Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jared King on August 28, 2010 at 4:15pm

3 string chord chart.pdf
DAEchordchart.pdf I, too, suffer from this difficulty. The first thing I can recommend is watching Shane's video series here on the Nation. Practice the plucking that he uses, with the thumb plucking the top two strings in turn and the index finger plucking the bottom string. Next, practice scales. He shows you both the mid-eastern and blues scales. Do them until they are second nature. I'm at that point, and I'm now figuring out what's supposed to be next. I'm going to order Keni Lee Burgess's DVD on 3 string cbg playing, which I think he sells for $9.99 plus shipping. I've tried watching some of his youtube videos, but he's way too technical in those for people like us with little musical experience. Also, you can see the attached pdf files that will give you a general idea of chords for different tunings. I'm tuned AEA, so they're not much good to me. Once you get those first two down, shoot me a PM, and I'll come back here to post where I am. I've been at this for a month, and I'm starting to get frustrated with the lack of simple teaching stuff that is out there for people with no experience. It seems that the assumption is that everyone migrates over to cbgs from six-string guitars, which certainly isn't true. Good luck

Permalink Reply by Jason Hitesman on August 28, 2010 at 6:26pm

Welcome to your new addiction! I've always been musical and always loved guitar...but never been able to do anything musical with a guitar until I built myself a 3 string CBG and found the resources on here!

Great place to start is at the top of this page under the 'community' menu where there's a link to Lessons. Shane's videos are great, but probably a bit much if you're literally just starting out and know absolutely nothing about music or how to play. Knott Lenny's video however will get you up and doing something musical in just a few minutes no matter how minimal your skills.

Kennie Lee's videos are also a good starting point. I have his 3 string CD and can almost fumble my way through 3 or 4 of the things on there now. But since the TAB's aren't included on the 3 string CD (other than in the video) it's a little overwhelming for a total noob. On the other hand it's good practice writing out the tabs yourself to have them to refer to.

Skeesix (member here) has a good video on Youtube that covers the basics of slide for a total noob better than anything else I've seen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjyv3EvQOrc

I'm still looking for a great resource that shows the basics of fretting, picking, strumming and other techniques as well. Doing some searches for just regular guitar lessons on-line you can get some good info about that kind of stuff. While Shane and Keni Lee's stuff is great - it does seem to assume at least a basic familiarity with some of the real basics of guitar playing. (Keni may cover that in some of his other CD's - I haven't seen them all yet.)'

For me a bit of searching online and talking to a few friends and family members who play "real" guitars I was able to figure out enough to be able to use Keni and Knot Lenny's lessons so I can actually play my CBG without being chased off to a sound proof room :) Heck, as long as I don't plug in the amp and turn up the distortion my wife even enjoys listening to me just noddle around. My dog and 3 month old daughter also seem to enjoy it and start to "dance" (as best as they're able!) to whatever I'm doing most of the time.

The big bummer for me is now that I've figured out how to actually start to play these things the time I had available for building them has drastically shrunk since I can't stop practicing :) 3 more half completed sitting in my shop waiting for me and all I can do is play on my favorite. Of course the fact that my shop is my back patio and it's summer here in Yuma AZ (one of the hottest cities in the US) probably has something to do with that as well...But even before the heat hit I was having a hard time finding time to finish building my 4 and 6 strings (as well as my 3rd 3 string) because I was just having too much fun finally learning to play #2!

Permalink Reply by Outhouse Instruments on August 29, 2010 at 12:32am

Here it is ... quick and easy.
Use the chord charts Jared posted. The 1st will really work in any 151 tuning. ( ex. - dad,gdg, aea, etc.)
The second is for the dea tuning.
Now google 3 chord songs, find a song you like. Better to have have one you recognize or at least know how the tune goes, learn the chords for it and have at it.


