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Guitar Course

Chords: C, G7

For the first songs and exercises we set on a chair and put the guitar on the right leg, so that we "get jammed" them with the upper arm and the thigh quasi firmly. ( left-handed people put it on the left thigh ) the guitar must be kept safe. We exclusively use this attitude of the guitar for strumming the strings. For picking or solo play another guitar attitude is necessary, which is still described in further lessons.

With the left hand (left-handed people take the right hand) the chords on the fretboard are played, the right hand (left-handed person: left hand) is used for strumming and rhythm.

Guitar chords:

A music or a singing voice is accompanied by the guitar. This means, one does not play a melody on the guitar, but chords or harmonies which harmonize with the singing (or playing) melody. Thus the music becomes much more richer than the playing of a single melody.
Chords are set by the fingers on the fretboard of the guitar. For the individual chords there are fret diagrams. In these the following abbreviations can appear:

	+-----------------------+
	¦ Shortcuts:            ¦
	¦ Bd. = fret            ¦
	¦ (Z) = first finger    ¦
	¦ (M) = second finger   ¦
	¦ (R) = third finger    ¦
	¦ (K) = fourth Finger   ¦
	¦ An X means:           ¦
	¦ This string will not  ¦
	¦ be picked or strummed.¦
	+-----------------------+

Let's try the first chord:

     C-Major Chord

E'-------+-------+-------+----
B ----(Z)+-------+-------+----
G -------+-------+-------+----
D -------+----(M)+-------+----
A -------+-------+----(R)+----
E X------+-------+-------+----

         1. Bd.  2. Bd.  3. Bd.

The first finger is placed on the B-string before the first fret. The second finger on the D-string before the second fret, and the third finger on the A-string before the third fret. The remaining strings, which are not pressed by any finger, may not be affected also by the other fingers. That's not really easy to do at the beginning. And there are many steps, which one has to control at the same time (View of C major chord for left-handed people .) First one has to remember the chord and the finger setting on the frets. With the thumb of the other hand we strummed several times downward over the strings at height of the hole. Some strings sound surely clearly, others rather dull. Perhaps some snare, because they are inadvertently strummed. Don't be worried, this is usual for the beginning.
If you have the feeling, that you can play the C major chord correct and you have a clear inner picture of this chord into your mind you can try the next chord:

     G7

E'----(Z)+-------+-------+----
B -------+-------+-------+----
G -------+-------+-------+----
D -------+-------+-------+----
A -------+----(M)+-------+----
E -------+-------+----(R)+----

         1. Bd.  2. Bd.  3. Bd.

This chord looks similar only at the first sight. But if one looks more exact, one discovers that the first finger presses down this time the high e-string, and both other fingers slipped on the outsider strings.
With the change of C major to G7 the first finger on the strings is more deeply set (from the B-string to the E'-string), the second finger and the third finger were set more highly, from the D-string to the A-string and from the A-string to the E-string. The imaginative movement of the fingers is an opening (with the change to G7) and a closing (with the change of G7 to C major). Such mental visualisations' are often a great help while exercising the new lessons.

And thus we can accompany the first song:

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Impressum, http://bs.cyty.com/visitabilis/gitarre/gitar05.htm, Stand: 18. Januar 2003, ee