Getting your playing into tip-top shape leads to inspiration
In this Gibson App video, Irene Ketikidi offers some tips on making your chord transitions flow with ease. With an A minor, E minor, and G major chord progression, she guides you toward noticing things like how the Am and Em have a commonality in the way the middle and ring fingers stay “tied” together during the transition between these two essential chords. She also encourages you to practice this motion even without the strumming in the right hand, as this will help cement it in your muscle memory.
Why are chord progressions so important?
Getting from one chord to the next is probably the most essential and basic skill that a budding guitar player needs to master because doing so serves three goals in tandem. Firstly, it develops the ear as one begins to absorb and hear how chords function in music. Secondly, it fosters rhythmic awareness, as one must land on the intended beat to keep the song and its groove going. Thirdly, and ultimately, chords form the spine of songwriting alongside those lovely, pesky melodies, which may sometimes be inherent in the upper voice of the progression.
You need chords and progressions, even when you only imply them through a melody. Nobody makes bank for merely having the first two skills mentioned, but songwriting is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, so strive to make compositions. Once you have some songs under your belt, it’s probably time to think about production and getting your pieces heard.
Image: Exclusive Gibson Acoustic tri-bursts are a great choice for a luxury strumming experience
Even if you gravitate toward electric guitar, keeping an acoustic guitar around is always a good idea. They make great couch guitars because you don’t need amplification while noodling around, and if you create something memorable during impromptu jams, all you have to do is grab your phone and capture the idea as a voice memo.
Of course, you can take it much further than that, capturing inspirational moments at a level that can be used in professional productions.
The Gibson App helps you gain the experience necessary to write great songs. By learning chord progressions, focusing on transitions, and delving into the songs of others, you’ll be in a position to put these three pillar skills to work in your own creative life.
Explore the world of the Gibson App today and start your free trial on iOS and Android devices.
