Here is a Chords finder for Beginners !!

[Daniele Gilioli]

I'm a beginner for PSG but I'm reading/writing/playing music in a bluegrass band since 30 years. I'm practising with W. Winston book and others. They are amazing. However I would like in the meantime to back-up some songs I'm Playing with my band, like Mansion on the Hill and others. The main problem I have as beginners is to follow the singer IN TIME with chords an some licks during the melody. At the same time I need NOT to loose myself in somewere chord positions... so that like I did for the other instruments I play (like Banjo and Mandolin) I'm following the phentagram with chords doing my solo when is needed, and for this purpose I developped an Excel file. As you can see from attached pdf, if I write the song chord ( 1,2,3, or 4 chords for each measure)in a blue cell I see automatically in the yellow area the respective possible chord positions. After that I can print it out and fill manually some PSG tab lines I need to remember like intros, fills, ending etc...
at least until I've memorized all.
For sure this is a stupid tool and there are much more PRO tools somewere, however it is very easy to use and give me the complete A4 printed sheet to follow on the stage. It is working progress the version 1.0
If some beginners need the Excel file please send me PM with mail address so I can sent it free when finisched. You just need to know a little bit about Excel worksheet (like Cells, rows and printing set-up). However I can tell from my musician experience that instruments need practice..practice...practice...not easy instruments are on the scene if you intend to play them properly. I hope to give some help. I would like to thanks Patricia Warnock because I've used in the program the information included in the E9th Chord chart she kindly sent to me.
My Copedent is he E9th standard. You can name the LkL & LkR as you like digiting them in the blue upper cells and you will see them in yellow Area. At the moment major, minor and 7th Chords are available (96 position in total)

[Mickey Shane]

PM sent. This looks very helpful to me.

Signed,
The new guy: Mickey

[Arne Odegard]

Thank you Daniele for the chord finder file.
This thing is great for us beginners. I have a problem remembering how/where to play minor and 7 chords. I think this will help me alot.
Id like to know where and how to play minor7 chords. Will you be adding those in the future?

Best regards
Arne

[Daniele Gilioli]

Hi Arne Yes. I've asked for some forum member's help to find them written on a chart in order to add quickly in the next file version 1.1 . At the same time I'm collecting improvements to add too.

I'll Keep you informed. I think it's a matter of few weeks.
Ciao

[Bill Mayville]

Hi Dan

I think it is very nice of you trying to help
some of the newer fellows.

I can't understand why you would call an E raise an
F lever, and then trying to change what is normally called a D lever ,a E.
Who not call the F lever an,E raise??
Havn't you ever read from most of the good teachers ,what the levers are called?

Some of the new fellows who contact me,have a hard enough time,because of some of the confusion,brought on by good players like you.
But.If your good they will come.
Bill

[Daniele Gilioli]

Hi Bill,
Thanks for yr feed back. If I understand well your issue is related to the name I gave to LKL & LKR levers in the example.

As I stated on my post I'm really beginner with PSG, so that I made the excelfile to avoid loosing myself between the frets padding the singer of my BLUEGRASS/Country band. AS a beginner, I've ordered some instructional books and I see that different names are given at the same levers...so that I program the file to be fully flexible.
As you can see by the attached sample you can assign in the upper BLUE cell the name you like for yr levers, and than, the same name is shown automatically in yellow part. That's it. I'm thinking at least now to use L</L> as names because they indicate to me better the action to do, but everybody can name them as they need/like and enjoy this amazing instrument. I'm not able to teach anybody and I don't pretend to be taken as example by PSG beginners. Just give my beginner 2cents.

[Bill Mayville]

Hi Dan
Please believe me when I say,I do not want to have an argument about this any name way of learning.
If you are a beginner like you say.maybe you need a little help;
I sent a Cd to the UK,yesterday.It was left over from a passing chord Cd I made.
But on it it says,when to use a D lever.But.I also mention that the D lever is the one that Lowers the E,to a D# on strings 4 and 8.You can see why most teachers(I'm not one of them) say D lever.Because It doesn't go to E,cause it's already there.
Finished .would you like a little help getting started? No Charge.Takes a week to get there.I put nothing complicated on the short CD.It started by me saying,there are passing chords beyond the three,for the song Your cheatin heart.It doesn't mean the song came out with more than three chords.
Just E mail your address at home ,and I'll send it off.
Steel players are a nice bunch Of guys.It only costs me $2.56 to send a cD to the UK.Some of our teachers
here are phenomenal.
But as a beginner,I sure would mention Jeff Newman for a newbie.Nothing confusing,to say the least.

Anyway,it's up to you,if your interested,for the CD.
I wish you well,antway.

Bill

[Arne Odegard]

I always think of my LKL and LKR as my F and E levers. It took me a while to get use to. And I think I've seen this in many of the online tutorials on YouTube.
I can't remember ever seeing the LKR being called a D lever.
I've heard it called E lever because it lowers your E's. therefor the F lever most likely does something to your F's?
I haven't got to the point where I use the other levers very much so I can't remember what they're called. .

[Mickey Shane]

Thank you Daniele. This is very helpful.

The chart I received today shows each of the Maj, Min, and 7th chord positions in 4 columns. Very easy to read and understand. I look forward to any further versions of this file program.

Mick