Finally someone who actually TEACHES you how its done. I've watched so many of these idiots and they never explain jackshit on why this and that is done. All they do is go 'ok put your finger here and there' and strum. Big THANKS from a pure beginner.
you're good with the details man. I've been playing guitar for 15 years and took a few guitar lessons when I was a teen. I had to develop all these tricks like muting the E string with the tip of the index or middle finger, and seriously, some of these came pretty late. Very often, I felt like a fraud using this type of trick. I used to think "well.. that'll do it for now but that can't be how it's done for real.. I'll have to work on my right hand". Well, yeah, that's how it's done. As you said if you look at good guitar players, that's what they do, and they pretty much mash the fuck outta those 6 strings with the picking hand when playing live. And it sounds great. You're really doing a good job of spotting these little twists that no one ever talks about but that make a huge difference. I watched your video about sweeps and you really kinda nailed everything there too. You dig kinda deep in the untold importance of keeping your guitar from making a bunch of unwanted noise.
This is exactly the reason why I stopped playing electric guitar 12 years ago. Every RUclips video I learned how to play power chords from back in '09 showed that stupid curled hand technique, and I couldn't understand why my power chords were slow and awful. Your video perfectly explains EVERYTHING.
I went into this thinking "My power chords are the shit, I already know everything I need to know." Thanks to this tutorial I have learned why my hands get so freakin' tired during power chords...my technique is fucked up! Now I get bitches daily...(I'm lying about the bitches)
you suck because you lack music comprehension and fretboard knowledge. if you just barr it .it'll just be a b7 or an inversion of a sus4 chord. Then maybe you'll get inversions of bitches....it aint always gatta be the 5th bitch.
ikr, all this discussion about power chords, and nothing about the rootless compliment on a 3 finger power chord, last I knew you could drop the top string, go off your bottom finger for your root, and just play the pair, it's a nice complimentary move at times, but it's too much for some I guess, and not even something that simple is explained with the concept of the power chord, it really should be included.
56 year old guitar player learning electric ... and basically, anyone who ads a reference to Black Sabbath get's an A+ from this old dude (my first rock concert was Sabbath, first album tour, in the early 70's). Rock on ... and great lesson. Well done.
Been learning to play guitar for about 3 months now. I’m glad the guitar instructor I use covered this muting with me already, albeit it was explained in a different way. It is good to have a deeper appreciation for having had this lesson explained in two different ways so early on.
Years and years trying to figure out how to play correctly that shit bc nobody actually talks about it and now I've found this video! Thank you so much man.
What helped me the most with playing power chords was playing a lot of punk and early thrash metal. Offspring, Bad Religion, The Soviettes, Metallica, Megadeth.... That will get you going on downstrokes, strumming, muting, and moving chords around the neck.
Only started playing guitar about a month ago, but I felt power chords were impossible! Your explanation on how to grip the neck has been very useful and I feel I can work on improving power chords properly now.
I have to say, this is great if you're trying to focus on non-palm muted power chords, then left hand muting is great. BUT it should be mentioned you should try to practice controlled power chords, where you just doesn't strum the entire set of strings. It gives a far tighter result, especially for metal applications.
This is the first video with a very detailed description of how to touch the strings to make them mute, which I am still struggling with, but now it seems a little bit easier. Thank you so much, Ben! :-)
People who suck at guitar generally don't know they suck, or don't want to admit it, and continue to suck because they are in "I don't suck" denial. I want to send a link to all your videos to those people, but they would probably be offended.
You know I found these videos accidentally through a build your own distortion pedal video and I figured I'd check it out since I'm playing again and thought I'd look into any tips for brushing up on things like pinches and such. I have to say your approach has got to be my favorite! I've taken lessons before and I used to watch an old eric johnson tape when I first started, I've even surfed the youtube knowledge base and found that most people aren't quite able to explain it in a way that is easy to understand. Your metaphors and your way of coming at everyone almost like a moron calling tech support, is just genius! I honestly haven't learned much myself because I am not a beginner but from the beginner's perspective it is one of the best videos that makes sense and appeals to anyone. I'm gonna jump over to your sweep video and see if you can teach me some new tricks there!
