Chord Basics, Pt. II – Simple Strumming

Last month I talked about using the one finger open chords G7 and G as a good starting point for introducing chords to guitar newbies. But, what is a good way to approach strumming those chords? This is a great point to introduce your student to music notation - using rhythmic notation is a great visual aid for students to help them understand what they are physically doing.

Start with quarter notes have the student count in groups of four (1234, 1234); play through each chord individually by looping a one measure rhythm and counting out loud to help keep their timing smooth. 

Once students are comfortable playing each chord, have them switch chords every four beats. Allow the player to take as much time to switch at first without a strict rhythm and once they can switch chords smoothly with a problem then enforce a stricter rhythm.

Next month the topic of“Chord Basics” will continue by outlining how to read chord diagrams.

Chord Basics, Pt. I

I’ve seen a good number of students get discouraged because of the way they are introduced to chords. For whatever reason, when learning chords many teachers start their students off with open position three-finger chords such as the “classic” E, A or D. It may be a bit much for those still developing finger independence to utilize three-finger chords, so I prefer to have students use one-finger open chords. 

The first open chords that I introduce to students to are the one-finger G7 and G. Although technically called G7/D and G/D, those new to the guitar are on a “need to know” basis and understanding chord inversions when you can’t play a chord is a bit much to ask.

Over the next few posts I’ll delve into strumming these chords and the mechanics of strumming.

Getting the Music Started - Simplified Rock Riffs, Pt. III

         For the last two months I have been discussing teaching beginning students “simplified rock riffs” as a way to begin their journey playing actual music. Each riff that you teach students should offer a new challenge to overcome, yet be mastered with a sufficient level of effort. 

   Previously I spoke regarding the merit of riffs like “Smoke on the Water” and “Sunshine of Your Love” as learning tools. These are personal favorites and riffs I feel offer the student a sufficient challenge for their skill level and can act as jumping off points for new topics. 

  This month I wanted to tackle a simplified version of “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin - a great riff for introducing concepts such as playing on multiple strings or string muting with the palm. Furthermore, it is a riff that can be played using only one finger of the left hand! 

   Start stockpiling your own list of riffs for students, but always be thinking about what can be taught through the riff. Learning a new riff can be fun for students, but helping them progress while having fun is always better.