GUITAR CHORD BOOTCAMP
Learn 96 Essential Chords and Read Chord Names with Ease
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Do Chord Names Look Like Gibberish to You?
Learn to play chords from A to F#m7b5 with Guitar Chord Bootcamp. It's easier than it sounds.
Some guitarists read notes. Others prefer to play by ear.
But there’s one skill that pretty much every professional guitar player has.
The ability to read a bunch of chords and instantly play through any song. With this skill you can:
- Immediately play a song a band mate brings to rehearsal
- Communicate with other musicians more easily
- Write down the chords to your own songs
- Learn new songs much faster, because you know the names of the chords you’re playing
Now, learning to read notes is a process that takes years. But reading chords is something you can pick up much, much faster.
How? You just need to know three things.
- The chord shape for each of the (eight) most common chord types .
- How to play that chord shape in different keys.
- How to read chord symbols and play the corresponding chord.
It might look like voodoo magic at first, but this is a super fast way to learn songs!
That might seem like a HUGE project to tackle but it really isn’t. The beauty of the guitar is that we can take one shape and slide it up and down the neck to play it in all keys. So when you know one shape, you play it in twelve different places on the neck, and get twelve different chords. Cool right?
But what often happens is this.
You might learn a song with a Db7, but two months later you’re like ‘Db7, uhm that rings a bell, but how do I play it again?’ You're learning the same thing over and over again, but it never really sticks...
This happened for a lot of people I was teaching, so I started to look for a way to cement everything you need to know in your brain forever. After much experimenting and tinkering that method became this course: Guitar Chord Bootcamp.
Guitar Chord Bootcamp will teach you everything you need to know and make sure you remember it too! You'll:
- learn to play the eight most important chord types
- memorise all the notes on the E string, so you can play these chord types in all keys
- learn to read chord symbols and play the right chord immediately
Of course, it would be no fun to learn all of this and never try out your new skills. It would be like discovering you're superman and taking the bus to school or work, instead of flying... So throughout the course, you'll test-drive what you've learned with 14 songs with chord videos, like this one:
You don’t need any knowledge of theory to get started. The course teaches you the little bit you need to know, but it’s really as practical as I could make it. The course is 10% explanation and 90% practice and making sure you sure you truly understand and know how use everything. That means you’ll be playing your guitar at all times.
In short: no books, no notes, no homework. The course will make everything stick. Here's how Derek, Chris, Ryan and Betty put it:
Holy crap! Four lessons in and I already know the bar chords for all the major chords I knew in open fingering. Someone should have told me this before… GREAT course so far!
- Betty from Portland, Oregon
Before this course, I had to find the fingerings when I looked up a chord chart for a song. Now, I won't have to do that. It's locked into my brain and my hand goes where it needs to go.
- Ryan from Farmington Hills, Michigan
It was really good. The chords that I was having trouble memorizing really stuck with me this time. The songs were a really neat touch; they helped me see how the various chords interacted with one another and made it easier to apply the newly learned material.
- Chris from Santiago, Chile
The course made me more competent in making chords and as a musician. I can be told a progression with even some of those annoying diminshed/half-diminished and work my way through it, whereas before there was no way.
- Derek from Los Angeles, California
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What Students Are Saying
Lessons were easy to digest and retain
I increased my overall chord knowledge and understanding by about 50% which is substantial to say the least. I think that any beginner with the basic major and minor chords under their belt could make an immense leap forward by simply using your course as a transition into songs with bar chords.
I loved the lesson length and progression. Lessons were easy to digest and retain. I felt like they were very approachable and not nearly as time constraining/demanding as others I have seen and used. Specifically I felt they were easy to jump into when I had a spare 20 or 30 minutes and could actually benefit from such a short practice period.
- Braydon from California
Perfect for a scatterbrain
I’m self-taught, lazy with theory and have a really short attention span. The course maintained my interest and I'm really surprised how much I've learned! It was visually pleasing and simple. I loved the minimalist approach to everything. Super fast, to the point. Perfect for a scatterbrain.
