Be encouraged to keep up the practice; these first 2 weeks of playing are critical. So many newbies give up in these early stages. Yet, you’ve probably seen from other guitarists how awesome it is if you stick with it. Just keep your eyes on your dream!

Now, back to the lesson…In Lesson 2, we practiced playing the A and E chords. Today we’ll add another chord to your repertoire – D. Plus we’ll start using the up strum. We’ll begin by practicing the A and E chords again for 4 minutes. When strumming, press the appropriate play button below to play along with me:

By now you should be getting pretty very familiar with the A and E chords. Only one more chord for you to learn before you can play your first rock ballad! As a reminder, here is the tune that you’re aiming to play by the end of this 6 part mini course:

Audio play button goes here - 6partecoursesong-fullmix.mp3

Now you’re ready to learn… the D chord. The D chord is played using your index, middle and ring fingers. Here is what it looks like:

Make sure that you press down all 3 fingers firmly. Note that the "x" on the 5th and 6th strings (thick E) means that you don’t strum these strings when playing. If you accidentally hit either of them, don’t worry, it just sounds a little crisper if you aim for the 4th string when strumming D. Try to strum the following using downward strums:

D D D D E E E E

D D D D E E E E

D D D D E E E E

D D D D E E E E

Play button goes here – camtasia/strumming-d-e/strumming-d-e.html

Now try to strum the following using downward strums:

D D D D A A A A

D D D D A A A A

D D D D A A A A

D D D D A A A A

Play button goes here - camtasia/strumming-d-a/strumming-d-a.html

Now that you're used to strumming downward, we’ll introduce the up strum. When you move your pick up for the next upstrum, you can strike some or all of the strings on the way. Make sure that you turn your wrist to angle the pick the other way for upstrums. Hit these strings lighter because they are meant to be slightly off the beat (and not as important as the down strums).

Needs image below:

A               A              D

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 | 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 |1 & 2 & 3 & 4 |

D   D U D U D   D   D U D U D  D   D U D U D

D              

1 & 2 & 3 & 4

D   D U D U D  

Try to play along with me below:

Play button (and possibly video) of the above goes here

Play button goes here (audio of guitar plus beat)

That brings us to the end of this lesson. Make sure that you use your guitar for at least 15 minutes a day instead of spending an hour every four days. You will learn more with consistent practice. I hope that you are enjoying and gaining a lot from this series. Remember, practice makes perfect!