D to D in Six Steps (Guitar Lesson)

Chapter 1: (07:45) Introduction to D to D in Six Steps Review

- 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.
- Review and practice new techniques.

Ready?

So how is everybody doing so far? I realized that we've been moving extremely fast through some of the material and I want to make sure that you are all up to speed. Again, if you need to take a step back and review some of the past week's lessons, please do so and don't be discouraged if some of the techniques don't come to you immediately. Some of these techniques take years to master and few (if any) master them over night. I know I didn't!

I would like you all to review the lessons on mini-barre chords and make sure that you are familiar with them. This week's lesson will utilize them as well as some new chords for your jamming pleasure.

Okay, so here's an excellent exercise that I like to call 'D to D in six steps' that utilizes three different chord configurations in different positions on the neck. We'll be using the type 1 mini-barre configuration that should look like this (I'm showing a G just as an example of what the mini-barre should look like):

G major
E_3_
B_3_
G_4_
D_X_
A_X_
E_X_

Remember that within these chords, the first finger barres the B and high E-strings, and the middle finger frets the G-string. The type 2 mini-barre should look like this:

B major
E_2_
B_4_
G_4_
D_X_
A_X_
E_X_

In this mini-barre chord shape, the first finger frets the high E string. Your middle finger frets the G-string and the third frets the B-string. The third configuration that we're going to look at is simply the open D chord.

D Major
E_2_
B_3_
G_2_
D_0_
A_X_
E_0_

With these three different chord configurations, we can put together a cool little song that is both challenging and fun to play. There are six chords in this exercise, the first of which is on the tenth fret. Don't forget that the number in parentheses indicates where (which fret) to place your fingers:

D major
E_10_
B_10_
G_11_
D_X_
A_X_
E_X_

A major
E_9_
B_10_
G_9_
D_X_
A_X_
E_X_

G major

E_7_
B_8_
G_7_
D_X_
A_X_
E_X_

D major (5)
E_5_
B_7_
G_7_
D_X_
A_X_
E_X_

G major
E_3_
B_3_
G_4_
D_X_
A_X_
E_X_

and finally

D Major
E_2_
B_3_
G_2_
D_X_
A_X_
E_X_

Play through each of these chords at least four or five times making sure that you're on the correct fret. Play the strum pattern down down-up-down (not "down down-up down." there is a difference!) and play each chord four times each. Then, play each chord once while moving gradually through the six chords. Watch me in the video for tips on how to make changes quickly and accurately. Playing through the exercise at a very slow tempo will help you smooth out difficult chord changes.

As you might have guessed, this exercise is another example of how to liquify your playing by using different forms of chords on various frets. A simple D-chord on the second fret becomes an A on the ninth fret and another chord in a different position. By combining both types of mini-barres with other chords we can invent cool and fun exercises that are not only challenging but educational as well. Chapter 2: (04:43) Lesson Exercises Involving the "D to D in Six Steps" Method Exercise 1
After you get the hang of the three different types of chords in this exercise, try closing your eyes and playing them again. See if you can get a more innate sense of where they are on the fretboard, and how your fingers feel on the different frets. Open your eyes only to double check where you are and to make sure that you're playing each chord correctly.

Exercise 2
With a complex exercise like this, sometimes it can be helpful to break it down and play it in pieces. In this exercise, I want you to play the first three chords together. First, use the same strum that we used above or . Play the D (10th fret), then the A (9th fret), back to G (7th fret), back to the A, then back to the D. Watch me in the video for more help.

Exercise 3
Again we'll break down the exercise into manageable pieces. This time we'll start with the G (7th fret), then the D (5th fret), then G (3rd fret), and finally the open D chord. Pay close attention to the chord change between the G on the 7th and the D on the 5th. Your third finger, which plays on the B string of these chords should slide between the 7th and 8th frets, making the chord change quicker and easier for you.

Sliding Chords
When many people hear the expression 'slide' coupled with guitar, they think of the metal piece that fits around the fingers and 'slides' over the strings. In this lesson, what I'm talking about is the ability to slide a whole chord from one fret to the next. The two techniques employ similar strategies, but for our purposes, we'll focus on the latter only. When using the same configuration from one fret to the next (as we did in D to D in 6) as we did before with A (9th fret) and G (7th fret) you can often slide your hand across the strings to make a smoother transition between the chords.

Exercise 4
In this exercise, we'll play the D to D exercise backwards! This will give us an opportunity to try the slide technique that I just described. Using the same strum as above or play the six chords again. This time begin with the open D chord at the 2nd fret and continue upwards through the G at the 2nd fret until you reach the G and A chords. This time we're going to slide between the G and the A chords, which produces an overall slightly different sound. Watch me closely in the video for help with the slide technique.

Exercise 5
Once again, this exercise can be simplified by cutting it down into manageable pieces. Play the D chord (5th fret) and then slide the G (7th fret) into the A (9th fret). Play this section over and over again until you get a better hang of the changes. Then, try to play the entire D to D exercise backwards with the slide added into the middle.

*Note-The 'D to D in Six' exercise can be very challenging and definitely takes some practice to get it down. If you need to, cut the tempo in half (as I play it in the video). Chapter 3: (02:52) Building on the Topic of Dynamics Exercise
Using what Mark has discussed previously concerning dynamics, add some dynamic shifts into the 'D to D in Six Steps' exercise.

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