- Aleksis from Finland
Creative juices
The course got my creative juices flowing. Sitting down and working through nearly 100 chords and a bunch of different chord progressions helped me to write some pretty sweet ideas.
- Sam from Texas
More comfortable playing chords with other people
I really enjoyed how you explained how to go from a major chord to a different variation of the chord and how easily it could be translated across different frets! I feel a lot more comfortable playing chords for songs now (especially with other people) since I can recognize a good chunk of them immediately!
- Mohammed from Los Angeles, California
Really Cool
It was really cool to learn all these chords that I had only seen once or twice in a coherent way. I can now play any variation of a chord with the root on the E string. I can play blues progressions with more voicings, getting a better sound by mixing open and barre chords.
- Alex from France
I've learned more about guitar than I have in over 10 years
I made it roughly 50% through in one sitting. Here is the thing, I have played guitar on my own for over 15 years and never had one lesson stick. I am good at jamming with blues, jazz, rock, hip-hop, because I have a good ear but I have always been missing basic training to get me to the next level. Honestly, after this little course I feel like I have learned more about the guitar than I have in over ten years. So thank you for that! I like the delivery, the details, the pacing, the animations. It all feels really good. I can't wait to get through the rest of the course.
- Eryk from Seattle, Washington
Huge fan of the song structures
Before this course I was very green when it comes to guitar, and especially Barre chords. Now my left hand is stronger, I can jump to different notes on the low E string much faster, and as an added bonus I'm gaining insight on how different shapes sound when played next to each other.
I'm a huge fan of the simple song structures that are laid out to demonstrate and practice the different chords and shapes. It's forcing me to practice in a realistic setting and that's valuable.
- Scott from Metro Detroit, Michigan
At no point did I feel overwhelmed
I really liked the simplicity of the information so at no point did I feel overwhelmed. I learnt a whole bunch of new chords and with the way you broke things down a 'Gm7b5' doesn't look a scary jumble of letters and numbers anymore and actually makes sense to me. Whereas before I would have seen that and thought 'I haven't got a clue how to play that'.
The course also helped me nail learning the E string. I knew most of it but I'd never really taken the time to dedicate myself to learning it, but with the way each exercise is like a mini test I found myself finally learning it no trouble!
- Jake from England
a lot of easy chord variations
I’ve been playing for about 20 years, almost exclusively self-taught through guitar magazines, ear training, internet etc. But I’ve always ignored stuff like advanced chord shapes, scales, theory, etc. If I was reading a piece of music that only had chord names (without charts) and I came across, for example, a dominant chord, I’d usually just play a root note power chord (or look up the chord chart if possible but immediately forget it after). So far this course has shown me I’ve been missing out on a LOT of easy chord variations. Overall this course has been great for me, this is stuff I’ve been avoiding for far too long.
- Stephen from Seattle, Washington
Able to switch between chords with more confidence now
I have been playing guitar, but mainly bass, for many years. I already knew what a bar chord was, at least in the major/minor position. I knew about power chords and can read tabs. I did not, however, know the actual names of the chords though. Just numbers.
Through this course, I got familiarity of the different shapes mostly. I had never played diminished or major 7th's before. I am able to switch between chords with more confidence now. Before I only knew major/minor shapes but now my fingers can recognize how a chord will sound just based on the position on the neck. If someone were to say play an A flat 7, I can do that LOL.
I liked the fact that you incorporated actual songs and the ability to play along with and see how the chords "talk" to each other.
- Marcus from Nashville, Tennessee
One of the most helpful music courses I’ve ever taken
I can honestly say this was one of the most helpful music courses I’ve ever taken, apart from other online courses like intro to music theory by Berkelee or even actual music lessons (I took lessons for piano, guitar, and french horn).