Another method to try that many people don't mention, is to try different chord fingerings for power chords. Most guitar players, beginners and advanced players alike, use their first and third fingers to make power chords. Try using first finger and pinky to play power chords and combine first and thrid fingers as well. Dave Mustaine uses this technique with great efficiency. This technique is so useful and is a great way to become more comfortable with different finger arrangements. It really helps with string muting as well.
I know this video was relised like 10 years ago but for some reason nobody ever told me I was playing those powerchords wrong and nobody told me why they sounded so trash, everyone just kept telling me keep practice hah thanks man, you probably won't see this comment but still, thanks, you helped me a lot.
Haha all these things I actually learnt by practice and I've heard ppl say "don't be so reckless" and I'm like that's what makes power chords special and the d string power chords thing was something I learnt today. Thanks Ben!
This is bloody brilliant I just started learning guitar after playing bass for years. This has potentially stopped me developing a bad habit that could eventually get too hard to correct down the line
Little side-note, when you're muting with the ends of your fingers like he described toward the end, look out for the flat 4th, 5th, 7th and sharp 9th fret as you might hit a pinch harmonic. :)
You nailed it. i´m doing this right for ages without knowing. but you´re right. no one ever spoke about. at least i´ve never heard. good job man. keep on rawkin
I was struggling so much with power cords, I've been playing for 2 years and I've been getting massive cramps when playing only power chords, thanks for mentioning the thumb placement, it helped a lot,
For more technical driven music, I'd argue that control over the right hand is equally (if not more important) than the left. Left hand fretting (if in drop D) is fairly natural. Your standard power chord technique is fine. For me, control over the palm of my right hand carries significant weight in frequent stopping riffs. Pick control IS actually something that can be built upon as well, so you don't actually have to bar the entire 6 string in order to compensate for poor technique with your picking hand. Not to mention... With alternate picking it would be EXTREMELY inefficient to pick all 6 strings, or even pick an extra string on a standard 3 note power chord. I would say this video is only really helpful for beginners, and possibly for someone who enjoys bands who frequently use poor technique in their music (i.e nirvana, romones... etc.) My tip to young metal guitarists, work on muting with left AND right hands. Have control over EVERYTHING. His tip to "be out of control with your picking hand" is an extreme oversimplification. That being said, his technique for his left hand should be noted, as working with muting strings that are not needed for clarity is a very helpful thing. Thanks for the video, my comments purpose is to be 100% constructive and respectful, I'd like to hear your opinion on the matter since this is 2 years later ;D
Awesome video! I mute a little differently, I generally play power chords with my pink and index finger, so I use my forefinger to mute the strings below the chord, and my middle finger for any strings above the chord. Still gets the same effect!
This technique works wonders. I'm a self taught guitarist, but I try and be real conscious of how my playing sounds, so I've actually developed this technique myself. The only thing I've noticed is that sometimes you'll end up playing harmonics on the strings you're muting. I'd say that you should mute the strings, but aim to only play the ones you're fretting, with the muting there as a "just in case" sort of thing. Man you're the bomb though you have so many helpful tips to give so I'd like to say thanks for doing what you do :)
Like the dry humour. After playing from now.. 16 to 26, but I haven't really progressed much since the 5th year of playing sadly. Then again, I'm juggling guitar with playing piano as my main instrument.. I've always shunned formal lessons though. Is there much point in them when you've got access to videos like this, can read tabs, and understand most shit?
Frater Tenc i get a weird mix of positive and negative comments from you, dude, hahaha.... i would never "shun" lessons from anybody, there is so much that can be learned from your fellow players. Everyone has had a slightly different musical journey and can show you forks off of the path that never would have occurred to you otherwise. Always keep learning, and lessons can definitely help!
Yeah I'm a maniac. I tend to just point out the extremes of my negative opinions but not emphasize the neutral or good things enough, so I apologize for my antics. Yeah, I discovered yesterday.. after 10 years of playing guitar now that playing with the very very tip of the finger (which is hard for me cause my nails can't be cut that short cause of how the skin is under em) really makes consecutive notes not only ring out more, but improves intonation too.
