Guys, I’m looking to start training the guitar, and I saw the opportunity to use my Major System to memorize each chord, the problem is that I was unsure about how to adapt, can anyone help me?
I was thinking about the following things:
The “Houses” of a Guitar Can Exceed the Units, Therefore I think that using a 2-Digit PAO List is the Smartest thing to do, However, in addition to that, each House must have an indication of which strings I should press, So to Represent the Strings, I think the 1 Digit PAO is better?
In fact, I don’t know how to Represent Odd Quantities of Strings…
So, this may sound blasphemous on a memory forum, but memory techniques aren’t always the answer to everything.
When it comes to guitar playing and chord learning, it is all about muscle memory for your fingers and chord shape recognition. In the time it will take you to try to work out a theoretical framework for how to notate everything, build memory palaces, translate the info into that format, etc., you could be actually sitting with the guitar in hand and training your fingers to make those chord shapes and making much faster progress.
Nothing really beats a book or app for chord charts and just working those fingers until its instinctual.
For the basics that cover probably 95% of mainstream popular music, you only need to learn about 8 to 10 chord shapes that can be moved all around the neck depending on your desired key. Not too tough to just follow along with a visual aid for a few practice sessions and before long it will be locked in.
But I would agree the shapes of cowboy open chords are pretty easy and then chords to your point can be played in various positions CAGED system and barring across the fretboard with your index finger works really cool too. For those that may want to transpose songs into a higher register, there is always the guitarists tool called a Capo that you can put across to depress all 6 strings simultaneously on the guitar.
The Beatles “Here comes the Sun” - Harrison, makes use of a Capo on the 7th fret and uses the following chords: D, G, A7 and E7. Of course Harrison does more than just strumming the song, but my point is that a beginner can get away singing the whole song with only 4 things:
a guitar in (standard tuning)
a Capo
A strumming pattern
The chords: D, G, A7 and E7
One can have a lot of fun noodling around on a guitar. Above all have fun!
I understand, That’s bad, I’m diagnosed with ASD ADHD and AH/SD But I have cognitive rigidity When learning certain things, I kind of need detailed instructions on what I want to understand, I thought this could help me but I think you are completely right… Maybe I’m wasting too much time thinking about it, instead of practicing it.
Damn, I think that’s exactly what I’m in doubt about, I intend to memorize the strings and frets needed to form a chord, so I don’t have to leave the guitar aside every time I look at the computer how to do it, I intend to imagine the position of my fingers in the memory palace so I can do this, until I don’t need the palace anymore, you know? I think I would save time learning this way, until my muscle memory goes directly to the ropes without me having to think, like when you learn to ride a bike and you need to understand it first, you know?
I had already tried to learn the guitar a few years ago, but I was never able to memorize the chords without having to look at some drawings I made about them, I thought that memorization methods would be useful in this case, but I can’t adapt it on my own
I would suggest that you choose some easy songs that you would like to play that contain no more than 3 chords. There are plenty of popular pop songs and country and Western songs that follow the 3 chord pattern. You’ll soon see how intuitive it is where the actual chord changes in the songs occur. I think many a “campfire guitarist” instinctively knows where the chord changes occur. The more important thing in music is not melody as many people might think but rather rhythm. I am not sure if you are right or left handed but whichever hand is strumming away on the strings is (to put things very simplistically), the more important of the two hands. You could try muting strings and just sorting out the strumming pattern (or rhythm). I guess what I’m trying to say is don’t worry if you make mistakes with chord changes just keep playing, strumming along the pattern of rhythm the song is needing to be played in.
Most songs are written in a 4/4 time signature (4 beats to a bar) but the waltzing type strum patterns are played in a (3/4 time signature). Just keep things simple to begin with and you will (with practice) make valuable strides in no time at all.
If you are not getting blisters and callouses on your fingertips as a beginner, you are not practicing enough!
Not exactly what you are looking for, but this is a technique I have developed for myself and find helpful:
For new pieces of music that I will need to play in public performance, I figure out the key chord progressions and make a quick sentence to learn them. For example, the chorus might be:
A F#m7 C#m7 D
For which I remember: “Archie Fights Crazy Ducks!”
And I pull up that image in my mind.
There is no need to remember stuff like the sharps for flats; F is sharped and minor when you are playing in A. And there is no need to note rhythm of the chords. Your ear will take care of that. It’s just enough help to make the memorizing process easier.
I usually have the chord chart in front of me anyway, so my goal is “memorize to 70%”, so I play the piece better, connect more with the audience because I am not as glued to the music.