Matt

Permalink Reply by Wichita Sam on August 29, 2010 at 2:24am

Whoaaa.... new converts!!!! That's great.... I know everyone so far has said to start learning chords, but.... I would recommend that you find a youtube with a song build on a basic "12 bar blues" chord progression. Make sure your CBG is tuned to an open chord like DaD, GDG AEA etc and then play along with the song by simply fretting across the neck (using a slide or if your CBG is fretted, laying your finger across the neck). Listen and find the chord being played (there will be only there to find). You will accomplish a couple things. First, you will get a sense of relative positions of chords on your guitar neck and 2 you will quickly be playing music.

I know everyone wants to learn chords and notes and play scales (?) and all that on their way to becoming another virtuoso like Shane Speal, but if it's all sweat and little fun, you might miss the point.

I've used and studied and practiced different techniques (all recommended are good), but in the end, I had to find my own way to play. That's really what the "no rules" mantra of CBGing is all about. Take the resources that you have and figger out something that works for you.

No better place to start than the "12 Bar Blues"!!!

the best, Wichita Sam

Permalink Reply by Rick Stepina on August 29, 2010 at 3:56am

Thanks for the help folks! That begining slide video was great! Working on making sure the little thing is tuned up right... A tone deaf, butter fingered person should not attempt this! LOL

Permalink Reply by Jess on August 29, 2010 at 5:59am

Amen, Sam! I found many years ago that the 'KISS' theory (Keep It Simple, Sam) works best for learning to play guitar, unless of course a person is inclined to be a virtuoso. Learn the basic chords in certain keys; listen carefully to your favorite songs; strum; pick notes; practice, practice, practice, and soon you will be a good player . . . not like someone else . . . but being yourself. It works for me.

Wichita Sam said:

Whoaaa.... new converts!!!! That's great.... I know everyone so far has said to start learning chords, but.... I would recommend that you find a youtube with a song build on a basic "12 bar blues" chord progression. Make sure your CBG is tuned to an open chord like DaD, GDG AEA etc and then play along with the song by simply fretting across the neck (using a slide or if your CBG is fretted, laying your finger across the neck). Listen and find the chord being played (there will be only there to find). You will accomplish a couple things. First, you will get a sense of relative positions of chords on your guitar neck and 2 you will quickly be playing music.

I know everyone wants to learn chords and notes and play scales (?) and all that on their way to becoming another virtuoso like Shane Speal, but if it's all sweat and little fun, you might miss the point.

I've used and studied and practiced different techniques (all recommended are good), but in the end, I had to find my own way to play. That's really what the "no rules" mantra of CBGing is all about. Take the resources that you have and figger out something that works for you.

No better place to start than the "12 Bar Blues"!!!

the best, Wichita Sam

Permalink Reply by Jim Conley on September 1, 2010 at 2:39pm

I'm at the same point...I've built two four strings. I've tuned them to Open G. I've got Shane Speal's CD 5, but I've had to search the web to try to find the basics. I went to "about.com" and found basic guitar lessons, and that's where I'm startin' !

Permalink Reply by Rick Stepina on September 1, 2010 at 3:20pm

Ok, just got a cd with lessons. Honestly, hard to see, poor sound quality. How 'bout this... Can anyone make a simple scale to practice here? Start with finger, then fret, then string?! I saw the open chord chart, but being a beginner, I'm not sure which strings are supposed to be fingered, and which are to be open! Ugh! I'll practice, I promise!

Permalink Reply by Jason Hitesman on September 1, 2010 at 7:17pm

Two simple scales (right from Shanes or Keni Lee's videos) on the 1st string (the one closest to the ground)

1st string tuned to a G - G major scale:
Open - 2 - 4 - 5 - 7 - 9 - 11 -12

Or the Pentatonic Blues Scale:
Open - 3 - 5 - 7 - 10 - 12

You can also practice those on the 3rd string if you're tuned Gdg since they're both G's just at octave apart. I'm still learning the scales on the middle string and can't share them off the top of my head. (Heck even those two I had to pick up the guitar to see what they were...but they come naturally now.)

