Problems Playing Chords - 108

 

Are your chords being played as clean as possible?

Have you had issues getting all of the notes to ring true without any unwanted notes or sounds? Today I fix the two biggest chord playing problems and give you the steps to take to play them great, every-time!

Did chords come easy to you at first? They didn’t for me. It took a while with a lot of adjustments and trial and error. Even then I wasn’t sure I was doing it correct. In fact, sometimes i wasn't’.

Over time I’ve sharpened my chord playing and I’ve helped a lot of players do the same. Even though everyone's hands are slightly different and there are players with physical issues that have to be addressed, I’ve found some very small changes that seem to universally correct the majority of chord fretting problems. I share them with you today!

The first problem comes from a student of mine named Moshe. Here are his problems:

  • Unwanted strings ring out when playing chords properly
  • Tried muting but continues to struggle.

I help solve this problem by going over: 

  • 1. Why to learn muting at all
  • 2. Muting with your fretting hand
  • 3. Muting with your picking hand

The second problem comes from another student of mine named David. He has been

  • Struggling with the F chord ( not the full bar chord but the one on the top four strings).
  • The notes of the chord sound muffled and muted.

. This is a very common problem and I share the way I have helped students get past the F chord for many years by:

  • 1. Getting your fingers as close to the frets as possible.
  • 2. Having a correct arm and elbow angle helps with getting out in front of the chord
  • 3. Stretching from your first finger instead of your pinky.

 

If you are having difficulty playing clear sounding chords, take a listen to this episode...then download my free "Guide To Clear Sounding Chords". When you finish this podcast and read the guide, you will know all of the basics and every adjustment you need to play basic CLEAN AND CLEAR guitar chords, every time.

https://www.playguitaracademy.com/chordguide





 

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