Topic: A couple questions

I have been messing with the guitar for years now and just have never really taken to it.  I recently purchased an electric and a small ovation with a pickup and a tuner built in.  I like them both a lot.  I found that after playing for years I had two things that really held me back .  My first obstacle was my guitar.  Soon after I bought it my freshman year of college my roommate and I were wrestling around in our dorm room and i pushed him right onto my guitar and broke the neck away from the body.  I had it put back together by a guitar maker and until this year that was my guitar.  It killed my fingers and the action was so bad I couldn't pull off a bar chord past the third fret.  I am now 44 so it took me basicly 23 years to get around to buying a decent guitar.  My goal for the next year is to learn about 30-40 songs I can play by heart but I find my memorization is horrible.  So my first question is, what do some of do to help you memorize songs and their chords?

My next question is, why do some chords seem to have two chords connected such as A/F#?  Which chord am I supposed to play?  Thanks in advance for your answers.

Re: A couple questions

Hi paulbigyummy & welcome to chordie!

Glad you have some decent instruments to play with now.

An A/F# chord is a normal A major chord with an F# added.
The regular A major chord has A, C#, and E notes.
Adding the F# to this chord will alter the 'color' of the chord.

You can find several different fingerings for A/F# at the chord chart on chordie's 'Resources' page.  Click on any chord in the chart to see alternate fingerings - use whichever version 'fits' best and/or sounds best.

Hope this helps, James

"That darn Pythagorean Comma thing keeps messing me up!"
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_comma[/url]

Re: A couple questions

Just for the record, the guys I listen to are James and SouthPaw.

But anyway, 30 or 40 songs is really not that many from a chord perspective.  What you'll find is that almost all songs are made up of some variation of the same set of three or four chords.  The rhythm may be altered and the lyrics will always be different, but you're going to find yourself playing the same chords in one variation or another for almost every song.

So learn these sets of chords, and you'll have three or four thousand songs nailed cold.

C F G
A D E
G C D
E A B
D G A

Lyrics I can't help you with.   I can barely remember lyrics to songs I wrote.  big_smile

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

Re: A couple questions

Jerome is quite correct . . . most blues, rock and country songs I play are based on the chord progressions he suggested. 

It's called a I - IV - V (1-4-5) progression usually called a "blues" progression.

I would also add:  B E F#  and  F Bb C   to cover all the different Keys . . .

My two cents . . .

R

Re: A couple questions

there's no need to memorize Dude, just print out the songs you like.  Most of the stuff on here prints on one or two pages,  so if fits easily into a binder.   After you've played the songs about a billion times you'll have them cold.

Re: A couple questions

paulbigyummy: Thanks to become a "chordian". We love musicians, and young or old, this site is a give and get site.
Better is to tell: we can learn a lot from new members, and we try to answer everything. We have an "everything can" site: CHAT CORNER.
I noticed something about OVATION and an Electric.
Can I ask what kind of guitar this Ovation is, and your electric guitar (brand) + the music you play?
I have in fact too many guitars, but 75% are collectible.
I also agree with James, Jerome, Mixter. For me, writing songs, with only 3 chords is still real "craftsmanship ."One of the best examples is BOB DYLAN. I play now for 30 years, and my progression has increased at least 50% thanks to CHORDIE. Reading, asking and use the information. I love 3-4 chords to make a song, but in fact I use more chords, 5 or 6.
To find chords, there are some very good sites like www.chordbook.com

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

Re: A couple questions

this is just me - but i learn 5 or 6 and do them reasonably well ( the songs seem better than played from a print out - more effort etc ) and the rest i do from print outs . i wouldnt worry to much about learning 30 or 40 - lifes to short ......

any resemblance to my songs sounding anything like the original is highly unlikely.

Re: A couple questions

jerome.oneil wrote:

Just for the record, the guys I listen to are James and SouthPaw.

big_smile

but Jerome,
I listen to you lol I like your advice. You always seem to give great answers to people, or it looks like it

I am thinking should I just go straight to james and toney now?
lol

I like listening to everyone


Ken

ye get some that are cut out for the job and others just get by from pretending

Re: A couple questions

Hi Paul!
I have a little system to learn songs. I'm a total disaster at learning by heart...

I have a binder with plastic pockets. Every week I try to find a couple of new songs, print them out and place them FIRST in my binder. When I have time to play I start from the beginning and work my way through. This way the new unknown songs always gets the first attention.

The plastic pockets are good for many reasons: They protect the paper from messy fingers, beer and other party fluids :-), They make it easier to read because they ad some distance from the folder binding.

I have a second binder I call my gig-binder. When I go to a party or to my sons kindergarten for a live gig I lift over the suitable songs to that one.

/Missen

By the way the A/F# signs sometimes point you to play a bass run. Try to understand them and use them because they can add a lot to your playing (If you don't understand it or brake your fingers trying, just play the first chord and ignore the stuff after "/").

If it's a bass run it's often written like this: (example C to G and Am to C from Lennons Imagine)

G                               C       /e   /f    f#           (Play the C chord and then "walk" single notes (only low E string) up to the G) chord)
   Imagine there's no heaven.
G                        C       /e   /f    f#   
   It's easy if you try.
G                C       /e   /f    f#   
   No hell below us.
G                         C
   Above us only sky.
C              Em     Am       /b  C
   Imagine all the people
    D               D7
   living for today, oooh

You have to time the notes in the bass run to comply with the beats to next full chord.

If you love what you do, there's no need to be good at it...

