He Said I Could Learn Guitar Chords I Had My Doubts
“There is no way I can learn guitar chords,” I adamantly declared. The response was, “Yes, you can.” I couldn’t help but be spooked because I was having this conversation with an online video. How could this guy be so positive that I, a musically inept person, could learn guitar chords. I must have really wanted to try and prove him wrong because he convinced me to sign up for some online guitar lessons so he could prove me wrong. I always love a tough challenge so I accepted.
Getting started
I pulled out my guitar and dusted it off. It had been collecting some dust in the corner of my closet and was an excellent hangar for my winter jacket. Now, the jacket was on the floor and my guitar was in my hands. I went over to my computer and downloaded my first lesson. The first lesson had nothing to do with picking up the guitar and everything to do with understanding guitar chords. Interesting approach, but okay – I’d entertain it. Well, I spent the next twenty minutes learning about guitar chords and it was actually pretty fascinating. I learned that:
* People started making guitars and creating chords over four thousand years ago
* Guitar chords are a collection of different tones that you sound together at once (it’s what we do every time we pretend to play the guitar like a pro – only you discover that there is actually a technique to follow)
* There are a lot of chords and they are similar to colors because you can have some subtle variations or big differences.
* There are 60 chords that are used the most, but most songs only use 3 or 4 of them (then the instructor said not to worry about it all, just worry about learning the 3 or 4 it takes to learn a song you really enjoy)
* Everyone can easily learn guitar chords because the method is simple, logical, and easy to follow
That was an incredible twenty minutes for me. I think I remembered everything the teacher told me. He was good.
Picking up the guitar
It took me only one hour to learn five guitar chords. I chose the five that were required for me to learn how to play one of my favorites – Rockstar by Nickelback. I learned the A,D,C,G, and F chords. I practiced them for a few hours until I didn’t have to look down at my fingers the entire time. It was actually much easier once I relied on the feel of my guitar and counted less on my visual inspection of my fingers. Today, if given the golden chance, I am confident that I’d be able to get right up on stage with Nickelback and be a rock star for approximately 4 minutes and 15 seconds. That’s just my thank you tribute to Nickelback. I’ve learned so many songs since then and have easily progressed to learning all 60 of the most popular chords for songs.
I lost my battle with the man, but still won big time
It is never easy to admit defeat, but in my case it is enjoyable to do at least. The man in the video was definitely right. I do have the ability to learn guitar chords and now I know over thirty songs and it has been just a few months.