My 1st CBG I actually wrote them out on the back of the neck to help me remember :)

Once you have them down just working on one string you can start to alternate the 2nd string open in between notes. Once you get used to that you can start to alternate the 2nd and 3rd strings open between the notes:

1st Open - 2nd open - 1st at 2nd fret - 3rd open - 1st at 4th fret - 2nd open - 1st at 5th fret - 3rd open.....

In both directions of course.

On the chord charts, just finger the black dots.

Permalink Reply by Rick Stepina on September 2, 2010 at 2:09am

Thanks! I'll get home tonight, and try them right away!


Jason Hitesman said:

Two simple scales (right from Shanes or Keni Lee's videos) on the 1st string (the one closest to the ground)

1st string tuned to a G - G major scale:
Open - 2 - 4 - 5 - 7 - 9 - 11 -12

Or the Pentatonic Blues Scale:
Open - 3 - 5 - 7 - 10 - 12

You can also practice those on the 3rd string if you're tuned Gdg since they're both G's just at octave apart. I'm still learning the scales on the middle string and can't share them off the top of my head. (Heck even those two I had to pick up the guitar to see what they were...but they come naturally now.)

My 1st CBG I actually wrote them out on the back of the neck to help me remember :)

Once you have them down just working on one string you can start to alternate the 2nd string open in between notes. Once you get used to that you can start to alternate the 2nd and 3rd strings open between the notes:

1st Open - 2nd open - 1st at 2nd fret - 3rd open - 1st at 4th fret - 2nd open - 1st at 5th fret - 3rd open.....

In both directions of course.

On the chord charts, just finger the black dots.

Permalink Reply by Jess on September 2, 2010 at 12:31pm

Shouldn't the 'f' be on the 10th fret?

Jason Hitesman said:

Two simple scales (right from Shanes or Keni Lee's videos) on the 1st string (the one closest to the ground)

1st string tuned to a G - G major scale:
Open - 2 - 4 - 5 - 7 - 9 - 11 -12

Or the Pentatonic Blues Scale:
Open - 3 - 5 - 7 - 10 - 12

You can also practice those on the 3rd string if you're tuned Gdg since they're both G's just at octave apart. I'm still learning the scales on the middle string and can't share them off the top of my head. (Heck even those two I had to pick up the guitar to see what they were...but they come naturally now.)

My 1st CBG I actually wrote them out on the back of the neck to help me remember :)

Once you have them down just working on one string you can start to alternate the 2nd string open in between notes. Once you get used to that you can start to alternate the 2nd and 3rd strings open between the notes:

1st Open - 2nd open - 1st at 2nd fret - 3rd open - 1st at 4th fret - 2nd open - 1st at 5th fret - 3rd open.....

In both directions of course.

On the chord charts, just finger the black dots.

Permalink Reply by Fitzhugh on September 4, 2010 at 1:54pm

Here's a few quick-start suggestions, you might be past this, or might want simpler, let me know if you do.

TUNING YOUR GUITAR:

Before anything else, tune you guitar. Assuming it is tuned the way I expect, you'll hold the lowest (called 3rd) string down at the 7th fret and tune the middle (2nd) string so it is the same pitch. You'll hear "beats" when they're close but not in tune. Get it as close as you reasonably can, it makes a difference. I find it easier to tune the string up to the correct pitch instead of tuning down, even if I have to drop it down below the correct pitch to do so.
Next, fret the middle, 2nd, string at the 5th fret and tune the high (1st) string so that it is the same. If done correctly, it is now the same note as the 1st (lowest) string, only an octave higher. Verify this by fretting the 1st string at the 12th fret (aside: the 12th fret, which again is an octave higher than open, is right at the mid point in the string - file that away somewhere where it competes with forgotten phone numbers).

Check again by strumming all open a few times. Does it sound OK? If not, repeat. You can also find videos on youtube to tune to by searching something like "how tune 3 string cbg", but they might tune to a pitch that doesn't work well with your guitar's set of strings. The builder will probably have told you what tunings will work with the strings on it now.