56 yr old noob,I’ve watchwd 50 beginners videos,45 days into it bad habits are forming.you nailed everything i needed to correct.#3 I just got closer to the first hump..
hands down this is the best fucking instruction series ever. i've been playing a while ( and still suck, mostly bad learned habits) and nobody is this clear, you're awesome Ben, great shit
Thanks Ben! These are the little details that make all the difference that I was looking for, and my teacher didn't told me. Barre chords are hard for me too! Especially because I mute a string sometimes, when I hit the chords it seems that it doesn't matter, but when I pick each string I know I fucked up! Got a video for barre chords??
All of your TIWYSAG vids are hilarious! The only thing I could find a little off on this video is regarding the right hand. If you learn to really hone in on exactly what string you want to attack it can really enhance you're overall sound quality. Don't try to be exactly perfect but to attack those 2 strings. It pays off for more complex riffage. But overall this is a fantastic video and I would recommend it to anyone. P.S. You're like one of the 3 dudes on the planet I actually want to sit down and rip with.
thanks Brent!!! i really appreciate it man. I could have elaborated in this video that we should TRY to nail the strings we are fretting, but be prepared for mistakes by having good muting. Thanks again!!!
I wish I would've watched your videos when I was learning how to play, you explain things so well and it's actually fun to watch with your humor hahaha keep it up man
Felix and Oscar - great analogy! I prefer the original movie to the TV show though. When the solo comes, you need to hurl a bowl of linguini at the wall and then watch it drip down the wall. You then keep shredding until it hardens up and sticks there.
My guitar was about to hang itself with one of its string, but this helped put it off a bit, thanks a lot! Why do the available gap between my index and my ring finger narrows as I slide down the neck, making it impossible to do power chords in the low range? EDIT: OK I feel a bit stupid now...Obviously the space between the frets increase as you go down the neck..duh.
Trying to teach my friend guitar, didn’t even realize I naturally do this with power chords to mute the strings. A lot of things I’ve noticed with guitar, is when we hear string noise, over time our brain kinda just naturally snaps into fixing it without you realizing. Thanks I’ll be using this as a way to help with power chords
Colt Baker Here's some good powerchord tips and tutorials I've been good at those for a long time, but I found this last year and I found that even I was doing things in a way that could have made it much easier.
I love these videos! Because of you I've learned how to sweep properly. (No I'm not talking about with a broom). I was about to give up on sweeping because no other video I found explained the technique as fully as you did. Thank you man!
Love your swirls, man! Great color choices! Not too busy with how much swirlage there is. Look professional! Great lesson btw. Just what I needed actually!
Great lesson Ben. What's your take on thumb muting, especially when playing high notes above the octave of your guitar? My "weird uncle" used to scold the hell out of me any time my thumb would begin to creep over the top of the neck. The difference there is that I was a kid and learning bass. Now I'm grown up, learning guitar after playing bass for over 20 years, and my uncle's in prison.
Ah, the ol' Jailbird Uncle! A family classic! I used to also get told to NEVER use the thumb on the front side of the neck…. but i do it ALL the time now. Outside of the classical world, pretty much everyone does! Not ALL the time though. Try playing Andy Summers chords with the thumb up high and you'll see what i mean!
Liked the video, not many people break it down like that. A small error someone's making may be what keeps them from getting better. Also it could possibly make them quit practicing altogether.
Damn that's a good lesson! You just made me a better teacher! Thanks man! When the kids are learning the power chords at first it's tough to know when to square them away on left hand control!
Dude thanks a bunch, I recently got back into guitar and been mashing on my strat at the house. I was wondering why when practicing my power chords they sounded like shit. Thanks man.
Bro!!! This was sooooooo freaking on the money, yes you have a mix of I don't really give a s$@# phrasing but then you finish it off like a helpful big brother. Seriously, I needed to see this.
you're informative and actually funny. very hard to pull off.
Hey man, I try! Thanks!
