Practicing Progression of Chords

Goal

Playing guitar without sheet music.

Equipment

Acoustic guitar + Capo + Songbook

Basic Theory

* This is a simplified explanation to aid beginners, so there may be incorrect parts in terms of theory.

① When playing accompaniment with an instrument such as guitar or piano, chords are used to accompany.

② Each singer has a different vocal range. There are low-pitched people and high-pitched people. 
The scale, which has been given names for these vocal ranges, is called a scale. => C Major scale, D Major scale, etc.

③ Sharps (#) and flats (b) are added to the musical score to indicate the scale of the song.

For example, if there are three sharps (#) in the musical score, it is a song in the A Major scale (or E minor scale).

④ For each scale, there are seven diatonic chords from the first to the seventh degree. Basic accompaniment is possible using only diatonic chords.

⑤ If the song is in the C Major scale but the singer's vocal range is in the E scale, the accompaniment should also be played using the E Major scale chords to match. If the E Major scale chords are difficult, the capo can be placed on the 4th fret of the guitar (transposing), and the accompaniment can be played using the C Major scale chords, which will produce the same sound. One fret on the guitar represents a half-step.

In other words, if the chord progression in the sheet music is E-A-E-B7, it follows the progression of the 1st, 4th, 1st, and 5th degrees. Therefore, you can use the capo on the 4th fret of the guitar and play C-F-C-G chords (1st, 4th, 1st, and 5th degrees) to produce the same sound.

⑥ To play guitar without sheet music, you need to practice chord progressions like the 1st, 4th, 1st, and 5th degrees until they become second nature.

Practice method

Find out the scale of the song you want to play from the songbook, and accompany it with the seven diatonic chords, predicting the next chord and playing it on the guitar. Practice about 100 songs.

Practice with an app

It is not easy to practice for a long time with a guitar because it can cause finger pain and noise complaints, especially at night. When this happens, you can use the RSJ guitar app to practice comfortably without hurting your fingers or disturbing others.

(Android) RSJ Guitar