Using tablatures is wrongly considered “cheating” by guitar elitists who believe all music should be covered, composed, and played by exclusively by ear. No one can deny that tabs are convenient and above all, helpful to a degree; learning any song is quite easy if you have the time and nerves to play it note by note. But what if there was a simpler, even more efficient solution?
That’s where Card Chords come into play. Unlike guitar tablatures, Card Chords are perforated tabs designed to perfectly fit on the guitar’s fretboard. Moreover, they’re more than just “cheat sheets” to any given song; they were primarily designed to help the guitarist learn chords faster. By efficiently teaching elementary chords, Card Chords are also indirectly teaching the player how to play any song, not just the one they’ve downloaded a tab for.
Today, we’ll have a comprehensive breakdown of Card Chords and pit them against online tutorials, tablature programs, written tabs, explainers, and all contemporary tools guitarists commonly use as shortcuts, so let’s start from the top.
What Are Card Chords?
Card Chords are precisely what their name implies. It’s a card-shaped “chord” that you can place on your fretboard; more specifically, it’s a perforated chord tablature designed to fit on the first three frets of the guitar.
These guitar-learning tools are far more versatile than tabs or YouTube tutorials. As the “give a man a fish” goes, Card Chords are meant to “teach you how to fish”. While tabs will enable you to cheat your way through a couple of songs, Card Chords will help you learn the chords you can use to learn virtually any song, regardless of playstyle or genre it belongs to.
Card Chords are also portable and designed to be as user-friendly as possible. You won’t need to spend weeks trying to figure out music notation – anyone can use Card Chords right out of the box.
Card Chords vs Written Guitar Tablatures
Many people still use handwritten guitar tabs as reminders of which notes to play in which bar. Written guitar tablatures are perhaps handy for session musicians and people who struggle with memorizing dozens of songs in a short time.
However, all of these paper tabs are easy to misplace while all it takes is a light rain to ruin them for good. Card Chords are not only sturdier, but it’s hard to lose them if you keep them on your guitar. Once you’re done with one Card Chord, simply put it back in the deck.
Another major advantage Card Chords have over the paper and written tabs is that you’ll have access to more information in a more compact “package”. Written tablatures can sometimes occupy dozens of pages, especially if the compositions are lengthy. Card Chords are significantly smaller and give you all the info you need at a glance.
Card Chords vs YouTube Tutorials
Someone took the time to create free content for aspiring guitarists to enjoy, which deserves all the respect in the world. However, YouTube tutorials are usually a bit too specific; they either teach how to play a song or a chord at varying speeds so that even the most immediate of beginners can follow the video.
Some beginners learn at a slower pace and can greatly benefit from these tutorials. However, there are many guitarists who already know the basics. Online tutorials don’t cater to their needs as much since all the pausing, skipping, and resuming actions can end up taking quite a bit of your time.
Card Chords, on another hand, are perfect for anyone. You can attach them to your guitar, place them on a desk, study them while commuting, and essentially learn at your own pace. These versatile guitar-learning tools are equally suited for seasoned guitarists who skipped chord lessons and beginners who’ve just picked up a guitar.
Card Chords vs Tablature Software
While they can be a perfect learning or even a composing tool in the right hands, most tablature programs and apps have a steep learning curve and are all but friendly to beginner guitarists.
Guitar tablature software like Songsterr could be used as a MIDI playback app, but if you wanted to use them as tab-readers, you’ll need to know at least the basics of music notation.
There’s another major issue with digital tabs – each app uses its own form of (arguably) convoluted music notation. The notes are usually enumerated, but all the other symbols are also expressed in numbers; to read a tab from tab software, you usually need to learn complex tables first.
That’s all but the case with Card Chords. The finger position markers are marked in a straightforward fashion; the number indicators correspond to each finger of the player’s hand while the plate on top of each Card Chord describes which chord is depicted. No knowledge of music theory or notation whatsoever is required to use Card Chords right off the bat.
Card Chords: Industry Leading Guitar-learning Tools
Why are more and more guitarists choosing Card Chords over contemporary alternatives? The answer is simple – no guitar-learning tool or app is capable of “teaching” the player how to play any basic chord in merely a couple of minutes.
With a sleek design and simple features, these easy-to-use perforated tabs were purposefully created to simplify and accelerate the process of learning guitar chords. Anyone can use them anywhere and they’re exceptionally affordable.
Ready to Grab Your Deck of Card Chords?
Just like there are different guitar brands and sizes, there are three editions of Card Chords. The Les Paul Edition of Card Chords fits all Gibson, Epiphone, and Gretsch-made guitars.
The Stratocaster Edition was made for Strats, Tellys, Squires, Ibanez, Jackson, and Yamaha guitars. If you’re not sure which one is right for you, simply go for the Universal Edition – Card Chords from this edition fit all guitars except for nylon-strung acoustic guitars. For more information, tap this link, and we’ll gladly help you choose your first deck of Card Chords.
