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Basic Strum Patterns

by Raymund Tamayo Aside from fretting, strumming is another basic part of guitar playing. This is the second target you must accomplish in order to play songs in the guitar. Some key terms when it comes to learning strumming are rhythm and meter . Rhythm is music’s timing. It is the one indispensable part of music. Rhythm can exist without a melody, but a melody cannot exist without rhythm. Take for example when a drummer plays a solo. Meanwhile, a meter is the measure of stressed and unstressed beats in music. A meter is a pattern and it makes sure that you are playing in the proper rhythm. You will learn more about rhythm and meter in future lessons. Before knowing some of the basic strumming patterns, let us go over the correct strumming mechanics first. Here they are: 1. Strumming is more about the arm than the wrist. The arms moves with the elbow as the pivot point, not the wrist. 2. Keep your hand and wrist relaxed while holding a pick and strumming. It should not be tens
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Anchor Fingers

By Raymund Tamayo Anchor fingers are essential in making faster chord changes. There will be a separate topic about changing chords down the line, which is a part of your three targets. But since you have already learned about the Em and C chords, it would be best to know about the anchor fingers as early as now. An anchor finger is the fretting finger that stays in place when you change chords. In the Em-C chord change, the anchor finger is the middle finger pressing the No. 4 string on the second fret. Keep in mind that not all chord changes have anchor fingers. Assignment Practice reading and playing the Em, C, G and D chords one at a time using a single downstrum for each chord. Aside from practicing these chords, continue practicing Exercises 1 and 2 from Session One. Do them three times a day – one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening – for 15 minutes each time. Do this for the next six days until Session Three. Practice Tips 1. You need to memorize th
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Basic Chords (Em, C, G and D)

By Raymund Tamayo The Em chord is the easiest chord to play and you learned how to play it in the previous lesson. Now, here is how you play the C major chord: In this case, you use your ring finger to press the No. 5 string of the third fret, your middle finger to press the No. 4 string of the second fret, and your index finger to press the No. 2 string of the first fret. If you will notice, the No. 6 string has an “x” mark on top. This means that you should not play this string when you strum the chord. Try making a single downward strum with this C major chord. Practice fretting the Em and C chords in turn using only a single downward strum. You already know how to play the Em and C chords. It is time to add a few more basic chords to your inventory. Here is the G major chord:   The middle finger is used to press the No. 6 string on the third fret, the index finger on the No. 5 string on the second fret and the ring finger on the No. 1 string on the third fret. Notice the three c
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Reading Chord Diagrams

By Raymund Tamayo There are three targets to accomplish before you are able to play a song in the guitar successfully. They are the following: 1. Learn some basic chords 2. Learn some basic strumming patterns 3. Learn how to change chords If you achieve these three targets, then you will be able to play songs and enjoy more your progress. So let’s start to hit the first target! To learn some basic chords, you will need to know how to read chord diagrams. Chord diagrams, also called chord blocks, are illustrations that tell how a chord should be played. They include information about which finger to use, which fret to play, and which strings to pluck or strum. In the following chord diagram, we see how the Em chord is to be played: The black dots indicate which strings to press on what frets. The numbers inside the black dots indicate the finger you are going to use to press them. In the case of this Em chord, you are going to use your index finger to press the No. 5 string (or the “A”
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Fretting And Picking Exercises

By Raymund Tamayo Exercise No. 1 Place your index finger (No. 1 Finger) on the first fret (Fret No. 1) of the No. 6 string and pluck it downwards once. Then place your middle finger (No. 2 Finger) on the second fret (Fret No. 2) of the No. 6 string and pluck it downwards once. Next, place your ring finger (No. 3 Finger) on the third fret (Fret No. 3) of the No. 6 string and pluck it downwards once. Finally, place your pinky finger (No. 4 Finger) on the fourth fret (Fret No. 4) of the No. 6 string and pluck it downwards once. Do the same pattern on each string moving upward. After the No. 6 string, do it on the No. 5 string, then the No. 4 string, and so on and so forth. Do this exercise five times. Play slowly and try to do the fretting and picking properly always. Don’t be in a hurry and you should hear the sound of the string on each pluck clearly, without any buzzing. Make sure you press the middle of the fret every time to avoid buzzing.   Exercise No. 2 Do the same finger and fret
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