The Musical Alphabet Guitar
Posted by Mike Schumacher
Although there are many ways to learn how to play guitar, some of the most popular include learning your index or position one finger at a time, moving onto middle fingers and then rings, and finally trying putting all five together. These are great strategies if you already know some chords and want to expand upon it.
However, there is another way to approach guitar playing that has become very popular in recent years. This method does not require any previous knowledge of music theory or chord structures!
It focuses more on rhythm than anything else. By using this technique, anyone can pick up the instrument quickly and have their own unique style. This article will talk about the basics of this new method and some variations of the alphabet song technique.
The bluesy acoustic sound that so many people enjoy with the help of the guitar comes from adding emphasis on certain notes through rhythmic patterns and scales. This article will go into detail on these types of songs as well as some alternatives to try out for other styles.
B is for Butterfly
Let’s look at some guitar chords that begin with the letter B!
The first one we will look at is called the Butterfly chord. This can be used in many different styles of music, but it was popularized by guitarist Joe Satl1er who made it his own.
Butterfly chords are typically two major second chords connected back to each other. These chords go very well together as they both contain an A-Bb tone (same note).
This chord comes from the piano and was originally thought to help create a sense of calmness or relaxation. It has become quite famous since then!
Some artists use this chord effectively in their songs. For example, Taylor Swift uses it heavily in her songs, most notably in her song Bad Blood.
In this case, she uses it directly after introducing a new topic or person.
C is for Cocktail
Let’s have a cocktail! This chord is sometimes referred to as the “party chord,” or even the “chugging chord.” It’s helpful when you want to make people happy because it makes them smile!
The chord was popularized by Jimmy Page in his early career with Led Zeppelin. He would use this chord in many of their songs including some that didn’t feature vocals.
You can play the CMIXCHORD using any letter of the guitar alphabet song (or not!). For example, if you wanted to play the party chord, you could choose either the A string, the E string, both strings, or anything else for your index finger. Your middle fingers should be together on the second fret, and your ring fingers should be adjacent to each other on the third fret. Your thumb can rest on top of the second finger or just sort of hang there if you like.
D is for Diamond
Let’s look at our musical alphabet song starting with the letter “D.” This is called a romanization or Romanizing of the word because we use the Latin language as our source material.
In this case, the lyrics are enough to tell us what the next note is. So there is no need to translate the words into another language like English!
Here it says, “Diamond” so play the third note of the second measure (A). One easy way to do that is to press the third fret on your guitar string number three (A) down onto the A string using your first finger.
And you just played your fourth note in this sequence! You can also refer to these notes as a scale pattern, a ladder, or an arpeggio. All those mean the same thing- going up by steps!
That was one example of how to learn the chord formation of the key of D major. If you were struggling to remember which chords go where, then check out our article here.
E is for Echo
This chord is very familiar to music listeners. It’s called an octave-chord or unison-octave chord. You just add one more note that sounds exactly like the first (the root). In this case, the root is A, so the second note you add is B.
F is for Fusion
Let’s take a look at another great way to learn how to play guitar! This technique is known as fusion. Many people refer to it as “playing by ear,” but that doesn’t do it justice.
For those who have never played any other instrument, this can be confusing. It sounds like you are just making up music as you go along, but you aren’t! You will actually learn how to combine notes and melodies into something coherent.
In fact, most professional musicians wouldn’t really call what they do playing by ear; they would say inspired improvisation or natural talent. Either one is good enough for you!
There are many types of fusions. One of the easier ones to recognize is musical analogy. For example, if you hear a sound or note, you might make it your own by altering it slightly. Or maybe you add an extra tone to it.
This applies to songs too! If you listen to a song you love, you may find inspiration from all sorts of parts of it. Then, you incorporate these components into your own music.
G is for Gold
Let’s look at our first letter, which stands for “golden.” Many people associate golden with riches, but not necessarily in a good way!
The word “golden” comes from the adjective gilded, which means covered or adorned in gold.
Prior to the Renaissance, most Europeans didn’t understand the concept of beauty as an inspiration for creating things. All art was either religious (represented by angels) or political (representing warriors).
During this time, the rich became richer due to their status as rulers and conquerors. Beautiful shapes and forms were designed to make you admire them and thus invest in more expensive decorations or products. It’s true — beautiful designs inspire spending!
After the Renaissance though, artists started exploring new ideas about what makes something beautiful. Natural forms like plants and flowers took over as the main focus instead of elaborate sculptures and decorations. This is why we have such a strong connection to nature today.
Many musicians use music as a form of expression, just like writers and painters do. What kind of music they create and how it moves others are both examples of their artistic talent and skills.
As a guitarist, I want to help you develop your musical talents by showing you the basics of every major chord shape used in songs.
H is for Hawaiian
This chord is typically played as the first note in the song, or as an introduction to the next chord. It can be used as a solo piece if you figure out how to play it effectively!
The Hawaiian chord is most commonly known by its position within the scale (the place where it falls). In this case, the third scale degree is the second string of the guitar, the bass string. Therefore, the third scale degree is the open string that makes up the baritone part of the chord.
To play the Hawaiiian chord, press down on the third string with your index finger and then quickly pull off the top string using your thumb while simultaneously pressing down on the middle string with your pinky. Your hand will look like a “V” with the index finger acting as the bottom leg and the other two fingers working together to create the top arm!
Once you have this hang-dance move mastered, you can start playing some cool chords! Try experimenting with different positions and types of chords to see what happens.
I is for Improvisation
When it comes to guitar, improvisational skills are something that all musicians have at some level. Whether you’re a beginner or advanced, there are always new things you can do.
You can add effects such as reverb to your songs, play melodies you haven’t heard before, or combine different styles of music into one piece!
Interval training is another powerful tool in musical self-development. This involves learning about intervals (frequency relationships) and how to apply them to make new sounds and pieces.
There are many ways to learn this concept, so which ones feel most natural to you will depend on what style of playing you want to develop.
For example, if you’d like to start creating more melody-based tunes, then studying modes could be your best bet. Or maybe you’d rather focus on rhythmically driven patterns? Then perhaps time signature theory would be more helpful to you.


The Jam Addict team is a revolving door of writers who care about music, its effects on culture, and giving aspiring artists tools and knowledge to be inspired and keep on creating.
If you have any questions or concerns or just want to drop us a line, don’t hesitate to contact us! We always appreciate the feedback.