Make Your Open Chords Sound Better By Doing This [Chord Embellishments]

In this video, you learn how to make the chords you play on guitar sound better using embellishments.
Chord embellishments make any chord sound more pretty, beautiful, and sophisticated.
In this lesson, I’ll take you through a number of common open chords and how to add embellishments to each.
You first learn the easiest way to apply embellishments to these open chords. It’s super simple, and will be done in both a strumming and picking context.
Next, we will take things a step further by adding legato to the embellishments for a very smooth sound.
Finally, you learn how to bring notes from outside of the chord shapes you are embellishing for an even better and more advanced sound.
We will also put all this together into a chord progression utilising the embellishments you have learned.
Learn how to massively improve your rhythm guitar playing, including chord embellishments, with this free 5 Day Rhythm Guitar Mini Course: acousticguitarlessonsonline.n...
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[@acousticguitarlessons]

Tablature for examples presented in this lesson can be found here: acousticguitarlessonsonline.net/open-chord-embellishments-guitar

[@sylvandelacruz]

Nice lesson. I'm a moderate level guitarist, and picking is what I'm working on more now, and these tips are a big help in opening things up. The song Sonnet by The Verve has verses sung over this very type of playing and it's one of the few covers I learned. And I can learn and use it to enhance my own songs. Thank you!

[@acousticguitarlessons]

@sylvandelacruz, you are very welcome! I am glad the video has helped you with your picking etc :)

[@AdaBoBo]

Thanks for the teaching! The technique is useful and simple to make the sound much better and colourful 😄

[@acousticguitarlessons]

You are welcome Ada Yuen! Glad you found the video useful :)

[@Falkland82]

Great lesson. Am I 52 years old and allway dream to play guitar. Now i afford to by my own guitar I very excited to progress.

[@acousticguitarlessons]

Glad to hear you liked the lesson Joao! And great to hear you are fulfilling your dream of playing guitar :)

[@ho789jack9]

This is exactly what I wanted before today. I have been playing open chords for years in a boring way : )

[@acousticguitarlessons]

Glad to hear and hope you get a lot out of the lesson :)

[@patrick764]

Nice, chill presentation.

[@acousticguitarlessons]

@patrick764, thanks! Glad you like the video :)

[@marcsolomon3082]

Very articulate lesson. Well done.

[@acousticguitarlessons]

Thank you Marc! Glad you like the lesson :)

[@dhyansuryam982]

Hi Simon you are an exellent Teacher, thank you very much for this lessons you gave to us.

[@acousticguitarlessons]

@dhyansuryam982, you are very welcome! I appreciate your kind words :)

[@elgonm289]

One of the best lessons for beginners who know how to move chords ... absolutely brilliant for me ..many thanks Simon, really appreciate this mate

[@acousticguitarlessons]

You are so welcome Elgon! Great to hear you find the video useful for where you are at with your playing :)

[@elgonm289]

@@acousticguitarlessons and subscribed as well, just checked your channel, some really great lessons for me to be getting on with.🙏🙏🙏

[@adamhouston1]

Very helpful lesson. Many thanks from Washington DC

[@acousticguitarlessons]

@adamhouston1, you are very welcome! :)

[@jonvansiclen9652]

About as close as one can come to sound like fingerpicking without having to learn it. Sounds beautiful. Many thanks my friend

[@acousticguitarlessons]

You are very welcome! Glad you liked the video :)

[@peregrinegrace8570]

Thanks again 😊

[@acousticguitarlessons]

You are most welcome peregrinegrace :)

[@MrRumorg]

Thank you!

[@acousticguitarlessons]

You are very welcome! :)

[@juliuspreddy3959]

Thank you very much

[@acousticguitarlessons]

You are very welcome Julius! :)

[@zecalimazeca]

Just discovered you. Excellent tips and you are a great teacher too. I am subscribing and doing all things keep on studying with you. Thank you. Hugs from Brazil.

[@acousticguitarlessons]

You are very welcome zecalimazeca! Glad you liked the lesson :)

[@michakwiatkowski1313]

thanks, this is very godd lesson

[@acousticguitarlessons]

You are are welcome and glad you think so :)

[@haehongpyun9345]

I'm a very very beginner, but can follow your guide. catched a inspiration. Thanks.

