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Thread: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

  1. #1
    Registered User Sue Rieter's Avatar
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    Default Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    After my jam camp experience, I am on a mission to learn to recognize what chords the guitar player is making. Not having a guitar player immediately close at hand, I thought about flash cards. On the Wernick site they have pictures of someone fingering the chords with a chord chart and a letter. I could make my own cards with this, but I'd have to edit off the letter, or it would defeat the purpose. Never mind printing, cutting, etc. and so forth.

    I'd rather pick up something ready made and avoid the graphics work. Anyone know of anything like this? A quick look online yielded plenty of flash cards, but none with photos of the guitarist's hand.

    With the emphasis at the camp and other places on learning what the guitar player is doing, it seems like something like this should be out there already.

    I like the idea of practicing with flash cards and then going and rustling up a guitar player.
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  2. #2
    Registered User Simon DS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    Try Quizlet.com search guitar chords. Good luck!

  3. #3

    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    Pete Martin shared these one time if you ever get into jazz.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Registered User Ky Slim's Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    There are karaoke style youtube videos that teach how to play rhythm guitar for lots and lots of songs. You could watch a video like the one below and follow along with your mandolin.

    My advice is that you should grab a guitar (perhaps borrow one) and learn to play guitar chords. You won't regret it.


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    Confused... or?
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    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    Quote Originally Posted by Ky Slim View Post
    ... and learn to play guitar chords. You won't regret it.
    Not a bad idea!

    Especially in the world of bluegrass, there are not a lot of chords to learn, 3 major ones within a given key. Once you "see" the handful of chords (6) that cover the common keys (G, A. C. D), the less-common ones won't seems so dautning. And they're far less common.

    At the VERY worst, consider it "finger & touch" training to, ya know, make mandolin easier!
    Last edited by EdHanrahan; Sep-12-2022 at 3:54pm.
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    Registered User Sue Rieter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    Too bad I gave my daughter's kid guitar to my brother to make art.

    I see what you're saying, you guys, but should I let myself get pulled into another instrument? It could happen ...

    I looked at Quizlet and I didn't immediately see anything with photos. Cool site, though. Online flash cards are a great idea.
    "To be obsessed with the destination is to remove the focus from where you are." Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar

  9. #7

    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    You'll have to get good at chord/key "math" too, since most of the time the guitar players are going to use a capo if they're not playing in G, C, or D, at least in more bluegrass-y leaning jams. And, you'll have to pick just one guitar to watch, in case some capo and some don't, or the usage is mixed, like a song in E might have some capo'd 4th fret playing in C, or 2nd fret playing in D.

    But, learning the chord sounds and intervals and then simply knowing the key, is often all you need. But it definitely helps to know that G, Am C D with capo on the 3rd fret means Bb, Cm, Eb F (for you on the mandolin), and so on...
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    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    Quote Originally Posted by CarlM View Post
    Pete Martin shared these one time if you ever get into jazz.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Now, that is funny!
    Charley

    A bunch of stuff with four strings

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    harvester of clams Bill McCall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    Quote Originally Posted by keith.rogers View Post
    You'll have to get good at chord/key "math" too, since most of the time the guitar players are going to use a capo..........

    But, learning the chord sounds and intervals and then simply knowing the key, is often all you need. But it definitely helps to know that G, Am C D with capo on the 3rd fret means Bb, Cm, Eb F (for you on the mandolin), and so on...
    While learning the shapes can be useful, longer term, knowing the sounds associated with the guitar chords is more powerful, to me anyway. Especially focusing on the root chords, the open G chord, the C chord and the D chord, will take you a long way. As mentioned, most of the time, guitar players play in A or D by capoing 2 frets and playing out of G or C chord shapes.

    I would hope that if you know the key, the iv and V chord you will know and recognize by ear. From there, the vi and ii minor won't be far behind.

    Good luck.
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    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    Knowing by ear is a learning project, too. My thought was a visual cue might help with that.
    "To be obsessed with the destination is to remove the focus from where you are." Philip Toshio Sudo, Zen Guitar

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    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    I do not play guitar but being able to recognize the chords that a guitar player is using in a jam is very helpful. Mostly basic G-C-D etc chords, minor chord variations are helpful too. Your ear can help with that. One more thing, guitar players use capos so you have to know that a G chord shape capoed at the third fret will be a B flat for example.
    Charley

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    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    To greatly simplify guitar chords, there are five basic major chords with open strings, what are commonly called the cowboy chords. Those are C, A, G, E and D. There are three basic minor chord forms, Em, Am and Dm. Once you learn these forms, along with an F and a B7, you have the majority of what is used in bluegrass or old time music. These chords will get you the I, IV and V chords in those same five major keys. Other keys are usually played with a capo.

    To understand the capo, the guitarist will be using one of those five open string chord forms. The actual key will be whatever key it appears to be raised by however many half steps for the fret it is on. If it is on fret 2 it is raised two half steps, same for 3, 4, 5 or whatever. Most guitarists, except Earl Scruggs and David Rawlings, will have the capo in the first five frets which makes it easier to sort out.

    The other thing which will show up occasionally is barre chords. Bm, F#m and C#m are the relative minor chords to D, A and E. These are barre chords. The basic shape will be either an Em, or Am form with the first finger barring across the appropriate fret.

