Learn to Play Contemporary Guitar

LEARN TO PLAY CONTEMPORARY GUITAR written and illustrated by Bernard Ng chords-haven.blogspot.com

Note to Readers Learn to play contemporary guitar is designed as a standalone instructional package for aspiring guitarists to pick up the instrument without the need for expensive lessons. All that I request of you is a good dose of self-discipline to read through the lessons and to work on the exercises. With that, the package will allow you to acquire a fundamental level of competency from which you will be able to learn more techniques on your own. Wish you a fruitful quest for the joy of guitar playing and music making.

Dedication For my lovely wife and our soon-to-be born son a.k.a the successor to Chords Haven.

Contents LESSON PAGE

1 Hello Guitar! 06 2 Chord Placement 17 3 Chord Switching 30 4 Strumming 35 5 Re: Strumming 45 6 Let’s Play! 53 7 Le Barre 59 8 Re: Le Barre 68 9 Plucking 78 10 Re: Plucking 94 11 Guitar Theory 102

Lesson 1 Hello Guitar! 6

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Lesson 1 Hello Guitar!

In this introductory lesson, we will learn about the anatomy of a guitar and how it works.



1.1 Types of Guitars Guitars come in all shapes and sizes. The most common guitars are the: (1) classical guitars (with metal + nylon

strings) (2) acoustic guitars (with metal strings) (3) electric guitars (with solid bodies)



To learn to play the guitar, I would recommend using a classical guitar for: (1) the strings are further apart so it is

easier to position your fingers correctly for chords and

(2) the strings are less painful on your fingers



1.2 Parts of a Guitar Just like you don’t need to know all the parts of a car to be able to drive it, you do not need to know every single part of a guitar. Knowing the parts shown in the diagram would suffice.



1.3 Holding the Guitar



1.4 Guitar Theory Notes are sounded when the strings vibrate. The open strings on the guitar (without pressing on any frets) correspond to the following notes:

1st string : E

2nd string : B

3rd string : G

4th string : D

5th string : A

6th string : E

Pressing each higher fret corresponds to a half-step/ semitone in music theory i.e. C → C#; E → F (see diagram)



1.5 Tuning the guitar In this section, the Guitar Tuna app (iOS and Android, free) will be used for illustration. How to use:

1. Open the app and position your phone microphone near the guitar.

2. Pluck the 1st string (high E) and check the app.



3. If the string is in-tune, you should see a tick in the bubble at the top of the screen.

4. Otherwise, the words “too low!!” or “too high!!” will be shown.

5. Tighten (for too low) or loosen (for too high) the tuning key for the string until you get the tick.

Repeat Steps 2-5 for the rest of the strings for their respective notes.



Relative Tuning: 5th Fret Method

Using the 5th fret method, we can tune the strings relative to one another. The basis of this method is that the note of an open string is the same as that of the 5th fret of the string before it. For the method to work, you must first ensure that one of the strings is tuned correctly either using the tuner app, tuning fork or piano etc and then use that string as the reference.



For example, I would make the 6th string (low E) the reference. • Play the 5th fret of the 6th (E) string and

then play the open 5th (A) string. Their pitches should sound the same. Otherwise, tighten or loosen the 5th string to change the pitch until they sound the same.

• Repeat for the rest of the strings.

Exception:

When tuning the 2nd string, use the 4th fret of the 3rd (G) string instead.

Lesson 2 Chord Placement 17


Lesson 2 Chord Placement

In this lesson, we will focus on learning the correct techniques for chord placement and building strength in the fingers of our left hand.



2.1 Finger Notations To aid the learning of the fingerings for the different chords and later fingerstyle plucking, the fingers on your hands are given the following notations:



2.2 What are Chords? Chords are formed by playing 3 or more notes simultaneously. For instance, C chord is made up of the notes C, G and E, and G chord is made up of G, D and B. To play a chord on the guitar, you will need to press the frets that correspond to the notes that make up the chord. In guitar playing, chords are represented by chord diagrams and/ or chord notations. Let us look at how to interpret both types of representations using the C chord.



Chord Diagrams

• Circles on the fretboard indicate the frets to be pressed for that chord.

• Numbers represent the suggested fingers that you can use to press the respective frets (see 2.1).

• “x” means to avoid the string(s) when playing the chord.

Chord Notations

Chord fingerings can also be represented as a string of numbers which stands for the frets to be pressed from the 6th to the 1st string e.g.

