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CHORD SHAPES: Part 2
Let's take a look the next few chords to learn. If you haven't learned the first 2 chords in this unit check them out here first before starting this section.
We're going to learn the shapes for A minor (Am), C and D chords!
There's one big difference in the TABs between these chords and the ones in part 1 - can you see what that is?
The first 2 chords you learned (E minor and G) use all 6 strings. These chords don't use all 6 strings. If a string on the TAB has nothing on it (--) then don't play it. Play the chord from the first numbered string you see. This is marked -strum- on the A minor TAB as an example
Oh and just reminder to read the TAB from bottom to top! The bottom (E) is the fattest string whilst the top (e) is the thinnest. This often catches beginners out so be aware!
Learn each shape first, then focus on moving efficiently from one to the other.
C
e-0
B-1 <-INDEX
G-0
D-2 <-MIDDLE
A-3 <-RING
E--
D
e-3 <-MIDDLE
B-3 <-RING
G-2 <-INDEX
D-0
A--
E--
Am
e-0
B-1 <-INDEX
G-2 <-RING
D-2 <-MIDDLE
A-0 -strum-
E--
Have a go at playing these individually at first.
Now let's take a look at the easiest way to move between them. Which fingers DON'T move?
Keep your index and middle fingers down between Am and C. Then just move your ring finger from the G string to the A string!
As an added challenge, try moving between Am and D first. This can be much trickier as you need to move all 3 fingers to get there - don't worry if it takes a little while to get your fingers into position at first! Just keep trying slowly and you will get there.
Once you feel comfortable with that, try going from C to D and finally going through all 3 chords. You can change the order you play the chords in to keep things fresh and practise moving in different ways!
Well done!! This is a big achievement - you're training your fingers to be indepedent!
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