+NotHereNotNow agreed i like his info i learn from it a lot. and hes pretty damn funny.
well, how are your hammer-ons?
NotHereNotNow hes a funny and cool non dorky version of stevetittyberryballs
Haha bro go watch his sweep picking videos.
He broke it down perfectly.
I was able to understand what happens between both hands.
Thanks to Ben Eller my family doesn't want to disown me anymore! you're the best.
Glad to hear it dude! Tell you mom I said hi!
I did exactly what he said and my family still wants to disown me...
@@BenEllerthat’s foul 💀💀
Finally someone who actually TEACHES you how its done. I've watched so many of these idiots and they never explain jackshit on why this and that is done. All they do is go 'ok put your finger here and there' and strum. Big THANKS from a pure beginner.
cheers Jeff, thank YOU!
I think the problem is a lot of people just do it instinctively after years upon years of playing
@@BenEller Meow, his name is Joe.
@@Cbuzz1399 meow
No need to call the others idiots :) They sometimes forget that we are beginners :)
I'm only 3 mins in, and am already learning eye opening shit here. Thanks for the video from an aspiring guitarist.
Hey cheers my man!!!
is that Eiji Niizuma in your profile pic
@@nahte- No it's Sergordo E. Irokumata
couldn't agree more about the grip. I just did it naturally at some point, but this will help speed up some of the new people.
Kevin M awesome! thanks man.
you're good with the details man. I've been playing guitar for 15 years and took a few guitar lessons when I was a teen. I had to develop all these tricks like muting the E string with the tip of the index or middle finger, and seriously, some of these came pretty late. Very often, I felt like a fraud using this type of trick. I used to think "well.. that'll do it for now but that can't be how it's done for real.. I'll have to work on my right hand".
Well, yeah, that's how it's done. As you said if you look at good guitar players, that's what they do, and they pretty much mash the fuck outta those 6 strings with the picking hand when playing live. And it sounds great. You're really doing a good job of spotting these little twists that no one ever talks about but that make a huge difference. I watched your video about sweeps and you really kinda nailed everything there too. You dig kinda deep in the untold importance of keeping your guitar from making a bunch of unwanted noise.
This is exactly the reason why I stopped playing electric guitar 12 years ago. Every RUclips video I learned how to play power chords from back in '09 showed that stupid curled hand technique, and I couldn't understand why my power chords were slow and awful. Your video perfectly explains EVERYTHING.
Hahaha happy to help! Thanks for watching this ancient video!
"So you wanna play power chords with the root note on the D string.. It's kinda dumb but whatever" LOL
Not dumb on Slayer Born to be Wild cover or Judas Priest Breaking the Law
Ben how did you survive so long with this 4:3 aspect ratio.
Content.... Giving the community content and not fluff.
I went into this thinking "My power chords are the shit, I already know everything I need to know." Thanks to this tutorial I have learned why my hands get so freakin' tired during power chords...my technique is fucked up! Now I get bitches daily...(I'm lying about the bitches)
Carlos Sarceno hahaha those bitches are gonna start showing up in the mail any time now man!
Ben Eller Thanks man
you suck because you lack music comprehension and fretboard knowledge.
if you just barr it .it'll just be a b7 or an inversion of a sus4 chord.
Then maybe you'll get inversions of bitches....it aint always gatta be the 5th bitch.
ikr, all this discussion about power chords, and nothing about the rootless compliment on a 3 finger power chord, last I knew you could drop the top string, go off your bottom finger for your root, and just play the pair, it's a nice complimentary move at times, but it's too much for some I guess, and not even something that simple is explained with the concept of the power chord, it really should be included.
Carlos Sarceno Seriously, Ben makes it look like I've never picked up a guitar. These are so good!
This Is Why You Suck at Guitar, Lesson #2178: You don't have a swirl paint job.
Love the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Poster! Wonderful videos!
56 year old guitar player learning electric ... and basically, anyone who ads a reference to Black Sabbath get's an A+ from this old dude (my first rock concert was Sabbath, first album tour, in the early 70's). Rock on ... and great lesson. Well done.
