Basic Guitar Chords And How To Play Them

One of the challenges for the novice guitarist is learning the basic chords. You will not only need to know where to put your fingers, but also how to change from one chord to another. The technique of smooth transition between chords is a learning process we are never really finished with. Every time we learn something new on the guitar, that's another sequence of small movements our body learns, and these sets of movements must be executed smoothly through relaxed, calm practice.

Holding chords with your left hand is a new skill. It uses groups of muscles we do not normally use, so it takes time to learn the chord shapes without experiencing discomfort. There is light at the end of the tunnel, although sometimes the tunnel seems very, very long.

Another physical adaptation that has to be made when you learn your basic guitar chords is the left-hand fingers need to be toughened up. Callouses form on the tips of the fingers after a few weeks playing, but until they do you need to put up with the pain.

Fortunately learning the notes on the guitar is a job that does come to an end. As you learn more songs, chords and scales you will feel your ease with musical theory and notation growing even if you didn't directly learn much theoretical stuff. If you learn in your own way the knowledge gets into you by way of constant practice and the enjoyment you bring to your guitar playing.

So the task at hand is to learn a basic group of chords. This is your toolbox you begin your guitar playing with.
Each chord is identified by a letter. If the letter is followed by the word, minor, it's a minor chord. If it is just the letter alone, it's a major chord.

Major chords contain the Root note, a major third above the Root plus a fifth above the Root.
Minor chords, which have a more "sad" sound, are the same except that they contain a minor third instead of a major third.

A basic rule of thumb for understanding major and minor chords is for a
major chord play the (1) (3) and (5) of the major scale, and for a minor chord play the (1) (3) and (5) of the minor scale.

A handy thing to know once you start playing barre chords is that if you learn the major chord shape, you only need to lift one left-hand finger to play the minor chord.

The basic chords come from the keys of A G C and D. The chords themselves can be played at all positions on the fret board, but beginners start with open chords at the first position. This means that at least one note is played on an open string.

We group the basic keys into families:
The A family contains the chords A, D and E.
The D family contains the chords D, E minor, G and A.
The G family contains the chords G, A minor, C, D and E minor.
The C family contains the chords C, D minor, E minor, F and G.

Ricky Sharples has many more tips for guitar players of all levels at his blog Learn How To Play A Guitar For Free, a continuously updated directory of free guitar lessons, videos, chord charts and lots of useful guitar stuff.

Related Information of Interest:

Who Wrote The Most Famous Love Poem
The Most Famous Love Poem

Love poems have been written for centuries to inspire lovers and create romance. When you give your special someone a love poem, you can express your feelings through eloquent words in a memorable way. Many famous love poems are written by classical poets, such as Lord Byron, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Shakespeare. But a famous love poem by a modern poet may appeal to a younger person who likes a less formal tone.

The poet e.e. cummings wrote what is probably the most famous love poem currently. It has been featured in other books and movies, used as inspiration for other writers.

i carry your heart with me
by e. e. cummings

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart)

The poet e.e. cummings is quite a unique writer in that he used new methods of creating mood and setting the words to paper. He explored the use of white space on the page and made the words’ appearance just as important as their sound when the poem was read aloud.

This poem is a perfect example of his use of parentheses and unusual stanza variation. He found a wonderful way of expressing very abstract ideas with some concrete grammatical forms. Use this poem to express to your loved one just how much they mean to you.

Visit to find out more about famous love poems.

Art Hill is an internet poet who operates an independant poetry publishing company.

Amish Bread Starter
Amish Bread Starter, creating a "Sour-dough" like bread. This starter makes a cinnamon bread, with optional raisins and nuts. From the "e-Cookbook" 65 Amish Recipes available from www.faithsrecipies.biz/amish

2/3 c. sugar
2/3 c. milk
2/3 c. flour
2/3 c. oil
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda

Combine ingredients in large airtight container with lid. Store at room temperature, do not refrigerate. Stir every day for 17 days. The recipe makes more than the 1 cup needed. But allows for evaporation.

