One Finger Guitar One finger guitar is a simple but effective way of playing the guitar, the banjo or the ukulele. ukulele. There are no complicated complicated chords to play. With just one finger you will amaze your non-musical friends with your guitar playing skills. Should you decide to learn guitar using the full fingering, what you learn here will not have been wasted. You will have learned how to make what are called barre chords in which one finger covers several strings at a time. Of more importance, however, you will increase your undertanding of how to choose and make chord changes during a song. Enough of the introduction, let’s get started.
Tuning your guitar. A guitar is normally tuned E A D G B E. For one finger guitar, guitar, tune the six strings from the thickest to the thinnest string as follows: G B D G B D. Here are the notes on a piano to which your guitar should be tuned.
1
With this tuning, you can strum all six strings and the sound will be rich and powerful. Note that your lowest string will have to be tuned up more than one whole note, but this is unlikely to break the string or damage the guitar. As a quick check on tuning the guitar, the three notes GBD are the opening notes to several songs including Michael row the boat ashore or Morning has broken.
How to accompany songs. Just three chords are enough enough to accompany thousands of songs. songs. The key is the musical level at which the song is sung and each key has three main chords. Let’s start with the key of G and the chords of G C and D. Open (no finger is required)
= the chord of G
One finger across fifth fret (space)
= the chord of C
One finger across seventh fret (space)
= the chord of D
So, in this key, most of the time your finger will be travelling between an open strum and the fif fifth th or the seventh frets. Use whatever finger feels most comfortable. Don’t put your finger on the fret but in the space between the frets. It’s important to remember that or you won’t graduate from the course.
What follows now is important. It helps to know when to play the right chord and here are some ideas to guide you. In a group of three chords, like G C and D, each chord serves a different purpose.
The first chord (eg G) is the main chord. It will generally be the chord on which the song starts and finishes, and the one that is played the most. Think of it as an anchor. and, if you get lost lost, just hit that main chord (but not too loudly). 2
The second chord (eg C) is usually played at a point where the song starts to lift or travel in a new direction. It has a positive positive edge to it. The third chord (eg D) . This is an important chord which occurs quite frequently and often draws the tune back to the main or tonic chord. It has a more gentle feel to it. We should really be playing a chord called D7 as it sounds better, but let’s keep it simple at this stage. There’ll be more about D7 and other sevenths later. Here are a few tunes for you to strum along. The numbers in brackets are the frets where you place your finger. They appear in the lyrics (words of the song) where a change of chord is needed. Keep your finger on the fret shown until another change occurs. Strum down the strings of the guitar with your thumb or a plectrum.
Coming Round the Mountain (0) She’ll be comin’ round the mountain when she comes
She’ll be comin’ round the mountain when she (7) comes She’ll be (0) comin’ round the mountain, (5) comin’ round the mountain (0) Comin’ round the (7) mountain when she (0) comes.
Repeat this tune and listen to the difference between the C chord on the fifth fret and the D chord on the 7th fret. You will notice how one chord seems more gentle and the other seems more strident. Think of a song as a ship leaving a mooring and weaving a course through rough and smooth waters. Here are some words to describe the three chords in a triad. First: Second: Third:
Key, anchor, base. Positive, hard, outward, strident Sensitive, soft, inward, gentle
By listening to songs, and lots of practice, you will soon get to know when to change and to which chord. 3
Will the Circle be Unbroken? (0) Will the circle be unbroken
By and (5) by Lord by and (0) by There’s a better home awaiting In the sky Lord (7) in the (0) sky.
Little Brown Jug (0) My wife and I lived (5) all alone In a (7) little log hut we (0) called our own.
She loved gin and (5) I loved rum I (7) tell you we had (0) lots of fun. Ha Ha Ha (5) He He He (7) Little brown jug how (0) I love thee. Ha Ha Ha (5) He He He (7) Little brown jug how (0) I love thee.
Add some rhythm If a song has a bouncy rhythm, why not add a bass note in your strumming? Hit the 6th (the thickest and lowest) string alone and then strum the rest of the chord. Or hit the 6th and strum the top four strings and then the 5th and strum the top four strings. Try it with the tunes above, they will sound much better.