C: x-3-2-0-1-0 Let’s try to make a C chord on the guitar!



If you have placed your fingers correctly on the fretboard, it should look like this: Now sweep your index finger across the 5th string to the 1st. Does it sound muted or cracky? For beginners, your fingers may lack the strength to hold down the strings firmly enough for a clean sound. But don’t fret (notice the pun)! To play a chord cleanly, it is more of pressing the strings in the correct manner than pressing it down with a lot of strength.



2.3 Chord Placement 1. Use the tip of your fingers to press

down on the strings. 2. Press near the middle of the fret.

Avoid pressing at the edges which will produce a muted sound.

3. The most common mistake that beginners make is to allow their fingers to collapse and the joints to lock when pressing on the strings. Locking of joints may allow you to exert more strength but prolonged playing with incorrect posture will lead to pain.



4. Ensure that all your fingers are upright and rounded with no locking of joints.

Before moving on to the Exercises, let us go through some basics of guitar strumming.



2.4 Basic Strumming Strum (verb): to sweep across several strings setting them in vibration. In guitar playing, it is can be done: 1. Using your fingers

Pinch your thumb and index finger together. Use the nail of your index finger to brush the strings near the soundhole. 2. Using a pick

Pinch the pick between your thumb and index finger and brush the strings with the pick.



Exercise 2A

To simulate a teacher helping you to keep time by clapping, we can make use of a metronome mobile app. The Pro Metronome app (iOS and Android, free) will be used for illustration.



• Set the metronome app to 4/4 and 60*.

In a simplified manner, 4/4 means each bar consists of 4 counts and a tempo of 60 means a tempo of 1 count per second.

• Hold down C chord. • Strum (using your index finger or the

pick) at every beat for 4 bars (i.e. 16 times).

• In the diagram below, each / represents a downward strum.

* The tempo numbers stated in all exercises are only suggested. Feel free to use other tempos to suit your preference and progress.



Let us look at 2 other chords.

x-x-0-2-3-2

Note that there are “x”s above the 5th and 6th strings. This means that these 2 strings are not played.

3-2-0-0-0-3

Alternate fingering for G chord:



Exercise 2B

• Set the metronome app to 4/4 and 60. • Hold down D chord. • Strum at every beat for 4 bars (i.e. 16

times). • In the diagram below, each /

represents a downward strum.



Exercise 2C

• Set the metronome app to 4/4 and 60. • Hold down G chord. • Strum at every beat for 4 bars (i.e. 16



Lesson 3 Chord Switching 30


Lesson 3 Chord Switching

In this lesson, we will work on the ability to switch from one chord to another.



3.1 Chord Switching For beginners, it is common to be slow in changing from one chord to another. Hence, it is useful to start off with a slow tempo and gradually increase it as your brain gets accustomed to the actions. Exercise 3A

We will use the song Leaving on a Jet Plane to practice switching between G, C and D chords. • Set the metronome to 2/2 and 40. • Strum at every beat. Recall each /

represents a downward strum. • Increase the tempo to 50 & then 60

when you get more comfortable at changing between the chords.



Leaving on a Jet Plane



3.2 More Chords At this stage, you should find it easier to hold down the strings firmly for a clean sound. Now let us work on 3 new chords! x-0-2-2-1-0 0-2-2-0-0-0 x-x-0-2-1-1



Exercise 3B

• Set the metronome app to 4/4 and 60. • Hold down Am chord. • Strum at every beat for 4 bars (i.e. 16



• Now repeat the exercise for Em and Dm7.

Lesson 4 Let’s Play! 35


Lesson 4 Let’s Play!

In this lesson, we will work on 3 songs using the chords we have learned so far.



Exercise 4A

We will use the song The Only Exception to practice switching between G, C & Dm7 chords. • Set the metronome to 3/4 and 70. • Strum at every beat. Recall each /





The Only Exception



Exercise 4B

We will use the song Just the Way You Are to practice switching between G, C & Em chords. • Set the metronome to 4/4 and 70. • Strum at every beat. Recall each /





Just the Way You Are



Exercise 4C

We will use the song Firework to practice switching between G, Am, Em & C chords. • Set the metronome to 4/4 and 70. • Strum at every beat. Recall each /





Firework

Lesson 5 Le Barre 45


Lesson 5 Le Barre

In this lesson, we will learn to hold a barre chord.



