Simple Guitar Songs

    Easy Guitar Songs and Chords For Beginners

    Sultans of Swing – Dire Straits (Rhythm)
    June 16, 2011 Lance No comments

    The song begins with Dm Chords.
    key: Dm
    Strumming
    (listen song)
    Intro Rythm pattern -
    [DD]UK-UDUKU

    [DD]UK-UDUKU
    [] – means strummed v.fast

    - = actually no space (Means the rhythm is D DUDUDUDU)
    k=click sound with
    down strum, which comes when left hand gets free, to produce muting effect. Also
    right hand palm mutes, which facilitates clicking
    sound.

    Intro:Dm(with above strumming nearly 8
    times)
    Verse:(Dm/// |  C Bb | A///)X2 ; (F/// | C/// | Bb |
    Dm)
    1. full bar is equal to  repeating rhythm 2 times.
    2. On
    C & Bb only D DUKU (K = click)
    3. A’s 2nd half bar is sometimes
    A7.
    A7 =
    Some riffs -
    Dm C/Bb C = Dm( D
    DUKU ) C(U) Bb(UDUD) C(full rhythm pattern )
    Bb/C  = Bb(UUUD, after
    hitting D stroke, slide to C) C(UKU
    UKU)




    Covering rhythm part
    only

    Intro lead
           Dm
you get a shiver in the dark
         C           Bb       A
it's raining in the park but meantime
Dm                      C           Bb          A
south of the river you stop and you hold everything
F                   C
a band is blowing Dixie double four time
        Bb                                 Dm    Bb-C
you feel alright when you hear that music ring

               Dm              C        Bb          A
(Now) you step inside but you don't see too many faces
 Dm                   C                        Bb      A
coming in out of the rain to (you) hear the jazz go down
F                       C
too much competition too many other places
Bb                                    Dm
but not too many horns can make that sound
(But not too many horns are blowing that sound)
Bb-C
        way on downsouth
Bb-C
        way on downsouth
Dm              Dm-C-Bb-C       Dm-C-Bb-C
London town

                Dm          C       Bb          A
you check out Guitar George he knows all the chords
Dm                                                 C   Bb             A
mind he's (his) strictly rhythm he doesn't want to make it cry or sing
F                       C
and an old guitar is all he can afford
Bb                                              Dm   Bb-C
when he gets up under the lights to play his thing
Dm                      C     Bb         A
  (and) harry doesnb't mind if he doesn't make the scene
Dm             C        Bb                  A
  he('s) got a daytime job he's doing al(l)right
F                               C
  he can play honky tone just like anything
(He can play the honky tonk like anything)
Bb                      Dm      Bb-C
  saving it up for friday night
                  Bb-C
with the sultans
                     Dm     Dm-C-Bb-C
with the sultans of swing
                             Dm-C-Bb-C

        Dm                          C           Bb            A
and a crowd of young boys they're fooling around in the corner
Dm                                    C                Bb           A
drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles
F                                       C
they don't give a damn about ('bout) any trumpet playing band
   Bb                           Dm      Bb-C
it ain't what they call rock and roll
                Bb-C
and the sultans
                        Dm     Dm-C-Bb-C
and the sultans played creole
(Yeah the Sultans they played Creole)

                                Dm-C-Bb-C

Lead 1: ( chords:Follow 1 full verse)

Dm                    C         Bb         A
and then the man he steps right up to the microphone
Dm          C                Bb         A    (A7)
and says at last just as the time bell rings
F                           C
thank you goodnight now it's time to go home
        Bb                  Dm          Bb-C
and he makes it fast with one more thing
                  Bb-C
we are the sultans
                      Dm        Dm-C-Bb-C
we are the sultans of swing

Dm      -       C       -       Bb      -       C
1.25            0.5           2.25              4.0
    Guitar Tutorials, Simple Guitar Songs

    How To Transpose Guitar Chords
    February 18, 2011 Lance No comments

    Knowing how to transpose guitar chords from one key to another can come in very handy under certain circumstances.

     Let’s say for instance that you have just learned how to play a new song on your guitar. Perhaps you’ve spent hours getting the chords down and now you’re really excited about playing it for some of your friends.

     But then something unexpected happens when you try to sing the melody. To your dismay you discover that the tune is either too high or too low for your voice range. What do you do now?

     The answer is easy- you simply transpose it to another key! But, of course, you will need to understand a few basic music concepts before you can do this.

     The first thing you will need to realize is that every song is written in a key, and there are twelve keys in music. Each key is derived from a specific scale that bears the same name.

     For example, if a song is written in the key of C, all the chords and notes of the song will come from the C major scale. So, in order to transpose a song from the key of C to the key of G you would need to know how each chord relates to it’s particular scale. This can be done by using a simple numbering system.

