I like how Rick is emphasizing how hard these basic fundamental elements of guitar playing are, not to discourage people, but rather to reassure beginners who might be struggling that it's okay for them to struggle on the basics.
It's ok to struggle as long as you are not struggling to hard and too much for your own mental health and I embraced that early in my music progress. Sometimes I can learn fast, sometimes slow, but I still maintain at least some guitar practice that works for me with theory sometimes included throughout migraine weeks and some days. Even if someone doesn't practice every day, that doesn't mean all knowledge is lost since some retain lots of info for music. Music does work on your brain overall unlike anything especially with using theory. I at least really know when I am ready to practice instead of just jam over stuff.
@@SpartanLaserCanon Good point about music being good for the brain. In many ways, playing music on an instrument (or even just listening to it) activates the brain and helps keep it healthy. I picked up my guitar after a number of years and was surprised at how much came back to me, slowly but surely. I'm working on building up the calluses on my fingertips again and trying to get the dexterity back. It does take effort and patience. 👍
I remember the early days when even playing through a basic 3 or 4 chord progression to practice the open chords, and doing so cleanly and in time, was a major achievement. It took quite some months to get this down on the 3-4 basic cowboy progressions I was practicing, and using for basic songs like Knocking on Heaven's Door, etc. Be patient, folks. We've all been there.
Everything you don't yet know how to is at some point difficult. Something will always be hard, If you don't play guitar yet, just holding is gonna be hard. Hell walking is hard sometimes and that's a fixed action pattern! lol
Playing guitar is definitely not for everyone and you have to really want it. It’s much more difficult than I imagined, and playing anything fluently took much longer than I anticipated. I’m glad I didn’t give up though. If you stick with it and just keep learning and playing, you make huge leaps when you least suspect it. It’s immensely satisfying and so worth it.
Definetly. If I wasn't such a fanatic I would never have had the patience. But I started on electric so the sound of a distorted guitar was enough to keep me going until it sounded like more than just noise :)
I'm going on 20 months with guitar. Yes, it's hard. I'm at a point where I want to meet with a teacher so some experienced eyes can check my form. In time, chord changes are still difficult. But Rick's videos are a constant source of inspiration. I often watch one to get me psyched up to practice.
The teacher's eyes and ears are HUGE. if you can get that, do arrange to do so. I had one who, at first lesson, listened and watched very closely as i strummed, then adjusted the position of my fingers on the pick just a millimetre or two. After I practiced with it awhile, I got more stable, consistent strumming, with better tone. And I didn't have my pick pulled lose from my fingers by strumming as much, He did something similar to diagnose a small flaw in my fingerpicking, and prescribe a correction. Another teacher adjusted the position of my guitar in my lap, and got me to practice being visually centred over a different spot on the fretboard. I was way too far forward up the neck, and I was jamming my strumming, and my ability to work up the neck. Eyes, ears, brain (knowledge and experience). These are what teachers bring.
@@seanbaines I really suggest playing with other people in other to get better at chords changes. I always play with my students, I slow it down a little bit (so they can play and the music doesn't sound wierd). Although its a VERY important exercise, it's really boring to do chords changes over and over again, so try to play songs with someone else, try to keep the rhythm with them even if it means to just play the open strings while you position your fingers (i'm sure the horrible sound of it won't let this become a thing in your playing, although its a nice and idiomatic tecnique). When you realize a particular chord change its really difficult, try practing it at home a little and them go play the song again ;) Sorry for my english
Great lesson Rick. I'd like to share what happened when my neighbor asked me to teach his 9 year old son to play. First off, I'm not a great player (have terrible arthritis in my thumbs) and certainly not a teacher. But I thought I would try and show him every thing I had learned in my 50 years of playing. During this time, I encouraged his parents to take him to a professional teacher, but, they were happy with me. So, over the next 9 years, twice a week, I showed him everything that had been hard for me to learn. First thing I taught him was the spider drill, walking his 4 fingers through the first four frets, then "stepping" to the next string and gradually working up the neck and back down. Then the major chords. I taught him, bends, hammer-ons, pull-offs, trills, slides, double-stops, slurs, tapping, alternate and speed picking; I showed him the works. I broke out my old college classical books and bought him a Yamaha Classical for Christmas. We learned rest strokes, free strokes, time-signatures, how to read notes, working with a metronome, etc. We studied Classical in the winters and Rock 'n Roll the rest of the time. When he turned 18, he was playing all the greats: Stairway, Sweet Home, Smoke ot W, Get Back, Crossfire, Watchtower, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You; you name it, we played it. Then, he was invited to play in a folk band. I sent him off, knowing he was going to impress with his skills. He came back from the first practice and said, "You didn't teach me to strum!". 🤯... I had assumed, what came simple for me was something he would just know how to do. Now I send him links to your videos. 🙏
Started 4 weeks ago and when he said to make sure your fingers are glued together, I thought, yeah... I do that. Then I sat down to practice and paid attention to it. I'm now laying down chords with all my fingers at once instead of one finger first that I use as a reference to find the other notes. Also able to do it with B7 quickly after struggling with that chord last two days. Best advice ever!
Eventually, we need to learn to play with fingers more spread out at times to play wider ranging lines, or do 12 bar Blues shuffle reaches for keys like E Minor. But that's eventually. And there are drills and stretches to help with that. Later. For open chords, fingers supporting each other are pretty important.
The patience to teach something like this and to be this meticulous is a real art. To me you are nothing short of being a truly great teacher. Kudos to you Rick!
Mission accomplished, Rick. Em, Am, C, D, G, A, E, basic strumming. "Fundamentals in ALMOST 30 minutes" ;-) Well done. I've been playing since '73, and have taught beginners off/on for years. The only "fundamental" I think you missed was tuning. Impressed that you started with fingernail length! Definitely sharing this! Cheers from Kokomo, Indiana.
At age 60, had my first lesson last week, glad to see my instructor covering many of these same things Rick. Hopefully this old dog can learn a new trick and can play this darn thing.
I retired four years ago -- just as Covid started up -- and decided that, if I was going to be cooped up for a while, I might as well finally learn to play guitar. My friend told me to try to get at least 5 minutes of playing in each day. I particularly like the music theory part of all this.
I have been playing guitar for 61 years. I have also taught guitar to single students, as well as classes of as many as ten students in a neighborhood summer program. My youngest student was a very motivated six year old, and my oldest was my father, who started at the age of 70. I have learned over the years that not every great guitarist can be a great guitar teacher. It is a very different thing to instinctively do something by muscle memory every time you pick up a guitar, than it is to inwardly examine your technique to the point where you actually know why you do this, or that, with your strumming hand, or why you place your fingers where on the strings and fret board on your fingering hand. Not every guitar player is willing, or even capable of self-examination to the point where they can effectively transfer their possibly vast knowledge to a brand new student of the guitar. My first attempts at guitar teaching were prompted by folks being somewhat impressed by my abilities and God-given talent. But unfortunately, I hadn’t taken the time to examine “why I do the things I do” to the point that I could effectively transfer that knowledge to any student. My first few teaching projects were not successful, to say the least. It was not until I began to break down my techniques and moves that I truly began to teach, effectively that is. Rick, is not only an amazing master on the guitar, but after watching this video, I can attest to the fact that he has down his self- examination homework, and is truly a teacher to learn from. There is an old adage that tells “those that can’t do, teach”. But it it is still more true that “ those that can do, can’t always teach”. Thank you Rick for showing how a real guitar teacher is supposed to do it. Well done !!!
Love the point at 33:20ish about independence, playing bass 16th between hh 8ths, that was one of those first obstacles as a drummer that once overcome, unlocked a whole world. May seem trivial but to a beginner it's huge! Great analogy!
I've been playing for about 50 years, and I still think this is a great refresher video on the basics. It's always worth reviewing the things you thought you were good at later on in life...
Absolutely! I think you are completely right. I myself am 57, I started playing when I was like 12 or so. And I always love reviewing these videos, like Rick's. Not only you refresh your knowledge, but it's also true that you always learn something new. Always. Maybe different, new ways to do the same thing, new approaches... This is a wonderful world, music I mean, and especially guitar. I also play a bit of piano, but the guitar beats everything. Sometimes the acoustic, sometimes the electric, sometimes the Spanish guitar (I'm from Spain). Humility is at the base of everything that is human contact, communication, reaching out to others... Music helps with that.
