George Harrison was known as the “quiet Beatle”, and this spirituality came through on his debut solo single. It became a #1 hit and even led to a high-profile copyright infringement case against Ronnie Mack’s 1963 hit He’s So Fine.
Diminished chords may not always be easy to play, but their tension-inducing quality adds something special and memorable to music that no other chord type can.
F#m
F#m is one of the most frequently encountered minor chords, made up of F#, A (flattened by one fifth) and C# to produce a melancholy sound.
This chord can be played easily if you know how to barre your fingers across the second fret, and can serve as an entryway into full barre chords.
To add an extra challenge, move your index finger up one string and play a full F#m barre chord. Though barring over multiple strings may take time and practice to become comfortable, doing it regularly will build your finger strength – so put this variation through its paces! Practice often!
B
B is an exciting chord to learn. Its bright sound suits rock songs well. Though sometimes considered “flat”, this chord actually lies not too far off from G when considering musical scale.
Barre chords may prove challenging for beginners or guitarists with smaller hands, but understanding that their chord shapes look similar will make barre chord fingering much simpler.
There are four variations of a B chord to use when playing guitar. For the first variation, use all strings as barres with your index finger as the barrer.
G
The G chord is one of the foundational shapes in guitar. Though initially it can seem daunting, once it becomes second nature it opens up many musical possibilities.
Approach this chord by breaking it down into its individual parts; this will enable you to conquer it step-by-step.
An easy way to play this is with a capo on the fourth fret; this makes switching from G chords to C and D chords much simpler as your ring finger won’t have to traverse all six strings as much.
C
My Sweet Lord, recorded and released by George Harrison in 1970, became an international smash hit and later the subject of a copyright lawsuit alleging its similarity to Ronnie Mack’s 1963 single, “He’s So Fine”. Harrison won this legal dispute without admitting any intentional plagiarism of Ronnie Mack’s song; its chords for My Sweet Lord can easily be played acoustically – simply move your capo up two frets to enter C and practice them one at a time until eventually playing them all as one big rhythmic whole! With practice this song will soon have you playing along this classic masterpiece!
D
D is one of the most frequently-used chords on any guitar, often used in rock songs for its upbeat, feel-good vibe. Easy to finger and sounding great when strumming, D chord is one of the go-to choices when strumming your instrument.
Make this chord even simpler by muting the lower strings – this will prevent clashing notes from occurring and make for smoother music performance.
To play this chord you will need your 1st finger to barricade the 2nd frets on strings 1, 2, and 3. Your ring finger should then play D at its 7th fret on string 4. Meanwhile your pinky should hit D sus2 at 5th fret of string 5. Additionally you will require middle finger at 10th fret of string 6 hitting G note.
E
George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord is an iconic example of the accessible yet distinctive rhythms found throughout many Beatles songs. Although its strumming pattern may initially prove challenging, especially the up-down motion across two measures, practice until it feels natural. Additionally, using its chord progression you can quickly change keys by shifting your capo two frets up the neck; practice E and F#o7 chords individually before coming together until all are comfortable before continuing learning this great song! Enjoy discovering its great melody!