     There are seven letters which identify each of the seven tones (or degrees) of a major scale. Seven Roman Numerals are commonly used to identify the chords that relate to each degree of a scale. Here is an example of how this is done using the notes of the C major scale: 

     

     

    I II III IV V VI VII
    C Dm Em F G Am Bdim

     The other important thing you will need to know when you transpose is that each letter and number of the scale represents only one of three primary chord types.

     These primary chords types will be either Major, Minor or Diminished chords depending on their numerical position in the key.

     I will not be going into how these chords are arrived at today, but I will tell you what type of chord each Roman Numeral represents. With this information, you will be able transpose songs into any key you want!

     Below is a chart which identifies every primary chord of the twelve major keys. 

    I MAJOR II MINOR III MINOR IV MAJOR V MAJOR VI MINOR VII DIMINISHED
    C D E F G A B
    G A B C D E F#
    D E F# G A B C#
    A B C# D E F# G#
    E F# G# A B C# D#
    B C# D# E F# G# A#
    F# G# A# B C# D# E#
    C# D# E# F# G# A# B#
    F G A Bb C D E
    Bb C D Eb F G A
    Eb F G Ab Bb C D
    Ab Bb C Db Eb F G
    Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C
    Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F
    Cb Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bb
    You will notice that there are Roman Numerals at the top of the chart. Underneath the Roman Numerals you will find the type of chord to use in that column.

     The chords in the first column down are all major chords, the chords in the second column down are all minor chords, etc.

     

     NOTE: The V MAJOR chord is commonly converted to a dominant 7th – G7 D7 A7 E7, etc. Therefore, the chords in this column may be played as either a major or dominant 7th chord.

      When you want to transpose a song from one key to another, you simply substitute the chords from a particular column of that key with the chords of the new key that are in the same column.

     

     In other words, if you have a song with a I IV V chord progression in the key of C you would be using the chords C F G. If you transpose it to the key of G you will have a I IV V chord progression using the chords G C D.

     

     Study the chart carefully and then try to transpose a song that you already know into a different key. Remember that the name of each major chord in the first column identifies the key. So, the first row of chords going across are all the primary chords relating to the key of C. The second row across are all the primary chords relating to the key of G and so on. The heading above tells you whether the chord is major, minor, dominant 7th, etc.

     Using this chart is a great way to practice all the primary chords in every key.


     If you come across a chord you don’t know, look it up in a chord chart. Add it to your practice session by first playing it alone. Then try it with another chord in the same key.


     Take note of the chords that are easy for you to play and then experiment with trying different chord progressions. Here are some basic ones to get you started:

     I V I
    I IV V I
    I VI IV V I
    II V I VI
     

     Now you know the secret of how to transpose guitar chords!

    ————————————————–

    Kathy Unruh is a singer/songwriter and webmaster of ABC Learn Guitar. She has been writing songs and providing guitar lessons to students of all ages for over 20 years. For free guitar lessons, plus tips and resources on songwriting, recording and creating a music career, please visit: www.abclearnguitar.com

    Guitar Articles, Guitar Tutorials

    How To Practice Your Guitar Correctly
    November 3, 2010 Lance No comments

    Like anything else, the more you practice your guitar the better you become but you must practice correctly. Isolate yourself in a room free from any distraction and split your practice session up into four parts.

    Part 1: You will need to warm up first; the best way to warm up is to practice your scales. Play them at your own pace up and down the fretboard, and then start playing them in reverse. If you start missing the odd note then slow down, (We do not practice mistakes) speed will come in due course.

    Part 2: Your fingers should be getting warmed up by now. So let’s start with some Riff work. Try to learn as many riffs and tunes etc as you possibly can. There are many websites around where you can find some really cool riffs.

    Part 3: By now you fingers should be feeling really movable, so let’s step up the tempo and start practicing some solo work. You should really practice your solos over some sort of backing track. Again, there are many websites around where you can get some really cool backing tracks in any key you like for free. Just play the backing track and start improvising (making up your own solos) in your preferred key.

    Part 4: Finally finish of your practice session with some chord work. Practice your rhythm playing and timing. Play any chord progressions you know and practice your chord changes while keeping the timing nice and tight.

    I recommend you practice between 1 and 2 hours a day, 6 days a week. Never practice if you don’t feel like it – you will not gain anything from this. You can also over-practise. For instance, if you suddenly start practicing 8 hours a day 7 days a week, your fingers could stiffen up and your speed will suffer.

    After your main practise session, you could increase your development by playing riffs while watching the T.V. (without the amplifier). Try not to look at the fretboard if you do this. It will help your playing in the long run, because sometimes on stage it can be very difficult to see your fretboard with all the bright lights etc. Also practice stood up with your guitar on a strap from time to time, this will also help when you play on stage.