Thank you so much! It's one thing to know some of the basic chords but hearing these kind of tips from an experienced player with lots of info on "why" instead just "what" or "how" is invaluable. :)
I’ve been playing for decades. Everything you say, Rick, is dead on,,,,Beginning players will realize,,once these few methods and skills are mastered,,it may take months,,,the entire world opens up,,,and playing your guitar will be an infectious hobby,,,
Thank you very much for the lesson. I started playing guitar when I was in the Army. It was on a Gibson B-25 back in 1967. I plinked around on it for about 10 years without really learning anything, so I sold the guitar to my brother and quit. Now I'm 76 years old and trying to learn all over again. My calluses are coming along nicely but not yet fully developed. That being said, I've already bought 3 guitars. The first one was an all mahogany offering from Orangewood. The second was a Fender CD-60. Both those guitars have laminated top wood. I wanted a solid Spruce top, so today I bought a Yamaha FG800, and it sounds a lot better to me than the other two. I really enjoyed your lesson today and hope I can find some more online. I felt a bit inspired by todays lesson, and wanted to take the time to tell you how much I appreciated it. THANK YOU!
This very well could be the best beginner guitar lesson I have ever watched. I have literally spent hundreds of hours listening to TH-cam guitar lessons for the last three years and man this one is it.
I’ve been playing for over 50 years, and yes, this is the goldmine. This is it. By the way, for beginners, counting in fours means that we’re using 4/4 time (1234, 1234, etc.). Most popular and folk songs are in this time (or “meter”).
So thankful I watched this video! I am starting to learn guitar in my late 50's and needed this encouragement. I love music and creativity and love the guitar. I have always felt it was out of my reach. I appreciate this pep talk!!!
Thank you for doing a beginner lesson!! It's so important that new guitarists have some early successes! Get that three or four chord song done and the excitement will kick in!!
When I teach I usually use G C and D as the first chords to teach. The reason why is because there are so many songs that use that chord progression especially country music. I find that if a beginning student can play a song right away they are more likely to stick with it. I may be wrong but I have found that they are more proud with their playing if they know a simple song. Also using down strokes on strumming and teaching a simple 4 beat measure is useful.
Rick is one of my favorite guitar teachers! For everyone out there starting to play guitar: PLEASE! please try to enjoy the process, learn songs that aren´t that difficult to play and that you really love, don´t do too much social media because we tend to compare ourselves to other guitarists that usually seems to be guitar gods to us and you will probably get discouraged (take this as an advice, it´s not the absolute truth) and last but not least important, THIS WILL TAKE TIME so, be kind to yourself (as Tomo Fujita would say) and be consistent, put your guitar in a place you are usually at so you can grab it easily and remember to take care of it and yourself! Love you all
Fascinating. From an ancient black and white "how to play guitar" pamphlet i learned A as middle finger on the fourth string, index finger on the third string, and ring finger on the second string. Like a reverse D. The nice thing is that your index finger never moves from the second string when moving around amongst E, A, and D. I never considered a forward D fingering.
I quite like that fingering, myself. I find it works very well. It's the same fingering as a D7, except at the 2nd fret on the 2nd-4th strings, rather than 1st fret, 1st 3 strings.
I figured that out after a friend showed me I was forming the D chord in a way that doenst work well. The rest follows. My fingers are a bit large and I cant easily form an A chord with the fingers side-by-side. You're quite right.
I've been playing guitar for years but I really enjoyed this video start to finish. Its so well articulated and your practical method of teaching makes so much sense
Thank you very much! Very informative video lesson! I am an absolute beginner to playing the guitar and I learned a lot! I will keep this video as a reference. What I will take away from this one session of watching this time: 1) Make sure your fingers are locked together when you are playing chords in which your fingers are on adjacent strings. 2) You need to practice persistently (I am trying to practice everyday). 3) It is ok to intentionally mute string(s) for learning purposes (specifically the low E string). 4) Play behind your fretting hand (I will have to go over this concept again - to make sure I completely understand it). 5) You want to keep your hands in the same shape to make it easier to change chords quicker. 6) The Am and E (major) chords have the same shape. The E chord is the Am chord just with your fingers moved up 1 string.
It actually good to hear you acknowledge that it's difficult for beginners to play the guitar...I mean...It's not just me...it IS kinda difficult in the beginning, but with practice I'll get there.
I remember literally cello taping my fingers together when first learning barre chords. Whilst I've still plenty to learn, I'm at a point now where I don't think such measures are required.
I’ve been playing for 40 years and wish I had learned some of these basic techniques right from the start. Would have saved me lots of frustrations further down the road. Bad habits can be so hard to break! You’re such a great teacher, Rick. Invaluable information here.
Rick, I have learned more in the last 30 minutes and enjoyed it more than I did 25 years ago when taking lessons. Just a question, which course do I sign up for to continue where you left off. At 60 I'm starting all over again. Thank you for everything you do.
Just 50 seconds into your video, and I felt this energy that we could just sit in a table with friends, drinking a beer and tak about life. There's your like and subscribe my friend; great guy, great energy!
This is such a good lesson. I've been playing for years, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching you explain the basics. The thumb thing really resonated. I learned from books and all of them insisted you clamped your thumb to the back of the neck. It took me years to realise that I'd do better bringing it round to the top.
@@craighendrickson7938 I wish I had a thumb that would reach. I have the triple whammy....short, stubby fingers, arthritis, and a damaged index finger. Barre chords hurt no matter how I play them. I've tried the thumb over the top 2 strings, but I just can't reach, and it sounds awful.
@@teleguy5699 my PRS SE semi-hollow has a fairly thin neck. It feels fairly similar to a tele neck, as far as I can tell. I am currently working on learning triads, and will just move away from barre chords when possible. I also will be having a surgery soon that may help with the strength in my fretting hand. Fingers crossed
Rick I think this is one of the best videos you made. I recently started learning to play guitar and I feel like your videos have given me a great start. Also your Beato book is great. Sometimes I feel like some of the things you say go over my head. For instance I don't understand how you determine where the positions of the pentatonic scale are.
I actually play an open A major using just two fingers. My index finger frets the E on the D string and my middle finger frets the C# on the B string. The A on the G string between those two is fretted jointly by both fingers on either side. When I taught myself to play 30+ years ago I was having trouble cramming three fingers in that little amount of space, so this was my solution. Probably not textbook, but it works for me.
Thank you so much Rick. As a beginner who has been playing for about 7 months now, it encourages me that such a good musician like you acknowledges these difficulties for beginners. That stuff about muting the E string and "glue-ing" your fingers was especially useful!
I started playing guitar again in March. Proud to say I have covered everything on this stream. Additionally, just this morning, I was able to perform my own truss rod, action height, and intonation adjustments on my Albert Hammond Jr. signature Stratocaster... Very pleased with it.
Barely 2 years in and this video is the pick me up I needed to stay on track and not give up. Feels like I’m trying to break through a wall right now and it can be discouraging when these progress speed bumps occur.
✝️✝️❤️( Share ) Jesus Christ loves you and can truly heal you , deliver you and can set you free . The Gospel is this , is that God revealed to us who He is through Jesus Christ , He came on the earth to die for our sins because Sin separates us from God , and God created us to have a relationship with Him , that’s why in Genesis 1:27 we are made in Gods image ! You can be a Child of God Spiritually through Jesus Christ , it’s like. Father / Son , Father / Daughter Relationship . If we die in our sins we will go to Hell and Ultimately the Lake of Fire , but there is a way out of Hell and that’s through Jesus Christ who payed the penalty for our sins on the cross . If you accept and believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins and rose again on the 3rd day , conquering sin , conquering death , and conquering the devil , and you repent and turn away from your sins . You will get filled with the Holy Spirit , you will become born again and you will be saved ! You will have eternal life , eternal peace , you can be healed , delivered and set free today of all your pain through Jesus Christ !
As always, bang on the money 👌 It's interesting that you mention the right hand bracing. I tend to use that and teach it but for single note/melody playing and some arpeggiation. I've not known anybody to use it for strumming. Need more of these. Best music and education channel on youtube 👍
This was great Rick as I just picked up the guitar (I am like a week younger than you!). Loving it and making decent progress day by day. These tips will help a ton. Started on my wife’s old guitar then walked into the local music store a week ago intending to “just look” and walked out with a fantastic guitar. Fits me better and has helped me immensely!
rick... just like you to try playing chords, Am , Amaj, Emaj (Em. wiith 1 middle finger ) the rest just 2 fingers -index and middle fingers. i found that it very hard to play an A chord with 3 fingers on one fret getting buzzing all the time so came up the 2 finger method. please please please try this works great -------split 3 strings between 2 fingers.
This is my initial visit and the background studio with the line-up of guitars is so cool. To have that type of space to spread out and keep the beauties in line is really, really nice and you my friend have a neat cave that anyone who is a guitar enthusiast would love. I loved your educational teaching here also.
I’m about 2 years into learning acoustic guitar on my own. Rick’s videos fuel me to keep at it. A couple of things I’d recommend are: • practicing standing up. My guitar only came with one strap button on the bottom. I had a local shop add a second button on the back at the base of the neck so I could add a strap. (I don’t like the kind that wraps around the neck up near the nut). • Harmonics are easy and fun to play around with. For a thorough explanation, check out How to be Dangerous on Guitar by Richard Daniels • For strumming using a very thin pick is more forgiving. For picking individual notes, a medium or light/medium pick has been helpful. I haven’t reached the heavy pick stage yet.
