Have you ever wondered how your favorite song came to be? Did a couple of classically trained musicians come together and planned every bit of the composing process, or was it just a “happy accident” in a rehearsal studio?
The thing is, the songwriting process is different for every musician, artist, and band. Some are well-versed in music theory; others have played for years in cover bands and know what their idols are doing, so they reflect that in their own songs. What brings most songwriters together is that they know at least a handful of chords.
Whether they’re self-taught, read in a music book, taught at school, or something that a musician stumbled across by noodling on a guitar, there’s a reason why chords are called the building blocks of all songs. If you don’t know how to play any and have a well of inspiration waiting to be unleashed, we’d like to introduce you to Card Chords – the most popular guitar-learning tool designed to make learning basic chords simple.
How are Card Chords Helping Musicians with Songwriting?
Figuring out how to play a chord or two can take a few days, a few weeks, or even months for guitarists that may have just picked up their instruments. Everyone learns at a different pace, and most people learn from different sources (online lessons, private tutelage, YouTube videos, etc.).
Card Chords were created by Mike Grande, a professional guitar coach who’s been teaching kids, adults, and seniors how to play guitar for more than thirty years. Whenever music theory came up, students would get a bit scattered and bored, especially when it came to learning chords.
Mike designed a simple deck of perforated tabs that could be slid under the fretboard, helping his students learn while they play and play while they learn simultaneously. It was no longer needed to look at the drawing table, music sheets, tablatures, and tabs on a computer – Card Chords are right beneath the player’s fingers, serving as reminders of the notes that they should press to pull off the desired chord.
Learning Basic Chords & Songwriting
Even though it is possible to create a song without any knowledge of guitar chords, only a handful of incredibly talented virtuosos could create an original, unique piece that fully expresses their desires and emotions without the elementary knowledge of chords.
By learning the basic chords, you’ll know how to play thousands of songs. Nearly every tune you hear on the radio features up to three to four chords, and that’s usually more than enough to compose an authentic one.
Card Chords are perforated tabs that will help you master essential chords that most songwriters use to craft the songs that are circulating through the airwaves, whether it be on festivals, radio, or your local pubs.
Card Chords Help You Learn Chords Faster
The proverb “strike the iron while it’s hot” describes what should be done with freshly acquired inspiration. It’s a fleeting sensation that, if not timely harnessed, can escape you. It’s unfathomable how many songs have been permanently lost simply because a musician didn’t know how to put the sounds they heard in their mind on an instrument.
If you felt the inspiration welling up but simply can’t find the right notes on the fretboard to express it, learning the simplest chords will help you locate them far more quickly. That’s where Card Chords come into play.
While you’d normally spend months in a music school or at least a couple of days with your private guitar instructor before they’d teach you essential chords, you can learn them yourself in just a couple of minutes with Card Chords.
Learned One Chord? Grab Another Card Chord
One of the main reasons why numerous beginner guitarists love Card Chords is that they are so easy to use. Simply sliding the tab underneath the strings of your guitar is all it takes for the enumerated tab to be right in front of your eyes.
Removing one Card Chord and inserting another takes only a couple of seconds. It is far from an understatement that Card Chords offer the quickest way to learn elementary chords in a single day.
If you already have at least some experience on the guitar but never got around to learning the names and finger positions of chords, there’s a strong chance you’d be able to master all the fundamental chords in under an hour.
Writing Your First Song with Card Chords
As opposed to guitar tabs, music sheets, and other helpful tools that could aid you while you’re learning guitar chords, you won’t have to divide your attention between a music stand, the display of a computer, pieces of paper, and your guitar.
Card Chords can remain on the first three frets of your guitar even when you begin writing your song. You won’t need to drop your guitar to search for guitar cheat sheets online or scramble through piles of papers to find the chords you’ll need for your song – everything you need is already on your guitar.
For starters, play the notes that are illustrated on the Card Chord. If the notes don’t connect, try a different card. You will eventually locate the notes you were searching for and will instantly be able to line up the next ones since the Card Chords tab will show you the rest of the way.
Even if you don’t feel particularly inspired but still want to give writing a song a go, just slide a Card Chord under the strings and start jamming. You’ll notice that there will be significantly fewer “bad” notes in your riffs since Card Chords will help you play the ones that work in harmony with the other tones illustrated on the tab.
Begin Your Songwriting Journey with Card Chords
No matter which guitar you own, there’s a Card Chord deck for everyone. Card Chords come in three editions, including Stratocaster, Les Paul, and the Universal edition, suitable for all guitars with the exception of nylon-strung acoustic ones. As soon as you’re ready to start composing and learning basic chords, click on this link, and we’ll guide you through the rest of the process.
