Guitar Hands - Making Sense

you've probably seen these three chord shapes hundreds of times without even realizing it. G C and D have a familiar look. We don't have to study every finger and fret to recognize them. A quick glance is often enough.

That's because we're not trying to become guitar players. We're simply learning to recognize landmarks. G stretches comfortably across the fretboard. C has a stretched-out look. D gathers itself along the treble edge. Before long, those general impressions become easier to recognize than the individual fingers creating them.

The number of possibilities is surprisingly small. Once we become familiar with the usual members of a chord family, we're no longer distracted by all the others. Instead, we learn to recognize the likely suspects with growing confidence and let our eyes quietly help our ears.