I saw the title of this video and my brain literally said in my mind, "I *DO* suck at power-chords! Why do I suck at power-chords?"
Click.
hahaha and now you know, and knowing is half the battle!
GEE AII JOEEE!!!
I watched Ben Eller and now I don't suck at guitar anymore! Thank you Ben!
Been learning to play guitar for about 3 months now. I’m glad the guitar instructor I use covered this muting with me already, albeit it was explained in a different way. It is good to have a deeper appreciation for having had this lesson explained in two different ways so early on.
Years and years trying to figure out how to play correctly that shit bc nobody actually talks about it and now I've found this video! Thank you so much man.
What helped me the most with playing power chords was playing a lot of punk and early thrash metal. Offspring, Bad Religion, The Soviettes, Metallica, Megadeth.... That will get you going on downstrokes, strumming, muting, and moving chords around the neck.
My wife is asking me "why are you playing the theme to the odd couple?" My response: "uh, because of Uncle Ben." Her look says "I married an idiot."
after watching this video and practicing the techniques, my family has let me sleep in the house again. thank you for this, it was getting cold out.
Only started playing guitar about a month ago, but I felt power chords were impossible! Your explanation on how to grip the neck has been very useful and I feel I can work on improving power chords properly now.
I have to say, this is great if you're trying to focus on non-palm muted power chords, then left hand muting is great. BUT it should be mentioned you should try to practice controlled power chords, where you just doesn't strum the entire set of strings. It gives a far tighter result, especially for metal applications.
yeah man for sure! Good call. You wouldn't want to rock some big chunky metallica power chords while smacking all those other strings.
Learn the full strummed barre chords and you never hit a bad string, nice phat chords
This is the first video with a very detailed description of how to touch the strings to make them mute, which I am still struggling with, but now it seems a little bit easier. Thank you so much, Ben! :-)
Awesome thank you!
Been trying to learn acoustic Layla as a complete beginner. You saved my life, man. I salute you.
Uhhh power chords aren’t going to help you there bro
These videos are a great checklist for self taught guitarists. I watch them all about once a year to make sure I haven't picked up any bad habits.
That is absolutely amazing. You actually DID it, explained it perfectly, not just the 'theory', but how actually to do it. Megathanks, Uncle Ben!
I started playing 3 weeks ago, this was extremely helpful for me for the few numbers I practice. Thanks man.
People who suck at guitar generally don't know they suck, or don't want to admit it, and continue to suck because they are in "I don't suck" denial. I want to send a link to all your videos to those people, but they would probably be offended.
Matt Newman Its good if they get offended
I don’t have that problem. I’ve been playing 20 years and still suck lol
like a bad bassist after you rip a useless bassist joke
I still suck after 55 years of playing.
Ben man....The grip!
No one else gifs this advice. Its so helpful. Thank you.
You know I found these videos accidentally through a build your own distortion pedal video and I figured I'd check it out since I'm playing again and thought I'd look into any tips for brushing up on things like pinches and such. I have to say your approach has got to be my favorite! I've taken lessons before and I used to watch an old eric johnson tape when I first started, I've even surfed the youtube knowledge base and found that most people aren't quite able to explain it in a way that is easy to understand. Your metaphors and your way of coming at everyone almost like a moron calling tech support, is just genius! I honestly haven't learned much myself because I am not a beginner but from the beginner's perspective it is one of the best videos that makes sense and appeals to anyone. I'm gonna jump over to your sweep video and see if you can teach me some new tricks there!
Just a quick note to let you know this helped a guy out even 7 years after you posted it. Thanks!
Another great lesson. Muting the unused strings is the most underrated technique no matter what you are playing.
Another method to try that many people don't mention, is to try different chord fingerings for power chords. Most guitar players, beginners and advanced players alike, use their first and third fingers to make power chords. Try using first finger and pinky to play power chords and combine first and thrid fingers as well. Dave Mustaine uses this technique with great efficiency. This technique is so useful and is a great way to become more comfortable with different finger arrangements. It really helps with string muting as well.