5.1 Barre Chords

Barre chords are chords that involve using your 1st finger to press all the strings across a single fret. An example is the F chord.

1-3-3-2-1-1

Barre chords are the nemesis of beginning guitarists.



It is very common to have difficulty in using a finger to hold down the entire fret across all strings. But by now, I hope you are able to appreciate that to play a chord cleanly, it is more of pressing the strings in the correct manner than pressing it down with a lot of strength. It is the same to barre a fret.



To build up the ability to barre a fret in the correct manner, it is advisable to start with the less common Fm chord. 1-3-3-1-1-1

In holding the Fm chord, you can rest your 2nd finger on top of the 1st which helps to make the barring firmer. Once again, make sure your fingers are as naturally rounded as possible. Do not let your fingers collapse or joints to lock.



Exercise 5A

• Set the metronome app to 4/4 and 60. • Hold down Fm chord. • Strum at every beat for 4 bars (i.e. 16



Move on to Exercise 5B when you are able to hold the Fm chord for a clean sound.



Exercise 5B

• Set the metronome app to 4/4 and 60. • Hold down F chord. • Strum at every beat for 4 bars (i.e. 16





Exercise 5C

Now we will practice switching to and from the F chord using the song Leaving on a Jet Plane in C major key. • Set the metronome to 2/2 and 40. • Strum at every beat. Recall each /





Leaving on a Jet Plane (C Key)

Lesson 6 Re: Le Barre 53


Lesson 6 Re: Le Barre

In this lesson, we will continue our conquest of barre chords with Bm & F#m.



x-2-4-4-3-2

The Bm chord is formed by barring the 2nd fret and forming the Am chord.

Exercise 6A • Set the metronome app to 4/4 and 60. • Hold down Bm chord. • Strum at every beat for 4 bars (i.e. 16





2-4-4-2-2-2

The F#m chord is formed by barring the 2nd fret and forming the Em chord.

Exercise 6B

• Set the metronome app to 4/4 and 60. • Hold down F#m chord. • Strum at every beat for 4 bars (i.e. 16





Exercise 6C

Now we will practice switching between Bm and F#m chords using the song Firework in A major key. The song also uses the A chord: x-0-2-2-2-0 • Set the metronome to 4/4 and 70. • Strum at every beat. Recall each /





Firework (A Key)

Lesson 7 Strumming 59


Lesson 7 Strumming

In this lesson, we will learn some basic strumming patterns.



7.1 Down & Down

The first strumming pattern that we will learn is:

Instead of doing 4 downward strums per bar as in previous Exercises, we will do 8 this time. This means that you must play each strum beat twice as fast. The symbol (>) is known as an accent. It is used to indicate that that stroke needs to be accentuated/ emphasized by playing slightly louder (harder). sim. (short for simile) means to continue playing in the same manner.



For the above pattern, the emphasis is on the 1st, 4th and 7th strokes. The rhythm will sound like ONE and two AND three and FOUR and, ONE and two AND three and FOUR and… Very often, instead of emphasizing the 1st, 4th and 7th strokes, we de-emphasize the others instead as shown.



Exercise 7A

Now we will practice the strumming pattern using Just the Way You Are. • Set the metronome to 4/4 and 70. • Increase the tempo to 80 & then 90

when you get more comfortable at strumming with the pattern.

It may be easier to try this exercise by counting the beats in your head rather than using the metronome as the accents do not generally correspond to each beat sounded by the metronome.



Exercise 7A



Exercise 7B

Now we will practice the strumming pattern using Firework. • Set the metronome to 4/4 and 70. • Increase the tempo to 80 & then 90


It may be easier to try this exercise by counting the beats in your head rather than using the metronome as the accents do not generally correspond to each beat sounded by the metronome.



Firework

Lesson 8 Re: Strumming 68


Lesson 8 Re: Strumming

In this lesson, we will learn more elaborate strumming patterns involving upstrokes.



8.1 Down & Up (3/4)

The next strumming pattern that we will learn is:

This is a 3/4 strumming pattern i.e. 3 beats per bar. The symbol (Π) indicates a down stroke (strum downwards) and the symbol (V) indicates an up stroke (strum upwards). The 2nd & 3rd beats consist of 2 strums each – down & up – with each strum taking up half a beat. The accent (>) is on the 2nd beat which indicates that that stroke needs to be accentuated/ emphasized.



