Chords are groupings of notes that produce sound when played together. Chords can either be strung out with an instrument, or picked with fingers.
Chord charts often use circles (or other shapes) and Xs to represent strings/notes that aren’t being played. For instance, an F major barre chord doesn’t utilize the E string at all.
E Major
E Major is one of the easiest guitar chords to learn and plays as an open chord allowing all strings to ring clearly without being muffled by pressing down any one string or any of its associated frets. Your index finger only needs to press down three strings (similar to how nut works).
Other fingers can be pressed down to create more variations of this chord, including strumming or muted E strings for classical sounds. Furthermore, adding your 4th finger fretting the 7th fret of A string may further vary and complicate this chord’s sound.
This may be one of the easiest shapes for your fingers to make, but that doesn’t guarantee success immediately! Practice is necessary to develop both strength and dexterity necessary to press down on strings properly.
D Major
D Major is one of the most frequently employed chords on guitar. You’ll often see it used by artists from Led Zeppelin to KT Tunstall because its bright sound allows it to easily be moved up or down the neck to form other chords.
Fingring this chord correctly can be challenging due to its complex three-finger shape and four-string configuration (B, C and D strings). Keep index and middle fingers tightly wound so they do not wander up or down the fretboard; use your thumb as an aid when strumming to mute down on one string if pressing down is difficult for one of the fingers.
Practice regular and you will soon master this chord without making mistakes! For added effectiveness, combine this technique with a basic chord progression to ensure it gets under your fingers properly.
C Major
Your favorite rock songs often incorporate C major chords somewhere into their melody or riff, such as John Lennon’s Imagine or Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah – two well-known examples written in this key by iconic pop-rock acts such as John Lennon or Leonard Cohen. Additionally, C major is also the primary tonality for Bach’s A minor prelude and Symphony No. 1.
Learn the C major scale easily on a fretboard because it only uses white keys without needing flats or sharps in front of each note. Finger patterns are an effective way of memorizing any scale; use one when learning it for the first time; the numbers on frets correspond with fingers you should use to play each string.
Here’s a diagram showing the C major scale in open position (with its lowest note being on the E string). Your thumb plays C, your index finger D, middle finger E and ring finger A play their respective notes while as you progress up the scale your thumb crosses over into playing G.