I know this video was relised like 10 years ago but for some reason nobody ever told me I was playing those powerchords wrong and nobody told me why they sounded so trash, everyone just kept telling me keep practice hah thanks man, you probably won't see this comment but still, thanks, you helped me a lot.
Haha all these things I actually learnt by practice and I've heard ppl say "don't be so reckless" and I'm like that's what makes power chords special and the d string power chords thing was something I learnt today. Thanks Ben!
Even though I already knew how to play power chords perfectly I still decided to watch because of the title. Lol.
TheBlazearrow thanks so much for watching and commenting!
9 years later seeing this video and learning something new!! Thanks Ben!!!
Honestly the most helpful videos I've seen. Love the occasional comments such as "It makes your family want to disown you and I can't blame them" xD
Finally, a video that shows how to position fingers in a power-chord, if only I found this months ago.
You shall make a rock genius out of me yet!
thanks for watching and commenting, Josh! i just happened to notice that everyone does this, and nobody talks about it. glad to help!
This is bloody brilliant
I just started learning guitar after playing bass for years. This has potentially stopped me developing a bad habit that could eventually get too hard to correct down the line
sick! glad to help!
Little side-note, when you're muting with the ends of your fingers like he described toward the end, look out for the flat 4th, 5th, 7th and sharp 9th fret as you might hit a pinch harmonic. :)
One of my students wasnt able to play powerchords with straight fingers but with your tips it worked. Thanks dude!
You nailed it. i´m doing this right for ages without knowing. but you´re right. no one ever spoke about. at least i´ve never heard. good job man. keep on rawkin
What else is new!? ;)
I was struggling so much with power cords, I've been playing for 2 years and I've been getting massive cramps when playing only power chords, thanks for mentioning the thumb placement, it helped a lot,
For more technical driven music, I'd argue that control over the right hand is equally (if not more important) than the left. Left hand fretting (if in drop D) is fairly natural. Your standard power chord technique is fine.
For me, control over the palm of my right hand carries significant weight in frequent stopping riffs. Pick control IS actually something that can be built upon as well, so you don't actually have to bar the entire 6 string in order to compensate for poor technique with your picking hand.
Not to mention... With alternate picking it would be EXTREMELY inefficient to pick all 6 strings, or even pick an extra string on a standard 3 note power chord.
I would say this video is only really helpful for beginners, and possibly for someone who enjoys bands who frequently use poor technique in their music (i.e nirvana, romones... etc.)
My tip to young metal guitarists, work on muting with left AND right hands. Have control over EVERYTHING. His tip to "be out of control with your picking hand" is an extreme oversimplification.
That being said, his technique for his left hand should be noted, as working with muting strings that are not needed for clarity is a very helpful thing.
Thanks for the video, my comments purpose is to be 100% constructive and respectful, I'd like to hear your opinion on the matter since this is 2 years later ;D
omg finally someone actually teaching this, thanks so much for this, actual lifesaver
awesome lesson!! and i freaking love your sweater by the way!!
haha thanks man, and thank my wife and a second hand store for that one!
Awesome video!
I mute a little differently, I generally play power chords with my pink and index finger, so I use my forefinger to mute the strings below the chord, and my middle finger for any strings above the chord. Still gets the same effect!
This technique works wonders. I'm a self taught guitarist, but I try and be real conscious of how my playing sounds, so I've actually developed this technique myself. The only thing I've noticed is that sometimes you'll end up playing harmonics on the strings you're muting. I'd say that you should mute the strings, but aim to only play the ones you're fretting, with the muting there as a "just in case" sort of thing. Man you're the bomb though you have so many helpful tips to give so I'd like to say thanks for doing what you do :)
thanks man!!! and you're absolutely right, the muting is really there as a safety net more than anything.
Hilarious and very helpful - the part about being disowned by the family was a real hoot!
I know this is an old vid, but any tips on making the fingers keep position as you slide? I'm beginner-beginner, lol
Like the dry humour. After playing from now.. 16 to 26, but I haven't really progressed much since the 5th year of playing sadly. Then again, I'm juggling guitar with playing piano as my main instrument.. I've always shunned formal lessons though. Is there much point in them when you've got access to videos like this, can read tabs, and understand most shit?
