Shortcut to Learning Guitar Chords Part-1

Here is the 1st post of my Shortcut to Learning Guitar Chords.

I am not also saying my method is exclusively mine -- I'm sure there's a lot of people out there who had the same question as mine when they were beginning and somehow, somewhere, somebody has figured out the same method as mine. I still have to see something like it though.

What I'm after:
- Get you started playing the guitar as quickly as possible
- Teach you how to figure out hundred of Guitar Chords without memorizing from Chord Charts
- Enable you to jam to songs you like, faster

What I won't teach you:
- Detailed guitar and music theory (this kind of tutorial is flooding in the internet)
- How to play lead guitar, etc (also, this kind of tutorial is flooding in the internet)
- How to tune your guitar (find someone to, or again, search the internet)

What I will do for you:
- Show you how to derive Chords; with enough practice, you'll be doing it real time!

What I won't do for you:
- Practice for you. I'll show you, you practice. That's the core of it all. You have to practice to develop your hands and guitar playing will become as easy as writing. I'll show you, you do nothing -- you'll get to nothing. As simple as that.

You should at least know the following (note: I provided hyperlinks, clicking on them will redirect you to other websites. You wont need to read very detailed; simply skim read and come back).

- The basic parts of the the guitar. You'd need to know the parts so we can understand each other. ( Keypoint: "headstock", "neck", "fret", "inlays","body" and "tuning pegs")

- How the fretboard works. You should know what the fretboard is by now if you have read about the basic parts of the guitar. (Keypoint: the name of the strings "EADGBe" -- know where they are; meaning of the "dots" or "inlays" in the fretboard.)

- How to hold the guitar. I figure it should be common sense, but you can read if you want.

- How the guitar strings are pressed with your fingers. Well, common sense should dictate you press it with the tips of your fingers. But go on, just read. Do note that some extremely talented people do use feet! See example1 & example2. You may use your feet if you want to.

Shortcut to Learning Guitar Chords

I often encounter people wanting to learn playing the guitar, aiming of course, to at least belt out their favorite song, but sadly most don’t get past beyond A, E and D chords. And of course, G, because nobody would miss a single press of the lowest-string(the thinnest string) on the 3rd fret as G. If you're one of those, you'd be lucky if your choice of song only needs a combination of these 4 chords or you find a song that only uses these chords. I don't mean to demean those who knew AEDG only, I want them to realize they could be better, in a very easy way.

The problem as I see it, is they try to memorize right off the Guitar Chord Chart. If you're doing the same, you are on to a real long and tedious process! If you're just about to begin learning guitar chords, find a Guitar Chord Chart and see just how much you can memorize in a day, and how much you can recall the following day, the following week...etcetera. Sadly still, many people I know whose guitar playing are unquestionably better than mine, believe that memorizing from charts is the best way to start learning guitar chords.

One guy I know approached a formally educated guitar player to teach him basic guitar chords. What happened? He was told to go and memorize the basic chords from the chord charts and come back and he would teach him. Three years on to this day, the guy has shifted to keyboards and he did quit just the same. Pity.

When I was just beginning, I started the same way. But I ended up forgetting chords I memorized the previous day once I learned new chords. As I wrote in my profile, I am completely self thought. I grew up in a poor family, I don't have enough to pay for a teacher. So I figured things my own, from the chord charts just the same, and I was able to figure out how to derive guitar chords real time. Read that once again: derive chords realtime.

That, I firmly believe, is what guitar newbies need to know immediately. Derive chords real time, or, figure out the chords as you need them, quickly. Why? So enjoyment is immediate and that will give more inspiration to pursue.

If that does not sound good to you, I don't know what to say next. But if you have read this long, please keep on reading. You won't regret, I promise. Let me also have the pleasure to say that some good guitarists I knew were somehow surprised how simple is my method and how easy to master. Mind you, you may end up not only teaching yourself, but others too. The method I use is not revolutionary at all, but it's interesting and definitely worth your time particularly if you're a real beginner.

Let me tell you also that even thought the method I use will definitely help you playing very quickly, it will not make you an expert of guitar chords. Call it a trade off. There is a better way of learning guitar chords, where you learn deep guitar chord theory like "triads" and the like, but it sure will need a hell lot of your time. But if your time is limited, the method I am writing about is for you. If you're looking for a way to play chords just to jam along with your friends over some beer on the weekends, or simply to have something interesting to do in your free time but you're not willing to invest so much time in it, this is for you.

I'm going to break my tutorial in a series of posts so check out my newer posts.

Faithful Love Backing Tracks

There were requests for backing tracks. So let me share the MP3 backing tracks I made. These are simple (read: incomplete instumentation) backing tracks, just drums and bass guitar. I am also providing backing tracks in slower BPM for your practicing.

