by vitty 10 Replies latest social entertainment
Help !
Just bought our son his first xmas present (he's only 17!!!!! )....an electric guitar.
But we don't have any idea how to play and the 1st step teaching books are all out.
Can anyone please tell us 2 or 3 cords for a popular song that he can try strumming along to?
We've tried seaching the net but it's too complicated.
We don't know anything so you'll have to be really simple and basic !
Thanks for saving the day..and our ears.....hopefully !
Yours the musical dumbo's
My son used "tablature" to learn. He found them on the web. Happy strumming
The shop where you purchased the guitar should be able to refer you to a reputable person who could give your son some basic lessons at a reasonable price. Or maybe he has some friends who play who would be able to show him.
You might be able to find some fingering charts online too.
Make sure you get him to learn how to tune the guitar before he tries to strum some chords.
Love, Scully
I was going to suggest Tabs as well, that's how my daughter is learning her electric guitar...altho she did play the violin for a couple years so she knows the chords. Go to any Music store in your area and they should lead you in the right direction!
Enjoy!!
SK
Do a search on guitar tabs which are the easiest to read.
Also, you can teach him the master of all rock chords, the power chord. It's one of the easiest chords to play
The method books suck because your son will learn how to play "Row Row Your Boat" and become bored.
You can do a lot with the basic chords that are not too hard. It's worth browsing some guitar songbooks for songs that look easy and that you actually like so you have something to aim for.
Oh, and House of the Rising Sun, Stairway to Heaven are mandatory to learn
http://www.looknohands.com/chordhouse/guitar/index_db.html
Select a chord-it shows the correct finger position, click play and you'll hear how it should sound.
Oh, and House of the Rising Sun, Stairway to Heaven are mandatory to learn
House of the Rising Sun is easy, Stairway is a bit more than just basic chords.
If he learns to play just 3 chords he'll be able to strum along to lots of things. Teach him A, G & D. Then get him to strum >down, down up down< > down, down up down< ad infinitum and he' ll soon find there's recognisable stuff that come's into his strumming.
You're own Tom Paxton's songs are easy on just 3 chords. Same with Leonard Cohen and some of Kristoffersons early music.
Englishman.
Thanks for all your suggestions, We are going to get him some lessons, its just that all he wants to start NOW!!!!!!
We are going to the city tommorrow to see if we can get him a book to get started this weekend
It will be a shame if he has to wait over the weekend to start
By the way what is a power cord
Em and A are easy beginning cords to learn.
Thousands of songs were written G-C-D
A good basic strumming tecnique is boom-chuk-Uh-chuk-Uh (someone taught me that years ago and it was a big beginner's breakthrough for me) --as it helped to make sense of the rhythm.
On the "boom" you hit the base string in the cord (one of the fat strings) on the "chuk" you stum down the rest of the strings--on the the "Uh" you strum up quickly and then repeat...chuk (down)-Uh (up) and then back to the "boom."
good luck
cybs
