "up up down." Pay attention to how the sounds of the two chords are similar yet different. How do you think they differ?
"down-up down-up." Don't forget to use the snap strum and remember that the "down-up" strum should consist of one fluid motion as opposed to a down then separate up-stroke. I'll show you this in the video as well. Remember to think abvout your strum as if your arm was attached to a rubber band. 
Learning the basics of the guitar, the building blocks if you will, is an extremely important step in learning and mastering the guitar. This series is all about the basics.
Lesson 1
This lesson is all about the basics. Mark explains guitar parts, holding the guitar, and more.
Length: 13:12 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 2
Mark begins by discussing equipment every guitarist should own. Then, he introduces chords and proper tuning methods.
Length: 17:28 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 3
Mark finishes his discussion of the "open" chords. He applies these chords to basic rhythm and strumming concepts.
Length: 17:33 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 4
Mark reviews the major chords and introduces the minor chords. He also covers strumming techniques in greater depth.
Length: 25:48 Difficulty: 1.0 Members OnlyLesson 5
Mark introduces a few more minor chords. He also provides a monster chord exercise.
Length: 16:36 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 6
Mark Lincoln continues his discussion of chords and strumming. He introduces several new exercises in this lesson.
Length: 19:30 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 7
Mark covers several topics in this lesson. He explains scales and barre chords. He also demonstrates how to find notes on the fretboard.
Length: 21:45 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 8
Mark Lincoln covers E shaped barre chords in greater depth. Mark refers to these chords as "Type 1" barre chords.
Length: 15:12 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 9
Mark covers the A Shape / Type 2 barre chords in greater depth.
Length: 17:12 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 10
Mark introduces minor barre chords that utilize the shape of the "open" Em chord.
Length: 13:10 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 11
Mark introduces minor barre chords based on the shape of the "open" Am chord. He refers to these chords as "Type 2 Minor" barre chords.
Length: 12:36 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 12
Mark demonstrates abbreviated versions of the "Type 1" and "Type 2" barre chords. He calls these "mini barre" chords.
Length: 17:43 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 13
Mark teaches the "mini barre" version of the A major shaped barre chord. He also explains dissonance.
Length: 20:29 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 14
Mark Lincoln applies mini-barre chord concepts to minor chords.
Length: 12:28 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 15
Mark Lincoln explains essential components of guitar technique.
Length: 15:59 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 16
Mark Lincoln explains how dynamics can enhance your playing. He covers topics such as volume, tempo, rests, and more.
Length: 27:48 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 17
Mark Lincoln explains more about guitar technique. This time around he introduces "transition strums" and continues his discussion of liquid chords.
Length: 26:12 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 18
Mark Lincoln explains what harmonics are and how they are played.
Length: 15:31 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 19
Mark Lincoln expands on the concept of liquid chords. He explains new chord variations and how they can be changed in mid-strum.
Length: 16:21 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 20
Mark demonstrates how chord progressions can be spiced up by adding hammer-ons and pull-offs.
Length: 12:21 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 21
Mark explains how chord fingerings must be altered when applying "liquid chord" concepts. He also provides a few new "liquid chord" exercises.
Length: 11:10 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 22
Mark returns to the land of chords. This time around, he provides an exercise that contains four variations on the A chord.
Length: 14:28 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 23
Mark provides a chord progression that shifts from one D chord to another in six steps.
Length: 15:20 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 24
Mark delves deeper into chord construction and alternate chord voicings.
Length: 13:36 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 25
Mark tests your guitar knowledge with a pop quiz. Then, he discusses quantitative and qualitative changes.
Length: 22:54 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 26
In the 26th installment of his basic guitar series, Mark reviews the quantitative and qualitative changes he presented in lesson 25.
Length: 17:34 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 27
Mark provides exercises designed to make you a better rhythm player.
Length: 0:00 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 28
Mark Lincoln expands on the rhythm exercise from lesson 27. This time around he incorporates several C based chords.
Length: 14:31 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 29
Mark discusses proper playing technique. He provides a few exercises that facilitate right hand mechanics.
Length: 17:02 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 30
Mark provides an exercise that features two new chords - Cadd9 and Dsus2.
Length: 0:00 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 31
In the 31st lesson, Mark discusses his "finger glue" technique. This technique improves speed and accuracy.
