The D Major Chord
The D major chord is formed as shown below
Here are the proper finger positions:
The E Major Chord
Now we’re looking at the E major chord. These are the notes you have to hold:
Now the actual finger positions:
The C Major Chord
One my favorite chords is the C major chord and these are the notes you hold.
And these are the proper finger positions.
The E Minor Chord
This is the E minor chord, these are the notes you have to hold:
Finger positions for the E minor chord are shown below
The A Major Chord
Here’s how you form the A major chord, its just three fingers as illustrated below:
The proper finger positions to use for the A major chord are below. The method you choose will depend ultimately on your fingers and hands.
Hammer On
The hammer-on is one of the most widely used techniques for soloing. It is very simple and can be applied in many different ways to many different situations. A hammer-on is indicated in tab notation by this symbol:
+ + e:---------| B:-----5h7-| G:---------| D:-4h6-----| A:---------| E:---------|
The first hammer-on is played on the 4th string from the 4th fret to the 6th fret.
The second hammer-on is played on the 2nd string from the 5th fret to the 7th fret.
The hammer-on’s shown above are accomplished by fretting the desired note with your index finger, picking the note, then hammering your ring finger down onto the desired higher fret. Make sure you keep the index finger down until slightly after you fret the higher note. This is the most important part of the hammer-on: making sure your index finger isn’t moved before you place your ring finger on the higher note. You can also hammer-on with different fingers, and you can work on this as you get better at them.
+ +
e:---------| B:---------| G:-----7h9-| D:-7h8-----| A:---------| E:---------|
For the first, use your index finger to fret the fourth string 7th fret, and your middle finger to hammer-on the 8th fret. For the second, simply move your index finger up a string to the third string 7th fret, and hammer-on with your ring finger.
That’s about it for the hammer-on. They are easy to perform, but do take some practice. The hardest parts are making sure you hold down your index finger until after you fret the higher note with your ring finger. Make sure you try hammering with other fingers, because this versatility is required when performing complex solos later. Good luck with this new technique!
The A Minor Chord
Here’s how you hold the A minor chord, this is one of the more popular chords and is actually quite easy to hold.
Here are the proper finger positions:
Green Day – Time of Your Life
Another easy song to play, Time of your life by Green Day, some of the chords are not basic open chords, but I put this in anyway since its really quite easy:
Date: Mon, 27 Apr 1998 18:13:55 -0400
From: Tim Krisher
Subject: g/green_day/time_of_your_life.crd
Time of your Life – Green Day
Okay, I saw the other file, made a few changes so it’d be perfect. The way the
other guy had it was a little off, but sounded fine if you played it on your own.
But played along with the video it was wrong. So, here’s the fix. I just fixed all
his little oopses. But, thanks go out to David Hill, the author of the original tab.
I couldn’t have figured this out without his tab first. E-mail me if you have any
questions, comments, or wads of money for me.
Shaun Timothy Krisher
krisher@mindspring.com
Chords:
Gmodal :320033
C9 :032033
Dsus4 :000233
Em7 :022033
Tab 1 & Intro
Verse: (play each line twice, then go to chorus)
G C9 Dsus4
|——-3————–3————–3————3——| then it repeats, so it almost
|———-3————-3————–3————3—-| sounds like it goes C9, Dsus4,
|————-0————0————–0—–2——2–| Gmodal. So, after the end of the
|—0————–0————–2———–0———–| Dsus4 bit, go straight to the G
|——————————3————————–| bass note.
|-3————–3—————————————-|
Em Dsus4 C9 G
|——3————3————-3————3———-| The above line gets played
|——–3————3————-3————3——–| twice, then this twice, and that’s
|———-0—–2——2————-0————0——| the verse. Then the line after
|—2———-0—————2————0————-| that is the chorus. Not that
|—————————-3—————————-| complex, but this IS Green Day,
|-0—————————————3—————| after all.
Em G Em G
|——3————3————3———–3————|
|——–3————3————3———–3———-|
|———-0————0————0———–0——–|
|—2————0————2———–0—————|
|———————————————————|
|-0————3————0———–3—————–|
Em Dsus4
|——3———3——| Okay, now, it’s important that you go straight back into the
|——–3———3—-| opening G of the verse, because the Dsus4 sort of leaves you
|———-0———2–| hanging there. Then play the first half of the verse once
|—2———-0——–| through, then start it all over again.
|———————–|
|-0———————|
Lyrics
Verse 1:
G C9 Dsus4 G
Another turning point a ….
G C9 Dsus4 G
Time grabs you by the wrist …
Em Dsus4 C9 G
So make the best of these …
Em Dsus4 C9 G
It’s not a question but a …
Chorus
Em G Em G
It’s something unpredictable …
Em Dsus4 G (where verse riff cuts back in)
I hope you have the time …. (Start struming G C Dsus4)
Verse 2:
G C9 Dsus4 G
So take the photographs and ….
G C9 Dsus4 G
Hang it on a shelf; it …(couldn’t get this line, fix it if you know it)
Em Dsus4 C9 G
Tatoos and memories and …
Em Dsus4 C9 G
For what it’s worth it was …
Chorus
Instrumental(Strum over Violins)
Chorus
End with Tab 1 and then |———|
|———|
|–2——|
|—-0—-|
|——0–| and end on a G
|———|
The Pull-Off
The pull-off is one of the most widely used techniques for soloing. It is very simple and can be applied in many different ways to many different situations. It is the exact opposite of the hammer-on, but requires a slight modification of technique. A pull-off is indicated in tab notation by this symbol:
+ + e:---------| B:-----6p4-| G:---------| D:-7p5-----| A:---------| E:---------|
The first pull-off is played on the 4th string from the 7th fret to the 5th fret.
The second pull-off is played on the 2nd string from the 6th fret to the 4th fret.
The pull-off’s shown above are accomplished by fretting both notes: the higher note with your ring finger and the lower note with your index finger. You then pick the note (and the higher note should sound), and release your ring finger quickly. The string should sound on the lower note after you have released the top finger. This is the most important part of the pull-off: making sure you fret both notes initially, and then making sure that you pull-off quickly enough that the lower note still sounds. You can also pull-off with different fingers, and you can work on this as you get better at them.
Other fingers can be used in the pull-off. Let’s try to play this example:
+ + e:---------| B:---------| G:-8p7-----| D:-----9p7-| A:---------| E:---------|
For the first, use your index finger to fret the third string 7th fret, and your middle finger to pull-off the 8th fret. For the second, simply move your index finger down a string to the fourth string 7th fret, and pull-off with your ring finger.
That’s about it for the pull-off. They are easy to perform, but do take some practice. The hardest parts are making sure you fret both fingers and that you pull-off quickly enough so that the lower note still sounds. Make sure you try pulling off with other fingers, because this versatility is required when performing complex solos later. Good luck with this new technique!
The Slide
The slide is the simplest technique for a beginning guitarist to learn. It gets its name from the technique: you actually slide your finger up or down the fretboard while fretting a string. A slide is represented in tab notation by this symbol:
+ +
e:---------|
B:-----6\5-|
G:---------|
D:-5/7-----|
A:---------|
E:---------|
The first slide is a slide on the 4th string from the 5th fret up to the 7th fret.
The second slide is a slide on the 2nd string from the 6th fret down to the 5th fret.
The slide is accomplished by fretting the desired note, picking the note, then moving your finger up to the desired higher note. Make sure you maintain pressure on the string as you slide, so the string is not muted. This is the most important part of the slide: making sure the string stays against the fretboard while you slide. You can also slide down, using the same technique but moving down the fretboard to a lower note.
And so had ended your first beginners guitar lessons.