How do I get it to play actual chords?

[The Big Fish]

Just set to the rhythm track, and it keeps making me do crazy stuff like play F5 chords on 3 strings only and Bflat on the 8th fret. Is there any way to make it use chords that would actually be useful to practice?

[905]

I'm confused are you talking about a lesson. Chords 101 just does some chords. You get different chords with different chord lessons. You should also look into games like star chords and castle of the chord dead.

But if you are talking about lessons, there is no way to set what chords are in a lesson. So look into doing more chord lessons. And play the chord games.

[905]

PS Do you mean Bb on the 6th fret? If you are doing a 5 chord on the 6th string, the 8th fret would be a C. Or on the 5th string it would be an F. BTW all chords are useful, and you will find a lot of songs use the 3 string power chord with the root, fifth and octave.

[The Big Fish]

No, I'm playing songs, and it wants me to play a version of Bflat on the highest four strings at the 8th fret.

The castle game gives me chords A5, E5, F5 and G5 on only 2 or 3 strings for the first 3 levels, it's tedious and they're in no way useful to practice, plus it's really difficult to rapidly strum 2 or 3 strings as it seems to want you to do in that game.

[Pleazard]

You can set the section difficulty to 100% in riff repeater if thats what you want.

[Got2bjokin]

Originally posted by The Big Fish:

plus it's really difficult to rapidly strum 2 or 3 strings as it seems to want you to do in that game.

If you are struggling with 2 or 3 strings, how are you going to go with strumming 5 or 6 strings?
Everything in RS has a purpose, but you won't get any better if you don't practice the basics.

[905]

Originally posted by The Big Fish:

No, I'm playing songs, and it wants me to play a version of Bflat on the highest four strings at the 8th fret.

The castle game gives me chords A5, E5, F5 and G5 on only 2 or 3 strings for the first 3 levels, it's tedious and they're in no way useful to practice, plus it's really difficult to rapidly strum 2 or 3 strings as it seems to want you to do in that game.

Your postings confuse me. How much experience do you have with guitar? As another poster posted, if you are having trouble with 3 string 5 chords, how do you think you are ready for more strings? If you are already an expert with them then getting through castel chord dead levels or star chord levels should be easy.

Why do you think power chords (5 chords) are not real chords? They are used in many songs. Part of guitar skill is to be able to play only a coulple of strings at will. Just wait til you have to play a bunch of double stops. That is playing only 2 strings, often in the middle of the strings.

If you are mainly into chords, make sure you are playing the rythm path not lead. As someone said, you can go into riff reapeater select the entire song, max it to 100% and then get out of riff repeater and you will have the song with all its chords at 100%. But don't expect it to be just a bunch of full open chords. There may be a song or two like that, but certainly not all of them.

[rcole_sooner]

Originally posted by The Big Fish:

plus it's really difficult to rapidly strum 2 or 3 strings as it seems to want you to do in that game.

Yup. It is.

Playing guitar is not easy.

Strumming chords quickly is a basic skill you will need to master fairly soon while learning.

The games will not always use the same chords as songs, and not all songs will use the same chords or chords shapes. Gotta learn them all, and there are a lot (I am still learning new chord shapes after 30 years).

Practice, practice, practice.

[givemeanamedammit]

Originally posted by The Big Fish:

/snip
plus it's really difficult to rapidly strum 2 or 3 strings as it seems to want you to do in that game.

Actually, strumming 2 or 3 string power chords quickly is easy.

The key is to play the root on the pad of your index finger, not the tip. Then, use the rest of the finger to mute as many other strings as possible. It only takes light contact to do this, so the tip of the index finger can easily mute the loe E if required.

Then, fret the other notes using the tips of whichever fingers you need, and batter the hell out of all the strings. Seriously, go at them like Bob Ross cleaning a 2 inch brush. Only the fretted ones will sound, because your index finger will damp the ones you're not fretting.

[The Big Fish]

Originally posted by 905:

if you are having trouble with 3 string 5 chords, how do you think you are ready for more strings? If you are already an expert with them then getting through castel chord dead levels or star chord levels should be easy.

I've been playing for about two years, but I pretty much exclusively play open chords, as I'm a singer more than a guitar player. So I can play all the open major/minor chords, and barre chords as well. What I can't do is rapidly strum 3 strings with perfect precision, and it keeps freaking out when I touch another string.

[CostlySpider]

Originally posted by The Big Fish:

Originally posted by 905:

if you are having trouble with 3 string 5 chords, how do you think you are ready for more strings? If you are already an expert with them then getting through castel chord dead levels or star chord levels should be easy.

I've been playing for about two years, but I pretty much exclusively play open chords, as I'm a singer more than a guitar player. So I can play all the open major/minor chords, and barre chords as well. What I can't do is rapidly strum 3 strings with perfect precision, and it keeps freaking out when I touch another string.

You can bar the chord, but lift your index finger enough not on root string of course, but kind of arch your finger so you are muting the other strings, so they do not ring out if you do hit them.

[Kineticvoid]

Originally posted by al_ide:

and batter the hell out of all the strings. Seriously, go at them like Bob Ross cleaning a 2 inch brush.

Bob Ross, that's just too cool to say anything else

[Ken E Robinson]

Just keep playing what is offered. You will get to the better stuff soon enough.

[905]

Originally posted by The Big Fish:

I've been playing for about two years, but I pretty much exclusively play open chords, as I'm a singer more than a guitar player. So I can play all the open major/minor chords, and barre chords as well. What I can't do is rapidly strum 3 strings with perfect precision, and it keeps freaking out when I touch another string.

As the others are saying, you can mute the strings you don't want by not pressing down hard on the 3rd 2nd and 1st strings for a chord on the 6th string. For 5th string power chords, you can mute the 6th string by having the barre finger just touch the 6th string. I suspect you would benefit from Justing Guitar's beginners lessons on youtube. He also covers intermediate and advanced stuff as well. There are other good youtube guys like marty schwartz among others. With justin, I'd look at all his lessons. Some things you will already know, but some things will probably be new to you. I'd been messing with guitar for 30 years but found some of his beginner stuff interesting and informative.

And to be honest, I think for the most part, I don't mute the strings. I have gotten pretty good at just hitting the strings I want. But, that goes to anchor points. Most of the time, the heal/and or wrist of my right hand is anchored behind the bridge

BTW for hitting a chord fast, it doesn't care if it is an up or down strum so up and down is your fastest strum.