Guitar Technique Guitar Lesson

Chapter 1: (04:32) Welcome Back Warm-up and Review
Before moving on with the lesson please review and practice the following:

- Warm-up the hands.
- 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 "slanting A" technique.
- Practice the type 1 minor barre chords.
- Practice the type 2 minor barre chords.
- Play all of the type 1 mini-barre chords.
Play all of the type 2 mini-barre chords.

Okay, so we've been spending an awful lot of time with barre chords and mini-barre chords and you might be saying at this point "so how do we use all of these chords to make a song and finally have some fun?" We're going to start talking about the art of strumming chords and how to actually make music. Don't forget to warm up properly and continue to practice all of the material that we have been working on up to this point. Everything that we've covered thus far will come into play and contribute to the overall beauty of your playing.

Technique
Musical technique can be defined as the use and application of various motions and tactics in order to enhance, change and improve the quality of sound and song. In the coming weeks we're going to talk more and more about technique and how to transform single chords into song, and how to transform song into a beautiful and powerful form of expression and communication. But to do this, you'll need to make sure that you are rock solid on your open chords! Because we are, in a sense, moving on in the progression of this lesson series, you will need to be proficient on the basics in order to proceed. I'm not saying you will not be able to learn the new material, I'm simply suggesting that you work extra hard right now so you will be more able and confident in the weeks to come. Here is an exercise to refresh your skills.

Exercise 1
Play each of the major open chords using the strum or "down-up down-up down-up" (aka as the snap strum if you recall) and in this order:

A-B, A-C, A-D, A-E, A-Fmaj7, A-G then B-A, B-C and on and on beginning with C D E F and G and going back and forth through each of the chords. Then, do it all backwards! I know this sounds tedious but the more you go over the open chords (and over and over and over), the stronger that your fingers will become and the more proficient a player you will become. Classical musicians often play for four hours a day or more (I know most people, including me, can't do that with their busy schedules) so keep that in mind when you're practicing and really give it all that you can! Chapter 2: (07:53) Walking Down Walkign Down
The first technique I want to talk to you about is called "walking down" or "walking up." This technique involves moving between two different chords and playing either notes and/or chords in between to transition smoothly. In this example, we'll use the chords G major and E minor as our two primary chords and a "new" chord that you may not have seen before, as our transition chord. Here is an open G chord:

G Major
E_3_
B_0_
G_0_
D_0_
A_2_
E_3_

and an E minor chord:

Em
E_0_
B_0_
G_0_
D_2_
A_2_
E_0_

And here is our “new” chord that will be played between the G and the Em:

D/F#
E_x_
B_3_
G_2_
D_0_
A_0_
E_2_

This chord is played by placing the first finger on the low E-string second fret, the second or middle finger on the G-string second fret, and the third or ring finger on the B-string third fret. This chord is considered a "slash" chord as in "D slash F sharp" or a D chord with an F sharp bass note. We'll talk more about slash chords as we progress through the series.

Now using the or "down down-up down" strum (everybody’s favorite) play the G chord, then the D/F#, then the Em chord "walking" down from the G to the Em. Notice how the D/F# is not just an arbitrarily chosen chord but rather an interim chord that sounds correct in between the G and the Em. Watch me in the video for insight on how I do this. You can also walk back up from the Em to the G in the same fashion. Alternate Chords
Walking down can also be effective using notes in between two chords rather than another chord. Here’s what I mean.

Here is an open C major chord:

C Major
E_0_
B_1_
G_0_
D_2_
A_3_
E_x_

And an A minor chord:

Am
E_0_
A_1_
G_2_
D_2_
A_0_
E_x_

Using a or "down down-up strum," walk down from C to Am using the B note as a transition. Strike the B note as you would a chord and walk from C to Am and then back up. Again, watch me in the video for insight on how I do this.

Exercise 2
Do both of the walking exercises using the same chords and strums that we discussed in the lesson. Do you notice how the transition chord or note helps the rhythm flow more smoothly? Can you think of other ways to transition from one chord to another that would help make your strumming smoother?

Chapter 3: (03:32) Music and Time We haven't talked a whole lot about the role of time in music (or time signatures for that matter). But time plays an important role in music and basically keeps a musical piece organized and structurally sound. Keep this in mind as you switch from chord to chord and pay attention to how much time I spend on each chord or note in the video. We'll talk more about ways to keep time (i.e. stomping your foot, using a metronome, etc.) that will help you play in a more systematic and sound fashion.

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