Ultimate Kids Guitar Lessons

Ultimate Kids Chords G Major E Minor

David — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:07:40 +0000

Ultimate Kids Chords G Major E Minor

The Key of G Major and the relative key of E minor contain (1) sharps, which is an F# and no flats. This means we have to adjust every F note by making it sharp or raising is 1/2 step or just one fret. This means the F on the 1st fret of the 1st string would be played on the 2nd fret. The F on the 3rd fret of the 4th fret would be played sharp or on the 4th fret. Also the F on the 1st fret of the 6th string would be played on the 2nd fret or an F#.

The Key of G Major has 3 chords they are G Major C Major and D Seventh – For short we just call them G C and D7. The relative key is E minor. E minor also has 3 chords they are E Minor, A Minor and B Seventh – For short we just call them Em Am and B7.

G Major Chords – E Minor Chords:

Notice that each of the chords is a 4 note chord. Each one includes the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th strings. We need not play the notes on the 5th and 6th strings until you have memorized these chords and can play them clearly and quickly change between chords. Only then can you play the full-blown 5 or 6 string chords.

Pay special attention to the finger numbers of the left hand in the black dots on the chord diagrams. Also look at the note names below each string and you can see what notes the chords are constructed from – more on that later.

Be sure to place your left hand fingers directly behind the fret in front of your finger. This is the easiest place to press down the string. Also say each chord as you strum it.

The Hardest Chord:

Which chord looks like it may be the hardest to play in this group? Can you guess? Well this group doesn’t have a really hard chord like the F chord of the C Major scale. The B7 will probably give you the most trouble with this set of chords.

Try to change between chords smoothly and quickly. Remember when you play rhythm guitar you will have to change between chords in the space of one beat or one quarter note. You cannot pause and make everyone in the band stop while you find your chord.

Therefore memorize these chords very thoroughly and know how to switch between them very quickly. Always try to minimize your left hand finger movement and be as efficient as possible and move as few fingers as possible.

Ultimate Kids Chords C Major A Minor

David — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:54:52 +0000

Ultimate Kids Chords C Major A Minor

The Key of C Major and the relative key of A minor contain no sharps or flats and thus they are considered keys that are all naturals. This means we don’t have to adjust notes with either a flat or a sharp to play the correct note unless it is shown on each individual note in the notation.

The Key of C Major has 3 chords they are C Major F Major and G Seventh – For short we just call them C F and G7. The relative key is A minor. A minor also has 3 chords they are A Minor, D Minor and E Seventh – For short we just call them Am Dm and E7.

C Major Chords – A Minor Chords:

Be sure to place your left hand fingers directly behind the fret in front of your finger. This is the easiest place to press down the string. Also say each chord as you strum it.

The Hardest Chord:

Which chord looks like it may be the hardest to play? Can you guess? Yep it is the F chord. There is a finger placed on each of the 4 strings. Yes the good ‘ol F chord seems like it is always the hardest chord you will play now and for some time to come.

One thing you should be aware of with the F chord is that the first finger pressed down both the first and second string together. This is called a bar chord. Now since it is only pressing down 2 strings instead of 6 strings, it is called a ‘mini-bar’ chord. This may be hard for you to do, but just keep working on it and your fingers will get stronger and you will be able to play it.

The best way to play the mini-bar, is to lay your first finger down flat to cover both strings and press hard. Check to see that you have your finger close to the fret in front of it. Also make sure your right hand thumb in behind the neck and you are not grasping the neck in a death grip.

The A Scale Notes

David — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:18:41 +0000

Key Signature – Key of A Major
Source: Kids Guitar Theory

Notes in the A scale:

We have worked with songs in the C Scale, which has no sharps or flats in the Key Signature and the G Scale, which has 1 F# in the Key Signature and finally we worked in the key of D major which has two sharps – 1 F# and 2 C#. Now we are going to move on to the A Scale which adds one additional sharp to the D Scale, which is the G#. So the Key of A Major has all F’s, C’s and G’s played sharp, unless the music tells us otherwise. We will go over the A Scale notes and have you memorize just where they are and teach you how to play them. Ready? Here they are!