PLAYING SOME MUSIC:
As for playing music, first just try playing something that will sound vaguely familiar, since these are chords used together in so many many songs. It's called a I-IV-V chord progression. I'll come back to what that means shortly, but for now you're going to play and not worry about meaning. I do need a way to tell you what to play, though, so...

I (roman numeral there, not letter) means play all strings open, left hand does nothing but look cool and hold up neck
IV means left hand frets all strings at 5th fret (yes, "four" is at "fifth" fret - again, will come back).
V means left hand frets all strings at 7th fret


1) Strum the open strings a few times, trying to play something vaguely in rythm. That's the I (one) chord (again, will explain that below)
2) Strum all the strings fretted on the 5th fret (use finger or slide). That's the IV chord
3) Move up two frets and strum all strings fretted on the 7th fret. That's the V chord

Now combine these in various combinations.

Each roman numeral represents one measure here, which means strum that chord four times in a row, so
IV
means fret all on 5th fret and go "Strum strum strum strum"

Try the following:
I, IV, V, V and repeat
Or
I, IV, V, IV
Or
I, I, IV, V
and so on.

BASIC 12 BAR BLUES CHORD PROGRESSION:

Once the above feels right, try a simple 12 bar blues progression (bar here is just another name for measure):

I, I, I, I

IV, IV, I, I

V, IV, I, I

Remember, each individual roman numeral represents one measure, and while measures can be made up of different numbers of beats, and the basic beat used can have different values, the most common one is 4/4, where there are four beats per measure. So, in tab format, the above would look like:



I I I I
|-0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0-|
|-0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0-|
|-0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0-|


IV IV I I
|-5--5--5--5-|-5--5--5--5-|-0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0-|
|-5--5--5--5-|-5--5--5--5-|-0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0-|
|-5--5--5--5-|-5--5--5--5-|-0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0-|


V IV I I
|-7--7--7--7-|-5--5--5--5-|-0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0-|
|-7--7--7--7-|-5--5--5--5-|-0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0-|
|-7--7--7--7-|-5--5--5--5-|-0--0--0--0-|-0--0--0--0-|

Google "how to read tablature" if you need help reading the above, or just ask, I'll be happy to explain. If you google it, though, remember that the explanation probably ues normal 6 string tab in the examples. The concept is the same, just fewer strings AND the strings are tuned differently.

Notice I haven't used any note names here. That is because the interval between notes is often more useful to work with than the notes themselves. You can play the same progressions above and they'll work regardless of what key your guitar is tuned to - in other words, regardless of whether your guitar is tuned AEA, DAD or GDG, etc.

The I IV V progressions in each of the 12 keys are:

A, D, E
Bb, Eb, F
B, E, F#
C, F, G
Db, Gb, Ab
D, G, A
Eb, Ab, Bb
E, A , B
F, Bb, C
F#, B, C#
G, C, D
Ab, Db, Eb

(cut & pasted out of laziness from http://www.zebrakeys.com/lessons/beginner/chords/?id=10)

So, if you're playing a guitar tuned AEA your I IV V chords are A, D, E:

And 12 bar blues in A would be:
A A A A
D D A A
E D A A

... and so on. Again, the note names kinda matter less than the intervals. To play blues chord progressions you need to know what key the others are playing in, and then you just play the notes.

If you are playing 12 bar blues in B, for example, you could just move all three chords up a couple frets each, so that you are playing the I on the second fret, the IV on the 7th fret and the V on the 9th fret, all still played with barre chords.

You can do a lot with these barre chords, but you'll want to learn other chords. Just like with barre chords, how you can play the same "shape" up and down the neck to make different chords of the same type, you can learn other shapes and move them up and down the neck. Probably the three most important to learn would be Major, Minor and 7th. I'll try and write up about those too if you like. Please tell me if I'm barking up the wrong tree here, if you need something more complex or simpler.

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