The rhythm will sound like one… TWO and three and, one… TWO and three and; sim. (short for simile) means to continue playing in the same manner. As before, instead of emphasizing the 2nd stroke, we will de-emphasize the others as shown:



Exercise 8A

Now we will practice the strumming pattern using The Only Exception. • Set the metronome to 3/4 and 80. • Increase the tempo to 90 & then 100




The Only Exception



8.2 Down & Up (4/4)

The next strumming pattern that we will learn is:

This is a 4/4 strumming pattern i.e. 4 beats per bar. The symbol (Π) indicates a down stroke (strum downwards) and the symbol (V) indicates an up stroke (strum upwards). The 2nd, 3rd and 4th beats consist of 2 strums each – down & up – with each strum taking up half a beat. The accent (>) is on the 2nd and 4th beat which indicates that the 2 strokes need to be accentuated/ emphasized.



The rhythm will sound like one… TWO and three and FOUR and, one… TWO and three and FOUR and; sim. (short for simile) means to continue playing in the same manner. As before, instead of emphasizing the 2nd and 4th beats, we will de-emphasize the others as shown:



Exercise 8B

Now we will practice the strumming pattern using Leaving on a Jet Plane. • Set the metronome to 4/4 and 80. • Increase the tempo to 90 & then 100


Lesson 9 Plucking 78


Lesson 9 Plucking

In this lesson, we will learn the basics of fingerstyle playing.



9.1 Fingerstyle?

Fingerstyle playing, in simple terms, means to pluck the strings in a repeated pattern while holding a chord. For fingerstyle playing, it is recommended that you leave the nails on your right hand slightly longer than usual for a cleaner/ brighter sound. Plucking with the tips of your fingers causes undue friction and also produces a softer, muted sound.



9.2 Re: Finger Notations

The fingers on the right-hand are represented as:

p thumb i index m middle a ring

The little finger is not conventionally used in fingerstyle playing.



9.3 Positioning

Rest your fingers on the respective strings near the soundhole as follows:

p : 4th, 5th or 6th string i : 3rd string m : 2nd string a : 1st string



Notice that the thumb (p) is responsible for plucking the 4th, 5th and 6th strings (i.e. the bass strings). A common question then is: ‘How do I know which bass string to pluck?’ In most cases, the bass note of a chord is its root note. By locating the root note in the chord fingering, you can determine which bass string to pluck.



Example:

Chords Bass Note Fingering

C, C7, Cm, Cm7 C 5th string, 3rd fret

D, D7, Dm, Dm7 D 4th string, open

E, E7, Em, Em7 E 6th string, open

F, F7, Fm, Fm7 F 6th string, 1st fret

G, G7, Gm, Gm7 G 6th string, 3rd fret

A, A7, Am, Am7 A 5th string, open

B, B7, Bm, Bm7 B 5th string, 2nd fret



9.4 Tablature

Tablatures (or tabs) are a simple alternative to traditional music scores and are widely used to showcase plucking patterns. Let’s take a look at section of a typical tablature:



How to read Tablatures:

• Tablatures are made up of 6 lines; the top most line represents the 1st string and the last line represents the 6th string.

• The numbers on the lines represent the fret to play for that string.

• Play the notes from left to right. • The chords are often shown above the

lines. • A series of numbers, stacked vertically,

indicate to play all the notes at the same time.

In the next few exercises, we will look at some common plucking patterns for songs with 4/4 time signature



Exercise 9A

Let’s try the plucking pattern using the G chord:

p i m a m i a m

• Notice that the pattern involves the

bass + 4th, 3rd and 2nd strings. In such instances, use fingers i, m, a to pluck the 4th, 3rd and 2nd strings respectively.

• Set the metronome to 4/4 and 80. • Increase the tempo to 90 & then 100

when you get more comfortable with the plucking pattern.



Exercise 9B

Let’s use the plucking pattern in Exercise 9A to play Just the Way You Are: • Set the metronome to 4/4 and 80. • Increase the tempo to 90 & then 100




Exercise 9C


p i m a – i m i

• ‘–‘ indicates a rest in the half-beat. • Set the metronome to 4/4 and 80. • Increase the tempo to 90 & then 100




Exercise 9D

Let’s use the plucking pattern in Exercise 9C to play Firework: • Set the metronome to 4/4 and 80. • Increase the tempo to 90 & then 100




Firework

Lesson 10 Re: Plucking 94


Lesson 10 Re: Plucking

In this lesson, we will learn more fingerstyle plucking patterns.



