Guides
Play what's in your head.
Short, practical guides to get from the melody you hum to the chords you play: by ear, on the fretboard, and with Fredon.
- How to Find the Chords of a Song by Ear: A Step-by-Step MethodFigure out a song's chords by ear, no tabs or sheet music needed: find the home note, list the chords in the key, follow the bass and avoid the usual traps.
- How to Tune a Guitar: With a Tuner or by Ear (5th Fret Method)The notes of each string, using a tuner step by step, the 5th fret method for tuning by ear, drop D, and the mistakes that keep pulling your guitar out of tune.
- 8 Beginner Guitar Chords to Learn First (and How to Switch)Em, Am, C, G, D, A, E and Dm: easy beginner guitar chords explained finger by finger, plus the chord changes to practice so you can play your first songs.
- How to Read Guitar Chord Diagrams: Strings, Frets and FingersStrings, frets, finger numbers, x and o, barres and the starting fret: everything you need to read a guitar chord diagram or chord chart without mistakes.
- What Does a Capo Do? Where to Put It and How to Read Capo ChordsWhat a capo does, where to place it, how to read a "capo 3" chord chart and work out the real chords, with simple explanations and a fret-by-fret capo chart.
- Easy Ukulele Chords for Beginners: The 8 Chords to Learn FirstC, Am, F, G, D, B♭ and more: the 8 easy ukulele chords to learn first, with fingerings, how GCEA tuning works, and simple chord changes to get you playing fast.
- How to Write a Song Without Playing an Instrument (Step by Step)A tune in your head but no instrument? A step-by-step method: hum the idea, find the key, pick the chords, build a verse and chorus, and keep track of it all.
- Alternate Guitar Tunings: Drop D, DADGAD, Open G and Open DDrop D tuning, DADGAD, open G and open D: the notes of each string, how to tune to them, the styles that use them and the first chords to play in each one.
- How to Play Barre Chords on Guitar Without the PainF, Bm, E-shape and A-shape barre chords: put your thumb and index in the right spot, work through step-by-step drills and finally make your barre chords ring.
- How to Find the Key of a Song by Ear: A Simple MethodHome note, final chord, key signature, major or minor: find the key of any song by ear, then work out the chords that go with it. A simple method for beginners.
- Do Re Mi vs C D E: How Solfège Note Names Match the LettersDo = C, Sol = G, La m = Am, plus the German H: a complete chart for reading notes and chords written in do re mi (fixed do) when you know them as C D E.
- How to Transpose Chords to Fit Your Voice: Method and ChartSong too high or too low? Find your vocal range, transpose the chords by the right number of half steps with the chart, or let a capo do the work for you.
- How Fredon Recognizes a Sung Note and Finds the Right ChordFrequency, harmonics, key detection, chroma: how a pitch detection app hears the note you sing or whistle, picks a matching chord and spots strummed chords.