This lesson from Ayla Tesler-Mabe covers eight essential chords for beginner guitar players. Learn to quickly and smoothly play them!
Music is all about patterns. This simple chord progression can be played in any major key.
Focusing on the third flattened note can transform this chord into a minor scale, creating darker and heavier tones for your chord.
1. Cm7
As your ukulele journey advances, you may encounter more challenging songs and chords – this includes bar chords which may intimidate beginners but once learned can open up an entirely new musical universe!
Cm7 chords offer expressive softness that can convey longing, sadness or solemnity; alternatively they can also provide crisp sounds in upbeat funk songs when used properly with other chords.
To play a Cm7 chord, place your index finger across all six strings (a barre) while your middle and ring fingers rest on the second and fourth strings respectively. Strum all six strings at once until a chord forms.
2. Dm7
D minor seventh chords add a dramatic and jazzy tone to songs, and can be found in cheer pop confections, lowdown funk tracks and bluesy grooves alike.
Dm7 features an ideal fifth interval between its notes, emphasizing its minor tonality. As such, this chord adds an extra spark to a progression, making it popularly used by artists like the Supremes (Baby Love).
Dm7 chords sound similar to regular Dm guitar chords but sound bigger, making them great additions in genres such as jazz, funk and soul that feature large chords.
3. Gm7
Gm7 chord, also referred to as G Minor Seventh Chord or Gmin7 for short, adds musicality and depth to songs across many styles including jazz and R&B music.
For this guitar chord, bar your index finger across all strings at the 3rd fret before using your ring finger to barricade the fifth fret of D string with your ring finger. This form resembles Gm chord without pinky finger thus sometimes called Em7 barre shape.
4. Am7
The Am7 chord is a minor seventh chord that adds extra tension and dimension to your song than an A minor triad. Additionally, this chord serves as the basis of many familiar funk riffs.
To play an Am7 chord, begin by positioning your index finger at the first fret of the 2nd string. Next, place your middle finger at the third fret of the fourth string and your ring finger on the fifth fret of the high E string.
These three notes make up an Am7 barre chord, one of the key shapes you should practice as a beginning or intermediate guitarist. Be sure to practice this chord until it becomes second nature before progressing further.
5. Dbmaj7
Dbmaj7 chord, commonly written Dbmaj7/F or Dbmaj7/Ab or even just Dbmaj7/C, consists of four notes which form an ascending bass major seventh chord with a Db, F#m7, Ab and C scale root note sequence.
This chord serves as an effective example of using major 7th chords as a progressional tool, moving from Cm7, a minor tonic chord, up through Dbmaj7 (a secondary dominant chord), before returning back down again to Cm7 – playing Ab Mixolydian scale would work particularly well here; Ionian could also work well.
6. F#7
F7 chord is a dominant seventh chord with an added flattened seventh note (Eb). This gives it its distinctive sound and feel which works particularly well in blues music.
Mastering the F7 chord can add depth and variety to your jazz progressions, songs, and improvisations. Modal interchange is a technique often utilized by jazz artists when adding new chords or scales into their compositions and improvisations.
To play an F7 chord, bar your index finger across all six strings while your middle and ring fingers press against the first fret, with your index finger being held down on all six by holding down its first fret. Strum only the thinnest four strings.
7. E9sus4
Sus chords offer a neutral sound that can easily replace either major or minor chords in progressions, offering some variety. Try replacing some major or minor chords in your progressions with suspended chords to add variety!
Note: I omitted the third from E9sus4 in this chord diagram because a major tom chord already contains its 1st, flattened third and 5th intervals of the scale; adding another third would create a major 11th chord that wouldn’t fit well with tonic harmony.
Below you’ll find open position and moveable shapes for E9sus4. JGuitar can generate chord diagrams using any chord symbol.