Length: 21:31 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 32
Mark takes a step back in lesson 32 to explain how to make quick and accurate chord changes.
Length: 22:14 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 33
Mark explains how to use the slide technique between chords.
Length: 19:24 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 34
Mark reviews qualitative and quantitative changes. He explains how to keep time while performing these changes.
Length: 21:17 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 35
Mark discusses qualitative and quantitative changes within an A minor progression.
Length: 19:56 Difficulty: 0.5 Members OnlyLesson 36
Mark Lincoln discusses several techniques that can be used when transitioning between chords.
Length: 21:43 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 37
In this lesson, Mark once again covers the subject of chord transitions. This time around, he focuses on barre chords and includes several helpful exercises.
Length: 23:25 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 38
In lesson 38, Mark discusses how playing single notes rather than chords can spice up your playing.
Length: 22:56 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 39
Lesson 39 is all about rocking out. Mark discusses some tips to take your playing to the next level.
Length: 18:08 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 40
Lesson 40 takes a deeper look at slash chords. Mark discusses why they're called slash chords, and how they are formed.
Length: 14:42 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 41
In lesson 41, Mark reviews the warm-up section and provides new tips on playing adequately from the wrist.
Length: 22:09 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 42
Mark builds further on barre chord techniques and liquid chords.
Length: 17:24 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 43
In lesson 43, Mark discusses additional skills related to learning and playing chords, specifically "liquification" of chords.
Length: 20:42 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 44
Lesson 44 is all about trying new things. Mark discusses experimenting with your playing in order to take it to the next level.
Length: 17:20 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 45
In this lesson, Mark once again talks about changing up chord derivatives to create a more unique sound.
Length: 20:56 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 46
In lesson 46, Mark explains how to maximize your options by maintaining chord shapes while playing.
Length: 21:44 Difficulty: 1.5 Members OnlyLesson 47
Today, Mark takes in depth look at strumming.
Length: 23:57 Difficulty: 1.0 FREELesson 48
Mark Lincoln teaches an original song entitled "Shine Like the Sun."
Length: 18:59 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 49
Mark teaches some useful information on how to mix postures, "finger glue," and techniques to make your chord changes speedy and more effective.
Length: 30:56 Difficulty: 2.5 Members OnlyLesson 50
In this lesson, Mark guides you through the world of alternate chord voicings. He teaches several shapes and shows how they can be used to enhance your playing.
Length: 23:06 Difficulty: 2.0 Members OnlyLesson 51
Mark brings us a very appealing aspect to better understand the guitar. With his explanation of "liquified" chords, mark will explain how to move up and down the guitar to create different chord voicing.
Length: 25:32 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
About Mark Lincoln
View Full Biography
Mark Lincoln was born in S. California but was raised near Portland Oregon in a town called Beaverton. When he was twelve years old, he began his journey into the realm of the creative by composing poetry and was later published in a journal called "In Dappled Sunlight." He wrote for four years until his older sister blessed him with his first guitar, an old beat-up nylon stringed classical guitar. Mark played that guitar for five years, continuing to compose his own lyrics and starting the process of matching his own words with chords that he was learning on the guitar. He learned to play chords from his friends and from music books that he both bought and borrowed. Mark cited his four biggest influences, at that point at least, as The Who, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, The Rolling Stones.
Mark cites his most current influences as Radiohead, U2, older music by REM, and Peter Gabriel amongst others. He performs with two acoustic guitars, one being a six-string M-36 Martin with a three-pieced back for increased bass response, and a Guild Twelve-string which is his most recent acquisition. Mark is fond of saying that the twelve-string guitar is better because you get two guitars for the price of one, but he still plays his Martin equally as much and with the same passion.
Mark ended up in Fort Collins Colorado where he currently lives, works as a Marriage and Family Therapist, and continues to write, teach and perform music. He currently performs with a group called "Black Nelson" as well as with a number of other seasoned professional musicians including his cousin David, a virtuoso lead-guitar player. Mark has performed in many of the smaller venues in Denver and Boulder, as well as some of the larger ones including the Fox Theatre, The Boulder Theatre, Herman's Hideaway, and also at The Soiled Dove where he opened for Jefferson Starship as a soloist. Some of Mark's originals are also available for your listening pleasure on MySpace.