This was very helpful! I am a beginner that has stopped several times during this point of learning. Mainly because I thought something was wrong with me having difficulty learning these shapes and not being able to do the progressions well. I also have shorter fat fingers and I have had difficulty muting strings that I am not supposed to. So, now I get it that my struggles are pretty normal and just keep practicing!
I've played drums for 35 years and started playing guitar about 1 year ago. Teaching myself Rick's videos have been so enjoyable and helpful. Such a great positive influence. Amen!
❤ Rick Beato I got the beginner guitar course ( the entire bundle as well) via the black Friday special! Years be gone I used to play some guitar but never my ability could match what my ear wants to hear played. How do we music appreciators manage that obstacle? I’ve been doing what you recommend and practice every day and I’m really enjoying it but my desire seems to be tougher than my fingers. I’m a Nana ,65 years on the planet. Thank you for looking out for the passion in us at the remedial levels of learning to play a guitar!Truly been a cool thing. Appreciate you very much in all of your video content
@ SeeCee Have you ever tried an electric guitar? The strings are much easier to press. My playing improved greatly once I bought one. You can just pop into a guitar store and give one a try.
@@JohnSmith-dh3kx Thank you for reaching out. I have a beautiful Martin and the action is pretty good it’s just getting used to doing something different. You have a beautiful day.
Jewels man! I was told my fingers were weak and that's why they touched each other. For about a yr I did everything i could to keep them from touching. Gave up on that and thought that letting them touch was more comfy but improper. I needed this lesson. Thank you!
This is great, Rick. I've been a bass player for over 30 years and have recently decided I need to play 6 string. Got me a sweet LP and a nice Orange and realized that there are so many fundamental things to learn that are so different. Your advice is great! It seems very basic but it's really good, foundational advice that stops people from developing bad habits and gets them started in the right direction. It's funny, but I figured out just a couple of days ago while working out my F bar that I was stronger when locking my ring and pinky together, then I watched this video. Now I'm rethinking my approach to all of my chords. I'm also recognizing my tendency to lift my fingers between chords with common notes. Your experience and wisdom aren't wasted. Keep up with the great content!
That was the best beginner guitar lesson I ever had. He explains things clearly and makes it very understandable. Well done! Now I can’t wait to see what’s next. That’s a real teacher.
BEAUTIFUL GIBSON THOUGH. I PREFER DREADNAUTS AND I HAVE AN OVER 40 YEAR + LOVE FOR YAMAHA'S. I'VE PLAYED EVERYTHING AND I HAVE FENDERS, SQUIRES, DANELECTROS AND GIBSON BUT I'M IN LOVE WITH MY GRETSCH ELECTROMATIC 5422. SO I'M A YAMAHA ACOUSTIC AND GRETSCH ELECTRIC GUY. THAT'S HOW I ROLL. LOVE YOUR VIDEO'S, KEEP THEM COMING.
I've been playing since 1975 but still learned a lot from this video. I was taught the classical 'rule' to keep the thumb behind the neck and only recently started using the left hand thumb to play bass notes in one song. I will now try using it for muting.
Great starter video. Finally something where I was able to follow along for the entire thing. Maybe Rick needs to segment his videos by level. This one is really appreciated by beginner guitarists like me.
Rick, how about teaching beginners to use the barre chord position, leaving out the index finger, and use your middle/ring and pinky to play the E major, A minor (and several other 'beginner chords') to minimize changing finger positions ? Almost all beginner manuals show using the index, middle and ring finger to play E major, A minor etc on the first and second frets. Its really a barre chord except that low on the neck its the 'nut' playing the barre (replacing the index finger). I use my ring finger to play the A major across 3 strings (B,G,A) at the 2nd fret and can slide it right up to the say the 2nd fret (barre with index) and ring across the same 3 strings but at the 4th fret and so on up the neck. Same with an E chord, which is just a G barre chord position at the bottom of the neck, the 'nut' replacing the index finger (E major chord). If you have a second, what do you think ? Man this is so much easier to demonstrate on a guitar in person than to describe on on a web page, lol!! *Note: this doesn't follow for the G or C chords and the D has its own shape but for the A and E, chord shapes (and all their variants) it works beautiful !! The problem is that for old people, like myself, I find it hard to learn new 'tricks' like this but if I were teaching a beginners this is exactly how I would teach them -its just soooo much faster / easier !!
I think you are right on point with all the details about finger positions and grip technique. I think most of the time, new players always want to dig in to a song right away, but learning the actual ways to get the most out of the instrument is overlooked. I've always used my thumb to mute and to bar the lower E string when doing for example "Travis picking" on songs or various delta blues style type of playing. The fun thing is, I went to Cuba in 2014 and met an old man who taught me the classical guitar, waltz, salsa etc. And when he saw me doing the bar chords with my thumb he slapped my hand and yelled in Spanish "no thumb!", Also saying do, re, mi etc. Instead of the naming the notes/chords in a way I was familiar to. That was totally a collision of two separate styles of playing that was really fascinating to experience!
Great tips! I just got my hands on a newer model Gibson Southern Jumbo. Very nice guitar. The nut is a bit bulky and for some reason, this model uses different tuning machines. I much prefer the plastic tuning keys over metal.
Excellent advice there Rick, I agree with all your tips, and as a guitar teacher myself, I have been preaching exactly all that good stuff for years. One question ❓❓ any advice on how to get people to sing,who are not natural singers? I find that the vast majority of my students are very reluctant to sing along with strumming.
Just started learning at 63. I knew it wasn't easy. So many things to put together and coordinate. There's so much on TH-cam etc that you can quickly become overwhelmed and confused. Lots of people showing you skills that appear to be simple. You don't know quite where you are without any feedback. It takes quite some effort and concentration to look at what you are doing with the basics and not feel disillusioned. What you rarely see is some indication of quite how long it might take to get some of the skills. It really doesn't happen overnight. It's more like months and years (i.e. the 10,00 hours rule). Doing or attempting too much will likely set you off course. I peeled back everything right back - and it's all right here. Keep it simple. And repeat. Nice one Rick.
I took guitar lessons in third grade and didn't keep up with it because I got frustrated with muffled and buzzing notes when I played. One good thing was I did learn the down, down, up, down, up strumming pattern. Am getting back into the guitar and this video really explained a lot of things I never learned. Also, the four down strokes and change chords reminded me how I learned to type back in the day. Thank you for creating this video. I really appreciate it.
I "play" guitar.I practiced for yrs,yrs ago. I would love to have a good acoustic finally. The absolute truth is; I watch you mainly because it relaxes me just hearing your voice.And,yes,you are teaching this dummy(me) music.That's the best to me.
Rick, I’m teaching y granddaughter tenor guitar. She has tiny hands. Supporting fingers is a great tip. Also never really thought about finger on fret positioning. I have strong hands/fingers and have never really had an issue with note tone. This is a super tip for learners. Keep up the good work and thx for your dedication.
i'm really glad you mentioned how important the guitar set up is. i know so many people who gave up learning because they found the strings were too high above the fretboard and hurt their fingers. they never returned to learning because they thought all guitars were the same. problem is most guitars bought online don't arrive with a pro setup.
I’ve been playing for years and got lots of good info and reminders here. Oh yeah, playing close to the fret makes a clearer note, and much less finger pressure required! I forgot that somehow. Just a little focus on that, and I’m suddenly not fighting so hard to make some good sounds. It’s great to hear a master player give reassurance that this stuff ain’t easy! Thank you! Hang in there, beginners. The fingers gain memory through repetition. They will start to land on the chord positions by reflex, right on the money. If you can get as far as strumming chords comfortably, you can lead a rich musical life. Thousands of songs are at your fingertips.
RE A major - I play it like a reverse d major shape. Index finger on the G string, middle on the D string and ring on the B. When switching between E major and D major (fairly common when learning songs) the index just sits on the 2nd fret, just sliding back to the 1st for E major. More than one way to skin a cat buts my way!
I'm an instructor for Music & Arts here in Vegas, and I was wondering If I was right teaching/insisting on some basics like fingers arched/standing on the neck, common fingering between chords to facilitate transitions, the 4 finger AC/DC G chord... I'm glad I've found your video Rick. Your content is educational and awesome as usual !
Brilliant video. I have a friend learning guitar and I did him a couple of vids pretty much telling him the same things as you did here, but you did it WAY better than me. So I’ve just sent him this video.
Rick, I just picked up the guitar again after a little 30 years break so I'm basically starting over and really love this beginner lesson videos... wish I would have taken your "practice a little everyday advice" ... I'd be a pro instead of a beginner again.. I hope the young guys are listening!
If you teach fingerstyle from the start, you can teach right hand string muting. I actually fold the thumb over on the back for some chords. The arpeggios arrive naturally this way. And you can hit many simultaneous notes in a chord.
