pass on your tips

[jimmy buffett]

....we have whiskey and gospel night. feels alright.....

Now why didn't I think of that? 

"Honey, I'm off to gospel tonight.  Don't wait up!"   

jimmy

[ducktrapper]

Reminds of a joke that I can't repeat here. The best tip one can give a budding musician, never mind guitarists, is ... listen.

[flatlander]

Very true. Further more if I'm playing with a good bass player I'll not only listen but when I can, watch his right hand and trigger off of that. His timing is probably better than mine.

[norseman40]

Thanks for the tips.  This is good stuff.  I'm following along.   I'm glad to have any help I can get when it comes to playing up the neck. 

Flatlander, as you already know, the wisecracks go with the territory.  They just make things a little more interesting.

[flatlander]

Thanks for the tips.  This is good stuff.  I'm following along.   I'm glad to have any help I can get when it comes to playing up the neck. 

Flatlander, as you already know, the wisecracks go with the territory.  They just make things a little more interesting.

I'm cool. wasn't kidding about whishey and gospel night though. Here's another one. The aug7. made like an chopped down F thats made on the 1st 4 strings except that shape is on 2,3,4,5 string. It serves as a 5th to that F shape chord. So we're in A playing the F shaped chord at 5th fret. at the end of a 12 bar blues can go EEEE DDDD AAAA then the aug 7th. ( I think it can be named by any note in chord)  very easy hand movement, just move all fingers up a string. Since the aug 7 repeats itself every 4 frets, you can also split it's time and for the last beat or whatever, slide it up 4 frets (or down) It also works about the same for the D shaped chord I was talking about earlier made on 2,3,4 string. Notice how the aug chord is right there for it as well for that tag at end. Norseman I mentioned earlier about going from the D type chord to a 9th for the IV chord which is right there. did you follow? You can play your I IV V blues and barely move your hands. To me there's 2 basic types of 9ths, the one that's pretty much a C7 shape with 2nd string 3rd fret added, and the other one. The other one is what I'm talking about that is so close to D shape chord. If you don't know it and care I'll spell it out...................later. 
I know there's a lot better players than me out there, share something!

[tbman]

I like this little chord (in tab):


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-----1-------
-----2-------
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-----3-------
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[scotchtape]

Why don't you guys just write out your chords in the normal tab form....
(each number represents the fret, strings EADGbe)
i.e.

C: x32010
C: 332010
C: x32033 (works well if you are playing in the key of G)
C: 8x0088 (also good in key of G, like the blackbird song by the beatles)
C#m: x46200

Ok I went overboard.  The last one is way easier with a cut capo.  I might post more later if I'm not too lazy.
Only downside is it doesn't include fingering, but oh wells!

[jeremy3220]

I like this little chord (in tab):


-------------
-----1-------
-----2-------
-------------
-----3-------
-------------

I think you're missing a few notes there. You've got CAC as written.

[flatlander]

As per other thread resurrecting this thread. There's some goofin, but good info as well. I'll start by adding a few chords that are up the neck but pretty easy and utilize a lot of open strings even though the fretted ones are up the neck. My 000-60 sounds absolutely incredible with these chords and I suggest any owners of them check these out if they don't already use them.

A at 5th fret.  ---------------------0    pinky free to jam around with hammers, pull offs whatever
                     ---------------------5 I
                     ---------------------6 M
                     ---------------------7 R
                     ---------------------0
                     ---------------------5 w/thumb

D chord, notice the easy transition from A to the IV chord

                     ---------------------5 I
                     ---------------------7 P
                     ---------------------7 R
                     ---------------------0
                     ---------------------0
                     ---------------------5 T

Glorious sounding E chord
                     ---------------------0
                     ---------------------0
                     ---------------------9 pinky
                     ---------------------9 ring
                     ---------------------7 index
                     ---------------------0
So there's the I, IV, V in the key of A with these cool ,chimey, up the neck open chords. I'm on a quest for these kinds of chords so if anybody has some to add, I'd appreciate it. Like I said, they sound angelic on 000-60. As always see what notes you can add or change to triad to find new chords. examples. Shxt, I'm getting carried away, anyway....
On A chord I on 2nd string is 5th, so pinky on 7th fret makes it a 6th chord. 7th fret a 7th chord (dom)
On E chord example pinky is root so fret below it is as always gonna be major 7th. So replace pinky withe middle finger a fret lower and it a pretty E maj 7. Lower it another fret and you have a bluesy E 7th (dom) A little harder chord to finger, may require pinky to cover 4th string.  One last related tip along those lines. Remember when you were first learning how hard even the big open chords were to learn? After a few months not so bad. The same applies to learning new chords now. Hope someone enjoys and adds some more!

[Will Fly]

Here's a little something - if you're interested...

"Internal" chords. I'm a great believer in using as much of the fretboard as possible, and one of the things that puts guitar newbies off doing this is the dreaded barré chord. Now, several eminent guitarists, of which one of the greatest was Eddie Lang, got great speed and flexibility by using "internal" chords. Note that I say "internal", rather than "part". By using the internal 4 strings (say) of the guitar, you can get nice, expressive chord changes without the worry of the barré.