Re: A couple questions

paulbigyummy wrote:

My next question is, why do some chords seem to have two chords connected such as A/F#?  Which chord am I supposed to play?  Thanks in advance for your answers.

According to my guitar books that is called a slash chord (because it has a / in it). I think Russ was right with his description:

...the a/f# means its an a chord with a f# root or you can put the f# anywhere...

at least that's very similar to the descriptions in my guitar books.

Re: A couple questions

You're sure that it's not an A**/F**

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

Re: A couple questions

SOOOOOOOOOOORRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

Re: A couple questions

paulbigyummy wrote:

I have been messing with the guitar for years now and just have never really taken to it.  I recently purchased an electric and a small ovation with a pickup and a tuner built in.  I like them both a lot.  I found that after playing for years I had two things that really held me back .  My first obstacle was my guitar.  Soon after I bought it my freshman year of college my roommate and I were wrestling around in our dorm room and i pushed him right onto my guitar and broke the neck away from the body.  I had it put back together by a guitar maker and until this year that was my guitar.  It killed my fingers and the action was so bad I couldn't pull off a bar chord past the third fret.  I am now 44 so it took me basicly 23 years to get around to buying a decent guitar.  My goal for the next year is to learn about 30-40 songs I can play by heart but I find my memorization is horrible.  So my first question is, what do some of do to help you memorize songs and their chords?

My next question is, why do some chords seem to have two chords connected such as A/F#?  Which chord am I supposed to play?  Thanks in advance for your answers.

This is a simplified addition to many good replies. Heed what these folkes say(most at least).lol

In terms of memorizing tunes there are no secret methods or TV infomertials that'll enable one to "play like Clapton in 7 minutes". It's one thing my friend and one thing alone. Practice. I know it's cliche but it's the truth. You gotta do it, (practice) over and over. Bottom line, no shortcuts, just put your hands on the guitar and sing your songs. Jerome is correct in stating that 30-40 songs aren't that many in the big picture. Many songs are very close in chords used and structure so after you get your 30-40  tunes down don't be content with your accomplishments.  I've played professionally for 24 years and I still learn new songs weekly.Never stop learning.....

    As far as the A/F# goes I'll break it down like this for you. It's a split chord played like this; (2x2220) If you were to play this song on a piano the A is the right hand and the F# is the left hand. It's kinda flip-flopped from the way it's written but the right hand plays the chord on the left and the right hand plays the chord/note on the left.There are other ways to play this chord, I wrote the simplest and most often played form.

Peace and Guitars,
SouthPaw41L

Give everything but up.

Re: A couple questions

upyerkilt wrote:
jerome.oneil wrote:

Just for the record, the guys I listen to are James and SouthPaw.

big_smile

but Jerome,
I listen to you lol I like your advice. You always seem to give great answers to people, or it looks like it

I am thinking should I just go straight to james and toney now?
lol

I like listening to everyone


Ken

Well, I know theory pretty well, but I always struggle lyrically.  James excels at that.  And Tony is a pro musician, and has been around the block (and probably gotten lost a few times.)   I know where my strengths are, and I know where my weaknesses are.   

The day there isn't something new to learn will be a sad day indeed.  Everyone has something to contribute. Those two have a whole lot to offer in the areas where I have the most to grow, though.

Someday we'll win this thing...

[url=http://www.aclosesecond.com]www.aclosesecond.com[/url]

Re: A couple questions

Excellent JErome,
I never really thought about this before,
but now all my help, or lots of it will be aimed at you for theory, James for Lyrics and Toney for things, things I have no idea what I am talking about, could be quite a lot of things now,lol.

Cheers though. You are right with the choices of people I think.
People can write lyrics, even me but JAmes' portfolio speaks for itself, Toney is a musician that does it for a money, a pro like you said so he must know stuff, and then yourself as you have proved with the musical theory part of it with progressions, scales, chords etc.

What a team!!!
this is not to say others cannot answer questions because so many contribute here and I dont think I would just listen to one or two, but if one or two or three all said the same, or agreed with other posts then it has to be good advice.
Hmmmm, does this make sense? in my head right now as I type it all makes perfect sense.


Ken

ye get some that are cut out for the job and others just get by from pretending

Re: A couple questions

For memorization, I put the songs that I want to learn at the present time onto a CD and play it in my car during my commute.  I learn the lyrics that way.

Then I print out the chords (usually from Chordie) and learn to put the chords together with the lyrics playing straight through.  If I find there's a tricky or sticky part for me, I'll go back and hit just that part ten or twenty times a night for a couple weeks and usually that'll be enough practice to get it smoother.  Unless it involves a barre chord that is.  In that case, I'll have to check back with you about how long it takes to get it smoother.

Anyway, I don't try and do it all at once, but I also don't try to learn the guitar part without singing.  Some folks will tell you that, but for myself it doesn't work too well.  I get wrapped up in the playing and then whenever I try to put the lyrics into it, I wind up just mumbling.  It's a push between which is worse, my singing or my guitar playing, but at least they're balanced.  If all I do is mumble, well, that's no fun for anyone especially me. 

Good luck.  Try some different systems and see what works for you.

By the by, I've been seeing the same bunch of guys the same time of year for the past six years or so and except for one fellow who writes a bunch of songs, the other guys play the same songs around the campfire each year and they still sound good.  No need to learn 40 songs!  Do it if you want to, but it's not necessary for back porch picking.

- Zurf

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude

Re: A couple questions

Lots of good advice here,I am in my fifties and been playing for years and have found I need to listen to the song till I get a recording in my head then I can play it and get the melody and lyrics to come out right.Thanks Wayne

Later, Wayne P