Beginner looking to move forward...

[CWMCALL]

Hello,

I have been playing for about two weeks now and I can stumble through some basic stuff like: Watchtower Intro, Typical Situations Intro, that Proudest Monkey riff, and the beginning of Christmas Song...

I am now looking for some good (very easy) songs that involve strumming and chord changes. I would prefer that it be a DMB song or two but it doesn't have to be as long as I can find the tabs out there somewhere.

Thanks again for everyone's help, I am having a ball.

CWMCALL

[cave_cricket]

Song That Jane Likes....give it a whirl....

[VTDreaminwithDMB]

Hello,

I have been playing for about two weeks now and I can stumble through some basic stuff like: Watchtower Intro, Typical Situations Intro, that Proudest Monkey riff, and the beginning of Christmas Song...

I am now looking for some good (very easy) songs that involve strumming and chord changes. I would prefer that it be a DMB song or two but it doesn't have to be as long as I can find the tabs out there somewhere.

Thanks again for everyone's help, I am having a ball.

CWMCALL

Try and not get into the habit of just learning little bits and pieces of songs. I have a friend that started playing that way and now he knows just a bunch of intros. Try and buckle down learn one song at a time. Just some friendly advice. Peace

[QuattroDore]

Watchtower is the easiest strummer, however it involves a barre chord at F. Some people find barre chords easy, I certainly didn't . Give it a whirl, but don't be disappointed if you can't get the F yet.

[CWMCALL]

Watchtower is the easiest strummer, however it involves a barre chord at F. Some people find barre chords easy, I certainly didn't . Give it a whirl, but don't be disappointed if you can't get the F yet.

I am not completly familiar with barre chords is this what you are talking about?

(Watchtower)
MIddle/End of Slow part and fast part of song
E:-0-----3-----1-----1---3--
B:-1-----0-----1-----1---0--
G:-2-----0-----2-----2---0--
D:-2-----0-----3-----3---0--
A:-0-----2-----3-----3---2--
E:-------3-----1-----1---3--

And if it is, how the hell do cover six strings with only four available fingers for fretting?

Thank you for being patient with the new guy...

CWMCALL (Go Big Red)

[QuattroDore]

Barre chords are a difficut manuever to get down at first. basically they move the entire nut (the end of the neck closest to the headstock) further up the neck but fretting all of the strings with your index finger laying across.

So essentially, all of the strings fretted at one are played by the index. The other strings are played with your other three fingers. It can be difficult and since you've only been playing a couple of weeks, it may seem impossible, but you will get there with time. I've been playing for about 1.5 years and I still have some trouble sounding all of the notes.

Look here for more info on barres:

http://www.fenderplayersclub.com/pdfs/l ... ords_1.pdf

Are you from Nebraska by any chance?

[Pickles]

for watchtower i dont play the barre. ive been playing 11 months (almost a year - yay!) - i just play xx321x. easier that way. i dont play it enough to care about learning the other way. theres some songs i learn full, and some i learn intro only - ie satellite. satellite is a good riff to know because its hard... i dont like the song though. same with rhyme and reason... i like the song but dont care enough to learn the chorus. for tripping billies the only thing left for me to learn is the verse... and wow its giving me trouble...

[CWMCALL]

Thanks for the great info...I will start working on it now.

I am a UNL Alum and noticed you were in Omaha.

[QuattroDore]

Actually that entire fendersplayersclub.com site has alot of great info as far as getting off of the ground. Don't think that is all you have to learn though, for noone I know wanted to learn guitar to play Row Row Row your boat, or Twinkle Twinkle little star.

Unfortunately, I'm the Nebraskan who isn't a killer Red fan. Sorry. Grew up in a family who were alums of different universities, so Big Red Pride wasn't part of my daily environment.

[taylordb]

Try and not get into the habit of just learning little bits and pieces of songs. I have a friend that started playing that way and now he knows just a bunch of intros. Try and buckle down learn one song at a time. Just some friendly advice. Peace

This is very good advice! I have been playing for ...gulp...over 30 years, and developed this bad habit (only learning bits and pieces of songs) long ago...DON'T DO IT! I am now going through the painful process of "unlearning".

One possible way to avoid this trap is to play with other people as much as possible...you tend to learn entire songs that way.

One more piece of advice: remember that being able to play something cleanly is very important...put alot of time into that.

Good Luck!

[Pickles]

This is very good advice! I have been playing for ...gulp...over 30 years, and developed this bad habit (only learning bits and pieces of songs) long ago...DON'T DO IT! I am now going through the painful process of "unlearning".

wow man... youve been playing twice as long as ive been alive... lol.

[heathcliff]

for watchtower i dont play the barre. ive been playing 11 months (almost a year - yay!) - i just play xx321x. easier that way. i dont play it enough to care about learning the other way. theres some songs i learn full, and some i learn intro only - ie satellite. satellite is a good riff to know because its hard... i dont like the song though. same with rhyme and reason... i like the song but dont care enough to learn the chorus. for tripping billies the only thing left for me to learn is the verse... and wow its giving me trouble...

I hear ya, but you have to learn the barre chords. I avoided them for a while, but then I wouldn't learn songs that had barre chords in them.

[DustyDave]

I think most people do try to avoid Barre chords in the beginning because your fingers don't seem to work the way they should lol i avoided them too when i started playing , until i found some songs that i just had to learn how to play and unfortunately they used both the F 133211 and the BM x24432 so that was a pain , but after messing with it for a good day it became easier and i got angry at myself for trying to avoid them for a year .... Now several years later i can look back and laugh at that but it sure wasen't fun at the moment i couldn't do them

Barre chords are definetly worth learning

[taylordb]

wow man... youve been playing twice as long as ive been alive... lol.

But the cool thing is that music doesn't care how old you are....thank God!

[waffle_house_jam]

i always thought barre chords were easy, but thats just odd apparently. you should DEFINITELY learn them though, they are very important. i thought i'd post some chords to advance through to get you more familiar with barre chords:
E:--5---5---5--5------------
B:--5---5---5--5------------
G:--6---5---6--5------------
D:--7---7---9--9------------
A:--7---7---7--7------------
E:--5---5---5--5------------

i'd just work through these, the last two are some of my favorites. at first they will seem impossible, but practice them and move them around and soon you'll have no trouble with barre chords.