Love ya Rick. Great lesson. I quit my guitar lessons when I was 8 because of the pain, and it was just a hobby, but your little lesson here just gave me a kickstart...42 years later. Cheers.
I had a guitar instructor who said that the thumb should never be seen while your fingers are going up and down the fret board which I disagreed with him on. He also didn't teach me chords, he wanted me to focus on reading music and learning the notes instead. I like Rick's teaching methods better.
The point about clipping nails is EXCELLENT. Hear me out on this one. I always knew that I had to clip my nails... it’s obvious. But I didn’t cut them short enough. So for years I ended up angling my fingers onto the strings because I had a millimeter of nail in the way, and consequently I had random string mutes and ringing. Then one day I heard Rick talk about cutting his nails, and it dawned on me that I wasn’t cutting them aggressively enough. Once I cut them shorter, I reexamined my left hand dynamics and significantly cleaned up my technique. It’s such a small thing with such HUGE consequences.
Great Boot Camp tutorial - especially the proper approach to the A chord. I was reminded by a graduate from Eastman (Rochester) that the guitar has its orchestral history in the bass register / clef. Too often full chords (6 strings) stomp over the notation being played on the bass (or left hand on the piano). In a band setting, I rarely need any more than triads and inversions (think Nile Rodgers), low E perhaps for movement into the next chord, or when I need a darker chord voicing. Barre chords have their place (classical, flamenco) - but they are a horrible starting place for newbies, as RB points out - and a Pete Townsend moment happens on the guitar.
Rick, I also teach the A chord with the same fingering Tommy uses for the reason you cited (avoiding the buzz) but also because it's in accordance with one of the rules you cited. When playing a D chord using the common fingering, the first finger is on the G string second fret. Why move it to play an A chord? Those two chords are often used together, so leaving the finger on A string at the 2nd fret just makes ergonomic sense. If the student learns it this way early, they will have greater success sounding chords cleanly and with the least amount of finger movement when changing chords, which is a common challenge for beginners. I'm about to start teaching guitar classes here in Florida, and I tuned in to check out your basics for beginners. Some good stuff. Perhaps you skipped over the string numbers, string notes, and tuning the guitar for a reason, or covered those in a previous video? I do that first, and explain the reason why we're putting our fingers where we are fairly early on as well, so it doesn't become "why am I putting my fingers there?" - "because I said so" kind of teaching. Teaching beginning guitar is a great opportunity to teach basic music theory. That way I'm teaching the student how to fish, and not just giving them the fish, so to speak. Oh, and a 2nd camera with a close-up of your left hand would be a big help. Just saying...
On being just behind the fret. You sometimes see beginners taking this too far, and kinda climbing halfway up the fret. This can muffle the note, really kill it. I got taught to aim for somewhere in between the halfway point between the fret, and the fret itself, but preferably closer to the fret, without climbing on top of it and killing the note. I was told that, as a beginner, that was likely a level of precision I could fairly quickly train myself to rely on. And that, as I got better, I'd be able to get closer and closer to that fret every time, without killing the note.
So glad to see you point out using your lower 3 fingers for A and A minor, E major etc as needed. I remember trying to learn every song in Alice In Chains' Unplugged session and realizing just how important that could be for transition and moving up and down the neck. Great lesson. 😊 First song I learned Nutshell uses variation of that same E, G, D, C The right hand then becomes crucial on that one.
Always barred the A, When I started playing (I was 8) it was too difficult to line up 3 fingers like the Mel Bay book said. It took a long time before I could make it ring and still get the high E ringing too. Wow! so many years ago. I can remember playing 5-8 hours a day when I had the intention of supporting myself with my music someday. Dang me! It felt like I had shattered bones in the tips of my fingers. I kept on playing! TRUTH IS You gotta want to play that thing an awful lot to get through the early pains of learning it. It's been a part of my life for 53 years and I am still learning
Than you, Rick! I played along to make sure I have my basics covered. One thing about the G chord I was taught was it was easier/ faster to keep the middle and ring finger together going from G to C to D and back. Lots of good information in this, and I will pass it along to any budding guitarists I know.
Playing the D-chord semi barred with your index finger covering the three bottom strings at the second fret instead and then the long finger on the second string third fret (d) is also really helpful - especially when you are developing your finger style picking further, since it relieves two left hand fingers to do other stuff, for instance when playing in the great dropped-D tuning.
I've been playing for a long time 30yrs+ but there is always something to learn, and I may even subscribe to the guitar teaching course just to go thru it with Rick
We use the same flat picking style. I had some good teachers like you Rick when I was little and the told me have one picking style free from being locked to the top of the guitar. They said keep the pick level and your either picking 1 string or multiple but move your hand and arm in unison. Not your fingers just holding the pick. Plus when I studied Classical guitar and your fingers are free and your hand is free from the top of the guitar. I like to think of the left hand as a claw..or your C shape with only the very tip of each finger directly next, almost leaning on the fret to cut the string off at the top of the fret and not let the string sag behind. Although there are chords that's hard to accomplish with every finger. Love your channel
Maybe it's just me, but I've always picked open handed using my pinky as a kickstand for my hand as needed instead of entirely relying on my forearm for balance. So I alternate balance points where and when needed if required at all, such as when playing with the guitar resting on my lap or while standing using a strap. I tried closed hand picking a cpl times but felt it to be crampish and restrictive. Playing Open handed, for me, allows for greater range of motion with a pre-loaded attack stance for palm muting and dial adjustment or tremolo arm retrieval if using one and just overall better dexterity and control. I don't buy into the whole reason behind closed hand picking giving superior control of the pick or aiding in delivering more precise string contact while picking. I see it as presenting the player with a restraint as it adds an exta motion in order to perform other tasks while playing. And I also break the rules by preferring a far more flexible semi-thin pick as opposed to a thick rigid pick.
Yes the basics. I learned some it trial and error through my playing years. Good to hear it from you Rick. You and I are the same age. I picked up a guitar when I was 12. I never took the steps to get up to a super high level of playing. I just enjoy what I do play.
About D major, I play the shape differently : index on high e, middle in g string (third finger the same) . I learned it that way by mistake (I didn't have a teacher), and only months later I realized everybody played it in a different shape. However "my" shape makes it simpler to change to Am, C, G or E than the regular D shape.
When I was growing up, my teacher gave me exercises for "glueing" the fingers together for chords like E-/+ and A-/+ and spreading then apart for the "folky" G and C. I think your video is great. There should be a lot of emphasis on this aspect. I teach my students to spread their fingers wide when fingering C. So that index, middle and ring finger are as close to a 90 degree angle to the fretboard as possible. The open A shape is something, that I and my big handed best buddy messed around with a long when we were kids. I am so grateful that I started guitar very early and that many kids in my neighborhood played. We learned so much listening to the Beatles and the Stones and all the Folk Classics like John Denver and Arlo Guthrie. And also, here in Germany, Hannes Wader, of course.
Instead of playing an A chord with fingers 123 or 234 as Rick shows, I was taught to do 213. Almost an inverted D shape. It really helps to slide into other chords.
I like how Rick is emphasizing how hard these basic fundamental elements of guitar playing are, not to discourage people, but rather to reassure beginners who might be struggling that it's okay for them to struggle on the basics.
It's ok to struggle as long as you are not struggling to hard and too much for your own mental health and I embraced that early in my music progress. Sometimes I can learn fast, sometimes slow, but I still maintain at least some guitar practice that works for me with theory sometimes included throughout migraine weeks and some days. Even if someone doesn't practice every day, that doesn't mean all knowledge is lost since some retain lots of info for music. Music does work on your brain overall unlike anything especially with using theory. I at least really know when I am ready to practice instead of just jam over stuff.
@@SpartanLaserCanon Good point about music being good for the brain. In many ways, playing music on an instrument (or even just listening to it) activates the brain and helps keep it healthy. I picked up my guitar after a number of years and was surprised at how much came back to me, slowly but surely. I'm working on building up the calluses on my fingertips again and trying to get the dexterity back. It does take effort and patience. 👍
I remember the early days when even playing through a basic 3 or 4 chord progression to practice the open chords, and doing so cleanly and in time, was a major achievement. It took quite some months to get this down on the 3-4 basic cowboy progressions I was practicing, and using for basic songs like Knocking on Heaven's Door, etc. Be patient, folks. We've all been there.
@@seanbaines Amen, brother.
Everything you don't yet know how to is at some point difficult. Something will always be hard, If you don't play guitar yet, just holding is gonna be hard. Hell walking is hard sometimes and that's a fixed action pattern! lol
Playing guitar is definitely not for everyone and you have to really want it. It’s much more difficult than I imagined, and playing anything fluently took much longer than I anticipated. I’m glad I didn’t give up though. If you stick with it and just keep learning and playing, you make huge leaps when you least suspect it. It’s immensely satisfying and so worth it.