    Well believe it or not, but even the best guitarist on this planet practice every day. They would never admit it because it’s simply not cool for their image.

    Copyright 2010 Lance Lines of simple guitar songs

    http://simpleguitarsongs.org

    This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire Copyright notice above is included.

    Guitar Articles, Guitar Tutorials

    Choosing Your First Guitar
    October 23, 2010 Lance No comments

    If you are buying a guitar for the very first time, you will be better off buying one from a reputable music store then buying on privately. My advice would be to buy the best guitar you can afford. There are many cheap copies around that look the part but will play dreadfully.

    Here are 7 points you should be looking out for when choosing your first guitar.

    • Check that the fret board (Neck) is not warped. Hold the guitar like a rifle and look down the edge of the neck with one eye. If it looks bent or warped then you should leave it well alone. Your playing would really suffer.
    • Check the guitar action (This is the distance between the strings and the fret board). Look at the 12thfret; if the strings are more than Half inch (13mm) away from then fret board then the guitar would be very difficult to play. You need to be looking for a 7 to 12mm gap.
    • Play every note on the guitar, starting at the 6thstring (Thickest string). You should be checking that there is no sign of fret buzz; this is when you hold a note down and get a buzzing sound when you play the string. Worn frets are the main cause of fret buzz and should be avoided.
    • Turn the tuning pegs (Machine Heads) and make sure they don’t feel slack or loose. If they are, then the guitar will be almost impossible to keep in tune.
    • If it is an electric guitar you are looking at, plug it into an amplifier and play each string one at a time. You are listing to the volume of each string, if some strings are quieter than others this could suggest there is a problem with the pickups.
    • Check that the tone and volume controls on the guitar are working correctly, do this by adjusting them while playing the guitar. You should be listening for any crackling noises or any making or breaking in the volume. If there is any crackling or breaking in the volume you should avoid buying the guitar.
    • Finally, make sure that the amplifier you are testing the guitar on as no effects turned on. This is the oldest trick in the book. Some stores will have all fancy effect turned on to enhance the guitars sound. Ask them to turn all the effects off so you can only hear the amplified guitar.

    Follow these 7 simple steps and you should end up with a really good guitar.

    Copyright 2010 Lance Lines of simple guitar songs

    http://simpleguitarsongs.org

    This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire Copyright notice above is included.

    Guitar Articles

    Guitar Tuner Standard Pitch EADGBE
    October 20, 2010 Lance No comments
    Guitar Tutorials

    Extended Guitar Chords
    October 17, 2010 Lance No comments

    Basically there are only three types of chords – major, minor and dominant chords. Every chord you will ever learn or play will be from one of these three groups in one way or another.

    Lets take a look at the G major scale!!!

    The key of G = G A B C D E F#

    e|———————————————————————————————2—–3———
    B|——————————————————————————-3—–5———————–
    G|———————————————————–2—–4—–5————————————
    D|—————————————2—–4—–5——————————————————–
    A|——————-2—–3—–5—————————————————————————-
    E|——3—–5————————————————————————————————

    The Tab above is simply the G maj scale played twice through; this means you have been playing two octaves of the G maj scale. An octave means the scale starts again on the 8th note (G) which is at a higher pitch (oct = 8).

    Several chords will fit with the G major scale, this means you can play the scale over these chords and everything will sound musically correct.

    These chords are G Major – A Minor – B Minor – C Major – D Major – E Minor – F# Diminished.

    Question: “Why do these chords fit so well with the G Major scale you may ask”

    Answer: Because each note is the G Major Scale is somewhere in these chords.

    Let’s take a look:

    G Major = G – B – D
    A Minor = A – C – E
    B Minor = B – D – F#
    C Major = C – E – G
    D Major = D – F# – A
    E Minor = E – G – B
    F# Dim = F# – A – C – E

    That’s very well I hear you ask “But what about extended chords”

    So here goes,

    Take a look at these extended chords below.

    G Major – G Major 6th – G Major 6/9 – G major 7th – G Major 9th

    The five chords above are all major type chords, now let’s have a look how they get there extended names 6ths – 7ths etc.

    Play the G major scale above one note at a time – each note has its own name.

    The 1st note = the first or tonic
    The 2nd note = the second
    The 3rd note = the third
    The 4th note = the forth
    The 5th note = the fifth
    The 6th note = the sixth
    The 7th note = the seventh

    So here is what we should have G = 1, A = 2, B = 3, C = 4, D = 5, E = 6, F# = 7.

    That wasn’t too bad was it?

    This means the 1st – 3rd – 5th notes of the G major scale ( G – B – D ) are the same notes that make up the G major chord.

    So check this out.

