Lesson 3. Guitar Chords
The 1-5-1 Progression
Now that you have the open position major chords memorized it's time to put these guitar chords to use. In this lesson you will be practicing moving from chord to chord. This movement is called a chord progression.
This lesson will focus on the 1-5-1 progression. It uses all of the guitar chords learned in the last lesson. This chord progression is probably the most often used chord progression in western music. It occurs in popular music of all styles. Mastery of these basic chord progressions is essential if you want to play the guitar.
As you play through these guitar chords keep the following points in mind.
- Work slowly. Speed is not important at this point. It is much better to play slow and be accurate in your practice. The speed will follow automatically.
- Set aside consistent time for practice each day. A minimum of thirty minutes daily is needed to make steady progress. There are 4 examples to practice using the guitar chords you know, so you should do each one 7 to 8 minutes daily. The constant repetition of the movements will help you nail these guitar chords as quick as possible.
- When playing guitar chords, always use the least amount of movement possible. Keep your fingers close to the guitar. Never move a finger that you don't have to.
- Move all of your fingers at the same time. When going from chord to chord, make one move, not a series of movements that involve each finger. Another way to say this might be, fingers off together, fingers on together.
- Strive to play in time from guitar chord to guitar chord with no breaks between the guitar chords. Keep a steady tempo.
- Each example is written in common time. This means that there are
4 beats per measure. The diagonal lines in the measures represent 1
beat. Use all down strokes with your pick and strum 4 times per guitar
chord.
Click here for lesson 4, more basic guitar chords.