Definetly. If I wasn't such a fanatic I would never have had the patience. But I started on electric so the sound of a distorted guitar was enough to keep me going until it sounded like more than just noise :)
I'm going on 20 months with guitar. Yes, it's hard. I'm at a point where I want to meet with a teacher so some experienced eyes can check my form. In time, chord changes are still difficult. But Rick's videos are a constant source of inspiration. I often watch one to get me psyched up to practice.
Oh self taught?? Kudos to you man!👏👏
Give yourself little wins. Am to C. Over and over. Slow as heck first.
The teacher's eyes and ears are HUGE. if you can get that, do arrange to do so. I had one who, at first lesson, listened and watched very closely as i strummed, then adjusted the position of my fingers on the pick just a millimetre or two. After I practiced with it awhile, I got more stable, consistent strumming, with better tone. And I didn't have my pick pulled lose from my fingers by strumming as much, He did something similar to diagnose a small flaw in my fingerpicking, and prescribe a correction. Another teacher adjusted the position of my guitar in my lap, and got me to practice being visually centred over a different spot on the fretboard. I was way too far forward up the neck, and I was jamming my strumming, and my ability to work up the neck.
Eyes, ears, brain (knowledge and experience). These are what teachers bring.
@@seanbaines I really suggest playing with other people in other to get better at chords changes. I always play with my students, I slow it down a little bit (so they can play and the music doesn't sound wierd). Although its a VERY important exercise, it's really boring to do chords changes over and over again, so try to play songs with someone else, try to keep the rhythm with them even if it means to just play the open strings while you position your fingers (i'm sure the horrible sound of it won't let this become a thing in your playing, although its a nice and idiomatic tecnique). When you realize a particular chord change its really difficult, try practing it at home a little and them go play the song again ;) Sorry for my english
Ditto
Great lesson Rick. I'd like to share what happened when my neighbor asked me to teach his 9 year old son to play. First off, I'm not a great player (have terrible arthritis in my thumbs) and certainly not a teacher. But I thought I would try and show him every thing I had learned in my 50 years of playing. During this time, I encouraged his parents to take him to a professional teacher, but, they were happy with me. So, over the next 9 years, twice a week, I showed him everything that had been hard for me to learn. First thing I taught him was the spider drill, walking his 4 fingers through the first four frets, then "stepping" to the next string and gradually working up the neck and back down. Then the major chords. I taught him, bends, hammer-ons, pull-offs, trills, slides, double-stops, slurs, tapping, alternate and speed picking; I showed him the works. I broke out my old college classical books and bought him a Yamaha Classical for Christmas. We learned rest strokes, free strokes, time-signatures, how to read notes, working with a metronome, etc. We studied Classical in the winters and Rock 'n Roll the rest of the time. When he turned 18, he was playing all the greats: Stairway, Sweet Home, Smoke ot W, Get Back, Crossfire, Watchtower, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You; you name it, we played it. Then, he was invited to play in a folk band. I sent him off, knowing he was going to impress with his skills. He came back from the first practice and said, "You didn't teach me to strum!". 🤯... I had assumed, what came simple for me was something he would just know how to do. Now I send him links to your videos. 🙏
What a great story! Thx for sharing. You did a wonderful service and Im sure he picked up strumming no prob after all you taught him. 😄
Sorry....I laughed at the end. What the Folk!!!
That response goes into the TH-cam Hall of Fame.
Haha
Started 4 weeks ago and when he said to make sure your fingers are glued together, I thought, yeah... I do that. Then I sat down to practice and paid attention to it. I'm now laying down chords with all my fingers at once instead of one finger first that I use as a reference to find the other notes. Also able to do it with B7 quickly after struggling with that chord last two days.
Best advice ever!
Eventually, we need to learn to play with fingers more spread out at times to play wider ranging lines, or do 12 bar Blues shuffle reaches for keys like E Minor. But that's eventually. And there are drills and stretches to help with that. Later. For open chords, fingers supporting each other are pretty important.
The patience to teach something like this and to be this meticulous is a real art. To me you are nothing short of being a truly great teacher. Kudos to you Rick!
Mission accomplished, Rick. Em, Am, C, D, G, A, E, basic strumming. "Fundamentals in ALMOST 30 minutes" ;-) Well done.
I've been playing since '73, and have taught beginners off/on for years. The only "fundamental" I think you missed was tuning.
Impressed that you started with fingernail length! Definitely sharing this! Cheers from Kokomo, Indiana.
At age 60, had my first lesson last week, glad to see my instructor covering many of these same things Rick. Hopefully this old dog can learn a new trick and can play this darn thing.
I retired four years ago -- just as Covid started up -- and decided that, if I was going to be cooped up for a while, I might as well finally learn to play guitar. My friend told me to try to get at least 5 minutes of playing in each day. I particularly like the music theory part of all this.
I have been playing guitar for 61 years. I have also taught guitar to single students, as well as classes of as many as ten students in a neighborhood summer program. My youngest student was a very motivated six year old, and my oldest was my father, who started at the age of 70. I have learned over the years that not every great guitarist can be a great guitar teacher. It is a very different thing to instinctively do something by muscle memory every time you pick up a guitar, than it is to inwardly examine your technique to the point where you actually know why you do this, or that, with your strumming hand, or why you place your fingers where on the strings and fret board on your fingering hand. Not every guitar player is willing, or even capable of self-examination to the point where they can effectively transfer their possibly vast knowledge to a brand new student of the guitar. My first attempts at guitar teaching were prompted by folks being somewhat impressed by my abilities and God-given talent. But unfortunately, I hadn’t taken the time to examine “why I do the things I do” to the point that I could effectively transfer that knowledge to any student. My first few teaching projects were not successful, to say the least. It was not until I began to break down my techniques and moves that I truly began to teach, effectively that is.
Rick, is not only an amazing master on the guitar, but after watching this video, I can attest to the fact that he has down his self- examination homework, and is truly a teacher to learn from. There is an old adage that tells “those that can’t do, teach”. But it it is still more true that “ those that can do, can’t always teach”. Thank you Rick for showing how a real guitar teacher is supposed to do it. Well done !!!
Love the point at 33:20ish about independence, playing bass 16th between hh 8ths, that was one of those first obstacles as a drummer that once overcome, unlocked a whole world. May seem trivial but to a beginner it's huge! Great analogy!
I've been playing for about 50 years, and I still think this is a great refresher video on the basics. It's always worth reviewing the things you thought you were good at later on in life...
Absolutely! I think you are completely right. I myself am 57, I started playing when I was like 12 or so. And I always love reviewing these videos, like Rick's. Not only you refresh your knowledge, but it's also true that you always learn something new. Always. Maybe different, new ways to do the same thing, new approaches... This is a wonderful world, music I mean, and especially guitar. I also play a bit of piano, but the guitar beats everything. Sometimes the acoustic, sometimes the electric, sometimes the Spanish guitar (I'm from Spain). Humility is at the base of everything that is human contact, communication, reaching out to others... Music helps with that.
Thank you so much! It's one thing to know some of the basic chords but hearing these kind of tips from an experienced player with lots of info on "why" instead just "what" or "how" is invaluable. :)
I’ve been playing for decades. Everything you say, Rick, is dead on,,,,Beginning players will realize,,once these few methods and skills are mastered,,it may take months,,,the entire world opens up,,,and playing your guitar will be an infectious hobby,,,
Thank you very much for the lesson. I started playing guitar when I was in the Army. It was on a Gibson B-25 back in 1967. I plinked around on it for about 10 years without really learning anything, so I sold the guitar to my brother and quit. Now I'm 76 years old and trying to learn all over again. My calluses are coming along nicely but not yet fully developed. That being said, I've already bought 3 guitars. The first one was an all mahogany offering from Orangewood. The second was a Fender CD-60. Both those guitars have laminated top wood. I wanted a solid Spruce top, so today I bought a Yamaha FG800, and it sounds a lot better to me than the other two. I really enjoyed your lesson today and hope I can find some more online. I felt a bit inspired by todays lesson, and wanted to take the time to tell you how much I appreciated it. THANK YOU!
This very well could be the best beginner guitar lesson I have ever watched. I have literally spent hundreds of hours listening to TH-cam guitar lessons for the last three years and man this one is it.
Invaluable lesson, Rick. As a novice player, this is goldmine of information. Bravo!
I’ve been playing for over 50 years, and yes, this is the goldmine. This is it.
By the way, for beginners, counting in fours means that we’re using 4/4 time (1234, 1234, etc.). Most popular and folk songs are in this time (or “meter”).
So thankful I watched this video! I am starting to learn guitar in my late 50's and needed this encouragement. I love music and creativity and love the guitar. I have always felt it was out of my reach. I appreciate this pep talk!!!
Rick is definitely an expert but he gets into the shoes of an absolute beginner so effortlessly, it's incredible
Thank you for doing a beginner lesson!! It's so important that new guitarists have some early successes! Get that three or four chord song done and the excitement will kick in!!
