Show your special someone how much you care with this heartfelt love song. It features just three chords that are easy to play on guitar with just a down strum on every beat.
On chord diagrams, certain strings with an X indicate they should be muted. A thick black line or arc over multiple strings represents bars.
1. C Major
C major is an excellent chord to start out with and is one of the first open chords most beginner guitarists learn. Additionally, it serves as the basis for many other chords and riffs on guitar – try palm muting this chord for added percussive effects when playing it!
This chord provides the perfect opportunity to practice barre-chord skills. Barre chords require you to press down simultaneously on multiple strings with your fingertips – but be wary not to apply too much force; cleanly ringing strings should be your goal!
C major contains no sharps or flats, making it an excellent way to begin improvising and working on finger placement. Over time, your hand placement will become muscle memory.
2. G Major
This open G major shape is one of the first beginner chords most guitarists learn, making an easy starting point for advanced players as well. Just be sure that your fingers remain curled so as not to mutes any strings!
This variation of the G major chord adds an octave above its root note for thicker and fuller sound than before. This chord makes an excellent way to add variety to guitar music and requires slightly more finger stretching for beginners but should still remain manageable. Furthermore, G key is associated with soft emotions making it a popular choice in songs.
3. Am Major
Beginner guitarists frequently start off learning how to play an A minor chord as it’s relatively straightforward and accessible. Consisting of notes A, C and E with its thickest string muted (Low E).
The A minor chord has an emotive tone that works particularly well in slow songs or emotive pieces of music, like Clapton’s White Room or Bon Iver’s Skinny Love.
To play this chord, start by positioning your index finger on the B String’s first fret and your middle finger on D String second fret, with your ring finger stretching over to A String third fret on both strings; strum all strings except thickest one and hold both at once for 3 beats before continuing on the next measure.
4. F Major
F chord is notoriously difficult for beginners, yet doesn’t need to be! There are multiple shapes you can use with this chord and all will work as long as the proper technique is employed.
Most often people start off playing a full barre chord which often results in buzzing notes and doesn’t sound very full and rich. Instead, beginners would do well to start out by starting off with smaller versions of this chord, as this makes the transition into C Major more efficient and faster too.
5. D Major
D major is an ideal key for songwriters, offering an impressive variety of chords due to its open string. One such chord, D major seventh, can help highlight melodies before another chord cuts them off; furthermore, this chord also serves as an exercise to develop finger dexterity as its close spacing requires dexterous fingerwork to play cleanly.
The Dmaj7 chord combines the second and fifth degrees of the D major scale, creating some striking jazz progressions. You can add suspension to this chord to form G minor; this chord often tends to transition back towards its original D major version; hence, it is worthwhile mastering how to barre all six strings and play cleanly.