There are 7 notes in the musical alphabet. In the A scale they are A B C# D E F# G# A. When we reach the A note the notes start over again. When we play A through the Second A, it is called one Octave. If we were to play 2 Octaves we would play A B C# D E F# G# A B C# D E F# G# A. So that shows 2 complete octaves from A to A to A:

Look at the diagram above and you will start to understand just where these notes are on the guitar.

So the lower octave of the A scale starts on the 5th string Open and it is played like this;
A 5th String; Open
B 5th String; 2nd Fret
C# 5th String; 4th Fret
D 4th String; Open
E 4th String; 2nd Fret
F# 4th String; 4rd Fret
G# 3rd String; 1st Fret

Then moving on to the next higher octave, you would play the A scale like this:
A 3rd String; 2nd Fret
B 2nd String; Open
C# 2nd String; 2nd Fret
D 2nd String; 3rd Fret
E 1st String; Open
F# 1st String; 2nd Fret
G# 1st String; 4th Fret
A 1st String; 5th Fret

Memorize this scale and be able to play it smoothly and s-l-o-w-l-y. Another good tip is to say each note as you play it to begin memorizing the notes.

Note in this above diagram, we have 2 octaves in the key of A Major. This corresponds to the actual notes shown in the fingerboard diagram above.

Maintaining Your Half Whole Step Patterns:
Are you wondering what the F#s , C#s and G#s are doing in the scale? In music we have certain rules that have to be kept. One of these is that there is a set pattern of half and whole steps between notes and that pattern has to be kept no matter what.

In order to keep the pattern we need to add sharp and flat notes to make the pattern. We won’t go into detail on how to do that here as that is getting into more advanced theory. For right now just know that in the A scale, you will be dealing with three sharps – that is the F# , C# and the G#. Unless told in the music otherwise, you will play every F, C and G as a sharp.

While you are studying this study the TAB staff also, which is the lower staff. Remember that each of these lines represent a string. The top line is the First String and the bottom line is the 6th String. The numbers stand for the fret number that you play for each string. Try to relate each TAB note to the actual notes on the staff and also on the fretboard diagram at the top of the page.

Ultimate Kids Guitar Chords

David — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:29:39 +0000

Guitar Chords
Source: Ultimate Kids Guitar Chords

Ultimate Kids Chords:

With little fingers and mussels that are not quite developed as of yet, some of these chords we have you strum can be just too much. So that is what inspired me to develop this series of what I call Kids Chords.

These chords are meant to show the easiest possible way to play chord patterns, while still using the proper fingering and the most tone out of your guitar.

Most of these chords will be played on the first four stings of the guitar, being the following:
1st String E
2nd String B
3rd String G
4th String D

The 5th and 6th strings are bass strings and should be added only where your kids have enough finger strength to add them, while keeping the other notes clear, with no buzzing.

Chord Playing Tips:

We have gone through some of these tips before, but it sure does not hurt to review them. Here are some of the tips you can use to play these chords as easily as possible, without buzzing or muting of strings.

First: Place your fingers of your left hand directly behind the frets. The closer you place them the easier it is to sound the note clearly.

Second: Arch your left hand fingers so that the finger tip to the first finger joist is as close to being vertical as you can. This will minimize this finger from touching other ‘next door’ strings. Also center your fingertip on the string.

Third: Place your left hand thumb centered on the neck behind the fingers you have on the frets. This will give you more strength in your hand so you can more easily press down the strings. The thumb can be placed anywhere between the center of the back of the neck to the upper 1/4 of the neck. Never hang your thumb over the fretboard and never hold the guitar neck in a death grip. Look at the picture at the top of this article – that is how your hand should look for every chord.

Fourth: Because you put a lot of pressure on the left hand fingers, this does not mean you should strum the chords louder because of this. This is a natural reaction and be aware that you should treat the strum with the same intensity with easy chords as with hard ones.

Chord Diagram Review:

Here is a review on how to read these diagrams.

The horizontal lines (lines going from left to right) are the frets.

The vertical lines (lines going from top to bottom) are the strings – notice there are 6 of them.

The black dots represent the finger and it is shown on the fret and string to sound the proper note. The number inside the black dot is the left and finger that is to be used. 1 = index finger; 2 = middle finger; 3 = ring finger; 4 = pinkie finger.