Rick really talks about the basics. I had to find it out myself in quite a few years. For a beginner this is really valuable. 🤓😋🥰. Thank you.
When I teach I usually use G C and D as the first chords to teach. The reason why is because there are so many songs that use that chord progression especially country music. I find that if a beginning student can play a song right away they are more likely to stick with it. I may be wrong but I have found that they are more proud with their playing if they know a simple song. Also using down strokes on strumming and teaching a simple 4 beat measure is useful.
Rick is one of my favorite guitar teachers! For everyone out there starting to play guitar: PLEASE! please try to enjoy the process, learn songs that aren´t that difficult to play and that you really love, don´t do too much social media because we tend to compare ourselves to other guitarists that usually seems to be guitar gods to us and you will probably get discouraged (take this as an advice, it´s not the absolute truth) and last but not least important, THIS WILL TAKE TIME so, be kind to yourself (as Tomo Fujita would say) and be consistent, put your guitar in a place you are usually at so you can grab it easily and remember to take care of it and yourself! Love you all
Oh Yes! Get a stand for your guitar! Don’t put it back in the case! Make it easy to pick up. It WILL start talking to you. “Just 10 minutes, buddy …”
Fascinating. From an ancient black and white "how to play guitar" pamphlet i learned A as middle finger on the fourth string, index finger on the third string, and ring finger on the second string. Like a reverse D. The nice thing is that your index finger never moves from the second string when moving around amongst E, A, and D. I never considered a forward D fingering.
I quite like that fingering, myself. I find it works very well. It's the same fingering as a D7, except at the 2nd fret on the 2nd-4th strings, rather than 1st fret, 1st 3 strings.
I figured that out after a friend showed me I was forming the D chord in a way that doenst work well. The rest follows. My fingers are a bit large and I cant easily form an A chord with the fingers side-by-side. You're quite right.
I've been playing guitar for years but I really enjoyed this video start to finish. Its so well articulated and your practical method of teaching makes so much sense
Thank you very much! Very informative video lesson! I am an absolute beginner to playing the guitar and I learned a lot! I will keep this video as a reference. What I will take away from this one session of watching this time:
1) Make sure your fingers are locked together when you are playing chords in which your fingers are on adjacent strings.
2) You need to practice persistently (I am trying to practice everyday).
3) It is ok to intentionally mute string(s) for learning purposes (specifically the low E string).
4) Play behind your fretting hand (I will have to go over this concept again - to make sure I completely understand it).
5) You want to keep your hands in the same shape to make it easier to change chords quicker.
6) The Am and E (major) chords have the same shape. The E chord is the Am chord just with your fingers moved up 1 string.
It actually good to hear you acknowledge that it's difficult for beginners to play the guitar...I mean...It's not just me...it IS kinda difficult in the beginning, but with practice I'll get there.
It ABSOLUTELY is not just you. We've all fought through this. Chin up and persist. It's a work-in-progress, but it get's better.
I remember literally cello taping my fingers together when first learning barre chords.
Whilst I've still plenty to learn, I'm at a point now where I don't think such measures are required.
I’ve been playing for 40 years and wish I had learned some of these basic techniques right from the start. Would have saved me lots of frustrations further down the road. Bad habits can be so hard to break! You’re such a great teacher, Rick. Invaluable information here.
Thank you, man, very helpful! I am 69 years old, absolute beginner and got my first guitar today, a Martin 000-15M.
Rick, I have learned more in the last 30 minutes and enjoyed it more than I did 25 years ago when taking lessons. Just a question, which course do I sign up for to continue where you left off. At 60 I'm starting all over again. Thank you for everything you do.
So did I. And as a french fan, I had an english-american lesson as well. Thank you so much Rick!
Same here at 40. Good luck! :)
Also 40...also just getting back into it. Awesome lesson
Just 50 seconds into your video, and I felt this energy that we could just sit in a table with friends, drinking a beer and tak about life. There's your like and subscribe my friend; great guy, great energy!
This is such a good lesson. I've been playing for years, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching you explain the basics. The thumb thing really resonated. I learned from books and all of them insisted you clamped your thumb to the back of the neck. It took me years to realise that I'd do better bringing it round to the top.
@@craighendrickson7938 I wish I had a thumb that would reach. I have the triple whammy....short, stubby fingers, arthritis, and a damaged index finger. Barre chords hurt no matter how I play them. I've tried the thumb over the top 2 strings, but I just can't reach, and it sounds awful.
@@stevescuba1978 Have you tried thinner neck guitars like the Telecaster?
@@teleguy5699 my PRS SE semi-hollow has a fairly thin neck. It feels fairly similar to a tele neck, as far as I can tell. I am currently working on learning triads, and will just move away from barre chords when possible.
I also will be having a surgery soon that may help with the strength in my fretting hand. Fingers crossed
@@stevescuba1978 Good luck to you!
Hope you keep doing this.
Shout out to you all the way down from Brazil!
Rick I think this is one of the best videos you made. I recently started learning to play guitar and I feel like your videos have given me a great start. Also your Beato book is great.
Sometimes I feel like some of the things you say go over my head. For instance I don't understand how you determine where the positions of the pentatonic scale are.
I actually play an open A major using just two fingers. My index finger frets the E on the D string and my middle finger frets the C# on the B string. The A on the G string between those two is fretted jointly by both fingers on either side. When I taught myself to play 30+ years ago I was having trouble cramming three fingers in that little amount of space, so this was my solution. Probably not textbook, but it works for me.
So do I, just a little different. My index finger covers the D and G strings and my middle finger is on the B.
A major in open position, standard tuning is one finger
I use middle through pinky for A major. Frees up my pointer finger to switch to different chords faster. I have small hands/fingers so this helps
Gotta use only pointer finger, frees up all sorts of possibilities, if you can reach the root with your pinky this shape can be played in any position
The same for me and I’m always frustrated when I see people play with 3 fingers, I’m like, “How?!”, haha.
Ive been playing guitar for over 30 years and its fun to watch Rick explain the basics. Always good to go over the basics.
Thank you so much Rick. As a beginner who has been playing for about 7 months now, it encourages me that such a good musician like you acknowledges these difficulties for beginners. That stuff about muting the E string and "glue-ing" your fingers was especially useful!
I started playing guitar again in March. Proud to say I have covered everything on this stream. Additionally, just this morning, I was able to perform my own truss rod, action height, and intonation adjustments on my Albert Hammond Jr. signature Stratocaster... Very pleased with it.
Barely 2 years in and this video is the pick me up I needed to stay on track and not give up. Feels like I’m trying to break through a wall right now and it can be discouraging when these progress speed bumps occur.
2 1/2 years here. Yup, we all hit that wall occasionally and it's great to find something that inspires us to keep banging away at it.
So happy to see these, they are the exact tips I use to teach beginners.
✝️✝️❤️( Share ) Jesus Christ loves you and can truly heal you , deliver you and can set you free . The Gospel is this , is that God revealed to us who He is through Jesus Christ , He came on the earth to die for our sins because Sin separates us from God , and God created us to have a relationship with Him , that’s why in Genesis 1:27 we are made in Gods image ! You can be a Child of God Spiritually through Jesus Christ , it’s like. Father / Son , Father / Daughter Relationship . If we die in our sins we will go to Hell and Ultimately the Lake of Fire , but there is a way out of Hell and that’s through Jesus Christ who payed the penalty for our sins on the cross . If you accept and believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins and rose again on the 3rd day , conquering sin , conquering death , and conquering the devil , and you repent and turn away from your sins . You will get filled with the Holy Spirit , you will become born again and you will be saved ! You will have eternal life , eternal peace , you can be healed , delivered and set free today of all your pain through Jesus Christ !
As always, bang on the money 👌
It's interesting that you mention the right hand bracing. I tend to use that and teach it but for single note/melody playing and some arpeggiation. I've not known anybody to use it for strumming.
Need more of these. Best music and education channel on youtube 👍
This was great Rick as I just picked up the guitar (I am like a week younger than you!). Loving it and making decent progress day by day. These tips will help a ton. Started on my wife’s old guitar then walked into the local music store a week ago intending to “just look” and walked out with a fantastic guitar. Fits me better and has helped me immensely!
rick... just like you to try playing chords, Am , Amaj, Emaj (Em. wiith 1 middle finger ) the rest just 2 fingers -index and middle fingers.
i found that it very hard to play an A chord with 3 fingers on one fret getting buzzing all the time so came up the 2 finger method.
please please please try this works great -------split 3 strings between 2 fingers.
I'm in with 2 fingers for A chord... Done it for decades. It's not a cheat or a bastard chord, it's an A major!
This is my initial visit and the background studio with the line-up of guitars is so cool. To have that type of space to spread out and keep the beauties in line is really, really nice and you my friend have a neat cave that anyone who is a guitar enthusiast would love. I loved your educational teaching here also.
