Basic Beginner Guitar Chords – The D Major Chord

The D Major Guitar Chord is found in the D Major Scale: D E F# G A B C# D. It is made up of the 1(root note), 3 and 5 positions of this scale. Meaning the notes D, F# and A. Now to add more depth to the sound of the chord you add another D. The D note is at the root of the chord meaning the top of the chord shown in the diagram below.

D Major Chord Notes: D A D F#

Here is a key that will help you read the chart:

The D Major chord is one of the easier chords to learn and play. Make certain you are pressing down hard enough on the strings to produce a clean sound. Also, as indicated in the chart above, make sure you are only strumming the first four strings. The fifth and sixth strings are not played.

D Major Guitar Chord Video

Basic Guitar Theory – Guitar Scales, Chords and Arpeggios

By Ricky Sharples

If you want to play the guitar or write songs you will need to know something, at least, about guitar music theory. You could break down guitar theory down to the study of three elements: chords, scales and arpeggios.

Scales come easily to some people but others find them difficult to learn and difficult to understand. You can, in fact, relate scales to chord shapes. Understanding chords and scales is a matter of exploring the relationships between the notes on the guitar fretboard, but it is not necessary to learn to read music, just find the patterns on the guitar neck.

When you look at scales you will see a symbol like: # or b. The # is the sharp symbol which indicates when a note is played one fret above where it would normally be played. The b symbol is called a flat which is when the note is played a fret lower. One fret on the guitar is called a half step as opposed to a whole step or whole note. In the musical scale there is only a half step between the notes B and C and the notes E and F. The notes that don’t have a sharp or flat symbol are called “naturals”.

The complete set of notes in the octave are, in alphabetical order, A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G#. So these notes as they are played in the C scale are C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B. The notes on the guitar begin with the open sixth string which sounds the note E, then going up the frets, F G A B C finishing the first octave on the open fourth string D. The octaves continue for twenty-one frets on most electric guitars and nineteen frets for acoustic guitars that don’t have a cutaway body.

Chords contain three or more notes. These notes form part of a scale that has the same name as the chord. The E major chord, for example, has three notes from the E major scale. Not all notes are created equal. The most important notes in a chord are the third and the seventh. They tell us whether the chord is major, minor or dominant.

When you play chords in a particulat order it is called a progression. Most chord progressions in popular music are based on the first, fourth and fifth notes of a scale. The twelve bar blues progression is one of the most popular chord progressions. Here is a how it works out in the key of C: you are using the first note – C, the fourth, F and the fifth, G. You play four bars using the C chord, two using F, the next two bars you play C again and the next two are G and F, finishing with two bars of the C chord. The most obvious example of this progression put into practice is the instrumental piece called Guitar Boogie.

Do you want to learn to play the guitar? Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free is a constantly updated blog which contains all the resources you need for: learning to play solo guitar, how to learn guitar chords, how to learn to read and play easy acoustic guitar tabs, finding a free online guitar tuner, looking for free guitar lessons online, and how to learn guitar scales.

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Hire a Guitar Teacher or Learn on your Own

So you are looking to further your learning as an acoustic guitarist but not sure what to do next? There is a vast array of options available to you and things can get rather confusing. You basically have two options when learning how to play acoustic guitar: Hire a guitar teacher or Learn on your own. This topic is open for debate. Honestly, I feel it really depends on you and your particular needs as an individual. We will explore both options in this article, so that you will be able to make a better decision.

Learning on your Own

Learning on your own can be broken down into two simple categories: You can either learn for free or you can invest in a home study course.

Learn For Free

Learning for free is definitely a possibility. With the Internet at your fingertips, anything is possible these days. There are a handful of excellent free guitar websites that offer lessons and other great resources for those of us on a tight budget. However, some of these free sites and resources may be difficult to locate and not all of them are created by professionals. So you may find, after some time, that the free route may not be enough or may prove to be too frustrating.

One huge advantage to the free learning, besides being cost effective, is that it gives you the option to test the waters before you invest any money into private lessons or home study courses. Guitar playing is not for everyone. You may find after playing for a short while that your heart isn’t into it. In order to become a good guitar player you must be passionate about playing, have patience and dedication. Without those qualities, I am afraid you won’t get very far.

Our Picks For Free Learning Resources Online:

Learn-Acoustic-Gutiar.Com -  Of course we are going to recommend this site!  You will find a wide variety of free acoustic guitar lessons here on this website.  Use the navigation bar up top to look around or search for specific lessons using the search bar at the top of this page.

YouTube -  YouTube is loaded with free acoustic guitar lessons.  You will find an endless amount of free videos there.  Head over today and browse around.  There are two specific users to search for on YouTube that we find offer excellent instruction.  Search for the keywords: “next level guitar”  and “justinsandercoe”.

AcousticGuitar.Com – Great selection of lessons from beginner to advanced.

TheoryLessons.Com -  One of our favorite websites for learning guitar.  It is packed with lots of free lesson on guitar theory.  This is essential learning for beginner and advanced guitarists.

Home Study Courses

With the right home study course, learning how to play guitar is very possible, assuming you are dedicated to working hard and practicing. With the right home study course, you will not only save money (when compared to hiring a private instructor), but you will also be able to learn at your own pace. You also have the option to access the same information whenever you want and for as many times as you want. That is probably the biggest advantage to this option. We learn best by repetition. Sometimes we have to hear or watch something over and over again before it sinks in. With a home study course, you simply pop a cd or dvd in and watch or listen whenever you feel the need. With an instructor you don’t have that option.

There are several excellent home study courses available that can be just as effective or better than hiring a private instructor. Courses can cost anywhere from $30 to as much as a few hundred dollars, depending on the quality and content of the home study course.

