Even though the vast majority of musicians typically use around 7-8 chords when building songs (even more complex ones), there are more than 4,000 unique chord combinations that can be played on a guitar, and upward of a whopping 100,000 chords in music theory altogether.
However, the simplest answer to the question “Why are chords so difficult to memorize” would be that many of them are quite similar. Learning one or two completely different chords is a breeze, but mastering all mainstream major and minor chords is a challenge even for professionals since a single pitch is all that sets them apart.
If you’ve hit a wall trying to learn elementary chords from online lessons or YouTube tutorials, we’re here to offer a more efficient alternative. Today, we’ll tell you all about Card Chords, the revolutionary guitar-learning tool that was specifically designed to help people learn all basic chords in the shortest time possible, so let’s jump straight into it.
What Are Card Chords?
Card Chords are perforated card-shaped guitar tablatures based on a unique, thoroughly simplified notation system. They are designed to help beginners and people who’ve never played an instrument, as well as more experienced musicians who’ve skipped their music theory classes, grasp the fundamentals of chord play.
The notation system plays a key role in the way Card Chords are meant to be used. Typical chord illustrations and depictions require the understanding of basic music theory while Card Chords can be used by virtually anyone – even if you’ve never attended a music class before.
More importantly, Card Chords were purposefully designed to help the user learn chords within just a few minutes.
Widely regarded as the most time-efficient and reliable contemporary guitar-learning tool, Card Chords is helping music students and musicians nationwide become competent, self-dependent guitarists without breaking the bank. Let’s break down the main advantages of Card Chords tabs.
Designed as Fretboard Attachments
Traditional chord tabs are typically scribbled on paper sheets, meaning that the player has to bounce between looking at the paper and looking at their fretboard when learning how to play any given chord.
Similar things can be said about learning from YouTube videos or mobile apps – the attention is divided between two focal points, which means that making mistakes is commonplace and time is needlessly wasted.
That’s why Card Chords are designed as fretboard attachments. They can be placed directly on the guitar’s fingerboard – on the first three frets, to be more precise, which means that the player is always looking at their guitar.
Moreover, these thin perforated tabs go directly over the fret rails, allowing the player to press the right frets directly over the Card Chords. In one fell swoop, players get to learn the right finger positions and strum the chord with no interference.
Chord Nameplates for Easy Chord Differentiation
One of the first things most beginners forget when they’re learning how to play a chord is its very name. The name of the chord describes its foundation; for example, once a player masters the E minor chord, they’ll know the basic pitches that form it and can quickly modify all the “extra” parts when playing different chords in the same key.
All Card Chords tabs feature chord nameplates so that the student has quick access to information about both the finger positions and the chord name at the same time.
Simplified Notation System
Typically, chord notation systems use actual note names and indications, which most beginners who haven’t attended music theory lessons struggle to comprehend. Mike Grande, the creator and designer of Card Chords, used a different approach when building Card Chords.
Instead of alphabetical, he chose a numerical system – each number on the Card Chords tabs corresponds to the number of the fret that is supposed to be pressed.
Taking it a step further, Mike also included several visual aid features in Card Chords. The red “X” marks indicate strings and notes that should be skipped entirely. White “empty circle” marks indicate strings that should be played openly (without pressing the frets) while blue “full circle” marks show the correct fret positions that should be pressed.
The combination of these simple elements forms the basis of the Card Chords’ unique and beginner-friendly notation system.
Incomparably More Cost-Effective than Lessons
One of the best things about Card Chords is that they’re not subscription-based services like most online lessons and music school fees. Once purchased, they’re owned by the user for life, and, unlike music school memberships, they can be lent to the player’s friends or bandmates.
Moreover, Card Chords are available in multiple editions, each designed for a different type of guitar.
You can learn more about all Card Chords editions on our website but in a gist, each edition is meant to fit a different type of guitar; the Stratocaster edition is designed to fit all Strats, Tellys, Squiers, Ibanez, Jackson, and Yamaha guitars; the Les Paul Edition is fo rall Epiphone, Gibson, and Gretsch models while the Universal edition is meant for all guitars except acoustic ones with nylon strings.
Learning Basic Chords in a Few Minutes Made Possible
As opposed to guitar lessons and online tutorials, you don’t need to spend hours, days, and weeks learning what guitar strings are, how to perform certain techniques, and understanding the basic concepts of music theory to use Card Chords.
These innovative guitar-learning tools were purposefully designed to ensure guitar students can learn fundamental guitar chords wherever and whenever they want as quickly as possible. Even first-time players can effortlessly use these perforated tabs to master simple chords in less than an hour.
Ready To Learn Guitar Chords with Card Chords? Order Your Set Today
We offer secure payments, a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, and a generous 15% discount on orders including more than one set of Card Chords tabs. If you’re ready to accelerate your chord-learning journey, you can order your Card Chords by following this link.