I’m about 2 years into learning acoustic guitar on my own. Rick’s videos fuel me to keep at it. A couple of things I’d recommend are:
• practicing standing up. My guitar only came with one strap button on the bottom. I had a local shop add a second button on the back at the base of the neck so I could add a strap. (I don’t like the kind that wraps around the neck up near the nut).
• Harmonics are easy and fun to play around with. For a thorough explanation, check out How to be Dangerous on Guitar by Richard Daniels
• For strumming using a very thin pick is more forgiving. For picking individual notes, a medium or light/medium pick has been helpful. I haven’t reached the heavy pick stage yet.
This was very helpful! I am a beginner that has stopped several times during this point of learning. Mainly because I thought something was wrong with me having difficulty learning these shapes and not being able to do the progressions well. I also have shorter fat fingers and I have had difficulty muting strings that I am not supposed to. So, now I get it that my struggles are pretty normal and just keep practicing!
I've played drums for 35 years and started playing guitar about 1 year ago. Teaching myself Rick's videos have been so enjoyable and helpful. Such a great positive influence. Amen!
❤ Rick Beato I got the beginner guitar course ( the entire bundle as well) via the black Friday special! Years be gone I used to play some guitar but never my ability could match what my ear wants to hear played. How do we music appreciators manage that obstacle? I’ve been doing what you recommend and practice every day and I’m really enjoying it but my desire seems to be tougher than my fingers. I’m a Nana ,65 years on the planet. Thank you for looking out for the passion in us at the remedial levels of learning to play a guitar!Truly been a cool thing. Appreciate you very much in all of your video content
@ SeeCee Have you ever tried an electric guitar? The strings are much easier to press. My playing improved greatly once I bought one. You can just pop into a guitar store and give one a try.
@@JohnSmith-dh3kx Thank you for reaching out. I have a beautiful Martin and the action is pretty good it’s just getting used to doing something different. You have a beautiful day.
Jewels man! I was told my fingers were weak and that's why they touched each other. For about a yr I did everything i could to keep them from touching. Gave up on that and thought that letting them touch was more comfy but improper. I needed this lesson. Thank you!
This is great, Rick. I've been a bass player for over 30 years and have recently decided I need to play 6 string. Got me a sweet LP and a nice Orange and realized that there are so many fundamental things to learn that are so different. Your advice is great! It seems very basic but it's really good, foundational advice that stops people from developing bad habits and gets them started in the right direction. It's funny, but I figured out just a couple of days ago while working out my F bar that I was stronger when locking my ring and pinky together, then I watched this video. Now I'm rethinking my approach to all of my chords. I'm also recognizing my tendency to lift my fingers between chords with common notes. Your experience and wisdom aren't wasted. Keep up with the great content!
That was the best beginner guitar lesson I ever had. He explains things clearly and makes it very understandable. Well done!
Now I can’t wait to see what’s next.
That’s a real teacher.
BEAUTIFUL GIBSON THOUGH. I PREFER DREADNAUTS AND I HAVE AN OVER 40 YEAR + LOVE FOR YAMAHA'S. I'VE PLAYED EVERYTHING AND I HAVE FENDERS, SQUIRES, DANELECTROS AND GIBSON BUT I'M IN LOVE WITH MY GRETSCH ELECTROMATIC 5422. SO I'M A YAMAHA ACOUSTIC AND GRETSCH ELECTRIC GUY. THAT'S HOW I ROLL. LOVE YOUR VIDEO'S, KEEP THEM COMING.
Haven't picked up my guitar over a month, worked my way through the entire video, great video!
Nice job Rick. We need a part two with Bm and Bb or any bar chords fundamentals!
I've been playing since 1975 but still learned a lot from this video. I was taught the classical 'rule' to keep the thumb behind the neck and only recently started using the left hand thumb to play bass notes in one song. I will now try using it for muting.
Great starter video. Finally something where I was able to follow along for the entire thing. Maybe Rick needs to segment his videos by level. This one is really appreciated by beginner guitarists like me.
Rick, how about teaching beginners to use the barre chord position, leaving out the index finger, and use your middle/ring and pinky to play the E major, A minor (and several other 'beginner chords') to minimize changing finger positions ? Almost all beginner manuals show using the index, middle and ring finger to play E major, A minor etc on the first and second frets. Its really a barre chord except that low on the neck its the 'nut' playing the barre (replacing the index finger). I use my ring finger to play the A major across 3 strings (B,G,A) at the 2nd fret and can slide it right up to the say the 2nd fret (barre with index) and ring across the same 3 strings but at the 4th fret and so on up the neck. Same with an E chord, which is just a G barre chord position at the bottom of the neck, the 'nut' replacing the index finger (E major chord). If you have a second, what do you think ?
Man this is so much easier to demonstrate on a guitar in person than to describe on on a web page, lol!!
*Note: this doesn't follow for the G or C chords and the D has its own shape but for the A and E, chord shapes (and all their variants) it works beautiful !! The problem is that for old people, like myself, I find it hard to learn new 'tricks' like this but if I were teaching a beginners this is exactly how I would teach them -its just soooo much faster / easier !!
I think you are right on point with all the details about finger positions and grip technique. I think most of the time, new players always want to dig in to a song right away, but learning the actual ways to get the most out of the instrument is overlooked.
I've always used my thumb to mute and to bar the lower E string when doing for example "Travis picking" on songs or various delta blues style type of playing.
The fun thing is, I went to Cuba in 2014 and met an old man who taught me the classical guitar, waltz, salsa etc. And when he saw me doing the bar chords with my thumb he slapped my hand and yelled in Spanish "no thumb!", Also saying do, re, mi etc. Instead of the naming the notes/chords in a way I was familiar to.
That was totally a collision of two separate styles of playing that was really fascinating to experience!
Great tips! I just got my hands on a newer model Gibson Southern Jumbo. Very nice guitar. The nut is a bit bulky and for some reason, this model uses different tuning machines. I much prefer the plastic tuning keys over metal.
Excellent advice there Rick, I agree with all your tips, and as a guitar teacher myself, I have been preaching exactly all that good stuff for years.
One question ❓❓ any advice on how to get people to sing,who are not natural singers?
I find that the vast majority of my students are very reluctant to sing along with strumming.
Just started learning at 63. I knew it wasn't easy. So many things to put together and coordinate. There's so much on TH-cam etc that you can quickly become overwhelmed and confused. Lots of people showing you skills that appear to be simple. You don't know quite where you are without any feedback. It takes quite some effort and concentration to look at what you are doing with the basics and not feel disillusioned. What you rarely see is some indication of quite how long it might take to get some of the skills. It really doesn't happen overnight. It's more like months and years (i.e. the 10,00 hours rule). Doing or attempting too much will likely set you off course. I peeled back everything right back - and it's all right here. Keep it simple. And repeat. Nice one Rick.
I took guitar lessons in third grade and didn't keep up with it because I got frustrated with muffled and buzzing notes when I played. One good thing was I did learn the down, down, up, down, up strumming pattern. Am getting back into the guitar and this video really explained a lot of things I never learned. Also, the four down strokes and change chords reminded me how I learned to type back in the day. Thank you for creating this video. I really appreciate it.
I "play" guitar.I practiced for yrs,yrs ago. I would love to have a good acoustic finally. The absolute truth is; I watch you mainly because it relaxes me just hearing your voice.And,yes,you are teaching this dummy(me) music.That's the best to me.
Rick, I’m teaching y granddaughter tenor guitar.
She has tiny hands. Supporting fingers is a great tip. Also never really thought about finger on fret positioning. I have strong hands/fingers and have never really had an issue with note tone. This is a super tip for learners.
Keep up the good work and thx for your dedication.
i'm really glad you mentioned how important the guitar set up is. i know so many people who gave up learning because they found the strings were too high above the fretboard and hurt their fingers. they never returned to learning because they thought all guitars were the same. problem is most guitars bought online don't arrive with a pro setup.
Rick, thank you for your spending your valuable time teaching. Much appreciated.
so fuuny ive been practicing guitar for over twenty years and never heard ANYONE talk off the postion of the finger between the fret itself. Thx Rick!
Rick you're the Man! I appreciate you sharing your skills with us beginners!
Rick, my guitar is a Yamaha classical guitar. Should I select another style of guitar to begin to learn how to play?
I’ve been playing for years and got lots of good info and reminders here. Oh yeah, playing close to the fret makes a clearer note, and much less finger pressure required! I forgot that somehow. Just a little focus on that, and I’m suddenly not fighting so hard to make some good sounds.
It’s great to hear a master player give reassurance that this stuff ain’t easy! Thank you! Hang in there, beginners. The fingers gain memory through repetition. They will start to land on the chord positions by reflex, right on the money. If you can get as far as strumming chords comfortably, you can lead a rich musical life. Thousands of songs are at your fingertips.
Been playing for decades…really great, Rick. Glue the fingers!
Going to use this method for my son.
