What to practise

[blackbird]

I'm trying to get my practice schedule down, and am wondering which chords to cover next. I've already got the major open, minor open and Dom7 open chords down. What would you suggest I learn next? (I.E. which are the next most useful/most used chords?)
Thanks
:cool:

[cyberfret]

I would probably look a power chords, and major and minor barre chords.

Power Chords
http://www.cyberfret.com/chords/power/

Major and minor barre chords
http://www.cyberfret.com/chords/barre/

--Shawn

[blackbird]

Thanks for the reply Shawn! I've got a related question. About power chords... Are they meant to be played on acoustic guitars? When I play power chords on my accoustic, they sound like garbage. I'm guessing that an electric has some special features that make them sound better?
:cool: Gotta LOVE these new options! ;)

[cyberfret]

Yes, the missing element is distortion...hehe. When I was a kid I used to take a piece of paper, tape it over the strings right at the bridge and it made my nylon acoustic sound like a cheesy distorted electric :)

Sometimes you will be playing songs that where originally played on the electric, and at some point you may buy an electric guitar. So they are still good to know even if you are mostly an acoustic player. But they do sound very hollow on the acoustic.

The acoustic guitar really shines with chords that use open strings. Sometimes you will see a band play that has an electric and an acoustic. You might see the electric player play some bar chords or power chords, while the acoustic player uses a capo and plays some open position chords. Not because they are cheating, or don't know how to play power or barre chord...but because that is where the acoustic guitar sounds best.

For some other open position chords, you also might start to look at sus2 and sus4 chords.

sus2
http://www.cyberfret.com/chords/library/sus2/

sus4
http://www.cyberfret.com/chords/library/sus4/


--Shawn

[blackbird]

Thanks again Shawn, that's just what I was looking for!:)

[GuitarGuillermo]

I play power chords on my accoustic all the time. I think they sound fine. I have even played power chord songs on a nylon stringed classical (using a pick, though) and i didnt think they sounded weak or hollow.

[GuitarGuillermo]

Shawn, Do you think that tape trick will work on a steel-string accoustic or on an electric with an amp that doesent have distortion?

[GuitarGuillermo]

I am trying the tape-paper trick on my steel string right now. It does sound a little like distortion when I play solos, but mostly what i am getting is a little rumbling sound remarkably like what you get when you have a crappy amp turned up too loud; especailly when i strum chords.

[Coffee]

Does your amp have two volume controls? If so, push up the pre-amp volume (normally the first one) and turn the main volume down. This has the effect of driving a lot of power through something that is not quite prepared to receive it. This will not hurt the amp. What it does it it takes the signal from the pre-amp and clips off the top and bottom of the signal giving you the distortion your looking for.

Personally I don't like the distortion I get from my particular amp so I broke down and bought a distortion pedal.