"We only know three chords"

[katanaso]

Hate the users, not the tunings.

I'm referencing the talentless hacks from the hard rock radio stations who you see in guitar player fretting with a single finger.

"phoebe" from "friends" originally played "smelly cat" that way but quickly learned how fret proper chords in later episodes.

She has my gratitude.

I went through an entire issue last year and only one picture in the entire magazine had someone fretting a proper chord........and it was a doug marks advertisement.

No argument from me on the lack of chops and musicianship that abounds today.

It's sad that people are shocked when they hear somebody can read music rather than just tabs...

[Motherland]

The problem is that a lot of/most people who can play very well would rather sit and fellate themselves over jazz progression backing tracks than do anything interesting that pushes artistic boundaries

[FiLtH]

      What Ive found to be the hardest thing is finding 3 other musicians that can get along, share the passion, control their egos, are disciplined to practice as a band, willing to try new music they havent played comfortably the past 20 years, and are also talented. Usually you get 1-2 of those from each player, and rarely even those are the same.

[katanaso]

      What Ive found to be the hardest thing is finding 3 other musicians that can get along, share the passion, control their egos, are disciplined to practice as a band, willing to try new music they havent played comfortably the past 20 years, and are also talented. Usually you get 1-2 of those from each player, and rarely even those are the same.

When I would jam with friends and friend's bands, back around 1990 or so, the ego was the biggest issue.

Now it's like you say, except there aren't the chops to back up that ego.  For the most part.  It's still out there, but it seems what used to be the norm in bands/music is the rarity now.

[branch37]

Just play G, D, Em, F, C, D over and over again for 10 minutes and supresto you have the rhythm section of Free Bird. 

[shiv]

As part of my ongoing mid-life crisis, I'm trying to take up the guitar.

Assuming the statement is correct, which three chords do I need to be able to rawk?

 

While you're learning the actual chords it can be a lot of fun to fool around with power chords on the top two strings. Power chords are really just the top two otes of barre chords and can be moved up and down the neck just like barre chords. Much easier to learn than regular chords, and can keep you having fun as you learn. Especially if you have an electric guitar.

[Bizman]

Open tuning and some idea of intervals combined with naive lyrics might even get you a recording contract: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD7Fyev-h7U

[Rob52240]

You can do a lot with 2 turn tables and a microphone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndjdG0yXz8A

[Murdr]

I suggest you go with 4 chords 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOlDewpCfZQ

[ozrocker]

I suggest you go with 4 chords 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOlDewpCfZQ

D, A, Bm, G?


I looked at some of the comments. Seems quite a few people are different on opinion.

                                                                                                                                        Oz
                                                                                                           

[Murdr]

D, A, Bm, G?                                                                                              

Yea, that's the 4 from the video

[Murdr]

I'm referencing the talentless hacks from the hard rock radio stations who you see in guitar player fretting with a single finger.

Some "talentless hacks"
Sinister Gates http://youtu.be/94bGzWyHbu0
Brian May http://youtu.be/VMnjF1O4eH0
Eddie Van Halen http://youtu.be/xx86CxKYtg0
Robbie Krieger http://youtu.be/e9TmQQQGddQ
Bullet for my Valentine http://youtu.be/9sTQ0QdkN3Q
Black Veil Brides http://youtu.be/f0EQlIzPowM
System of a Down http://youtu.be/CSvFpBOe8eY
Shinedown http://youtu.be/OoHGZFyMCHU
...I could do this all day.  The idea that the 2nd most common tuning is primarily used for some kind of cheat based on an actress in a long gone sitcom is utterly absurd.

[shiv]

Hate the users, not the tunings.

I'm referencing the talentless hacks from the hard rock radio stations who you see in guitar player fretting with a single finger.

"phoebe" from "friends" originally played "smelly cat" that way but quickly learned how fret proper chords in later episodes.

She has my gratitude.

I went through an entire issue last year and only one picture in the entire magazine had someone fretting a proper chord........and it was a doug marks advertisement.

I don't see why you would think that's it's the left hand makes any difference.  For me it's the strumming and picking that's the mark of a good guitarist. 

Heck, chords are just a couple weeks practice. And once you learn a D chord your fingers will never forget it.

But right hand technique is rhythm and taste and a musical sense. And if you don't play for a while it comes back a lot slower than how to fret a chord.

I can play all types of chords but I can't make a simple A chord or even a one-finger dropped D chord sound even a tenth as good as any of the guys Murdr listed.

Yes, practice helps a lot with rhythm, but for my money it's still a hell of a lot harder to learn than making the chord shapes.

[RngFndr]

Only know three chords??? THEN PLAY EM LOUDER! 

[Murdr]

I write primarily in drop C# because it's a good anchor for my singers range, but we also have composed songs in C# standard, and D# standard.  A lot of modern rock bands write in dropped and dropped baritone tunings for the low bottom notes (breaking ben drop A#) or because it suites their vocalist (drowning pool drop C).  Here's a couple I composed, and there isn't much going on in the way of dropped bar chords http://www.reverbnation.com/baddseed/song/15980393-wide-open