The solid dark line at the top of the diagram is the nut of the guitar. If you don’t know what a nut is take a look at the guitar definitions for all the parts and pieces of a guitar so you know what we are talking about.

Next look at the “x’ or ‘o’ symbol above the nut. ‘o’ means this string is to be played open. ‘x’ means this string is not to be played.

The Capital letters beneath each string line is the name of the note you will be playing if you finger the chords correctly.

The Roman Numerals to the right of the chord diagram indicate the fret number. I = first fret; II = second fret; III = third fret; IV = fourth fret; V = fifth fret and so on….

We will be adding Ultimate Kids Chords here for an extended length of time so check here often. We will divide them conveniently into Major Keys and Relative Minor Keys, for instance C major and A minor; G major and E minor and so forth.

Month 6, Lesson 4 Score

David — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 19:13:15 +0000

Songs in Downloadable Format:
If you have difficulty reading this score information, we have this score information available free of charge for you with an instant electronic download. Just click on the song title below and you will be taken to our secure server site. You will get a PDF file of the above score complete with the Tab Notes. Be sure to download Adobe Acrobat Reader v6.0 or above. This version will allow you to turn the Tab Layer on or off.

Also you will get the Guitar Pro file. You can download Guitar Pro and get a free trial so you can play along with this song in real time on your computer. If you upgrade to the full version of the song you will have a lot more features available to you.

Guitar Pro File – Triad Scales in the Keys of C and G Major
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PDF File – Triad Scales in the Keys of C and G Major
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Month 6, Lesson 4 Text

David — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 19:12:59 +0000

Month 6, Lesson 4: Triad Scales in the Keys of C and G Major
Source: Guitar Lessons

Triad Scales in the Keys of C and G Major

Another old time song that just about everyone knows. It is believed to have been written by a gold miner during the California Gold Rush in 1849.

About This Lesson:

When you play a triad, you will very often play the lead or melody note on top of the note stem, or the highest note in pitch. The lower 2 notes are accompaniment notes and add to the fullness in sound of the triad.

Learning Points:

Triads (3-Note Chords):
The Triads are always played as 3 note chords. Most of the time the highest note or the top note on the stem is the lead note, melody note or the note you would sing. The other 2 lower noes on the stem are notes in harmony that fill in the sound of the chord.

In this exercise the rule is that the top note on the stem carries the melody. This will not be true for every song though and this rule is often broken.

Chords Diagrams:
Look carefully at the chord diagrams that are located directly above each Triad. It graphically shows the notes located on the fingerboard where the fingers are placed and what strings are played open.

The Scale of C Major:
The first bar (the top line of notation) contains the C Major scale which starts with the C note on the second string, first fret and ends on the first string eighth fret with a high “C” that is one octave higher than were we started.

The next bar or second line of notation is where you play this same C Major scale, only this time as triads. Notice how the top note of each triad is the same as the corresponding note on the staff located directly above it.

The Scale of G Major:
The third bar (the third line of notation) contains the G Major scale which starts with the G note on the third string, open and ends on the first string third fret with a high “G” that is one octave higher than were we started.

The next bar or fourth line of notation is where you play this same G Major scale, only this time as triads. Notice how the top note of each triad is the same as the corresponding note on the staff located directly above it.

About the Tab Notes:

Nothing to add for this lesson.

Articles You Should Read:

Using down ups is the only way to play them fast enough.
Chords in the Key of C Major
Notes in the C Major Scale
Chords in the Key of G Major
Notes in the G Major Scale
Triads Chords: Be familiar with how they are formed and why.
Moving Your Left Hand Efficiently:

Music Theory You Should Know:

Time Signature
Rest
TAB
TAB Staff

Goals:

Goal #1:
Memorize the triad scales for the keys of C and G Major. Be able to play them smoothly and slowly. Prepare you fingers to make smooth transitions between each triad.

Goal #2:
As you play each triad, say the chord name out loud as you play. The chord name is located above each chord diagram and the chord name is different from the scale note name – they are not the same. Look at the C Scale and the C Scale Triads beneath. Notice the first note the “C” is the same in both staffs, but that quickly changes on the second note. Also note that the 4th note matches the triad, the fifth note does and the 8th note or C matches.

