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Guitar Chords
Guitar Chords
Open Chords... When you first start playing guitar, the easiest chords to play are the ones requiring the least amount of fingers, and in the least awkward positions. This usually means that one or more open strings are involved, meaning that you play that string but you don't need to place a finger on it. Open chords are the foundation for the rest of guitar. They are one of the first things any guitarist should learn WHEN LEARNING GUITAR CHORDS. The first thing to know is this: they aren't easy. They will take a lot of time and practice to be able to play well and change between them quickly. These are my comments and experiences with open guitar chords.
Major chords are perhaps the most common type of chord found in Western music, and are traditionally the first chords that a beginning guitarist learns. To help remember the most common major chords is the the word CAGED. This stands for the guitar chords. Each of these chords has its own special fingering which we will go over in this lesson, and gradually these shapes will become second nature to you (trust me on this). When someone said that rock and roll is basically "three chords and an attitude", the three chords they were talking about are some subset of the chords you will learn in this lesson. If you can play these guitar chords comfortably, you can play some blues, Beatles, Nirvana, and a lot of other cool music.
Guitar Chords
The C Major Chord Let's start with the C Major chord, which is also referred to as just a 'C chord'. For now, it probably isn't particularly important to know why it's called a C Major or what it means to be 'Major'. In practice, the main thing is to know how to play it and what it's called, so that when you jam with your friend and they say 'play a C chord', you know what to do. The fingering for a C chord is shown below For now, I don't want you to worry about strumming or rhythm. I just want you to concentrate on each chord, how it sounds, and how it feels under your fingers. Also, keep in mind that becoming comfortable with these fingerings and switching back and forth between them is one of the hardest tasks you'll ever endure and is usually the difference between those who have fun playing their guitar, and those that keep it in the case under their bed. So what does this mean? This is a typical guitard chord chart. Each string can have one of three options:
X - which means don't play that string O - which means play that string open Note Marker - This shows you where to put your finger on the string and the number inside the marker tells you which one to use. Thus, the chart for the C chord above tells us the following: 1st String - Play it open 2nd String - Put your index finger on the 1st fret 3rd String - Play it open 4th String - Put your middle finger on the 2nd fret 5th String - Put your ring finger on the 3rd fret 6th String - Don't play it So try it out. Put your fingers in place and strum it. It's OK if some notes don't ring. That's natural. In time, all the notes will ring loud and true. The important thing is that you just played a C chord!. One of the reasons why the C chord is a good first chord is that it lays out on the fretboard in a very natural way for your hand. You'll find this not to be the case for some of the other CAGED chords that we'll learn in this lesson.
Learn How To Play Guitar Chords Introduction To Chords And The CAGED Fretboard System
Chords are 3 or more notes played at the same time. There are all types of chords, but all will fall under two categories: major and minor chords. On the guitar there are only 5 basic major chord patterns. These primary chord patterns found on the guitar are C, A, G, E, and D. Together they spell the word CAGED which should help you remember them. All other chords that you will learn in the future come from the C, A, G, E, and D chord patterns.... Guitar Chords & Chord Progressions
Things to remember: Chord Construction - A chord is simply 3 notes played at the same time. Guitar Chords are one of the first things any guitarist should learn. The first thing to know is this: they aren't easy. No pain... no gain.
Learn open chords first. Learn How to Read Guitar Tablature... Don't wait, get familiar with Tab... reading tab is much easier than reading sheet music. If your not looking for a job as a studio musician or concert musician, Guitar Tablature is the way to go.
"Lastly, Take your time and have fun. Do some stretching, Hands too... Find a comfortable chair or stool. Sit up straight, take a few deep breaths and delve into your craft."
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Updated: 3/3/07 |