Now try this one in G and throw in some of those bass notes during the chorus. 4
Bad Moon Rising Checkout a short demo of this under mudsailor in YouTube (0) I see a (7) bad (5) moon rising (0) I see (7) trouble (5) on the (0) way (0) I see (7) earth (5) quakes and (0) lightnin' (0) I see (7) bad (5) times (0) today (5) Don't go 'round tonight (0) It's bound to take your life (7) There's a (5) bad moon on (0) the rise (5) Yeah, don’t go out tonight (0) Where it’s bad to take your wife (7) For a (5) Big Mac (0) and some Fries
A change of key The key of A and the three three chords of A D and E. One finger across second fret (space)
= A (the key chord)
One finger across seventh fret (space)
= D (the second chord)
One finger across ninth fret (space)
= E (the third chord)
I’ll fly away in the key of A (2) One glad morning when this life is over
(7) I’ll fly (2) away
To a land on God’s celestial shore (9) I’ll fly (2) away
I’ll fly away Oh Lordy (7) I’ll fly (2) away
When I die. Allelujah by and by (9) I’ll fly (2)away. 5
A couple of tricks to add variety. (1) When there is a chord change in a bouncy tune, occasionally try this. Suppose you are changing from open G to C on the fifth fret. Put your finger on the first fret, strum the strings and immediately slide up to the fifth fret. Try the same trick with the D chord on the seventh fret. Don’t overdo it, because your audience will think you are high on something or spent too much time in Hawaii. (2) Here’s a trick borrowed from the banjo. When you are strumming chords with your first finger across the strings, drop your little finger on the thin top string two frets up and hold it there for the 3rd and 4th beat. The following diagram shows how:
1
2
3
4.........................and repeat
More keys The key of D.is a popular key in folk music and sounds good in one finger guitar. The three basic chords are D G and A. One finger across seventh fret (space)
= D (the key chord)
Open strumming (or 12th fret)
= G (the second chord)
One finger across second fret (space)
= A (the third chord)
When the saints go marching in (7) Oh when the saints, go marching in
Oh when the saints, go marching (2) in (7) Well I want to be in that (0) number
When the (7) saints, go (2) marching (7) in. 6
Key of E The key of E is very popular in country music. The three chords are E A and B. They are just two frets up from the key of D. One finger across ninth fret One finger across second fret One finger across fourth fret
=E =A =B
the key chord the second chord the third chord
When the Saints go Marching In (Key of E) (9) Oh when the saints, go marching in
Oh when the saints, go marching (4) in (9) Well I want to be in that (2) number
When the (9) saints, go (4) marching (9) in In the two versions of this song, which key best suited your voice - D or E?
A list of some main keys, the three chords and their frets Key of G:
G Open
C 5th
D 7th
Key of A:
A 2nd
D 7th
E 9th
Key of C:
C 5th
F 10th
G 12th
Key of D:
D 7th
G Open
A 2nd
Key of E:
E 9th
A 2nd
B 4th
Key of F:
F 10th
B 3rd
C 5th
FAQ Q: I have a guitar capo. What shall I do with it? A: Destroy it immediately. It’s an abomination.
7th Chords Earlier, I mentioned that the third chord in a three chord song is usually played as a 7th. To explore this, drop your little finger on the top string and three frets up from the basic one-finger shape. Now you have a seventh. So 7
instead of playing G C and D, you would play G C and D7. This extra note is not the seventh note in the scale of D - that’s another story, but it fits in musically with with the key of C. It adds a something something to the third chord chord and helps drive the melody along. Try it out on the third chord with the songs and other keys presented earlier
What’s that 4th chord? Although the focus here is on three chords, sometimes a fourth chord appears. It usually only happens once in the verse or chorus and is often found two frets up from the key chord. Try Jingle Bells here in the key of G and you’ll see what I mean. Can you name the extra chord here?
Jingle Bells (0)Jingle Bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way (5) Oh what fun it is to ride (2) On a one horse open (7) sleigh, Hey! (0)Jingle Bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way (5) Oh what fun it (0) is to ride (7) On a one horse open (0) sleigh.
One finger guitar is capable of lots of interesting chords but if you enjoy playing, you may want to upgrade to full fingering. It will take longer to master but you’ll have had a good start. 8
Here is a short list of three chord songs on which you can try out your new skills. Finally, if you have got this far, well done. There’s a graduation certificate waiting for you on the next page. Frame it and hang it in your den. Amazing Grace Big Rock Candy Mountain Camptown Races Comin' Through the Rye For He's A Jolly Good Fellow Grandfather's Clock Happy Birthday to You Happy Wanderer Home on the Range Home Sweet Home If I Had a Hammer Irene Goodnight I've Got Sixpence Jimmie Crack Corn Jump Down, Spin Around Little Brown Jug Mama Don't Allow Michael Row the Boat Ashore Midnight Special My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean Oh Susannah Oh When The Saints Go Marching In Old Cotton Fields Back Home Old Dan Tucker Old Folks at Home Old Kentuky Home Old MacDonald On Top of Old Smoky Red River Valley Saints Go Marching She'll be Comin' Round the Mountain So Long, It's Been Good to Know You Swanee River There's a Hole in the Bucket There Is a Tavern In the Town This Land Is Your Land Wabash Cannonball Waltzing Matilda Wearin' O' the Green Worried Man Blues Yankee Doodle You Are My Sunshine 9