Goal #3:
One you have the triads mastered, play them backwards or in reverse order, then play them forward and immediately backwards without missing a beat.

What You Should Practice This Week:

Basically just memorize each of these triad scales and be able to play them smoothly.

Help Us Out:

Lastly and most importantly, give us feedback, either good or bad. We want to improve this site and we want kids to learn how to play the guitar. If you have suggestions for us, leave a comment. If you appreciate these lessons, leave a comment on that too.

Songs in Downloadable Format:

If you have difficulty reading this score information, we have this score information available free of charge for you with an instant electronic download. Just click on the song title below and you will be taken to our secure server site. You will get a PDF file of the above score complete with the Tab Notes. Be sure to download Adobe Acrobat Reader v6.0 or above. This version will allow you to turn the Tab Layer on or off.

Guitar Pro File – Triad Scales in the Keys of C and G Major
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PDF File – Triad Scales in the Keys of C and G Major
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Month 6, Lesson 3 Text

David — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:32:17 +0000

Month 6, Lesson 3: Oh My Darlin’ Clementine – Lead
Source: Guitar Lessons

Oh My Darlin’ Clementine – Lead

Another old time song that just about everyone knows. It is believed to have been written by a gold miner during the California Gold Rush in 1849.

About This Lesson:

Although this is a very simple song, played in the key of C major, I have added some interest to the song by adding a bunch of 3-note chords or Triads. These give the song a lot of fullness and make if fun (or difficult) to play at first, but it definitely is a song that you can play to show off your playing skills once you master it.

Learning Points:

In this song the rule is that the top note on the stem carries the melody. This will not be true for every song though and this rule is often broken.

Arpeggio Chords:
All of the Triads are to be played in Arpeggio fashion. That is not one quick strum of the pick, but slowed down just a bit so you can hear each individual note. Listen to the Guitar Pro File to get a feeling of the proper amount of Arpeggio to give these chords.

Let Ring:
You will see this notation quite a few times in this song. What this means is to hold you left hand fingers in position past the point of the chord timing. Usually the note that follows the Triad is already fingered by the left had already so this will make playing the song simpler.

Also by letting the notes ring, you give the guitar a more harp-like sound and the song sound much smoother and not as choppy.

Triads in the C Scale:
You remember the C Scale don’t you? C D E F G A B C. Did you know that you can play the C Scale with all Triad chords? In the next lesson I will show you how to do that and how cool it sounds. We will also do this in the G Major scale.

About the Tab Notes:

I have placed quite a bit of emphasis on the Triad chords for the Tab Notes, just to get you going in the right direction. Also notice the let ring options for most of the triads.

Articles You Should Read:

Down Up Strokes of the Pick: important as always
Using down ups is the only way to play them fast enough.
Chords in the Key of C Major
Double Note: Be familiar with how they are formed and why.
Triads Chords: As above.
Proper Left Hand Position:

Music Theory You Should Know:

Time Signature
Rest
TAB
TAB Staff

Goals:

Goal #1:
Memorize these triad chords. This will seem very hard at first, but once you do memorize they will be so much easier to play when you come across them in other songs.

Goal #2:
Really work hard on the ‘let ring’ areas of this song. When you do this you will discover how cool the guitar can sound. It is no longer choppy and the notes can all ring through each other. This is used by all intermediate to advanced guitar players and if you listen to their music you will hear them using it.

Goal #3:
The Down-Ups for the right hand pick are really important in this song. Not that they are not in other songs. It’s just if you do not play the eighth notes as down ups you will not be able to play fast enough to get ready for the triad chords, or if you play a triad, followed by a note and they are both eighth notes, you will have the same trouble – play the down ups correctly!

Goal #4:
This song in played in 3/4 timing or Waltz Time. We haven’t done this for a little while. Remember to play 3 beats per measure with quarter notes receiving one beat each. I have shown the timing in the first line of the score only, but I think you will get the idea.

What You Should Practice This Week:

Play this song very slowly and try to get the timing exactly right, while playing the chords with their correct time value. This wll take you a bit of time and effort, but you will find that it will be worth it. This song sound beautiful when played with the triads and melody note combination.