Here are our picks for the best Home Study Courses For Guitar:

Learn & Master Guitar – Our #1 Pick!

Jamorama Acoustic Guitar

Next Level Guitar

Hiring a Private Instructor

First and foremost, this option is expensive. Private guitar lessons,on average, can cost about $15 – $30 for a half hour lesson, and $20 to as much as $75 for an hour lesson, depending on the teachers experience and reputation.

One big advantage to a private instructor is the direct feedback they can provide . One of the most common problems a beginner faces is developing bad habits. A good instructor will help you recognize your bad playing habits and help you correct them on the spot.

Finding a “good” teacher can be a difficult task and you should choose one carefully if you decide to go that route. Even the most talented guitarists, that have been playing for decades, can make terrible instructors, so your criteria for choosing a teacher should not be based on experience alone. You need to find a person that actually “enjoys” teaching and isn’t just doing it for a paycheck.

The first thing I would do is to come up with a list of possible instructors in your area.

You can do this by:

Asking Your Friends and Family

A great place to start when searching for a guitar teacher is to simply ask your friends, family or co-workers. You may have a close personal friend, relative or co-worker that has already taken lessons and will be able to recommend a good instructor.

The Internet

The Internet is a great resource for finding possible instructors. You can simply do a search on Google for guitar teachers in your local area. You could also visit guitar discussion groups online and ask around there.

Yellow Pages or other Publications

Grab a yellow pages, newspaper or other publication and search for local guitar instructors that way.

Once you compile your list, you need to make certain you are getting the best possible instruction for your money, so be prepared to ask your instructor a few questions. Ask him or her how long they have been teaching, the teaching qualifications he or she has, the number of students he or she currently teaches and ask for the phone number or contact information of a few of his or her students. From the answers you receive, you should be able to determine which instructor is right for you.

So the choice is now yours. Only you can determine which option is right for you. Some of us simply cannot afford to hire a teacher, so the choice is rather simple. Others are simply unable to learn on their own and need the guidance and encouragement that a teacher can provide.

I wish you luck!

Guitar Scales 22 Fret System

By Mike P Hayes

If you want to develop top-class guitar scales and improvisation skills, then the guitar scales 22 fret system is the tool that will make your dreams come true. By following these simple and precise guitar scales, you will be on your way to successful guitar music playing in no time.

A major reason why many guitarists never master guitar scales is that they try to learn too many at once. The key is to learn one scale at a time by practicing the guitar scales 22 fret system you will learn to unlock the fingerboard and be free to express yourself over the entire fingerboard.

Good knowledge of the fretboard will enable you to: improvise better, learn songs quicker, learn more chords and Scales, read music. I definitely recommend memorizing or becoming familiar with the fretboard.

Rather than aimlessly practicing guitar scales, you want to become laser focused. What guitar scales you need to learn, in order to play the style of music that you love.

If you are studying with a private teacher make certain that teacher can help you achieve your goals, there’s not much point asking a classical guitar tutor what scales you need to learn for jazz guitar.

To learn and master every possible guitar scale out there would take many lifetimes. It is more intelligent and far less frustrating to select an appropriate scale for your style of music and learn that scale as a 22 fret scale system.

Scales create patterns on the fretboard which players visualize and memorize. The important thing when learning scales is to take the time to learn the names of the notes your are playing under your fingers NOT just the fingering patterns.

The guitar scales 22 fret system can easily be adapted to any guitar no matter how many frets you have. Since most electric guitars have 22 frets the 22 fret scale system is the one I’ll concentrate on here.

The guitar scales 22 fret system an also be applied to acoustic guitar, most acoustic guitars have 12 to 15 frets available, the 22 fret scale system can be modified to suit your favorite acoustic guitar.

The guitar scale 22 fret, three note per string scale system part one:

We will be working entirely in the key of C major.

The key of C major C D E F G A B C

(a) Concept # 1 think of this C major scale as being on an endless loop (like a conveyer belt going round and round) ….. C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C etc

(b) Now imagine we where able to start at ANY point on this conveyer belt

(c) The concept of the three note per string scale system is very simple, you play three notes from your chosen scale on each string then move to the next string, play three notes and then move to the next string, play another three notes and then on to the next string etc.

Here is your project:

1. Play the following notes on the sixth string:

F note played with your first finger

G note played with either your second or third finger which ever is comfortable

A note played with your fourth finger

2. Play the following notes on the fifth string:

B note played with your first finger

C note played with your second finger

D note played with your fourth finger

3. Play the following notes on the fourth string:

E note played with your first finger

F note played with your second finger

G note played with your fourth finger

4. Play the following notes on the third string:

A note played with your first finger

B note played with your third finger

C note played with your fourth finger

5. Play the following notes on the second string:

D note played with your first finger

E note played with your third finger

F note played with your fourth finger

6. Play the following notes on the first string:

G note played with your first finger

A note played with either your second or third finger which

ever is comfortable

B note played with your fourth finger

Do you understand the concept? Play three notes from the C Major scale on the sixth string (starting from the note “F” within the C major scale)

Play the notes F. G. A on the sixth string, then move to the fifth string and play the next three notes from the C major scale B, C, D.

Don’t worry about the sound of this scale, it is intended to sound incomplete, it’s part of a giant linkage system I will explain to you.

Practicing guitar music scales is one of the key elements to learning the basics of guitar. When you learn the guitar scales 22 fret system you get the total picture. You get to see guitar scales played note for note right over the entire fretboard.

Mike Hayes is a teacher, author, speaker and consultant. Get his tips and tested strategies proven to boost your guitar playing
his membership site at http://www.guitarcoaching.com today.

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How To Hold a Guitar

Excellent video demonstrating and explaining how to hold the guitar.

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