RE A major - I play it like a reverse d major shape. Index finger on the G string, middle on the D string and ring on the B. When switching between E major and D major (fairly common when learning songs) the index just sits on the 2nd fret, just sliding back to the 1st for E major.
More than one way to skin a cat buts my way!
Hands down THE best video I’ve ever seen on starting with the guitar.
Hey Rick, maybe you should do a video course covering all your book, that would be very helpful. I understand it would be a massive enterprise
I'm an instructor for Music & Arts here in Vegas, and I was wondering If I was right teaching/insisting on some basics like fingers arched/standing on the neck, common fingering between chords to facilitate transitions, the 4 finger AC/DC G chord... I'm glad I've found your video Rick. Your content is educational and awesome as usual !
Brilliant video. I have a friend learning guitar and I did him a couple of vids pretty much telling him the same things as you did here, but you did it WAY better than me. So I’ve just sent him this video.
I’ve been taking classes for two months and I’ve learned more from Rick than in two months!!!!
Rick, I just picked up the guitar again after a little 30 years break so I'm basically starting over and really love this beginner lesson videos... wish I would have taken your "practice a little everyday advice" ... I'd be a pro instead of a beginner again.. I hope the young guys are listening!
If you teach fingerstyle from the start, you can teach right hand string muting. I actually fold the thumb over on the back for some chords. The arpeggios arrive naturally this way. And you can hit many simultaneous notes in a chord.
Amazing video! That "glued fingers" thing you talked about, I've never really thought about it, but I'll definetly pay attention to that when teaching
I’ve been playing as a hobby for more than 50 years. I only wish my first guitar teacher had started like this. Love all you do!
Love ya Rick. Great lesson. I quit my guitar lessons when I was 8 because of the pain, and it was just a hobby, but your little lesson here just gave me a kickstart...42 years later. Cheers.
I had a guitar instructor who said that the thumb should never be seen while your fingers are going up and down the fret board which I disagreed with him on. He also didn't teach me chords, he wanted me to focus on reading music and learning the notes instead. I like Rick's teaching methods better.
The point about clipping nails is EXCELLENT. Hear me out on this one. I always knew that I had to clip my nails... it’s obvious. But I didn’t cut them short enough. So for years I ended up angling my fingers onto the strings because I had a millimeter of nail in the way, and consequently I had random string mutes and ringing. Then one day I heard Rick talk about cutting his nails, and it dawned on me that I wasn’t cutting them aggressively enough. Once I cut them shorter, I reexamined my left hand dynamics and significantly cleaned up my technique. It’s such a small thing with such HUGE consequences.
Great Boot Camp tutorial - especially the proper approach to the A chord. I was reminded by a graduate from Eastman (Rochester) that the guitar has its orchestral history in the bass register / clef. Too often full chords (6 strings) stomp over the notation being played on the bass (or left hand on the piano). In a band setting, I rarely need any more than triads and inversions (think Nile Rodgers), low E perhaps for movement into the next chord, or when I need a darker chord voicing. Barre chords have their place (classical, flamenco) - but they are a horrible starting place for newbies, as RB points out - and a Pete Townsend moment happens on the guitar.
Rick, I also teach the A chord with the same fingering Tommy uses for the reason you cited (avoiding the buzz) but also because it's in accordance with one of the rules you cited. When playing a D chord using the common fingering, the first finger is on the G string second fret. Why move it to play an A chord? Those two chords are often used together, so leaving the finger on A string at the 2nd fret just makes ergonomic sense. If the student learns it this way early, they will have greater success sounding chords cleanly and with the least amount of finger movement when changing chords, which is a common challenge for beginners. I'm about to start teaching guitar classes here in Florida, and I tuned in to check out your basics for beginners. Some good stuff. Perhaps you skipped over the string numbers, string notes, and tuning the guitar for a reason, or covered those in a previous video? I do that first, and explain the reason why we're putting our fingers where we are fairly early on as well, so it doesn't become "why am I putting my fingers there?" - "because I said so" kind of teaching. Teaching beginning guitar is a great opportunity to teach basic music theory. That way I'm teaching the student how to fish, and not just giving them the fish, so to speak. Oh, and a 2nd camera with a close-up of your left hand would be a big help. Just saying...
Love your videos Rick some real gems of information again.
Relevant and interesting as always
On being just behind the fret. You sometimes see beginners taking this too far, and kinda climbing halfway up the fret. This can muffle the note, really kill it. I got taught to aim for somewhere in between the halfway point between the fret, and the fret itself, but preferably closer to the fret, without climbing on top of it and killing the note. I was told that, as a beginner, that was likely a level of precision I could fairly quickly train myself to rely on. And that, as I got better, I'd be able to get closer and closer to that fret every time, without killing the note.
So glad to see you point out using your lower 3 fingers for A and A minor, E major etc as needed.
I remember trying to learn every song in Alice In Chains' Unplugged session and realizing just how important that could be for transition and moving up and down the neck.
Great lesson. 😊
First song I learned Nutshell uses variation of that same E, G, D, C
The right hand then becomes crucial on that one.
Back to basics. Always refreshing! Never fails.
Always barred the A, When I started playing (I was 8) it was too difficult to line up 3 fingers like the Mel Bay book said. It took a long time before I could make it ring and still get the high E ringing too. Wow! so many years ago. I can remember playing 5-8 hours a day when I had the intention of supporting myself with my music someday. Dang me! It felt like I had shattered bones in the tips of my fingers. I kept on playing! TRUTH IS You gotta want to play that thing an awful lot to get through the early pains of learning it. It's been a part of my life for 53 years and I am still learning
Than you, Rick!
I played along to make sure I have my basics covered.
One thing about the G chord I was taught was it was easier/ faster to keep the middle and ring finger together going from G to C to D and back.
Lots of good information in this, and I will pass it along to any budding guitarists I know.
Playing the D-chord semi barred with your index finger covering the three bottom strings at the second fret instead and then the long finger on the second string third fret (d) is also really helpful - especially when you are developing your finger style picking further, since it relieves two left hand fingers to do other stuff, for instance when playing in the great dropped-D tuning.
I've been playing for a long time 30yrs+ but there is always something to learn, and I may even subscribe to
the guitar teaching course just to go thru it with Rick
FINALLY!!! A video I'm able to watch throughout and digest... Your lessons are usually waaaay out there.
We use the same flat picking style. I had some good teachers like you Rick when I was little and the told me have one picking style free from being locked to the top of the guitar. They said keep the pick level and your either picking 1 string or multiple but move your hand and arm in unison. Not your fingers just holding the pick. Plus when I studied Classical guitar and your fingers are free and your hand is free from the top of the guitar. I like to think of the left hand as a claw..or your C shape with only the very tip of each finger directly next, almost leaning on the fret to cut the string off at the top of the fret and not let the string sag behind. Although there are chords that's hard to accomplish with every finger. Love your channel
Maybe it's just me, but I've always picked open handed using my pinky as a kickstand for my hand as needed instead of entirely relying on my forearm for balance. So I alternate balance points where and when needed if required at all, such as when playing with the guitar resting on my lap or while standing using a strap. I tried closed hand picking a cpl times but felt it to be crampish and restrictive. Playing Open handed, for me, allows for greater range of motion with a pre-loaded attack stance for palm muting and dial adjustment or tremolo arm retrieval if using one and just overall better dexterity and control. I don't buy into the whole reason behind closed hand picking giving superior control of the pick or aiding in delivering more precise string contact while picking. I see it as presenting the player with a restraint as it adds an exta motion in order to perform other tasks while playing. And I also break the rules by preferring a far more flexible semi-thin pick as opposed to a thick rigid pick.
Yes the basics. I learned some it trial and error through my playing years. Good to hear it from you Rick. You and I are the same age. I picked up a guitar when I was 12. I never took the steps to get up to a super high level of playing. I just enjoy what I do play.
About D major, I play the shape differently : index on high e, middle in g string (third finger the same) . I learned it that way by mistake (I didn't have a teacher), and only months later I realized everybody played it in a different shape. However "my" shape makes it simpler to change to Am, C, G or E than the regular D shape.
When I was growing up, my teacher gave me exercises for "glueing" the fingers together for chords like E-/+ and A-/+ and spreading then apart for the "folky" G and C. I think your video is great. There should be a lot of emphasis on this aspect. I teach my students to spread their fingers wide when fingering C. So that index, middle and ring finger are as close to a 90 degree angle to the fretboard as possible.
The open A shape is something, that I and my big handed best buddy messed around with a long when we were kids.
I am so grateful that I started guitar very early and that many kids in my neighborhood played. We learned so much listening to the Beatles and the Stones and all the Folk Classics like John Denver and Arlo Guthrie. And also, here in Germany, Hannes Wader, of course.
Instead of playing an A chord with fingers 123 or 234 as Rick shows, I was taught to do 213. Almost an inverted D shape. It really helps to slide into other chords.