Example: x 5 4 5 3 x (D7)
               x 6 5 6 4 x (Eb7)

Example: x 5 5 4 3 x (G)
               x 6 6 5 4 x (Ab)

Example: x 5 4 4 3 x (D6)
               x 6 5 5 4 x (Eb6)

etc. The point is that if you asked a relative beginner to play the sequence Eb7 / / / Ab / / / they'd probably think it difficult. T'aint!

Playing fingerstyle helps here, as you can ignore picking the 6th and 1st strings, but controlled plectrum work will also allow you to strum the inner 4 strings. This isn't rocket science, but a lot of players don't seem to be aware of the possibilities...

Will

[GA-ME]

One thing that helped me find new ways to express myself musically was utilizing open tunings. Tune to a G, E, D,Dminor, etc and then just use the chord shapes you know from standard tuning and move them about the fretboard and you will discover all kinds of great sounding cool inversions. You get the benefit of using shapes you are already familiar fingering, but the alternate tuning creates different relationships with those shapes so its a win, win in my book. Plus, it helps develop your ear simply because you really don't know what you are playing and have to really listen to the changes you are constructing! Happy hunting!

[DaveyO]

dont show off in a guitar store if your checking out insrtuments, It annoys people and it makes you look like an -CENSORED-
Dave

[unclrob]

OK how many of you use a lot of preasure to hold down the chords?I tell a lot of people to lighten up all you need to do is crest the fret.By pressing real hard you can push the guitar out of tune.I  know that this is a tuff thing to do because it seems that the harder you strum the more you squeeze.To help change this effect try playing thru the chord scale with a lite touch while strumming pregressivly harder.It took me 2 years to break the habit as a result I have a very lite touch.

[flatlander]

GA-ME I like that one and I didn't realize that. I haven't done much with open tunings, just dropped d. But I'm gonna check that out for sure. Funny how those things work out on a guitar, like the same shape penatonic scale working for major or blues depending on where it's located.
Yea Rob I can be a squeezer for sure even as I try to control myself.
When I check out a guitar in store I generally just strum different chords mainly Then finger pick a little, not even a bonafide song and hit a quick lick or 2 just to see how fast she'll go with ole mud track driver.

[Randy_R]

Here are a couple of easy E chords at the 5th fret that I find myself using a lot to get a 'different' sound when jamming.

1. C:  {0 7 5 7 0 0}:  Em7

2.  C:  {0 7 6 7 5 0}: E7 (this is basically a C7 shape moved up the neck)

[flatlander]

Thanks Randy. The Em7 new to me and I will experiment with it.
I just had a moment which is an example of why it's been a long road. If you blessed with having a direct line from inner brain or gut to fingers you're lucky.
I was messing with the open chords I put up last night and realized that when going from the E to E7 it can be pretty easy. If you just have Index finger barring across  7th fret on strings 3,4,5. then all you have to do is lift pinky!
The context in which that came to me was pretty cool as well. Just dinking with some words while playing those 3 chords, actually playing out of E not A (which brings up a question I'll get to later). Very majory feeling, girl leaving blah, blah, blah. Some of us are familier with women that once they make up thier mind, that's it. The line is "when she made up her mind, she made it hard" Initial thought was hard as in solid, wasn't going back, but it can have the double meaning of, hard on me! when the hard on me aspect hit me in mid beat I automatically just laid my index across to get bluesy 7th. Maybe that famous song should go "if I only didn't have a brain" instead of "if I only had a brain!

[canoe65]

OK here's a good tip.

Don't try to walk thru a doorway with your guitar in playing position.It will damage the wall and p*** off you wife and damage the guitar.

Also Never eat the yellow snow.

Don't play the electric acoustic or any other electric guitar in the shower.
[/quote]

Also, "Growing OLD isn't so BAD, IF you think of the ALTERNATIVE."

I know that this isn't really a tip, but many of this forum's Members are geezers (i.e., over 50) ... like me ... and well   

[hadden]

I think at a certain point playing other people's music gets in the way of our own creativity and our own particular way of playing that is there if we dig hard enough and keep at the daydreamy noodling.

I wonder if we become better musicians if we stop listening to guitar players as well. Maybe I've been playing too long -- these days the drummer/singer/violin player and so on have more to say to me musically, are more interesting to me, than the guitar player.

[flatlander]

I'm always walking the line on that one. If a new song is brewing, and I mean to write, that takes priority.
After that it is not only a battle between original music and other peoples music but between other peoples music I really like and covers needed to keep bar owners happy. I've held to my guns better that the average bear, but I do feel it can be a little easier to present unfamilier music with a band as it has more power, and these days I'm solo for the most part.
For me I wouldn't say stop listening to guitar players but definately listen to other instruments as well.It's all a balancing act with not enough hours in the day.

[Danny]

  Nice RE:THREAD Matt, I just read the whole thing (Old and New) My brains a bit foggy right now with too much info.
       But here's a tip, no joke. Spend more time playing than talking about it. Frank Zappa put it a bit more crudely "Shut up and play yer guitar"
                    I realize I spend more time "talking" than "playing" and I'll never get better that way.
           So this thread is good for doing just that, tips on playing, not which wood or tuners,strings, and so on.

         (So just what is whiskey and gospel night? Sounds like an Elvis thing.)