Topic: Taking lessons - need some suggestions

Hi everyone.

After a year and a half of learning chords and strumming simple patterns, I have finally gotten myself a teacher to improve... everything! big_smile

I had my first lesson yesterday, and in one hour, she taught me how to find all the barre chords.

So, she left me with some homework, and I was looking for some suggestions:

I am to learn a song with open chords and barre chords. She suggested I could take a song I already know and replace the chords I play with the barred versions, if it makes it easier to play the song that way.

So, I'm looking for suggestions of songs that are not too hard, and that use a variation of open and barre chords..

Thanks!
anastasia

Re: Taking lessons - need some suggestions

Anything with F, B and Cm will do the trick.  Good luck

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Re: Taking lessons - need some suggestions

All your favorite three chord ditties in C A G E or D.

Someday we'll win this thing...

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Re: Taking lessons - need some suggestions

Anything in the key of "C" will be easy.

Play open C

E Shape Barre Chord in "F" position

E Shape Barre Chord in "G" position

A pretty song to play in this pattern is Skeeter Davis' version of "My Last Date". It's nice and slow in 3/4 time.
Strum pattern is;
Down..Down..up..Down..Down (repeat).
   1.........2.....&......3........1

Nela

Re: Taking lessons - need some suggestions

Thank you for the tips, all.

I figured I would take any song that I've ever tried that had chords that I avoided!! Like F and B! big_smile

And Nela; thanks for that wonderful suggestion.  I didn't know that song, but wow... it's great!

Okay, off to practice!

Re: Taking lessons - need some suggestions

I always thought "Imagine" was a good one when starting Barre chords. The C Cmaj7 F progression flows pretty easily. It allows you to use your ring finger as a pivot when changing to the F...

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Re: Taking lessons - need some suggestions

Most folk and rock are 3 chord stuff, G, C, and D in one order or another with a Am, Em, Bm, or Dm thrown in For Dylan stuff and really for quite a few others, its good to know accent chord C7, D7 and G7, but you'de be amazed at how many songs are built around G, C, and D...................Keep On..............justasinger

Re: Taking lessons - need some suggestions

Hello anastasia,

I'm at the same point as you, pretty accurate on the open chords (although could be quicker) but now looking to get the Barre chords sorted.  I can change more or less ok on the the 6th string chords and then on the 5th string chords but it's a nightmare switching between the 2.

something else I've found a great help with the usual B and F chords is look for songs with an A immediately before the B and the same with E and F, you can just slide your fingers across 2 ansd 1 frett respectively.  It help loads just getting used to barring with the first finger.
   
I've also stuck little stickers to the neck at various fretts with the notes written on, it's a big help when you can quickly see where you need to go for the next chord.

Crevs

Epiphone EJ200  -  Epiphone SG400  -  Fender Strat Blacktop.
Blackstar HT 40 Club  -  Vox VT30 - Behringer ACX ultracoustic 1000

Re: Taking lessons - need some suggestions

sorry, me again, I stumbled across Creep by Radiohead last night:

http://chordie.com/chord.pere/www.linde … /creep.crd

Great for barre chords and the progression from G to B to C to Cm is pretty easy.

Fantastic song too!

Epiphone EJ200  -  Epiphone SG400  -  Fender Strat Blacktop.
Blackstar HT 40 Club  -  Vox VT30 - Behringer ACX ultracoustic 1000

Re: Taking lessons - need some suggestions

i too am learning barre chords and the thing that helps me most is jamming with friends they play open chords and i play barre they play barre and i play open to keep the sound from getting muttled up slightly different tone with the same key there is a wonderful ste for jams in your area called www.folkjam.org search your area if there is not one ,start one it is sooooooo worth it!!!! i also pick harmonics within the chord which sounds great
randy

always pickin someting