Change chords on a guitar can be frustrating for newer players. With practice and patience comes success!
Assume you are fretting with one hand. Number your fingers as follows on your fretting hand:
Next, strumming an open C major chord and listening for any buzzy or clean notes is important to building skill on guitar. Practice this multiple times each day until it feels comfortable for you.
A minor 7
Chords are composed of multiple strings connected by frets that can be strung together to produce full chord sounds. To strum an A minor 7 chord, place your index finger on the second fret of D string and your ring finger on third fret of G string; this should produce the chord.
Your next finger should rest on the fifth fret of A string and pinky on seventh fret of E string. Now strum all five strings simultaneously but remember not to include low E string in this exercise.
Prior to switching chord shapes around, it is crucial that guitarists practice their chord shapes thoroughly. Guitarists may become disillusioned if they begin switching chords without first having their finger placement and positioning correct; to prevent this frustration, practice each chord until you can strum it without accidentally hitting other strings; this helps develop muscle memory as when one sounds bad it indicates you may not be pressing down hard enough or moving your fingers correctly.
C major
As its name implies, an open chord forms the basis for many songs across genres and musical styles. Learning some of these chords as soon as possible can give you additional tonal options and are straightforward to play.
Utilizing four fingers to hold down the G, B, and D notes in this open C major chord will create a fuller sound than using three-finger G chord. Be mindful not to muffle the low E string when strumming this chord in order to avoid muffled sounds.
This chord is one of the easiest chords to play on guitar, so practicing its shape every day for just a few minutes should help you quickly memorize it as well as build finger dexterity. Additionally, you may wish to experiment with alternate fingerings for this open chord or even add an additional ninth into the basic triad for more complex sounds.
G major
As a beginner guitarist, it’s vitally important that you become acquainted with these chord shapes and practice them within a song context. Too often beginners will attempt to memorize all open chord shapes without prior practice transitioning between each one within an actual song – an error many guitarists make when first starting out.
Note when learning new chords that the chord diagram will provide valuable guidance in terms of which strings to play and frets to use, while also showing which ones should be muted with an “X.”
Another important consideration when playing these chords is to place your fingers directly atop of the frets with fingertips only, instead of touching them with thumbs as this could result in too many strings being hit or in muffled and less-than-sharp chords.
D major
The D major chord can be found in many songs spanning folk, rock and blues genres.
This chord requires extra flexibility and strength in your ring finger in order to fret three strings simultaneously. Strum it through all strings until the chord sounds cleanly.
Practice this chord by moving between different open chords in the key of D, this will give you an idea of where this chord fits into other progressions.
If you’re struggling to play this chord, try using Chord Bank’s Chord Coach for real-time feedback as you play. This app will listen and guide one finger at a time; helping you learn this shape more rapidly and efficiently.