Hi, Tomas Michaud here.
In this video I'm gonna teach you how to master beginning guitar chords in an easy and reliable
fashion.
Now, first I'm gonna show you a methodical approach to learning chords on your own.
And secondly, I'm gonna direct you to some step-by-step lessons to learn the most important
basic guitar chords.
This is cutting edge thought, no fluff here, but it's gonna be a lot of fun.
Let's get going.
Before we get started with the system, I wanna tell you about two principles that will tie
to everything that we talk about.
The first is to use efficient hand position when making your chords.
And the second is to only apply as much pressure as if needed to make the chord sound proper.
Efficient hand position means putting your fingers and hand in such a way that you require
the least amount of pressure as possible to make the chord and the sound proper, and also
that you have as much flexibility to move.
Now depending on the chord, it might look a little bit different.
But there are some principles that are pretty consistent throughout.
So your thumb will generally be behind the neck of the guitar, and your knuckle will
be not buckled but rather flat.
So you're using the palm of your thumb, the pad of your thumb.
And second of all, your fingers will be angled in such a way that they go up and then down.
So I can put pressure easy on the guitar in there without having to strain.
This is strenuous when I have my finger straightened out more.
I don't have any leverage.
It's easy for me to press on the chord when my fingers are angled like this.
So the second principle is to use the least amount of pressure as possible to make the
chord sound right.
So what the best way to test that is if you let go of the chord a little bit, it should
bust.
If it doesn't, stop sounding if it doesn't, that means you can put less pressure on.
If it does, you're doing it right.
If you find your hand is getting tired after playing for a while, you probably could use
less pressure and it's something you will need to practice.
So now for the system, here's step one -- Fingering.
Finger a chord.
I'm gonna pick a very simple guitar chord the D chord to start off to show you this
principle.
Put your fingers one at a time on the chord, try to get your fingers close to the fret
as possible and angle, and then sound the chord.
Okay, doesn't sound quite right.
Shake your hands off, relax, do it again.
Move your fingers around a little bit, try a little more pressure, sounds good.
Keep doing that until you get a really decent sound.
Don't go for perfect.
That will hold you back.
Go for a 70 or 80 percent.
You will refine it as you go through this process and learn more chords as well.
The second step is to pick another chord that's commonly used with that chord.
We're going to later about what chords to choose that are commonly used with each other.
For now I'm gonna choose the A7 chord, the fairly easy chord also, and you finger that
chord same thing, put my fingers one at a time, sound it.
Keep doing that; shake your hand out occasionally, until you get the sound.
Spend about five minutes on the chord getting it right.
Step three is changing from one chord to the other.
So start with the first chord you've made, strum down four times to start off with, and
then move to the second chord, back and forth.
No pulse to start off with.
But as you progress and you can do that comfortably, try doing it in time.
Imagine on what's best for this, but you can do it with just tapping -- one, two, three,
four -- and then change chord.
The trick is to learn not to slow down or stop when you go from one chord to the other.
Go as slow as you need to do so that you can get the chord in time, and then pick up your
speed little by little.
It really works.
And now for the final step, you basically repeat the same thing but you add a third
chord.
So finger a third chord, I'll pick G in this case.
Hey, sounds good.
And then practice, four times each chord, changing to three chords.
Okay.
Now after you get good at doing four strums each chord, tighten that up to two strums
each chord.
And then even try for a while just one strum each chord to get speed changing from one
to the other.
When you can do that, it's time to go on to some new chords.
So that's it for my system.
Now I want to direct you to some step by step lessons that you can check out called Basic
Guitar Chords.
It's a five part series, and you'll find the link below this video.
It'll teach you starting from the basic chords up through about half a dozen to ten chords.
Thank you for joining me in this video.
It's been a pleasure.
I look forward to seeing you in some of my other videos.
Bye for now.