Few songs have become as iconic as Nothing Compares 2 U, written by Prince and made popular by Sinead O’Connor’s version in the early ’90s.
Beginners to guitar may feel intimidated by all of the chords they need to learn, yet knowing your chords will enable you to quickly play different songs.
Triads
Triads provide an ideal starting point for learning chord theory. Once you understand their shape and forms, other types of chords become much simpler to explore. Knowing triads will also give you a strong basis on which to build when improvising or comping with other musicians.
Triad chords are easily learned on the guitar and make for quick progress when starting out. Consisting of three notes – root note, major 3rd and perfect 5th – they serve as basic building blocks of all chords.
An effective way to practice triads is to practice on different string sets and then observe how they relate on the fretboard – this will give you insight into how chords form and their source.
Sevenths
Seventh chords may not be commonplace in rock, blues and R&B music, but they can add depth and emotion to songs. These chords can be created by stacking three triads above a common root and adding one seventh above it – giving your melody depth and texture.
The dominant seventh chord is one of the most popular types of seventh chords, constructed using V chord of major scale and found across different musical genres and styles.
Minor ninth chords are another popular type of seventh chord, consisting of an added minor third above its root note. Sometimes known as m7(b5) chords, these tension-inducing notes can create drama.
Extended chords
Extended chords contain more than three notes, making them harder to finger and remember, but offering greater harmonic possibilities.
Start with a basic chord triad and add additional notes until they get the sound they are going for – for instance, an ascending major seventh chord can become an ascending major ninth chord by including its eleventh scale degree as an extension.
However, some of these extra notes may not contribute to the chord as intended; this process is known as chord voicing; examples include maj7add4 chords and Cmaj13 chords.
Major chords
No matter the chord shape you play, it is crucial that your fingers are in their proper positions. Otherwise, accidental mutes could occur which would produce muffled notes that won’t produce clear sounding sound quality.
Many styles of music require an understanding of major chords; some styles, like jazz, use more complex chords with six or more pitches.
Music theory may seem complex at first, but with regular practice of chords, scales, and musical theory you will soon come to comprehend it better. Fender Play makes learning guitar chords, progressions and musical theory easy by breaking it down into manageable lessons.
Minor chords
Minor chords are slightly more complex than major chords but are still very easy for beginning musicians to learn. Minor chords are created by flattening one of the notes in a scale which gives it its distinctive minor sound – don’t confuse these with minor chords that contain major thirds!
A minor chord consists of its root note plus two notes that are one minor third higher in pitch; for instance, A minor would consist of A and C as its two notes above it; this makes the chord sound dismal compared to its bright A major counterpart.
These are the essential first guitar chords for beginners. Once mastered, these basic chords will open up countless songs across various genres.
Power chords
Power chords are a staple of rock and metal music. Composed of only two notes (the root and fifth), power chords can easily be moved up or down the fretboard as needed to form various chords; sound great when played through distortion too!
Power chords might appear like easy shortcuts, but they actually work better for playing distorted music due to not clashing with the other chords in a song and providing more consistent tone. Furthermore, power chords are easier than barre chords because your fingers won’t need to be lifted as high when playing them.