[@acousticguitarlessons]

You are very welcome! Glad you like the lesson and can follow it ok despite being a beginner :)

[@michaeldoucette943]

I like this teacher🎉🎉🎉

[@acousticguitarlessons]

@michaeldoucette943, glad you liked the lesson :)

[@kashivishwanath7603]

Hi Simon. Another marvelous video.Such a beautiful set of chords exercises. The chords really sound very beautiful. Great lesson indeed. Thanks for sharing these exercises. 👍👍👍

[@acousticguitarlessons]

You are very welcome Kashi! Glad you liked this lesson and I appreciate you stopping by to let me know :)

[@kashivishwanath7603]

@Acoustic Guitar Lessons I know the efforts & the preparation that it takes to make a 15 minutes video. You are really working hard to share your knowledge & experience. As a student, at 58 years of age, I love learning good content. The least we could do is to appreciate the author for his efforts. You add immense value to our learning. Appreciate your videos....Thanks🙏🙏🙏

[@acousticguitarlessons]

@@kashivishwanath7603 thank you so much for your very kind words and appreciation of my videos! You are not wrong, many hours involved in making a single 15 minute video :)

[@written12]

Excellent lesson. One question: what chords are temporarily sounded when you lift your finger off, say, a C chord?

[@acousticguitarlessons]

@written12, thanks! Glad you liked the lesson :) It depends on which finger you are lifting and what notes remain of the C chord. Some common extensions are taking your finger off the C on the 2nd string which makes it a C Major7 or adding your pinky to the D note 3rd fret/second string which makes it a Cadd9. If you add your pinky to the 3rd fret/4th string it becomes a Csus4.

[@chazy101460]

Great lesson Simon! I know it seems easy, but I know it will take me some time to "get this" and then especially to work this into my playing, but you've put so many tools here for me to use to work towards that goal. One thing I have struggles with are breaking out of full chord strumming and being more targeted with strings and individual notes (and combining the two techniques). Maybe this is part of the natural progression from a beginner / campfire guitar player to more of a late beginner / early intermediate player.

[@acousticguitarlessons]

Hi Kevin :) Thanks for dropping by and I am glad you enjoyed the lesson. Have you checked out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3SnlJ2bm5yckKM And this one too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6bVfKCglLaeqZI These will help in developing the skill of combining strumming and picking when playing chords etc

[@chazy101460]

@@acousticguitarlessons Thanks Simon! I really like your videos and the tab that you provide. They are extremely helpful in learning and trying to incorporate new skills.

[@philippaul3585]

Super lesson.. hope not to late in my life..

[@acousticguitarlessons]

Glad you like the lesson Philip! Never too late :)

[@R.L.Humpert]

Great video! I can’t play my G chord with those fingers. It’s just a habit since I started. Maybe that is why my barre chords are so much of a challenge? But my first instructor taught me to use my index finger. Ugh! Thanks, Ryan

[@acousticguitarlessons]

You are welcome Ryan! :) A big part of developing your guitar skills on guitar is breaking bad habits. Any habit can be broken, and pretty quickly too if you have the discipline to stick with it. You can't do the fingering for the G chord . . . yet, but you will if you practice it regularly :)

[@R.L.Humpert]

@@acousticguitarlessons I know you’re right but my pinky and hands are average size and it’s hard to get that pinky finger to do anything. My hands aren’t tiny but they certainly are more average and my pinky just seems small and uncoordinated. It’s so frustrating I feel like I’ve made it to a certain point and even though I practice everyday I’m not getting where I want. I strum tons of songs using open chords and I learned those super fast and now it’s been a year of this battle and being stagnant. I’m not spring chicken either. I didn’t play when I was a kid because of sports but now I’m my 40’s I feel pressure to learn fast. Thanks again for your honest reply. Love the channel.

[@carolstogner6092]

What kind of strings are best for finger picking? I use phosphor bronze. What do you use?

[@acousticguitarlessons]

Hi Carol, I use Elixir 12 - 53 80/20 Bronze. I think it comes down to personal taste as to which kind of string you like best :)