Basic guitar tunes

Subject: RE: Basic guitar tunes
From: Terry K
Date: 22 Mar 01 - 12:45 AM

Kevin, I suggest "The Oasis Song Book".

Cheers, Terry

Subject: RE: Basic guitar tunes
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 21 Mar 01 - 07:19 PM

Any other suggestions for more songs, other than the three I mentioned above, where you can get away with only one chord?

Subject: RE: Basic guitar tunes
From: Wesley S
Date: 21 Mar 01 - 05:04 PM

Claire - I bought a nice book last year called "The Backpackers Songbook" and it's full of great songs. Many of them you know already. It only cost $5.50 and I got it at the Martin guitar store. It has chord diagrams pictured also if you run into a chord you don't know. You can reach them at 1-800-247-6931. Good luck and keep it up. The world needs a lot more guitar players.

Subject: RE: Basic guitar tunes
From: Amos
Date: 21 Mar 01 - 04:42 PM

Add a third chord -- "D" in this case -- and you can happily sing 75% of all the Western world's folk songs, from the blues to John Henry to Barbara Ellen and Balls of Kerrimuir, from Duncan and Brady to the talking blues to Chevaliers de la Table Ronde and Aupres de ma Blonde to The Streets of Laredo and The Strawberry Roan. Just three chords -- first fourth and fifth. (A-D-E, C-F-G, D-G-A, E-A-B, etc). You can work 'em out by ear if you have a musical ear.

A

Subject: RE: Basic guitar tunes
From: annamill
Date: 21 Mar 01 - 04:34 PM

Ok, Ok Ok! The chords were A and E7th. Sorry! Well, as I told Bert Honey, at least the fingering is correct, I hope. Ooohhhh jambaaallliiiiya, and a-crawfish pie, fillet gumbo....

(dontifeelsilly)

Love, annamill

Subject: RE: Basic guitar tunes
From: ermintrudeclaire
Date: 21 Mar 01 - 03:52 PM

hi all, havent even progressed to the 'tunefull' stage, still at the strum a chord only (mull of kintyre!!!)but i will get there one day. thanks for all the help and advice, will remember not to mash my strings - at the moment my finger tips are permenantly 'glowing' ps the song 'roving journeyman' seems to have 8 chords in it!

Subject: RE: Basic guitar tunes
From: annamill
Date: 21 Mar 01 - 02:54 PM

Umm..sorry. That's two CHORD songs... L.A.

Subject: RE: Basic guitar tunes
From: annamill
Date: 21 Mar 01 - 02:53 PM

Claire, I, too, am learning to play. Our own Bert gave me some good tips. Start with two chod songs like Jambalya, or "Michael Rowed the Boat Ashore". Simple E and A7th. I just picked up one by John Prine called 'Paradise" with only C/C7 and G. It's in the DT under "Paradise", also called Muhlenberg County.

I wish us both good luck!

Love, annamill

Subject: RE: Basic guitar tunes
From: Don Firth
Date: 21 Mar 01 - 12:57 PM

Playing slowly is fine for now. Keep your left hand relaxed (which may sound ridiculous at this point) and try to use only enough finger pressure to fret the string. Don't mash the string into the fingerboard. Tension makes speedy fingering next to impossible, so keep your left hand as light as possible and speed will eventually come. Patience. And have fun!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Basic guitar tunes
From: GUEST,JohnB
Date: 21 Mar 01 - 12:20 PM

The sad part is that it does ONLY come with practise. Some of the really great guitarists I have spoken with practise/play 6 to 8 a day. I just wish I could listen to myself, I would then become better. JohnB

Subject: RE: Basic guitar tunes
From: ermintrudeclaire
Date: 21 Mar 01 - 11:52 AM

thanks everyone! at the moment i am really totally useless and have only done chord strumming tunes and i cant change the chords fast enough to avoid a gap in the tune.....still i suppose it might come with practise, and i am having lots of fun!

Subject: RE: Basic guitar tunes
From: Grab
Date: 21 Mar 01 - 05:56 AM

Russ Shipton books aren't bad. They use simple folk and 60s tunes for teaching.

Grab.

Subject: RE: Basic guitar tunes
From: Terry K
Date: 21 Mar 01 - 02:24 AM

There's a ton of easy stuff including US folk (Woody etc) on OLGA (On-Line Guitar Archive) and country music on COWPIE, both of which are very easy to use.

Cheers, Terry

Subject: RE: Basic guitar tunes
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 20 Mar 01 - 03:40 PM

Six chords? That's not what I call a beginner! I don't think I do any songs that use as many as six chords - well not many, and I've been playing for 40 years or so.

You can do lots with one chord. For example Froggie Went a-courting, if it's a major chord, High Germany or Pretty Polly if it's a minor chord. Or if you play a Diad rather than a chord (we had a discussion recently on another thread about whether a Diad is a chord or not - I means when you play a shape or tuning where the only notes are either D or A notes, that a D Diad, and it isn't either major or minor, so it works with both) you could play all three.

That way you can get into playing an accompaniment to a song right away, and leasrn to use the right hand and listen to how it sounds rather than worry about fingeringn the chords. (Can even tune the guitar so that it's an open chord or open Diad.) Plenty of time to make it more diffucult when the person learning is past the complete beginner stage, which is where most people give up.

Subject: Basic guitar tunes
From: GUEST,claire
Date: 20 Mar 01 - 03:07 PM

tried to post this before but failed! looking for complete beginner, like 6 chords max, folk tunes for easy guitar or advice on good books to buy. thanks everyone