Guitar chords are the cornerstone of music and a great place to begin learning the instrument, yet to achieve a more complete skill set it’s also wise to learn riffs and melodies as well.
Triad chords consist of three notes – the root, third and fifth notes. You may have encountered them many times throughout music videos or songs.
Open E Major
Open E tuning is one of the more widely utilized alternate guitar chords. As its name implies, its open strings are tuned to those of an E major chord; low E and high E strings remain at their initial pitches while A gets tuned up one full tone to B and D up one semitone to G.
Chord patterns for major chords in this tuning are very similar to standard tuning, making them easy to learn even for novice guitarists just starting their journey.
Open E tuning is another ideal choice for blues and slide guitar players, as it enables you to raise the action height so that you can comfortably play slide chords – one such example being Duane Allman’s work on “Statesboro Blues”.
Open F Major
F Major is one of those chords that often makes players break out into a cold sweat upon seeing it on a chord chart, as its barred string crossing necessitates barring across both E and A strings, potentially leading to sore fingers and sore wrists.
There is an easier way to play this chord without needing to bar its thicker strings, however. To do so, ensure that your second and third fingers are curled over each string so they only touch it without resting against or resting against its strings below.
Make sure that none of the open strings are strumming as this will cause them to sound less full in your chord. Referring to chord diagrams will ensure that only desired strings are being fretted or strung.
Open C Major 7
This chord can be challenging, requiring practice before becoming comfortable under your fingers. Begin with its basic form (using two fingers) before adding pinky finger.
Once you know this shape, experiment by switching out some chords in songs you love! Remember to play around until finding what sounds best!
Note: If any of these chords prove too challenging for you to play, barre chords with similar fingering patterns (ie: index | middle | ring | pinky) could take your chord playing to another level altogether. This could open up new opportunities in chord playing!
If you’re ready to advance beyond these beginner-friendly open chords, our Guitar Chord Bootcamp may be just what you need! Learn 24 easy-to-play open chord shapes along with special exercises designed to improve technique and advance skills further. Click here for more info!
Open A Minor
Open chords are ideal for beginning guitarists as they don’t rely on barre (barre) chords and only require one finger per fret to play them. Furthermore, their open strings feature allows more freedom of vibratation for fuller sound production and create an expansive tone.
The Open A minor chord features four open strings and is one of the fullest and richest chords you can play. As it’s a moveable shape, this chord can be performed anywhere within a minor scale’s arc.
As you are learning chords, pay special attention to the black circles indicating where each finger should be placed – these circles are numbered so you know which finger to use, from 1 (index finger) through 4 (pinky). Also keep an eye out for any ‘O’s and ‘X’s above strings; an O indicates playing open, without pressing down with fingers; while an X indicates not playing that string at all.
One of the best strategies for beginner pianists is focusing on chords that are accessible. These five chords are ideal for this purpose.
Vertical lines symbolize strings while horizontal ones indicate frets. A string should be muted when marked with an “X”, while “Os” represent open strings.
Get into the habit of placing your fingers in exactly the same position on each chord – this will assist with changing chords later on.
E Major
E major is one of the first chords new guitarists learn. Comprised of E, G# and B notes, it can be played in various positions across the fretboard; each position offers unique voicing and finger placement considerations.
An E major chord can be created using index finger on string 4, fret 2. A barre E major chord requires all six strings.
G Major
G Major chord is one of the most frequently used in songs, as an open chord. This allows musicians to experiment with playing it in many shapes on their fretboard.
Beginners may find this chord challenging as they must stretch their fingers across the whole width of their neck in order to hold down strings one and six simultaneously – although this can be avoided if fingers are bent flexibly.
C Major
C major is an ideal chord for newcomers to start with when learning how to play guitar, since it requires only one finger shift from string 2 to string 5. If your left-hand thumb muting string 4, lowering it slightly to give other fingers more leverage may help prevent buzzing noises when you play this chord.
C major is known as a diatonic scale because it creates its chords using only its notes (diatonic harmony). This provides for greater chord progression possibilities as you advance in your playing ability.
D Major
D Major is an accessible chord for beginning musicians to learn, yet can present challenges when trying to play cleanly. Be sure to mute low E and A strings when strumming this chord to avoid having their sounds echo back when strumming it.
Check out this guitar chord diagram to understand where your fingers should be positioned on the fretboard, along with their names for D major: tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant and leading note/tone.
A Major
These are the first chords I recommend that beginners learn. These triads consist of three notes: the root note forms the foundation; major third adds either happy or sad notes; while perfect fifth provides stability.
Chord charts contain black dots numbered 1 through 4, each corresponding to which finger should place it on that fret.
There are many songs which incorporate these chords, including Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Bad Moon Rising.
B Major
B Major is an arresting chord found in many songs. Its distinctive sound signifies strong emotions like anger, rage and jealousy.
Playing this chord requires greater finger strength. If your fingertips are sore, try learning one of the simpler stepping stone versions – these have all of the same chord shapes but leave out fretting on one or more high E or A strings so as not to add too much strain to playing this chord.
C Minor
C minor chord is an excellent choice to add depth and emotion to your music, due to its mellow sound. While you might not hear it often in popular songs due to not belonging to any of the five most common key signatures, C minor remains an invaluable addition.
Popular artists employ this chord to convey softness, serenity and passion in their performances. Playing it correctly doesn’t take much practice – just ensure your finger placement is correct!
D Minor
D Minor is one of the easiest guitar chords for beginning players to pick up, providing a richly melodic tone to many musicians’ music and adding an underlying sense of sadness to their songs.
This basic form involves placing your thumb over the fingerboard to press down on the E string. Alternatively, try hammering fingers two, three and four onto the fifth fret of A string to form a barre chord.
E Minor
E minor is an excellent key for creating an air of melancholy and introspection, making it suitable for many kinds of songs including ballads and slow-paced compositions.
Practice playing simple chord progressions in the key of E minor. Experiment with different strumming patterns and phrasing techniques to add texture and emotion to your music, and switch back and forth between using an E minor chord and other chords frequently used, maintaining a steady rhythm without pauses or hesitations.