Guitar Lessons in Bed Stuy Brooklyn

Guitar Lessons in Long Island City, Queens & Clinton Hill, Brooklyn

Category: Chords

  • Best Way To Hold A Guitar Pick? You Be The Judge…

    Best Way To Hold A Guitar Pick? You Be The Judge…

    Strumming Series – The Pick’s Angle

    Queens & Brooklyn Guitar Lessons - Strumming Series 1
    Take it easy, Man!

    There is no one way to hold a guitar pick. Well I guess there would be if you played the same song over and over! The angle you hold it has quite an effect on how easy it is to use and what sound you get out of it.

    Experiment with it:

    Ex. 1: Try holding it perfectly parallel with the string, pointed straight into the hole of the guitar. Strum while holding the pick in that position. Is it easy or difficult to strum? How about picking a single string? What does it sound like? Bright? Dull? Smooth? Rough? Loud? Quiet?

    Ex 2: Rotate it, spin it slightly forward (like you’re using the pick to turn a screw) so that it hits the string on the front edge instead of flat like Ex 1. Is it easier or harder to strum? How does that effect the sound? Thin? Warm? Silky? Harsh? Brash? Wispy? How about when you’re picking just one string?

    Ex 3: Go back to the parallel position of Ex. 1 but instead of holding the pick pointed straight into the hole of the guitar, change the angle toward the ceiling or floor about halfway, so that the pick slides over the the strings. Swivel your arm and wrist to change the angle when strumming up and then down so that it feels like you’re using a wide paintbrush to brush the strings. Is it easy or difficult to strum? What does it sound like? How Would you describe the sound?

    The truth is, there is no “right” way to hold the pick. The way you hold it is going to make it easier or harder to play and it will effect the sound. Sometimes, you need something to be as easy as possible in order to play it. Other times you want what you’re playing to have a certain effect, a specific feel that can be conveyed by the way you set the strings in motion. This is why players sound different from each other, why many guitarists can play the same song, with the same chords, and each have their own unique feel. It’s very personal and you can find your own sound by having fun with these different effects.

    Go For It!

    Bryan Wade Guitar Signature - Queens Guitar Lessons in Long Island City and Clinton Hill Brooklyn NYC

  • What is a Guitar Chord, Anyway?

    What is a Guitar Chord, Anyway?

    What Are Chords?
    Click on the pic. You Gotta See This!

    In the beginning there was cacophony, and it was good. But not everybody thought so.

    Several hundred years ago, Christian monks discovered how to play several notes simultaneously in a way that, to them, sounded like Heaven.

    Hark!

    Choose a scale and select every other note of it until you have 3 notes (notes 1,3,5)
    Play these 3 notes at the same time and that’s a chord.
    If you add the next note using the “every other” pattern (the 7th) then you have 7th chord. Keep playing the scale higher and you’ll come across the 9th, 11th, and 13th notes, giving you the 9th, 11th, and 13th chords.

    Now you know everything about music. Go outside and play.

    Bryan Wade Guitar Signature - Queens Guitar Lessons in Long Island City and Clinton Hill Brooklyn NYC
  • Playing Tough Chord Changes on Guitar, Method 2

    Playing Tough Chord Changes on Guitar, Method 2

    Difficult-Guitar-ChordsYeah, it’s a killer. Try this:

    Don’t strum all the way to the moment that the tough chord should be played and then changing chords (that’s like pressing pause while you’re playing, and even the tone-deaf know that ain’t right).

    When you’re headed straight for a tough chord, say Q#minor14 (see pic), only play on the first beat of the easy chord before it (G). Use the next 3 beats to change to Q#minor14. You’ll only hear G on the first beat beat, but if you keep the count going in your head while you change, you’ll play Q#minor14 right on time, keeping the song together.
    This is a lot better than the “Wait just a, I’ve almost..I’ve…” approach.

    Bryan Wade Guitar Signature - Queens Guitar Lessons in Long Island City and Clinton Hill Brooklyn NYC
  • Learning by Ear From a Recording

    Learning by Ear From a Recording

    ear-music-2It can be tricky. Try this:

    Pause the playback immediately after you hear the note/chord you’re listening for. Then, listen to your short term memory, sing whatever you hear and find that note on the guitar. Then find that same note on one of the top 2 strings (E & A) of the guitar.

    If you’re looking for a chord, try playing a major or minor chord on that note. If that’s not it and you’re on the E string, try moving straight down to the A string and up 2 frets. If you’re on the A string, try moving straight down to the E string.

    It can be more involved than this, but 80% of the time you can find most chords using only these few steps.

    Bryan Wade Guitar Signature - Queens Guitar Lessons in Long Island City and Clinton Hill Brooklyn NYC
  • Looking at Hands While Playing Guitar = Thinking

    Looking at Hands While Playing Guitar = Thinking

    Looking at Hands Playing Guitar = ThinkingAnd thinking is often too slow for playing.

    Now, obviously, we have to think and occasionally look at our hands when we play. But we often watch our hands because we lose confidence in our memorization or technique. We end up analyzing our playing, which distracts us from directly playing.

    When we stop relying so heavily on sight, we begin to trust our muscle memory, allowing us to listen to what we are playing. Feeling and listening are instant, much more accurate and direct than sight. You are more connected to your instrument.

    You can do it with some training & guts

    Bryan Wade Guitar Signature - Queens Guitar Lessons in Long Island City and Clinton Hill Brooklyn NYC