Chord Switching Practice / Song Ideas?

G'day guys,

I'm just starting to learn guitar, two weeks in so very, very green.

I'm finding myself dying of boredom switching between basic chords over and over, trying to develop the muscle memory.

I'm scouring the internet looking for basic beginner songs can't seem to find what i'm after. [br][br]

Beginner guitar songs suck, they rely heavily on singing.. i'm trying to learn guitar, which is bad enough for my wife, she doesn't need me trying to sing, and these songs suck (at least what i've found so far) without the singing to make sense of it.

[br]2. There is no resource that i've found that allows me to say, enter chords i want to learn. C E D for example.[br][br]

And it would then filter a list of basic songs that include or are limited to those songs or more importantly, maybe just riffs or peices of music that sound good, can be used for practice drills with tabs or whatever, that aren't boring as hell.

3. Also being green as hell, my fingers are stinging. Love it, it's part of the process. BUT i would love to optimise my time.

[br]I've found finger picking the start of 'nothing else matters' by metallica to be really fun, becasuse i'm producing something that sounds good, has good progression, and i can give my fretting fingers a break while still practicing. This is the same kind of thing i'm looking for with learning chords.

[br]I can't find any other songs that are like this, and obviously it's not long before that specific song gets much more involved.. is there a resource for just basic, instrumental, easy tunes or whatever that could be good training material like this??[br][br]Keeping me motivated is so crucial, and that means keeping me from being bored. If i'm hearding good sounds and progression and things i can repeat and aren't embarrased by, I stay really motivated![br][br]If you've got an suggestions for music, i'd absolutely love to hear them!

Hey & welcome to GT!

Originally Posted by: troy.gamble

I'm just starting to learn guitar, two weeks in so very, very green.

I'm finding myself dying of boredom switching between basic chords over and over, trying to develop the muscle memory.[/quote][p]It can get boring or frustrating, but it's part of the process. :) If you aren't already, then I encourage you to work through the Fundamentals courses. They will give you a curriculum to follow & provide some basic song patterns & structures to work on.

https://www.guitartricks.com/beginner.php

Originally Posted by: troy.gambleBeginner guitar songs suck, they rely heavily on singing.[/quote]

Yes, that's the nature of simple songs. The musical component is simplified in order to keep the focus on the vocals. I often suggest to look for simple catchy riffs that you enjoy. It sounds like you've already started doing that. Have a look at the beginner songs here on GT to see if you can find more.

https://www.guitartricks.com/songs.php?input=beginners

Originally Posted by: troy.gamble2. There is no resource that i've found that allows me to say, enter chords i want to learn. C E D for example.

Those are certainly necessary chords to learn & practice. And there's no reason you can't simply strum those chord in any order you make up just to get them under your fingers.

[quote=troy.gamble]And it would then filter a list of basic songs that include or are limited to those songs or more importantly, maybe just riffs or peices of music that sound good, can be used for practice drills with tabs or whatever, that aren't boring as hell.

LOL! I appreciate the idea, but it would difficult to do because:

1. Boring to one person is exciting to another.

2. Building basic skills on the guitar can be tedious, but there's no way around the repetitious practice that has to occur in order to gain skill.

[quote=troy.gamble][br]I can't find any other songs that are like this, and obviously it's not long before that specific song gets much more involved.. is there a resource for just basic, instrumental, easy tunes or whatever that could be good training material like this??

Some of the beginner classical piece might be exactly what you are looking for. I created a list of tutorials organized by skill & concept level. You might just jump to the simple melodies, exercises & pieces.

https://www.guitartricks.com/forum/thread.php?f=36&t=28987

Also I have a few tutorials that are just simple melodies beginners can use to build skills while playing music. Scroll to the bottom of my instructors to the section Simple Melodies.

https://www.guitartricks.com/instructor.php?input=155014

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have more questions. Best of success with your guitar learning & playing!

I know EXACTLY how you feel.

I hit a low and what got me out of it was learning a song I love. Just like with your Metallica song. I did the intro to Yes Roundabout. I was patient, slowed the video to.25 and xstick with it note by note.

thos approach did not work albefore, but after some boring trading in chord changing and scales it was a different story.

my takeaway: learn songs.

Train only in order to learn songs.

i don’t agree that you ha e to progress through simple “quasi-songs” first. Do some training for dexterity and then learn songs like countless teenagers have done through the ages. Most of the stars didi it that way, I bet.

and you can trust my wisdom because i’ve Been playing guitar for over two weeks!!