Help Us Out:

Songs in Downloadable Format:

Guitar Pro File – Oh My Darlin’ Clementine – Lead
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PDF File – Oh My Darlin’ Clementine – Lead
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Go to Oh My Darlin’ Clementine – Lead, Lesson 6.3 Score

Month 6, Lesson 3 Score

David — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 16:29:40 +0000

Guitar Pro File – Oh My Darlin’ Clementine – Lead
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PDF File – Oh My Darlin’ Clementine – Lead
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Go to Oh My Darlin’ Clementine – Lead, Lesson 6.3 Text

Month 6, Lesson 2 Score

David — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 20:04:33 +0000

Guitar Pro File – Little Brown jug Version 2
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PDF File – Little Brown jug Version 2
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Go to Little Brown Jug Version 2, Lesson 6.2 Text

Month 6, Lesson 2 Text

David — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 19:53:57 +0000

Month 6, Lesson 2: Little Brown Jug – Version 2
Source: Guitar Lessons

Little Brown Jug – Version 2
This is an extension from Lesson 1.5 in our first months lessons. We learned Little Brown Jug, just as it was originally written by the song artist. Now with this lesson we will step thing up a bit by altering the original score and making our own arrangement.

About This Lesson:

This Lesson is all about arrangement or arranging a song. This can by done by the teacher (me) or by the student (you). I will tell you that this takes some experience to be able to do this though. There have been several different words or terms used for doing this on the guitar, such as “noodling around”, “playing around”, Playing Around or “playing around the melody” is also a term that is used.

It really means to take the song and add your own feelings to the song or your own “style”. A couple of forms of music or types of music that really do this to the maximum are “blues” and “jazz”. Sometimes the musicians take this to such an extreme you can’t even tell it’s the same song.

Learning Points:

Double Notes:
There are only a couple of double notes in this song. I could have made all of the chords double notes, but the song would have sounded what I call a bit ‘thin’ or lacking in full sound.

Remember with the double notes that the lead or the melody – that would be the note that you would sing in the top note on the stem.

Arpeggio Triads – or – Chords:
Arpeggio: According to the dictionary: is Italian for broken chord where the notes are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously. I prefer to call it a slow strum rather than a normal chord strum. If you play it about 1/2 the speed of a normal strum it will sound about right.

Remember with the triad or chord notes that the lead or the melody – that would be the note that you would sing in the top note on the stem.

Keep an Eye On The Rhythm Chords:
As you are playing the lead notes and the lead double notes and triads or chords. Always be aware of what rhythm chords are being playing where you are. For easy reference, I always print these rhythm chords above the notation score.

The same chord is played until you reach another chord name, in other words, I don’t label the chords in each measure, if they are the same or a continuation from the prior measure.

About the Tab Notes:

I have gone through quite a length explanation about the rhythm chords and how they relate to the lead notes and chords. Read this carefully and be sure you understand it by the end of this week.

Articles You Should Read:

Music Theory You Should Know:

Time Signature
Rest
TAB
TAB Staff

Goals:

Goal #1:
Play the arpeggio chords smoothly and consistently. Listen closely to the Guitar Pro file. You should connect the relation between the arpeggio chords and the rhythm chords that are labeled above the notation score and see they are the same.

Goal #2:
Compare this versions (v2) to the previous version in Lesson 1.5 (v1). See if you can find the differences and mark them on the notation and TAB of the (v2) song. Try to understand why I made the additions and how I did it. If you don’t get this, don’t worry, it will come in time and with more lessons on this subject.

Goal #3:
Play just the melody notes first, not the double notes or triads (you would only play the top note of the double and triad chords). When you are comfortable playing the song like this, then slowly introduce the chords.

Goal #4:
Memorize each triad and say the chord name as you play it. To find the chord name look above the notation. I have the rhythm chords all laid out in the musical score.

See our How To Practice article:
First play Little Brown Jug though as the version one song, the next time through you would play it as the version two break. This is how you would play if for your audience (friends and family) and you will notice that most musicians play a song more simply first and every time they go through it, it gets more difficult or complicated and has more of a WOW factor.