Chord Charts

Chord charts can be VERY helpful when you're trying to learn new chords. It may seem confusing at first, but with a little practice it will become clear...

Queen ROCKS...And Apparently So Do The Muppets??

LOL - This Is Awesome!!

Merrily

The B note is an open string (you don't hold down any strings). Remember the acronym to remember your guitar's string names:

(From the lowest-pitched string to the highest-pitched)

Eddie

Ate

Dynamite

Good-

Bye

Eddie

B (Bye) would be open 2nd string (B2):

The B note is placed on the 3rd line from the bottom of the staff:

Don't forget: the "hat" means two beats of silence. So, mute your strings when you reach the hat at the end of "Merrily"!

Metronome Online

I found this awesome site a while back which has an online metronome. Remember the bongos we used in class? You would try to keep up with my tempo (playing speed). My tempo would get faster and faster - you would do your best to stay with me. This is something that will help build up your playing speed, rhythm, and - with enough practice - give you calluses.

A metronome is a device that makes an even ticking sound. The ticking can be largo (very slow), larghetto (fairly slow), andante (about in the middle of fast and slow), or allegro (fast). There are actually more names for tempo speeds, but you don't need to know them right now.

At metronome online you can choose a speed for practicing your music. For now, try switching between notes (somewhere in larghetto) and power chords (somwhere in largo or larghetto) - try to build up your speed!

Crazy Train Tabs

(Click image above for full size!! ^^^^)

REMEMBER:

- The lines represent the strings on the guitar.
- The numbers represent the frets.
- A 0 indicates an "open string" (don't press down any of the left-hand fingers on that string).

The 1st string is the HIGHEST-PITCHED string. In Crazy Train, the power chords begin at the bottom 5th and 6th strings (lowest-pitched strings).

When one number is on top of another in Tablature, it means you must play those numbered strings at the same time. So, with the 2/4 power chord you do just that - strum the 5th and 6th strings together while holding them down on the frets directed.

A Review of Notes - A and G

Reading and Playing Guitar/Sheet Music (Click Image for Full Size)

Remember: The note G is placed on the 2nd line of the staff. To play the note A, place your second finger of your left hand on the 2nd fret of the G string (the string where you would play the note G). A quarter note is a note cimpletely "filled in" (view "Giraffes and Ants") and lasts one beat. A half note has a space at the base, meaning it lasts two beats (view "Half Time"). Always pluck downward. The two numbers at the beginning of the above staffs are called four four time signatures. They are placed after the treble clef and tell you there are four counts in each bar.

Need Help With Tabs?

I searched YouTube and found that a lot of videos aren't too good at explaining tablature...this is the best one I could find. Should be helpful. You can stop after 2:05 -- the rest is stuff you won't be using yet, minus the slide symbol (/) which you used in Iron Man.