The Chord Chart

What is a Chord? Chord means two or more notes sounded together in harmony.  Before the tablature or TABS, chords are commonly written on chord charts. Because chord charts are easy to read and understand, it has always been a reference for chords.

Below is an example of a chord chart

The C Major Scale

What comes into your mind when you hear the word "Scale"? If you look in a dictionary, you may find at least three definitions. One would refer to a weighing scale, the other would mean a fish scale and the other one would point to a musical scale. Let's focus on the musical meaning. 

Scale is a series of notes running up or down in a stepwise manner. Distance between two successive notes is called a step.

Here's a basic yet one important scale.

Try to play  the above scale by using the recommended left hand fingers. Press the 3rd fret of the 5th string using your left hand third or ring finger, then hit only the 5th string with your right thumb. Let the note sound for at least four counts or seconds. Then take off your left hand first finger. The next note is an open note because it is represented with number "0".  Just hit the 4th string with your right thumb. Let the note sound for at least four counts or seconds. Next press the 2nd fret of the 4th string with your left hand second or middle finger, then hit the 4th string with your right thumb. Let the note sound for at least four counts or seconds. Continue the same process until you reach the last note. 

It is recommended to play and memorize this scale slowly in ascending order (low to high). Quality of sound should be observed. Then practice playing in descending order (high to low). Gradually increase speed as you progress.

All Notes on the Guitar (The first step to understand in learning to play the guitar)

To be able to learn to play the guitar, you must first understand all the notes on the guitar. When I say notes, I am not referring to the symbols we normally see written in a music score or sheet. I'm talking about the basic letter names of every note on the 6 strings, whether you play it open or fretted. In my opinion, this is the foundation in learning to play this unique musical instrument. Most people start with strumming a few chords such as : C - F - G7 or A - D - E. Others begin by playing one or two notes together to play popular easy tunes or riffs. These are all good. But I suggest before you do that, why not spend time first to navigate on all the 6 strings and all the frets? This way, you will have a deeper understanding in determining the letter name of each note you wish to play.

The 6 Open Strings

The 6 open strings are permanently named (starting from the thinnest to the thickest string or from 1st to the 6th string) as E,B,G,D,A,E. By the way, the 6 strings are divided into two sections, the first three thinner strings are called treble strings while the next three, which are thicker are called bass strings. If you're serious about learning to play the guitar, I suggest you memorize these open strings letter names by heart.

The 12 Musical Notes

Whatever musical instrument or whatever musical style, we are only using 12 notes. All 12 notes move in a cycle. To better explain this, we use the first 7 letters from the English alphabet : A,B,C,D,E,F and G. These 7 letters are called Natural notes. Now, I know you are now wondering where are the other 5 notes if we have 12 musical notes? The answer to that is this : A,_,B,C,_,D,_,E,F,_,G,_ . If you take a look closer, there are spaces between most letters. The spaces are called Sharp (#) or Flat (b). Sharp means one fret higher than a natural note while Flat means one fret lower than a natural note. (High on the guitar is moving towards the head of the guitar or to the left side while low is moving towards the bridge or to the right side). Spaces are called either a Sharp or a Flat. Importantly, there is no space between letters B and C ; and letters E and F.

Now the 12 musical notes are : A, A#orBb, B, C, C#orDb, D, D#orEb, E, F, F#orGb, G, G#orAb

Try exploring all the notes on the guitar by simply starting at an open string. For example, hit the 6th string with your right thumb. Just hit the 6 string. That should give you a sound of a note E. Next, place the first finger of your left hand on to the 1st fret of the 6th string. Press it. Then hit the string with your right thumb. That should give you a sound of a note F. It is an F note because there is no space between letters E and F, right? Still on the 6th string, move the first finger of your left hand on the 2nd fret of the 6 string. Press it. Hit the string with your right thumb. It should give you a sound of an F# or a Gb note. Continue the same process on to the next frets until you ran out of frets.