Now the starter is ready. The following instructions are for either the starter you created above, or received from a loving friend.

For the next 10 days handle starter according to the following instructions.

Day 1, receive the starter
Day 2, 3 & 4 - stir
Day 5, Add 1 cup each flour, sugar and milk.
Day 6 & 7, stir
Day 8 & 9, stir
Day 10, Add 1 cup flour, sugar and milk.
Divide into 3 containers of 1 cup each for friends.

After removing the 3 cups of batter, mix in the following ingredients: Using a fork, beat by hand until well blended.

Add 1 cup raisins and 1 cup nuts (optional).

Grease pans with butter, sprinkle with sugar instead of flour. Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes, remove from pans.

Cook books and recipes are found at Faith's Recipes

Five Reasons Why You Should Drink More Water Everyday
1. Drinking more water everyday will keep your skin looking smooth and supple. Applying expensive creams and lotions to your face is not an effective way to conceal the effects aging has on your skin. The real fountain of youth can be found in a glass of water.

2. Drinking more water everyday will help you cut calories. Most popular beverages are loaded with calories. A can of soda can have as many as 240 calories per serving. Drinking 1 or 2 of these each day is a recipe for gaining weight. Choosing to drink water instead is the calorie free way to quench your thirst.

3. Drinking more water everyday will help you distinguish thirst from hunger. If you allow your body to become dehydrated it will be difficult to discern whether that gnawing feeling in your stomach is a call for food or a call for water. And if you keep eating food when what your body really needs is water, you will gain weight.

4. Drink more water everyday will help your think more clearly. Research has repeatedly shown that staying hydrated is necessary for the human brain, which is 85 percent water, to function at optimal levels. That is why many school systems throughout the country now encourage students to keep a bottle of water at their desks and to drink it throughout the day.

5. Drinking more water everyday will help you feel better. Your body is about 75 percent water and 25 percent solid material. Doesn’t it make sense that you would need to drink water on a daily basis to ensure that your body has all the water it needs to perform at optimal levels. It is a mistake to believe that thirst is the only indicator of a need to drink water. Constipation, achy joints and fatigue are also signals that your body may be dehydrated.

Jacqueline D. Stanley: Author, Speaker, Chief Encouragement Officer at Lettuce Is Not Enough University: The Place to Learn How to Live Well and Lose Weight. lettuceisnotenough.com

Using the Sun to Power Your RV
Jumping in your RV and leaving the rat race for the weekend is an American tradition. Did you know you can provide power to your RV with the sun while getting away from it all?

The Sun is Everywhere!

One of the biggest misconceptions regarding solar power is that it is limited to large panel systems on roofs. Au contraire! With new nanotechnology, solar power systems will soon be applied with the paint you use to improve your home. That’s still two or three years away, so what about now?

If you enjoy taking the RV out for an excursion, you can use solar power to provide your electrical needs. Whether you are going camping or to a NASCAR race, it is an exceedingly simple process.

Unlike homes, RVs run on direct current electricity. This makes them perfect for solar electricity since solar systems produce direct current electricity instead of alternating current. Put another way, there is no need for bulky converters to flip the electricity from direct to alternating. Instead, you can use the sun to power up your batteries directly.

Portable solar systems consist of pop-up solar modules with four or five panels. Essentially, they look like small ladders with solar panels instead of steps. You just pop them up on the roof of the RV or in an area where the sun hits them. The systems tie directly into your batteries and power them up during the day. Super easy and super clean.

The real advantage to solar RV systems has to do with noise. The traditional method for recharging your RV batteries is to turn on a generator and generators can be very loud. Even the quietest generator makes enough noise to make you feel like you live next to a construction site. Solar systems make no noise at all. There are no moving parts, just the sun beating down on the panels. You’ll never know they are even there.

If RVing is your thing, portable solar modules are worth taking a look at. With high fuel prices, you need to save a buck wherever you can.

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies.