learntoplayguitar.eu

To start playing songs on your guitar you’ll want to first learn some of the easy guitar chords available to you. Later on you’ll have a chance to add to your repertoire but for now we’re going to stick with the 4 simplest chords available to you.

The holy grail for the beginner guitarist is being able to get their fingers to go to the right place, apply the right amount of pressure and not accidentally touch adjacent strings. No easy task. On top of that learning how to change from one chord to another and in time with the music is usually enough to send guitars flying. Follow these instructions carefully and you will bypass these obstacles.

We are going to cover the E Major, G Major, C Major and D Major guitar chords, I’m also going to teach you a simple song using just 3 of these chords and give you a practice routine so that you can master your finger positions and changing between the chords. Let’s get started.

The E Major Open Chord

The open chord E Major uses all of the strings on your guitar, strum from the top down to the bottom E strings. Place your 1st finger at the 1st fret on the G String, your 2nd finger at the 2nd fret on the A String and your 3rd finger at the 2nd fret on the D String. The Root Note is E which is played as the Open Low E String.

Open Chord: G Major

The GMaj Open Chord uses the notes G, B and D. The Low E String is fretted by your 2nd finger at the 3rd fret to give you the G Root Note, the A String is fretted by your 1st finger at the 2nd fret to give you the B note, the D, G and B Strings are played open, and finally the High E String is fretted by your 3rd finger at the 3rd fret for another G note.

Open Chord: C Major

For this one we only strum from the 5th string down. Place your 1st finger on the 5th string from the top 1st fret, your 2nd finger 3rd string from the top 2nd fret and your 3rd finger 2nd string from the top 3rd fret.

The D Major Open Chord

The open chord D Major uses just the bottom four strings on your guitar, strum from the Open D String down. Place your 1st finger at the 2nd fret on the G String, your 2nd finger at the 2nd fret on the High E String and your 3rd finger at the 3rd fret on the B String. The Root Note is D which is played as the Open D String.

Now let’s learn a simple chord progression that you can play as an endless loop for good practice. We’ll be using the I-V-IV turn around progression as seen in Knocking on Heavens Door by Guns N Roses. Start with the GMaj for a count of two beats, move to the DMaj for a count of 2 beats, then the CMaj for a count of 4 beats and finally resolve back to the GMaj and start again.

Let me show you a simple practice routine you can add to your practice sessions to improve muscle memory and changing between chords. Use just the 4 chords outlined above, randomize their order for each session, and play each chord in sequence for a count of 4 beats before moving to the next chord. To start with these changes may take you minutes to complete, but before long (usually 2-4 weeks) you’ll be able to move seamlessly from one chord to another.

Each day change the order of the chords, so if you chose E – G – D – C today, tomorrow you might choose D – C – E – G. The trick is to keep going over this loop until you can change to the next chord without skipping a beat, or without stopping your foot from tapping.

Practicing just these four chords may not seem like a lot but you’re building on foundational strength you will use for the rest of your guitar playing life. You will improve your muscle memory, finger flexibility and overall speed. After 2-4 weeks you will wonder how you ever struggled in the first place.

Adam Summers is out to bust the myth that you need money to learn how to play guitar. What you really need is sound advice and sacred practice time. Check out some more quality articles on guitar chords for beginners at InstantGuitarist.com.