STATION 3: Chord Clarity Inspection!

In this Segment, we will work on the quality and tone of your chords.


Whether you can only play one chord, or a hundred chords,
the same principles of chord clarity and tone apply across the board.


You will learn the very important skills of how to self-evaluate, and self-correct
specific tone and/or position issues that arise when you play a chord.


When it comes to chord clarity, the devil is in the details!


Here's how we'll get specific about those devilish details:


When the tone of your chord is not all it could be, we will boil the investigation down
to 3 Essential Questions to ask as you figure out how to make improvements
and master the chord position.


The 3 Essential Questions for Chord Clarity are:


    * Are my fingers positioned correctly in the fret space?


    * Am I maintaining good consistent pressure on the notes?


    * Is something getting in the way? Is there an obstruction?



In the next 3 lessons in this Segment, we will go through a whole bunch of basic chords,
and INSPECT them note-for-note.


You are not expected to be able to play ALL of these chords right away.
Just focus on the ones that are appropriate to your skill level,
and skip the ones that you are not yet ready for.


For each chord we work on, you'll get a chance to hear me play the chord note-for-note. Then I will ask you to play the chord yourself, and listen carefully to your results.


Which notes sound good and clear? Which notes could use some help?


Then you will pause the video and use the 3 Questions to figure out
what you have to do to get the best clarity out of your chord.


As you make the micro-adjustments in your fingering positions to get the best tone possible, you are developing essential Muscle Memory.


In other words, your fingers themselves are learning and memorizing precisely what they must do to accomplish each chord.


Once again, you determine your own skill level here.


If working on just 2 or three chords makes sense for you, that is fine.
Skip the others until you are ready for them.


If you're ready to take on mastering more chords, then by all means, go for it!


Let's start with chords whose bass note is located on the 6th string.


Ready to put your investigative hat on and get to work?


Let's do this!

Lisa McCormick
Instructor Lisa McCormick
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