One of the best things about this course is that it really simplifies the mystery of guitar chords and how they’re formed. When it came to chords on a piano, I had no problem building/forming them because they follow a common pattern; however, on a guitar, there was no obvious pattern, at least in my experience. The way the chord shapes for guitar are listed in the course helped clear up the confusion I had. The linear teaching style you used (talk about chord, the structure, the shape, then practice) in tandem with the practice songs were the most beneficial parts of the course.
Before I took the course, my music theory was pretty solid, in terms of a piano, where I could clearly make patterns. On a guitar, however, I never learned the chord shapes so learning new chords was also a challenge. I would constantly have to look how to play a chord on guitar unless it was strictly obvious like a major of minor chord. Now, I feel incredibly comfortable with the different types of chords.
- Ken from California
How it works
Guitar Chord Bootcamp is a little bit different than many other courses, most importantly because the course is 10% explanation and 90% practice. I want to make sure you remember everything and know how to use it. I explain more about how the course works in the introduction lesson!
If you want to check out if you dig this approach, feel free to test-drive the first three lessons of the course. It's free :-)
Get the Full Course
Excited to get started with the full course? Here's what you should know:
1. This course is for you if:
- You love to play (and sing) songs and now you want to read chord charts easily too.
- You want to start writing your own songs, but you’re having trouble getting past standard open chords.
- You’re looking for some new and richer sounding chords.
2. Love it or get a refund within 60 days
A good course gets you results. If this course doesn't deliver or is just not your thing, let me know within 60 days and you'll get a full refund. Heck, if you decide that you'd rather play trombone after all, you'll get a refund.
3. There are no 'secrets' in this course
Learning how to read chords is something you can figure out on your own. Guitar Chord Bootcamp is for you if you want to condense the whole learning process into a few hours, instead of months or even years.
4. This course is NOT for you if:
- You are not yet physically capable of playing a barre chord. This is the only entry requirement. If you've never played a barre chord before in your life, this is probably not for you. If you can play barre chords, but they don't sound perfect, that's okay! If you're having trouble learning barre chords, be sure to check out my ultimate guide to barre chords, which explains barre chord technique in detail and gives a couple of exercises to finally master barre chords!
- You prefer to play with a capo and don’t want to play barre chords.
In other words, if you can play a barre chord and want to learn how to play 90% of the most used chords, you might really enjoy this course!
You could spend over 100 dollars each month taking private lessons from a hungover rockstar and never learn any of this.
Instead, learn to read and play 96 chords in an afternoon for just 29 dollars.
FAQ
Which chords will I learn exactly?
You’ll learn 96 chords in total. All these chord types in all twelve keys:
- Major
- Minor
- Dominant
- Major Seventh
- Minor Seventh
- Half-diminished
- Diminished
- And of course the almighty power chord
What format is the course in?
The course consists of 31 animated videos. I made sure that you can keep track of where you are automatically, so you can jump in wherever you left off. There’s even a fancy percentage bar.
What if I don’t like the course?
Simple: if you decide Guitar Chord Bootcamp is not for you, you’ll get a full refund within 60 days. No matter the reason.
I'm a complete beginner, is this course for me?
It really isn't. You already need some experience playing barre chords, because you'll be playing a lot of them! If your barre chords don't sound perfect, that completely fine of course.
How long does it take to complete the course?
It seems 2,5 hours is pretty typical. Your mileage may vary of course. Some people like to play some songs multiple times, whereas others like to blast through.
What secrets will I learn in the course?
None. This isn’t some secret, magical way to learn chords or read chords and chord progressions. It’s just a really structured way to go about it, making the process faster and I hope more fun.
Do I need to be able to read music or know music theory?
Nope, you'll learn everything you need to know as you go along.
Can I take this course on my tablet or phone?
Definitely. I’ve designed the course to look good on desktop, tablet and mobile! You can login to the site on any device you own, so you can switch between devices and continue the course whenever and wherever suits you.
What if I have another question?
Feel free to email me at Just (at) Stringkick.com if you have any questions!