When practicing chords, aim to use your fingertips as much as possible – this will prevent finger pain when playing and allow your fingers to move between chords quickly.
When transitioning between chords, remember to move your dominant fingers first – this will help train all other fingers to follow suit and learn to keep up.
1. C Major
C major is one of the essential beginner guitar chords and will feature in many songs across all genres. Finger dexterity will become essential when playing this chord so your fingers can easily touch its frets when performing this chord.
Your index finger will play the first fret, while your middle and ring fingers each play two frets for an unbroken chord sound. As you get better at this chord you may also mute its low E string using your ring finger for added body.
Use this song to strengthen your C Major chord and develop finger dexterity for barre chords. Perfect for beginners looking to improve their C Major chord knowledge. Strum away to add Jamaican flair if desired with open chords being strung with pinky fingers for more of an authentic Jamaican rhythm!
2. G Major
G major is an extremely versatile chord that can be utilized in a wide variety of songs. Beginners are likely to encounter it early on, especially if using a capo on their first fret.
Use of a capo can make chords much simpler for novice players, enabling them to learn open and power chords more naturally and play them more fluidly.
G chords can be challenging for novice players as they require you to extend your fingers across the width of the neck. To ease this difficulty, experts suggest bending only your fingertips so that only their tips touch strings; this prevents other strings being blocked by meaty parts of your finger that would otherwise block or deaden their sound.
3. E Major
G, C and D chords can be found in numerous songs; therefore it would be prudent to learn them first. But don’t stop there: consider expanding your horizons by also learning an E Major song!
One of the best songs for beginners to learn is Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd, using only three chords – D, C and G!
What’s Up by 4 Non Blondes is another classic acoustic tune, only needing two chords of G and C to play. What’s more, this song offers an excellent opportunity for beginners and advanced alike alike to practice some power chords (E7, A7 and D7) as well as sus chords which make embellishing open chords easy – perfect for beginning musicians! Adding sus chords can help improvise in rhythm with other pieces as well.
4. F Major
Beginner guitarists may find the F Major chord one of the more challenging chords to learn, especially after mastering the three basic ones. Once it appears on your fret board, fret buzz and sore fingertips become inevitable.
But we have provided an easier method of playing this chord. Instead of employing fingers two, three and four to form a full barre, we have chosen an alternative approach with super mini bars instead that works equally as effectively without risking finger cramping.
Note that this voicing employs the E string, so be wary of accidentally hitting it accidentally and giving your chord a distinct summer-inspired flavor – this may not work in all instances so keep this in mind as your skills develop further.
5. A Minor
A Minor chords are among the easiest for beginning musicians to learn as their sorrowful sound lends itself perfectly to ballads or slow songs. Consisting of three notes, they can be played by strumming all strings except the low E string which should remain muted.
To play songs with this chord, it is best to practice fretting and unfretting it. To do this, place your finger on a fret before hovering it over individual notes that separate their individual bars; this will help your fingers become familiar with changing frets.
Some excellent songs to use this chord include Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising,” Tom Petty’s “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” Oasis’s “Wonderwall,” as well as The Lumineers “Ho Hey”. All of these are great for beginners looking to practice switching chords and strumming patterns.