Exercise 10A

Let’s try the plucking pattern using the C chord:

p i m i a i m i

• Set the metronome to 4/4 and 80. • Increase the tempo to 90 & then 100




Exercise 10B

Let’s use the plucking pattern in Exercise 10A to play Leaving on a Jet Plane: • Set the metronome to 4/4 and 80. • Increase the tempo to 90 & then 100




Exercise 10C


p – m a i m

• ‘–‘ indicates a rest in the half-beat. • This is a common plucking method for

songs with 3/4 time signature. • Set the metronome to 3/4 and 80. • Increase the tempo to 90 & then 100




Exercise 10D

Let’s use the plucking pattern in Exercise 10C to play The Only Exception: • Set the metronome to 3/4 and 80. • Increase the tempo to 90 & then 100




The Only Exception

Lesson 11 Guitar Theory 102


Lesson 11 Guitar Theory In this final lesson, we will go through some guitar theory that will add meaning to your playing.



11.1 Chord Theory

Chords are constructed by applying a particular chord pattern to the major scale. They can be constructed using a 3-step process. 1. Find the notes in a major scale.

The notes in any major scale can be derived from this pattern:

W W H W W W H W : whole step (tone) H : half step (semitone) Example: G major scale



2. Number the notes (also known as scale tones)

G A B C D E F# G A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

3. Apply chord pattern.

Chord Patterns Examples

Major 1 3 5 G: G B D

Minor 1 b3 5 Gm: G Bb D Dominant 7 1 3 5 b7 G7: G B D F

Major 7 1 3 5 7 Gmaj7: G B D F#

Minor 7 1 b3 5 b7 Gm7: G Bb D F Add 9 1 3 5 9 Gadd9: G B D A

Suspended 4 1 4 5 Gsus4: G C D



Exercise 11A

Using the steps listed above, try constructing the following chords: Cm, Cmaj7, Csus4, Cadd9 Cm : C Eb G (1 b3 5) Cmaj7 : C E G B (1 3 5 7) Csus4 : C F G (1 4 5) Cadd9 : C E G D (1 3 5 9)



11.2 Slash Chords

Recall in Section 9.3, we learnt that the bass note of a chord is its root note. In some instances, in order to add colour to the music, the bass note played is not the root note. In this case, the bass note is indicated after the chord separated by a slash.



Example: Chord Bass Note Fingering

C/E E

D/F# F#

G/B B



Slash chords are often used in progressions where the bass forms ascending or descending scale.

Example: C → G/B → Am7 → Am7/G Bass descends from C → B → A → G Dm7 → C/E → F → G Bass ascends from D → E → F → G



11.3 Capo – Power Tool

A capo is a device that clamps down an entire fret. Clamping the capo at fret x raises the pitch by x half steps. Example: Placing the capo at the 2nd fret (Capo 2) raises the pitch of strings by 2 half steps. Similarly, clamping the capo at fret x raises a particular chord by x half steps. Example: With the capo placed at the 2nd fret (Capo 2), a C chord is transformed into a D chord (C→C#→D).



In contemporary guitar playing, the capo is the most powerful accessory around. It allows many songs to be played with relatively simpler chords. Example: A song played to E Key will involve chords like E, B, C#m, F#m G#m.

By placing the capo on the 4th fret (C→C#→D→D#→E: 4 half-steps), the song can now be played in the C Key and will involve chords like C, G, Am, Dm, Em.



11.4 Complex Chords

Many guitarists are intimidated when they see complex chords e.g. Caug9, F7b5 etc. There is really no need to be. Some may even have simpler fingerings than those chords that you can already play! Just look up the fingering for the chord and treat it as just another chord with its own set of fingerings. One excellent website that I use is http://chordbook.com/guitar-chords

http://chordbook.com/guitar-chords



11.5 Sustaining Motivation

Many aspiring guitarists fail because they give up when the going gets tough or after the initial enthusiasm fades off. One strategy that I use to motivate and sustain the interest of my students is to get them to practise using their favourite songs. You may wish to search for the chords to your favourite songs on my music blog: chords-haven.blogspot.com. Do join me on facebook www.facebook.com/chords.haven to request for your favourite songs and receive chord updates!

http://www.facebook.com/chords.haven

Appendix: Common Chords 113


Appendix Common Chords

Appendix: Common Chords 114


Learn to Play Contemporary Guitar

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