Guitar chords form the basis of any melody or composition, providing its sound with its signature sound and providing melodies for any genre or style.
Don’t be overwhelmed when reading a chord chart: don’t be put off by all those X’s and O’s; those aren’t kisses or hugs – they indicate which strings should be muted while which should be played.
Key
No guitar without a capo is in any specific key; standard tuning allows any key to be played as chord voicings can easily be transferred across keys through transposition. But guitarists who use a capo on the first fret will typically play in G’s key due to this being where these chord shapes originate from.
Many guitarists use alternate tunings, however these chords may differ significantly from an open tuned guitar. Alternate tunings also produce unique chord voicings which would otherwise be difficult to play using standard tuning due to fingering spread across a wider fretboard. Beginners should learn basic music theory in order to determine the appropriate chords for any song they hear and want to play along to. This requires familiarity with intervals, modes, as well as knowing which types of chords correspond with certain sounds.
Chords
Chords are the foundation of all music. While you could certainly play an amazing solo on an instrument such as guitar, the chord progression gives a song its structure, rhythm and feel.
Triad chords are the simplest type of chord. Triads consist of three notes separated by an interval of a third.
To create a triad, simply place one finger on each fret of a string and use your other fingers to strum its strings above. Each fret represents one tone.
An “X” and an “O” may also appear in a chord chart – these symbols indicate which strings should be muted or left open when strumming a particular chord.
As you’ll likely notice, barre and open chords share similar chord shapes; the primary distinction being that barre chords require your index finger to press down on multiple strings at a single fret, much like using a guitar capo.
Lyrics
As tempting as it can be to experiment with different chords and riffs, what’s really essential is making sure your chord progressions fit with the melody and key of your song. No room here for creative improvisation — too adventurous chord progressions will only compromise its meaning and lose key of its composition.
Melodies often suggest which chords they work best with, making it simple to identify the key of a song simply by listening to its melody and seeing which ones sound best with it. You may also turn to chord theory to help identify which ones best complement any given melody.
To do this, compare the notes in your chord with those found in the melody to identify which ones make sense together. Chords built from scale degrees 1 through 5 (known as Major chords) tend to be most frequently seen in rock songs but there’s much flexibility with chord shapes and intervals such as flats and sharps which we cover on our music theory learning path.
Guitar Tab
Guitar tablature is an adapted form of standard music notation that uses six lines to represent guitar strings and numbers on each string to indicate which frets should be pressed with your fingers.
Tablature includes numbers from left to right that correspond with single note melody lines and multiple numbers stacked vertically represent chords. Tabs also contain various symbols designed to assist beginners in recognizing certain techniques such as bending, hammer-on, pull-off, sliding and palm muting.
Bending strings is an integral component of creating vocal qualities in your playing style, often achieved through practice and attention to the details of tablature music notation. To bend a string, look for the curved upward arrow (sometimes simply called B), which indicates that you should push/pull on a string to raise its pitch. Beginner guitarists may find helpful having this sign followed by 1/2 step or full step numbers as an indicator as to how far to bend each string. As sheet music provides more information regarding rhythmic aspects and other musical details not represented through tablature notations alone.