As a beginner guitarist, E chords will likely be one of the first chords you encounter. Take time to learn them well and use them in your songs; also consider getting a Jazz Fake book and learning some music theory along the way!
Each fret on the guitar represents half-tones; thus there are two whole tones between C and E and one and a half tones between E and G.
Major
E major chords are one of the first open shapes most guitarists learn. Though quite weighty and cumbersome to play quickly across the fretboard, E major chords provide an excellent starting point for learning how to shape chords properly.
Play an E major chord in baritone form by barring across all six strings with your first finger, then adding your second and third fingers on G string, fret 13 and A string fret 14. This creates a four-string chord which sounds fantastic with distortion – perfect for blues playing.
Remove the fifth finger from your hand to create a minor version of this shape and add jazziness to your music with this approach. Moreover, this method can help build out a set of guitar chords in the key of E major.
Minor
Minor scales feature flattened intervals relative to major scales and specific chord shapes that are easy to learn on guitar. An E minor chord, for instance, comprises an open E shape and barred E shape and is therefore an accessible chord for beginning guitarists – especially if muted using third finger underside as with G string mutes to produce an impressive power chord which sounds fantastic through distortion on electric guitar.
If you know the first shape of E minor chord, adding an open E string for more distortion creates an effective blues and metal sound. This chord has a slight sadness without becoming depressing; like when wounded soldiers refuse to give in and give in.
Sus4
Sus4 chords are more widespread than sus2 chords, resembling regular dominant 7 chords except with one or both notes replaced by either 4th or 2nd to create tension that seeks resolution in its final chord of progression. This creates tension that wants to go back down towards home which can produce pleasing effects when applied correctly in chord progressions.
These chords are commonly employed in jazz because of their open sound; The Police’s song Message in a Bottle provides a great example, featuring multiple suspended chords arpeggiated in a pattern.
Fingering for this chord differs significantly from other major chords. To form it, a full barre with your pinky on fret 2 requires more practice to learn successfully; however, its many uses make up for its difficulty of implementation – just make sure that you put in plenty of practice time!
A-shape barre
The A-shape barre chord shape can be easily moved up and down the fretboard. It follows the same fingering as an open E major chord but adds your first finger as a barre over all strings; once placed you can name this chord based on where your 1st finger lands (similarly named an E major chord).
With this shape, it is necessary to push and pull both index and middle fingers simultaneously. This requires practice so as to ensure your non-barre fingers play notes at an angled point away from interfering with the index finger as you play.
At the time of a chord change, make sure that your fingers do not travel too high up the neck – this could result in excess pressure being placed upon your index finger, leading to bad sounding chords.