Download here. Note that you'll be redirected to another website...
1. Complete (with guitar in low volume)
2. Complete (totally no guitar)
3. 80bpm
4. 150bpm
5. 190bpm
6. 200bpm

Or you can directly play it here:


1.Complete (with guitar in low volume):

2.Complete (totally no guitar):

3. 80bpm:

4.150bpm:

5.190bpm:

6.200bpm:


Oddly enough, I found the BPM of the original to be somewhere 211bpm. I am talking about D.Holmer's version. If you want other bpm, or you have any comment or suggestion, just drop me an email.

Enjoy!

Faithful Love Music Sheet

It's a little more than a year since I posted the tabs for Faithful Love. I've been quite busy with MUTE, had 2 major gigs since, and only about a month ago that I went out looking again for descent documentation of that classic Faithful Love. Nothing, still.

Sure enough, there are mistakes. Part-2 is wrong.

So I did it all over again, in Sheet Music + tab pdf. Better, huh! You can download the Sheet Musics from the links below.

I must say much more can be done to make it better. First and foremost, I still need to transcribe the keyboards and rhythm parts. The guitar tabs need some more refining, but the bass tabs is as good as it gets for me- I transcribed it using WIDI Recognition System, so I don't think much could be done to make it better. It likewise has thumbs-up from ArmanB (MUTE's bassist).

So here it is, enjoy!

GUITAR:

Faithful Love (D.Holmer) Guitar Sheet Music by jesiu



BASS:

Faithful Love (D.Holmer) Bass Sheet Music by jesiu




Why the fascination with this piece of music? I don't know. I can't call it fascination, except that I'm a little bit apprehensive why this piece we call ours, and considering a million Filipino guitarists out there who are much better than I am, never bothered to formally document it. My thinking is, if no one does, then do it.

So I am trying. That said, please forgive my mistakes in the tablatures if any. I am going to refine this piece's Sheet Music as my time allows, and as my notation skills develop (I'm not good at it, really). Drop me an email for any question or correction, or even just comments.

Keep on tabbing!

Faithful Love, Tabs of Rudy dela Vega's Tutorial

Here's my tabs for Rudy dela Vega's Faithful Love. There are some parts I can't make out so I got back to the record and fill-in. I also added some fill-ins for transitions. As I wrote in my previous post, there are some variations in each recorded version of the piece, listen to the version of your choice and change as needed. It doesn't vary much though.

Feel free to create your own full tablature and share in guitar sharing sites. Please just don't claim it as your own creation from scrap.

++++++ FAITHFUL LOVE ++++++
Tabbed by Jesi-U

PART-1



E|-------9--12-9----12-9-----------12-10---+------------14-12--14-12-14[p12]-------|
B|-----10-------10-------------------------+-------------------------------14------|
G|----9-----------9---------------------11-+-11-11-11/13-----13--------------------|
D|-11--------------------11-11/12-12-------+---------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------+---------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------+---------------------------------------|

E|-------9--12-9----12-9-----------12-10---+------------14-12--14-12---------------|
B|-----10-------10-------------------------+-------------------------12-12h14p12---|
G|----9-----------9---------------------11-+-11-11-11/13-----13-----------------14-|
D|-11--------------------11-11/12-12-------+---------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------+---------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------+---------------------------------------|


PART-2



E|-----------9---7---5---4-----+---------7---5---4---------+---------7---5---4---------|
B|---------10---9---7---5----7-+--------9---7---5----7---5-+--------9---7---5----7---5-|
G|-9-8-9--------------------7--+-7-6-7--------------7---6--+-7-6-7--------------7---6--|
D|-----------------------------+---------------------------+---------------------------|
A|-----------------------------+---------------------------+---------------------------|
E|-----------------------------+---------------------------+---------------------------|

E|---------5---4--------------+------------7/9-7----------|
B|--------7---5----7---5---3--+-5-4-5/7--5----------------|
G|-6-5-6----------7---6---4---+---------------------------|
D|----------------------------+---------------------------|
A|----------------------------+---------------------------|
E|----------------------------+---------------------------|


PART-3



>>SEGMENT 1

>OPTION 1
E|-----------------------+-----------------------|
B|-----------------------+-----------9--9h10-9---|
G|-----------------------+---8-10-11--11------11-|
D|-11-10-11/12--11-10-11-+-11--------------------|
A|-----------------------+-----------------------|
E|-----------------------+-----------------------|

>OPTION 2
E|-----------------------+------9------------------|
B|-----------------------+-----9--12-10-9-9h10-9---|
G|-----------------------+---10-----------------11-|
D|-11-10-11/12--11-10-11-+-11----------------------|
A|-----------------------+-------------------------|
E|-----------------------+-------------------------|

>>SEGMENT 2
E|-------------------+-------------------14-12--------------------------------------|
B|-------------------+-----------------9-------15-12-----------------------------12-|
G|-------------------+---6-8-9-11-9-11---------------13-11-13------------11-13-14---|
D|-9-8-9-9/11--9-8-9-+-9--------------------------------------14-14-13-14-----------|
A|-------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------+--------------------------------------------------------------|