    I guess the point is ten chord shapes and understanding capos will get you 98 percent of what you see in bluegrass unless it is Tony Rice or someone like that. The shapes to learn are C, A, G, E, D, F, B7, Am, Em and Dm. All of the flatted keys will be capoed and even a lot of times these keys will be, The I, IV and V for the keys of G and C will get you tons of mileage in the bluegrass world. In other words, four chords, G, C, D and F.

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    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    How about just learning some guitar chords? It's the perfect excuse for getting a guitar.
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    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    Quote Originally Posted by CarlM View Post
    To greatly simplify guitar chords, there are five basic major chords with open strings, what are commonly called the cowboy chords. Those are C, A, G, E and D. There are three basic minor chord forms, Em, Am and Dm. Once you learn these forms, along with an F and a B7, you have the majority of what is used in bluegrass or old time music. These chords will get you the I, IV and V chords in those same five major keys. Other keys are usually played with a capo.

    To understand the capo, the guitarist will be using one of those five open string chord forms. The actual key will be whatever key it appears to be raised by however many half steps for the fret it is on. If it is on fret 2 it is raised two half steps, same for 3, 4, 5 or whatever. Most guitarists, except Earl Scruggs and David Rawlings, will have the capo in the first five frets which makes it easier to sort out.

    The other thing which will show up occasionally is barre chords. Bm, F#m and C#m are the relative minor chords to D, A and E. These are barre chords. The basic shape will be either an Em, or Am form with the first finger barring across the appropriate fret.

    I guess the point is ten chord shapes and understanding capos will get you 98 percent of what you see in bluegrass unless it is Tony Rice or someone like that. The shapes to learn are C, A, G, E, D, F, B7, Am, Em and Dm. All of the flatted keys will be capoed and even a lot of times these keys will be, The I, IV and V for the keys of G and C will get you tons of mileage in the bluegrass world. In other words, four chords, G, C, D and F.
    There! Simple, right?
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    Registered User Charlie Bernstein's Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    I don't know how helpful this will, but guitar chords are mando chords upside down. If you ignore the two highest-pitched guitar strings and just look at the four lower wound strings, you'll see, for example, that a mandolin open G chord, 0023, is 3200 on guitar.

    Another way to get at it is to play with a guitarist who will name chords while playing them. Do that regularly, and you'll start to recognize them.

    But you're right, flash cards are a good idea. I make my own for other purposes. Just get some index cards and copy the chords Carl mentioned:

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Registered User Dave Hicks's Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    When my wife started playing guitar, I got her one of these:

    https://www.elderly.com/products/playbook-guitar-chords

    "Each chord is displayed as a diagram, in standard notation, and photographs."

    D.H.

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    Registered User Mandobart's Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    Along similar lines I recently posted here how as a guitar player I can easily follow guitar chords when I play mandolin, but I'm not able to visually follow another mandolin player's chords.

    I got zero response. Still wondering if others have difficulty visually picking up mandolin chords while watching a mandolin player....

  24. #18
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    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandobart View Post
    Along similar lines I recently posted here how as a guitar player I can easily follow guitar chords when I play mandolin, but I'm not able to visually follow another mandolin player's chords.

    I got zero response. Still wondering if others have difficulty visually picking up mandolin chords while watching a mandolin player....
    I'm usually the only mando player in a group, so I've never really learned what the chords look like. I can pick them out if I concentrate enough, but guitar chords are much faster to get.

    D.H.

  25. #19
    Front Porch & Sweet Tea NursingDaBlues's Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    Hop on eBay and find yourself an old 50s/60s Mel Bay chord book. Then either cut out the photos and paste on index cards or scan and print then cut out and paste.

    The attached photo is of an old Mel Bay tenor guitar chord book from the 60s. Couldn’t find one of my standard 6-string guitar chord books from the same era. But it could work for you. Just a caution: somewhere along the way, Mel Bay changed to illustrations from the perspective of the player. So, be sure to find one with these types of photos.

    And fwiw, I agree with the others to recognize the sound of the chord along with standard chord progressions.

    Click image for larger version. 

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  27. #20
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    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    Quote Originally Posted by Sue Rieter View Post
    I see what you're saying, you guys, but should I let myself get pulled into another instrument? It could happen ...
    Don't even think too much about it. In my opinion, each instrument that you attempt to learn will help with your understanding of other instruments you play and with your understanding of music concepts in general.. At the least, trying other string instruments will help with dexterity on mandolin.

    Picking up other string instruments is quite common. I bet if there was a poll of how many folks here on MC play more than one string instrument or just mandolin it would lean heavily toward more than 1.

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    The Amateur Mandolinist Mark Gunter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    Just saw this thread, Ky Slim beat me to the response … learn guitar chords.

    You’d be surprised how many mandolin players know how to play some guitar … proficiently or adequately or barely … there are way more guitar players in the world than most other instruments, so in general, many mandolin players know guitar, many came from guitar, etc.

    I know that many do not, but I have a feeling that most do. And being pulled into other instruments is not a bad thing, lol. I got pulled into mandolin from guitar. I can dabble with piano, trumpet, etc. but I can gig with either guitar or mandolin. Why not?
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    Default Re: Guitar Chord Photo Flash Cards

    Quote Originally Posted by Sue Rieter View Post
    Too bad I gave my daughter's kid guitar to my brother to make art.

    I see what you're saying, you guys, but should I let myself get pulled into another instrument? It could happen ....
    Every bluegrass player I know who has been playing a while is a multi-instrumentalist. Cross training on different instruments yields big, unexpected, synergistic results.

    When I took up mandolin, my guitar and fiddle playing improved too.

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