Open up your ears .. and your guitar playing 👂

and explore chord freedom for beginners!

To kick off Module 11, we will explore some of the open chords you're already familiar with.

I've done a series called "The Chord Shape Explorer," where I dive deep into the five chord shapes on the guitar. That's more for Grade 3 students, something to look forward to later!

If you're a beginner guitar player, I want you to be fearless with exploring chords! In this lesson, you'll learn how to open this chord exploration door - so consider this an introduction to chord exploration. You'll explore how to play it by ear with this new empowering tool.

Why You Should Explore Chords

The idea is that you use your ears when you play chords - not your mind or eyes. The goal is to realize that there's a lot you can do with simple chords.

Right now, I recommend using your ears - it'll tell you whether you like the sound or not. You can look at the complexities and theories later.

Have some fun with it! This lesson won't be part of your practice routine - this idea is bigger than that. Every time you're learning a song or playing around on the guitar, try some new stuff. :)

It's a guitar game-changer, and the reality of making music is that it's a lot freer than you think! The most creative songwriters and musicians do things differently - in their way. And the only way they got there is by being creative and exploring new ways of doing things!

How To Explore Chords On Guitar

Let's start by exploring the D chord on your guitar. By now, you must be very familiar with the sound, but we're going to switch it up a bit.

Try pulling one finger off of the strings at a time. Start with the 1st finger & strum the D chord minus the 1st finger. Listen to the difference and ask yourself these questions:

Does it still sound like a D chord?
What's different about it?
What mood or emotion does it evoke?
Could you possibly use it as a substitute for a D chord in a song?

Do the same for each finger in the chord and take notice of which ones sound good to you! To help you, close your eyes to hear better without focusing too much on what your fingers are doing.

Another thing you can try is moving one finger up or down a fret. You can even try moving the whole chord shape up or down on the fretboard. The reality is that you can more or less do whatever you want as long as it sounds good to you!

👂 Remember - if it sounds good, it is good.

Repeat this process with some other chords. Have fun with it, and maybe even try writing a short riff based on the new chords and sounds you've discovered.

No Limits Here!

There are no limits to chord exploration. Explore chords in any way you like. If you're playing a song cover, some of the experiments won't sound great, so you'll need to try another one. It's that simple!

The key thing here is whether you like the sound of it or not! I encourage you to explore this idea every time you're learning a new tune. So don't be afraid of it.

Have you made some chord discoveries? Log into your account and share with others on the discussion board. Inspire others to explore your new findings. :)

I hope you enjoyed this lesson! Up next, we're tackling sus chords for beginners - new sounds to add to your chord repertoire. :)