Frater Tenc i get a weird mix of positive and negative comments from you, dude, hahaha.... i would never "shun" lessons from anybody, there is so much that can be learned from your fellow players. Everyone has had a slightly different musical journey and can show you forks off of the path that never would have occurred to you otherwise. Always keep learning, and lessons can definitely help!
Yeah I'm a maniac. I tend to just point out the extremes of my negative opinions but not emphasize the neutral or good things enough, so I apologize for my antics. Yeah, I discovered yesterday.. after 10 years of playing guitar now that playing with the very very tip of the finger (which is hard for me cause my nails can't be cut that short cause of how the skin is under em) really makes consecutive notes not only ring out more, but improves intonation too.
These lessons are never boring !!!
56 yr old noob,I’ve watchwd 50 beginners videos,45 days into it bad habits are forming.you nailed everything i needed to correct.#3 I just got closer to the first hump..
I completely COMPLETELY SUCK...at sweep picking...and I don't wanna be disowned by my family Ben. Help me please!
hands down this is the best fucking instruction series ever. i've been playing a while ( and still suck, mostly bad learned habits) and nobody is this clear, you're awesome Ben, great shit
Thanks Ben! These are the little details that make all the difference that I was looking for, and my teacher didn't told me. Barre chords are hard for me too! Especially because I mute a string sometimes, when I hit the chords it seems that it doesn't matter, but when I pick each string I know I fucked up! Got a video for barre chords??
All of your TIWYSAG vids are hilarious! The only thing I could find a little off on this video is regarding the right hand. If you learn to really hone in on exactly what string you want to attack it can really enhance you're overall sound quality. Don't try to be exactly perfect but to attack those 2 strings. It pays off for more complex riffage. But overall this is a fantastic video and I would recommend it to anyone.
P.S. You're like one of the 3 dudes on the planet I actually want to sit down and rip with.
thanks Brent!!! i really appreciate it man. I could have elaborated in this video that we should TRY to nail the strings we are fretting, but be prepared for mistakes by having good muting. Thanks again!!!
I wish I would've watched your videos when I was learning how to play, you explain things so well and it's actually fun to watch with your humor hahaha keep it up man
Ben, I was alive and watched first run Odd Couple shows.
Your analogy is very applicable and humorous. ;-)
The music in the background is lovely.
ive been trying to learn bulletproof heart and i have needed a ton of help with the power chords and no one around me know so thanks a ton bro
Felix and Oscar - great analogy! I prefer the original movie to the TV show though. When the solo comes, you need to hurl a bowl of linguini at the wall and then watch it drip down the wall. You then keep shredding until it hardens up and sticks there.
My guitar was about to hang itself with one of its string, but this helped put it off a bit, thanks a lot! Why do the available gap between my index and my ring finger narrows as I slide down the neck, making it impossible to do power chords in the low range?
EDIT: OK I feel a bit stupid now...Obviously the space between the frets increase as you go down the neck..duh.
i'm glad you worked that out by yourself man.
By far the best instructor I’ve found so far. Taken my playing to the next level thanks 🙏🏻
i only just started power chords. what an important lesson for a newb. thanks dude.
I'm 55 years of age and no one ever told me this? Mind? Blown! Thanks Ben.
holy crap this helped me sound better instantly. THANK YOU.
THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!!!
*literally every 30 seconds*
Uncle Ben is the best.
this helped me a lot. i would do the claw and the bar ocasionally but now i pay attention to make the bar across a fret and sounds better.
Trying to teach my friend guitar, didn’t even realize I naturally do this with power chords to mute the strings. A lot of things I’ve noticed with guitar, is when we hear string noise, over time our brain kinda just naturally snaps into fixing it without you realizing. Thanks I’ll be using this as a way to help with power chords
Honest, selfless and funny. Thank you so much. Your video helped me out a lot!
