Chords form the fundamental building blocks of songs on guitar, including major and minor triads.
Advanced guitarists learn seventh chords, which can be created from major and minor triads by adding another note to each triad.
Chord diagrams represent the frets on your guitar. Any shapes with numbers beside them indicate where to place your fingers; those numbers tell you which string(s).
E Major
E major is one of the first chords most beginner guitarists learn when starting to play guitar, belonging to the major key system and consisting of four sharps – F#, C#, G# and D#.
E Major is a chord often heard in rock and metal music, especially. It can be combined with other major chords such as C Major or D Major as well as minor ones such as Em9 (although without its fifth interval).
An E major chord can be easily played using your index finger’s barre to the first fret of the third string, producing a thicker sound that works well for songs requiring solid E chords. This version of an E major triad consists of notes E, G# and B; changing its third note to G natural results in an E minor chord that adds somber overtones to some songs.
G Major
G major is one of the first chords most beginners learn, as it is generally easy and versatile. There are various ways of playing it; each has their own distinct sound – for instance, an open G power chord has more modern vibe than its formal root-and-fifth equivalent; sometimes known as AC/DC G chord or rockin’ G chord if played this way.
Key to successfully creating this shape is having the correct finger positioning. It is vital that your fingers remain curved without touching or muzzing adjoining strings, and stretching your fingers before playing this chord to increase finger flexibility and ease.
G major chord is easily transposed to other major chords like C major, A minor and B major; additionally it pairs nicely with minor chords like D minor, F# diminished and Em. To become a well-rounded guitarist it’s crucial that one is aware of these various shapes and sounds of chords.
C Major
C Major chord is both the tonic (the 1st chord of C), as well as sub dominant (4th) chord of G and F keys. You can easily create this chord by first stopping the B string at its first fret with your first finger of your fretting hand, then playing an open G string, closed D string (with C played openly), then open High E string – creating three notes g,c,e.
Some may prefer giving each chord its own identity or name; however, chords simply consist of combinations of notes which complement melodies in any scale.
Regarding its name, most people refer to this chord simply as the C major chord and that suffices nicely. It provides a good starting point when learning any new chord. The C major scale consists of C, D, E, F G A; making it one of the most widely-used and fundamental scales available today.
D Major
D major is an ideal chord to start out playing as it requires only two fingers in a barre to cover all three strings. Although initially difficult, the D major chord becomes easier over time as your index finger adapts closer to its fret position.
The D chord provides an ideal platform to experiment with major seventh chords, which can produce powerful dramatic sounds. Furthermore, suspension chords may add dreaminess.
The D chord can be altered with minor thirds to produce a Dmaj7, which tends to move towards G but doesn’t always follow this plan! You could also try adding Dmaj9 or other diminished chords. A major chord has three notes – root note, third and fifth; minor chords use six and nine notes from their scale to create distinct sounds – but even using the same scale can produce vastly different sounding chords!