    G major 6th = 1 – 3 – 5 – 6 or G – B – D – E
    G major 6/9= 1 – 3 – 5 – 6 – 9 or G – B – D – E – A
    G major 7th = 1 – 3 – 5 – 7 or G – B – D – F#
    G major 9th = 1 – 3 – 5 – 7 – 9 or G – B – D – F# – A

    These extended chords are not used as often has the basic major chords in rock or pop music, but it is still important to understand how these major chords are constructed.

    Copyright 2010 Lance Lines of http://simpleguitarsongs.org

    This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire Copyright notice above is included.

    Guitar Articles, Guitar Tutorials

    Know your way around your guitar
    October 14, 2010 Lance No comments

    The diagram below is an electric guitar with its parts labeled.
    You should take a minute to learn the names so that you can get to know your own guitar. 

    This diagram below is an acoustic guitar with its parts labeled.
    You should also take a moment to learn the names so that you can get to know your guitar.

    Guitar Tutorials

    Learn and Get Better At Rock Guitar.
    October 5, 2010 Lance No comments

    I’m writing  this article to let you know about a huge break through that I’ve found in my quest to becoming an awesome guitar player.

    As you may or may not know, I have been looking for a good guitar teacher for a long time now because I need someone who really understands not just how to play guitar but how to teach it as well. After a lot of looking around, my search is over!

    The teacher I found is a guy named Mike Deiure and he created a program called “Rock Guitar Power”, I heard about it from a friend who said that they thought it was really great and that they learned a lot from it. I decided to check it out for myself and I have been loving it since the first lesson!

    ************************************************
    SIDENOTE: If your in a hurry and want to go straight to the website, check out this URL to
    see what I’m talking about:

    http://simpleguitarsongs.org/rockguitarpower.html
    ************************************************

    The first thing that I love about Rock Guitar Power is that it sticks to teaching me what I want to know without all the extra crap that I could care less about. I want to get better at Rock Music and that’s what this program focuses on.

    So what exactly did I learn with Rock Guitar Power?

    • All the most common chords and scales that are used in rock songs

    • How to jam and solo to just about any song you hear

    • Movable chord AND scale patterns that get you using the whole guitar neck

    And that’s just the beginning!

    After working with these videos I could tell that Mike knows his stuff. He answered just about every
    question I had and got me to understand what I need to know so that I can play my favorite songs easily.

    Another thing that I really liked was that I didn’t need to go searching for hours on You Tube to find
    the lessons I was looking for. Everything was there and put into an order that made sense! The quality of the videos is also excellent. What a difference it made to be able to see and hear everything without struggling. There are also really great tabs for every lesson and audio backing tracks that I could jam to.

    So enough of me rambling on, here’s the URL to check out Rock Guitar Power:

    http://simpleguitarsongs.org/rockguitarpower.html

    P.S. I forgot to mention that there is an awesome Intro Course that Mike offers for FREE on his home
    page! Be sure to sign up for it, I learned A LOT of great stuff just from this including: How To Use A
    Metronome, How To Read Guitar Tabs, and How To Play Open Chords.

    Here’s the link once again:

    http://simpleguitarsongs.org/rockguitarpower.html

    Guitar Articles, Guitar Tutorials, Rock Guitar

    Learn 20 Easy Guitar Songs
    October 3, 2010 Lance No comments

    If you’ve been struggling to make any meaningful progress with your guitar playing then keep reading.

    It is GREAT FUN . . . . .

    Just imagine having a guitar teacher that you could call on at any time of the day and get them to show you over and over and over again. You don’t need a qualification in advanced psychology to know that you’re learning curve will be made much much easier.

    Have you ever been asked that dreaded question!!!!

    “What Can You Play?“

    You’ll soon be playing all these simple guitar songs.

    Space Oddity-David Bowie | Father & Son-Cat Stevens | Always on my mind-Willie Nelson | Black Magic Woman-Peter Green | Boulevard of broken dreams-Greenday | And I love Her-Beatles | When you say nothing-R. Keating | Maggie May-Rod Stewart | Imagine-John Lennon | Norwegian Wood -Beatles| Stand by your Man-Tammy Wynette | Goodnight Irene-Leadbelly | Folsom prison blues-Johnny Cash | Times they are a changin-Bob Dylan | Light My Fire-The Doors |  Last thing on my mind-Tom Paxton | Great Balls of Fire-Jerry Lee Lewis |  House of the rising sun-The Animals | Sloop John ‘B’-Trad | Blowing in the wind-Bob Dylan

    Click here to watch a video that will show you how to start playing all these easy guitar songs above.

     

    Guitar Tutorials, Simple Guitar Songs
    Copyright © 2012 Lance Lines, SimpleGuitarSongs.org - All Rights Reserved Worldwide.