Colt Baker Here's some good powerchord tips and tutorials
I've been good at those for a long time, but I found this last year and I found that even I was doing things in a way that could have made it much easier.
Dude your videos are awesome. Great explanations mixed with dry humor make for an awesome way to learn
thanks John, i aim to please ;)
I've been struggling with power chords for some time now...good tips....thank you!
I think you are my new instructor. Good delivery. Thanks
Excellent F&O analogy! Keen insight. And a great job addressing the PC FUNDAMENTALS! Wisdom beyond your years my friend. Much appreciated! :)
Ben that was really helpful to me, you have put me right where I was going wrong. Many thx from the UK mate!
Cheers my British friend!
felix should use index and pinky for 2 string power chords... it cleans up the tone of the power chord, also makes it easier to move around the neck
Thank you, comment from 5 years ago. You have confirmed that I'm not retarded.
Should use all 4 fingers and 4 or more strings for a power chord
@@THRASHMETALFUNRIFFS that would be called a Barre chord
@@UnhungHero Now ur getting it!!
Super phat power chords all day!! Just strum the one's you want
I got power chords down but had to watch it for the comedy value! Love the videos dude!!!
I know you posted this 6 years ago but holy shit thank you so much. I've been struggling so immensely with powerchords for fucking weeks my dude.
Thanks soooo much!! Now I know why I've been playing sucky power chords for years! Can't believe hownone of my bandmates could ever articulate this!
there ya go! yeah, most advanced players do this all the time without realizing they're even doing it!
I love these videos! Because of you I've learned how to sweep properly. (No I'm not talking about with a broom). I was about to give up on sweeping because no other video I found explained the technique as fully as you did. Thank you man!
you're welcome Samantha! Shred on!!!
Classic stuff, often not taught. Also heck of a host, me likey!!
You have saved my power chords. Thank you!
Love your swirls, man! Great color choices! Not too busy with how much swirlage there is. Look professional!
Great lesson btw. Just what I needed actually!
''It makes your family want to disown you, and I can't blame them.'' Lmao! Great stuff, man. Thanks for the lesson.
It is such a relief to find that I do these things correctly already
Really great lesson, helpful and easy to follow. Loved the odd couple analogy especially with the theme music in the background. Thanks.
You are the best teacher Pop. Brilliant
This was extraordinarily helpful. Thank you.
This helped so much. Thanks I was trying to play drain you by nirvana and i couldnt get the power chords. I
I knew before I clicked this video that it was going to be the most helpful one I've seen yet. Thank you so much! 💗🤟
Great lesson Ben. What's your take on thumb muting, especially when playing high notes above the octave of your guitar? My "weird uncle" used to scold the hell out of me any time my thumb would begin to creep over the top of the neck. The difference there is that I was a kid and learning bass. Now I'm grown up, learning guitar after playing bass for over 20 years, and my uncle's in prison.
Ah, the ol' Jailbird Uncle! A family classic! I used to also get told to NEVER use the thumb on the front side of the neck…. but i do it ALL the time now. Outside of the classical world, pretty much everyone does! Not ALL the time though. Try playing Andy Summers chords with the thumb up high and you'll see what i mean!
You know sometimes we don't think of the simplest things to make life easier. Thanks Ben
That's what I'm here for dude!
Liked the video, not many people break it down like that. A small error someone's making may be what keeps them from getting better. Also it could possibly make them quit practicing altogether.
Out of all the videos I've watched this was the most helpful Thanks 👍
Have you lost your touch, Billie?
Damn that's a good lesson! You just made me a better teacher! Thanks man! When the kids are learning the power chords at first it's tough to know when to square them away on left hand control!
Dude thanks a bunch, I recently got back into guitar and been mashing on my strat at the house. I was wondering why when practicing my power chords they sounded like shit. Thanks man.
Thanks man! And keep on mashin!!!
Awesome! Been looking for a video like this. Good shit man
Bro!!! This was sooooooo freaking on the money, yes you have a mix of I don't really give a s$@# phrasing but then you finish it off like a helpful big brother. Seriously, I needed to see this.
haha thanks man, glad you dig!!