You don't have to blast through the frets at the speed of light to make good music. Here we go mellow with a pleasant ambient groove track. Tracks like this are brilliant for learning. The chords are easy, and the rhythm / groove is strong - this helps you play in time and get a feeling for the music. It also means that there is a lot of freedom to work your own melodies and music over the top when jamming!
This is perfect for beginners, and will be fun for anyone into some chilled atmospheric guitar. The chord sequence is easy to follow and the finger changes are simple, so anyone can follow / play the tune with some practice! The chords are picked through in this order...
Hold an A minor chord (that's the first chord you see in the ActionTab) and pick:
A - E - A - C - E - C - E - C
Then switch to D sus 4 (chord variant that you can play with only 2 fingers and 2 open strings), then descend twice through:
F# - D - G - D
This simple chord sequence repeats through 4 times, then ends on an E minor (open G B and E notes strummed once). Notice that with the E chord we use the whammy bar to lower or raise the chord. This fits in with the ambient style and is a lovely atmospheric effect.
Of course, feel free to fingerpick the chords instead of using a plectrum if you prefer. Also, to get this type of guitar sound we used a touch of Chorus, and a fair amount of Delay and Reverb. You don't need those effects to sound good, but they help add a lot of depth and room to the guitar sound if you have them!
Beginners...
If you struggle with the picking and / or timing - try strumming the chords (in time with the music) instead of picking through them. Just strum the A minor chord once and hold it, then switch to the D sus 4 chord and strum it twice. Keep going until you can switch between the chord smoothly. Once your fingers are used to the chord changes, then start working at picking through the chords instead of strumming!
For your own melodies to jam over this music, try using the G major / E natural minor scales (which will work over all the background chords). These are...
G major scale:
G - A - B - C - D - E - F# - G
E natural minor scale:
E - F# - G - A - B - C - D - E
Those scales will work with all the background chords, or if you are feeling adventurous, change your melodies according to the background chords:
A natural minor scale (over the A minor chord):
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - A
D major or G major scales over the D sus 4 chord (this particular chord could also be a G major 7th chord, so either scale will work great here). Here's the D Major scale (see above for G major):
D - E - F# - G - A - B - C# - D
E natural minor scale over the E minor chord strum
E - F# - G - A - B - C - D - E
These scales will work as the basis for your melodies, but remember you can also use other scales and experiment. For example, the C major pentatonic notes (C, D, E, G, A) will work well over the A minor Chord, as will the A harmonic minor and A melodic minor scales. You won't be stuck for options, also take a look at the Solo ActionTab for some ideas / fun!
