r/LearnGuitar • u/sweetleaf009 • 1d ago
How do I expand beyond using beginner guitar chords
I wanna be able to use more mature guitar chords and knowing when a song calls for fingerpicking or a capo?
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u/sure65 1d ago
You may want to watch some YouTube lessons. Justinguitar is recommended.
But a capo really just changes a key of a song, making the chords easier. You should learn music theory for that stuff.
Ear training helps as well.
https://chordle.online/guess-the-notes/
I use this for ear training
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u/Old-Guy1958 1d ago
You can usually hear the difference between finger picked songs (Landslide by Fleetwood Mac) and strummed songs (Night Moves by Bob Seger).
Fingerpicking with “easy chords” can make a song sound much better, at least for me. Find a YouTube video for Travis Picking and start there. Tons of songs use Travis Picking, or a slight modification. Have fun!
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u/ooooommmmmaaaaa 1d ago
A song calls for a capo when you want to play cowboy chords and they aren’t C G A D E. Have you learned barre chords yet? Those can take the place of capos most of the time. Or when the song explicitly utilizes some sort of hammer on/pulloff from cowboy chord shapes that just don’t work with fully open strings.
But I’d say the best way is to just keep looking up songs you want to play and always choose songs that add 1 or 2 new chords to your collection. Eventually you’ll just know many many chords. Learning them in isolation is a good way to forget them by next week. Learning them in context will make sure that they stay in your fingers.
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u/Guitar_Guy1965 1d ago
Every open string chord book usually has at least 3 ways to play them. Some chords must be played other ways (like F, Ab, etc). Learn other ways to play the "same" chord (like C or any others you know) but in a different position higher up the neck. This may be your introduction to bar (or "barre") chords. I found it quite difficult at first, but took an approach that helped me. You know how you play E or C without your pinky? Play them without your index instead (you'll need it next). Once you can do E comfortably, slide it up 5 frets (fingers should be in frets 6 and 7). Then lay your index finger flat (in the 5th fret) on all 6 strings, quite literally like a bar! Do you see how the shape is the same as open E, and your index just became an easily movable capo? This E shape at the 5th fret is another way to play an A chord.
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u/hyst0rica1_29 1d ago
Buy a chord book if you want to know the jazzy chords; but choosing what to play can sometimes really be a question of tone.
Take a basic A chord at the 2nd fret.
That can take you for miles.
But say you wanted an A with a higher tone. You can, instead use a barre A at the 5th fret. Except the lower 3 strings still make this new A sound too dark. Well just play the upper 3 strings of this chord instead.
Still not high sounding enough? I believe there’s another A chord at the 9th fret, made only of the 3 lighter strings, and shaped like the D chord at the 2nd fret.
Experience & experimenting will let you figure out what chord will work better within a particular song environment. After all: an Asus4#13 or thereabouts will look fancy, though the jazz snob at the back of the venue might still roll his eyes, lol. Plop that chord into Johnny B Goode, however, and you’re likely to get bandmates looking at you, like, “Tha hell are you doing!!?”
Good luck!
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u/Sure_Border_5412 1d ago edited 1d ago
First make sure you have all your root shapes down, the CAGED system is good to learn for this. Then start playing with sus chords and the different types of 7th chords, then go to add 9 and 11.
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u/cHunterOTS 1d ago
Learn music theory enough to understand the structure of chords and then instead of looking at chord charts, figure out voicings yourself using that knowledge. It will also help you become intimately familiar with the fretboard.
I’m guessing by beginner chords you mean basic major and minor chords in the open position (some people call them cowboy chords) and basic major and minor barre chords rooted on the A and low E strings. A good starting point would be learning to make those chords into 7ths and learning the difference between major 7th, dominant 7th, and minor 7th chords. After that learn about chord extensions; learn the difference between a 9th, and add2, and and add9. Learn about suspensions; know how to make sus2 and sus4 chords. Learn about augmented chords.
I also found it useful for to learn keys. Like learn every chord in the key of D (or any key you choose) and how they interface with the major scale of that key and its modes.
Another thing I found really helpful was learning all of the different types of triads that can be formed on like the A, D, and G strings; D, G, and B strings; and G, B and high E strings. If you’re familiar with the barre chord shapes take note of which triad shapes are part of the bar chords.
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u/cHunterOTS 1d ago
Also do things like looking at chords you already know and figuring out on your own, without referencing charts, how to make that chord minor or add the 7th or various other things. In any given chord shape you should know where your thirds(if it’s not a suspension of course) are and if they are major or minor thirds
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u/Over_Art_1000 1d ago
Immature chords, that's what I'm calling open chords from now on, are a gift from the acoustic guitar gods. Yes. Learn to play repeatable shapes across and up and down the neck. Start with barre chords. But in the end if you're an acoustic player/singer I think you'll find there's nothing better than open chords.
That said. The way I learned the handful I know is through learning songs (and knowing theory). Especially songs with chords that don't necessarily have that open chord available.
For instance. You add the 7th note to an open C chord and realize you can slide up and play Eb7 (using strings 2 through 5 only) and when you run into that chord in a song it becomes second nature. I studied chord construction in depth. But found I was better off adding them in context rather than drilling myself on them. Hope that helps. I'd love to hear how others have learned them too
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u/aeropagitica 1d ago
Learn 7/9/11/13th chords;
sus2, and sus4 chords;
altered Dominants - b5/b9/#9/b13;
learn some music theory and make use of Secondary Dominants, borrowed chords, and Chromatic Mediants.
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u/Extension_Spare3019 1d ago
Lots of chord types to learn. No clue what "beginner" means to you. Some people would say it's Dyads, some Open, some both, some would add basic Triads and some inversions to the pile, etc. Some would say anything that's easy to reach would land in the "beginner" category. Some would say there's no such thing.
