Your First Guitar Chords (video)

YOUR FIRST GUITAR CHORDS

(12 mins)

This basic video shows your first three chords (G, C & D7) 

in great detail, with both explanation and demonstration.

Learn these three basic guitar chords, and

you can play hundreds of popular songs.

The Spider Exercise (video)

THE SPIDER EXERCISE

(11 mins)

A short video explaining and demonstrating 

The Spider Exercise, 

which is basically a chromatic six-string warm-up exercise

 which helps to stretch the fingers and develop 

dexterity and discipline in note playing.

Guitar Boogie

  The song "Guitar Boogie" was written by Arthur Smith, a country/bluegrass favorite in the Carolinas area.  This song is a simple three-chord 12-bar blues song, with a basic scale-type melody progression that incorporates a series of four or five notes, which are ascended and descended, and then moved up to the next string.

  It starts with the "G" chord shape, and with this note progression--G--> B --> D--> E--> F
which specifically includes G (6th string--3rd fret);  B (5th string-- 2nd fret); and then the D-E-F progression (4th string-- open, 2nd and 3rd frets).  Next, this melody is descended (it moves back down the same notes). 

The first part of "Guitar Boogie"

  
   The melody repeats itself, and then moves to the "C" chord shape, which is actually the SAME progression, only on different strings.  The G moves to a C (5th string--3rd fret); the B to an E (4th string--2nd fret) and then the G-A-Bb progression (3rd string-- open, 2nd and 3rd frets).   After this, the song repeats the "G" section once again.

         G (6th/3rd fr.) --> B (5th/2nd) --> D (4th/open) --> E (4th/2nd) --> F (4th/3rd)

then descend (E--> D --> B)

         C (5th/3rd fr) -->  E (4th/2nd) --> G (3rd/open) --> A (3rd/2nd) --> Bb (3rd/3rd)

then descend (A--> G --> E)

  Look at this a couple times, and if you don't already, you will see that this is the SAME progression, and the second part (in C) simply moves up a string, but it is the SAME form or progression.  This may sound complicated to you as a beginning guitar player.  It actually is incredibly simple.

  Then, for the LAST part of the song, it moves up to the "D" string.  This one is a bit different, because it is the conclusion of the song, but once you learn the first two parts, this last part should fall right into place for you.   

Song "Warm & Fuzzy" © 2014 by Bob Wingate

Post by Tim Deal.

Tennessee Waltz / Soundtrack & Song TAB Sheets

Here is a basic audio soundtrack to "Tennessee Waltz."  This soundtrack contains the basic chords.  You should be able to follow along on your song sheet, either (a) playing in sync along with the chords, or (b) playing the melody line (TAB) along with the chord soundtrack.

Thanks to my guitar student Steve for helping me to record this for you.

I will include below a basic outline of the soundtrack for you, including (1) the track timeline, along with (2) references to your song sheet, and (3) the chords being played.   

Hope this helps you to practice.  If it does help, we will try to include a soundtrack for each and every song that we learn in class.  Videos will follow.

SOUNDTRACK

[ I made a slight mistake, (hit a wrong note) at the 0:26 mark. Sorry about that! ]

SOUNDTRACK TIMELINE

SONG TAB SHEETS