Our acoustic guitar lessons are taught by qualified instructors with various backgrounds with the instrument.
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Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.Sorry, I guess I was counting the frets wrong.
Hey Mark, Thank you so much for your classes. I am confused about something you said, "play the the A minor on the 5th fret in the new Em config". but isnt that a G? We went from E minor half step to F, full step to 5th fret G. I just dont understand that.
Hey Mark, you're lessons have been really good so far and I've definitely learned a lot! I thought I would tell you that I found the down down up down strumming technique really helpful. I was surprised when I went to try and learn an actual song and they just so happened to use that exact same strumming patter just at a different speed!
That's really cool Kaiti and it's amazing how much more you'll see how strum patterns seem to repeat themselves a lot from song to song. Good to hear from you:) Mark
tuning down half a step (which i did) sounds better and more alternative... thx for that tip too.
i got the slanting A on the first try.. thx
Hi mark, really enjoying the lessons.. in regards to the slanting A chord I find it easier to make the barre chord versions with my pinky.. Is it advisable that I continue to use my little finger or should I try to perfect the 3rd finger?
Hey Jon, you can use the pinky but I would continue to develop the slanting A or ring finger as this is the best way to go in the long run! Mark
As a new guitar player, what would you say is a reasonable time frame to expect to see improvement in using the barre chords without as much discomfort? So far, the lessons have been very straight forward, and I understand all of the theory...Now it's just getting these middle-aged fingers to obey. I've been practicing the barre chords for about a week.
Hey Wesley! Different people progress at different rates so there's really no saying for sure. Regardless, if you're practicing every day and following along with the lesson series you're bound to improve over time. Great to hear from you! Mark
Mark, I have a grasp on half and whole steps and the notes or chords that this creates, but I'm a little confused on tuning down a half step. I'm using a Wittner GT2 quartz tuner which allows me to tune each string individually to it's respective note by centering the needle on zero. How do I tune down a half step using my tuner or is it better accomplished by ear?
Hey Dawg what's up? Is your tuner a chromatic tuner? If it is then you should be able to tune each string to: (starting with low E) Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb and Eb or D#, G#, C#, F#, A# and D#. Try that! Mark
Hey Mark, About the slanting A. I can play it with my middle finger and make the stretch barring with my fore finger. Is that OK or should I continue to try and get with my ring finger? thanks, Dave
Hey Steep thanks for writing in. I think it's okay to do what you're doing but at the same time continue working on using the ring finger to bar with. Playing in the manner that you're playing right now will create problems down the road so it's definitely better to use the ring finger and work on strengthening it over time. Good luck and keep at it my friend! Mark
Hi Emig thanks for writing. I actually only have it tuned down for a couple of lessons which was a mistake more than anything in terms of why I had it tuned down for the lesson. In reality though I do play a half step down all the time because it gives me that extra little bit of range to work with from a vocal perspective. Mark
Mark, just was wondering why you always have your gutiar tuned down a half step. Do you like the s ound better? Is it easier to sing to?
hi Everbody! I figure who ever Jumps onto thie Comment & Discuss.... i will break down a little music theroy so you can understand a little better. The Music theroy willl apply to Marks Lesson. The 4/4 Time Signature works like this... top number = how many beats in each Measure Bottom Number = what kind of note gets the beat. which is the quarter note. http://www.davemyers.com/amcc/when2.htm The quarter note gets counts as 1 beat. The half note counts as 2 beats. I will explain how this works. in exercise 1 you will start playing the Em chord 4 time of course. down, down, up, down. this will be for 4 beats.when you start the next measure you will do the same for the Fm chord In exercise 2 Mark is doing something a little different! down, down, up Now look, i know it looks like three beats but it's not. there is Am with an half note chord. The beat will go like this... down, down, with the Am chords will be two beats so far. now you will go up... This Am chord = 2 beats because it is a half note chord.... This will be up then you will count to yourself 4 without strumming. Remember half notes = 2 beats that doesn't mean to strum the half note 2 times. sorry guys, I'm not a teacher but any question, just ask. spider remember.. 4 beats in each measure. when you start to strum the down beat on the 3rd chord in the Am in the 1st measure you will count that as 3 beat so far and count 4 to yourself before you start the next measure.