You obviously aren't of that last group. Which is fine.
So, what have you learned so far, and what genre are you aiming to have a good grasp of first? Have you started learning scales? They're going to be important later so if not you should start.
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u/sweetleaf009 1d ago
Rock/ country. No I haven’t
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u/Extension_Spare3019 1d ago
You would probably benefit greatly from picking up some Blues guitar. Once you get a little ways into Blues you'll start seeing it everywhere. It's also fun to learn and sounds good at just about any speed, which is a decent confidence builder. After you've moved on to other stuff you can use it for warm-up exercises. Works great.
As first scales go, Blues probably is among the easiest to get into and certainly has a lot of resources from which to learn its secrets. There are scores of books and video tutorials on Blues guitar. I got my kids the "For Dummies" one first and they seemed to enjoy it after they got over the insulting sounding title. It can be found online these days for free at various library and archive sites. I believe it also has a repository of audio clips hosted online for enhanced learning type stuff. I think it might take a lifetime to watch all the YouTube videos on the subject.
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u/misticisland 1d ago
Just work on adding to you chord vocabulary. Watch others and ask questions. Sometimes moving a finger to add or change a note. Like x32010 C to 32030 Cadd9 will work in many situations.
It's good to read or watch interviews with favorite players you may get insights into their approach.
Certain open chord forms lend themselves to certain sounds: G and D are great for countryish sounds, E and A are great for bluesy sounds. Some will use a capo so the can play E blues shapes in the key of G(capo at 3) or G country licks in the key of B (capo at 4).
Hope this is helpful.
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u/ChordLoop 1d ago
Capo is irrelevent. Its just a device to change the key of the song. Fingerpicking is entirely your choice, although obviously some songs are played that way originally.
Mature chords you probably either mean extensions, 9th/11ths etc or more advanced voicings and inversions.
Pick a chord progression you know and then work out different ways to play it all across the neck. Then add the 7th and do the same. Doing so yourself is a great learning experience but there are lots of resources too. Just don't get overwhelmed with massive lists of chord charts.
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u/OddConcept3167 1d ago
Saint “The capo is irrelevant” to a beginner (like me) is a pretty bold statement. A capo can unlock your favourite songs at an early stage (Wicked Game capo on 4th fret) and provide lots of encouragement to progress further. Experienced players often come across as ‘purists’ and fail to encourage beginners
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u/ChordLoop 1d ago
You could just play Wicked Game in the lower key with open chords at the head. I only said irreleevent because it wouldn't be enabling him to learn anything new, which was what he requested. It's just playing what is already known in a different key.
The caveat is if he is singing while playing, which didnt seem to be the case, but then a capo is more valuable. But if you're moving a capo around to play the same open chord voicings all across the neck for different songs rather than learning new chord shapes then it does seem a detriment to learning.
But it's your guitar homie, play it how you want.
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u/Mediocre_Savings6521 1d ago
I felt like this a long time ago. Accidentally stumbled upon a tablature book called The Beatles Complete. You never know when you'll find something that opens doors for you. John, Paul and George gifted me a lot in there.
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u/thebigp2007 2h ago
Learn triad arpeggio shapes. Learn what they mean and how they connect notes. Learn intervals in a scale, what they mean and how they connect notes. Then learn your major and minor diatonic scales. Work on extended arpeggios, learn how those work and what they mean. Then learn the modes of the major scale, what that means and how they work(probably the toughest concept for beginners to grasp). Combine that with getting your barre chords down and you’ll become a solid player!
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u/jaylotw 1d ago
You learn songs that are fingerpicked or use a capo.
You learn more chords. There aren't "beginner" chords.
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u/thesame_deviledegg 1d ago
Agree with the first sentence.
And to a degree yeah there aren't "beginner" chords. But learning C, D, G etc chords are easier to remember in your head than Cadd9 and Asus2 (even if they are easy to play)
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u/MeowMix1206251 1d ago
Some chords are easier to play than others, those would be the beginner chords.
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u/jaylotw 1d ago
They're just chords.
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u/MeowMix1206251 1d ago
Don’t you think that
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2
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0is easier than
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0?
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u/jaylotw 1d ago
That doesnt make a first position Em a "beginner" chord. Its just a chord.
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u/MeowMix1206251 1d ago edited 1d ago
Well for people who are beginners at learning guitar, the Em will be easier to start with.
It’s not musically beginner, it’s physically beginner. The physical reality of playing the chord on a guitar with your hands.
If you want to argue that’s not a beginner chord with no explanation or reasoning behind it, that’s your right lol. But it’s not very convincing.
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u/rehoboam 1d ago
You learn some intervals and change them. You can change a 5 to a 6 or 7, or a 3 to a 2 or 4. Or a 1 to a 7 or a 2.
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u/TonalContrast 1d ago
Learn non-beginner chords…obviously. LOL!
Seriously though, let’s take the key of C major. The chords are:
I ii iii IV V vi VII
C maj, D min, E min, F maj, G maj, A min, B dim.
Learn these chords, and then make them 7th chords to color the tone, which would be
C maj7, D min7, E min7, F maj7, G7 (dominant 7), A min7, B min7b5
Then search common chord progressions and you’ll see things like 1 5 6 4 (or I V vi IV). The numbers or roman numerals identify the chord position and the progression tells you what order to play them. So the 1 5 6 4 would be Cmaj G maj A min F maj, this one should sound familiar as every pop hit in the last 50 odd years uses this progression. You can make these 7th chords also if you want.
Learning new chords is great to add to your skill set; however, you don’t always need to learn fancy chords, but you should know how to put them together so they sound good.