Songwriters use chords from all major scales, mixing and matching shapes to form memorable progressions.
An elementary major chord consists of the 1st note in your scale plus its 3rd and 5th notes.
Major and Minor Chords
Chords form the backbone of any song, providing harmonic support for melody. Chord progressions may be simple or intricate depending on the style of music being performed.
Songwriters use these differences to evoke specific emotions and moods in listeners.
To create a minor chord, add a flattened 3rd to its root note, often by moving it either up by half-step (H) or down by whole step (W). This forms the relative minor scale triad and its sound is much darker than its major equivalent.
D Major Chord
Beginners often start off their chord knowledge by learning this major chord consisting of D, F# and A notes.
This open D chord requires the index finger, middle finger and ring finger of all three hands to fret three strings with three fretted finger positions simultaneously while leaving one string open – this technique is known as barre chording and can help beginners learn crucial chord shapes early on.
An alternative variation to practicing with full D chord is Dsus2, a simpler version which removes fretting of top string and requires only two fingers to play. This key shape provides great practice opportunities if you still need help developing it further, without quite reaching full maturity yet.
G Major Chord
G chord is an ideal starting point if you want to diversify your guitar sound and change its appearance. Switching up chords is key in moving beyond simply owning a guitar to playing it actively.
To create a G major chord, fret the third, fifth and first strings with your second, fourth and pinkie fingers respectively. If your fingers are having difficulty keeping pace, try tilting the neck so your fingers have more room to maneuver.
Add notes to a basic triad structure in order to form new chord types, known as Chord Flavors, that make music sound more captivating.
C Major Chord
This chord can be played using several open and closed voicings. If you’re unsure which fingering style to employ, try exploring some different possibilities – having options will reduce neck movement while helping prevent sore fingers!
To play an open C major chord, put your second finger on string 4, fret 4 (Example 3a). By doing so, you’ll mute the low E string; practice this fingering technique until it feels comfortable to you strum without buzzing (see Example 3c). This version of the C chord is often featured in song progressions using G chords, including classic pop tunes such as Daydream Believer by The Monkees.
E Major Chord
E major chord is one of the primary foundational elements most guitarists learn as early as grade one. It can be found in an incredible range of songs across genres and can add both energy to adrenaline-fuelled bangers or serenade melancholy love songs.
As with other major triads, E is followed by its third and fifth notes to complete a major triad. These intervals determine its name and quality as a chord.
Example 1 shows an open E shape in standard tuning; Example 2 illustrates its compact equivalent using only four strings (Example 4a and 4b). If desired, an E shape can also be barred on the 12th fret for thicker sound production.
A Minor Chord
As one of your first chords to learn is A minor, you will quickly recognize its versatility and usefulness across a range of genres of music. It can even be found within pop song lyricism!
Make any Major chord into a Minor one quickly by simply shifting its third note down by one semitone; so if you’re playing C Major, just shift E down by one semitone to create A Minor.
Beginners may find this version of A minor easier to play because it omits string 4. Simply strum strings 1, 2, and 3, but remember not to touch or strum the sixth string!