Chapter 5 – Playing Notes and Chords


Now for the fun part, actually playing the guitar! It is essential to practice playing the guitar. It is not that difficult to make sounds on the guitar but if you want to make these sounds pleasing to the ear, you have to practice.

Begin by plucking the sixth string. Do not use your fretting hand. You will hear an E note. If you play a string without using the fret, you are playing the note “open”.

The next thing to do is to move downward and play the strings “open”. You will hear the A, D, G, B, and E notes, in that order. Each note will sound higher than the one preceding it.

After you have done this, return to the sixth string and take your index finger and place it on the first fret. The first fret is the space between the nut and the first fret. You should be using the index finger on your fretting hand. Now press down the note with the tip of your index finger instead of the joint. As you hold the index finger down on the initial fret, use the hand with the pick in it and pluck the sixth string. If you have done this right, the sound that you hear should be a little higher than when you first plucked the string without holding down the fret.

Next move the index finger up to the second fret. This is the space between the second and first frets. Pluck the sixth string once more. You should hear a higher sound than the previous one.

Repeat these steps with every string. Play the string open, place your finger on the first fret, and then place your finger on the next fret. If you hear notes that are bad, muffled or off-key, make sure that you are firmly pressing down on the note and that your finger is on the center of the fret. Continue to practice until you are comfortable making each note.

After you have practiced playing notes, you can move on to playing chords. A chord is two notes that are played at the same time. Chords create a richer sound than what you would hear if you played each note by itself. Most chords are three notes that are played together. Some chords include more than three notes. Chords involved playing multiple strings together. This is “strumming”.

The most common chords are “Major” chords and these are the chords that beginning guitarists usually learn first. The major chords are C Major, A Major, G Major, E Major, and D Major. These chords are a combination of different sets of notes. When theses notes are played together they create a sound that is unique. Many of your all-time favorite songs are played by using three or more chords. Let’s discuss fingering positions, exact notes and patterns of strumming that are used in “Major” chords.

To play a C Major chord, place your ring finger on the third fret and fifth string. Then place your middle finger on the second fret and fourth string. Last, place your index finger on the first fret, second string. Now, starting on the fifth string, strum the 3 string quickly. Don’t play the sixth string.




The C Major chord should look like a staircase. The index finger forms the lowest step. It will feel odd when you begin to work on chords in this way but the more you practice chords and as your fingers become stronger, you will not have a problem forming chord structures with your hands.
Don’t worry if when you begin practicing chords that sound horrible and the notes sound strange. As they say “practice makes perfect.”

 To play the A Major chord:

  • Put the index finger on the second fret and fourth string.
  • Put the middle finger on the second fret and third string.
  • Put the ring finger on the second fret and second string.
  • Now, beginning with the fifth string, strum the strings quickly. Don’t play the sixth string.
 

The A Major chord is harder to play than the C Major chord because three fingers are crunched together on the second fret. Play the chord a couple of times so you can see how it sounds and feels. If you continue to have problems or your fingers are big and cannot fit together on the second fret, you may want to

try other fingerings. One solution is to use the middle finger instead of the ring finger to press down the second and third strings together.


 To play the G Major Chord:


  • Put the middle finger on the third fret, sixth string
  • Put the index finger on the second fret, and fifth string
  • Put the finger on the third fret and first string.
  • Now strum the strings quickly.




























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