Major chords are joyful and cheerful, featuring all natural notes – without sharps or flats – for their structure.
Beginner guitarists may experience difficulty when trying to play this chord, especially if their third finger does not stretch far enough to reach the open B string. Be sure to only strum five strings while playing this chord for optimal results.
A Major Chord
The A Major chord is an indispensable part of guitar players’ repertoires. Newcomers to guitar often start learning it as one of the first major chords they learn and it appears in numerous popular songs.
Major chords are commonly known as triads because they consist of three notes; these notes form an arrangement with one note representing their root, followed by two major seconds and thirds that produce what’s known as an open fifth interval (open fifth being an interval that represents three notes in combination with their root note).
Major seconds are four half steps above their root notes, while major thirds are seven half steps higher – this difference distinguishes major from minor chords.
B Major Chord
Beginners must start with B as their first major chord. It is known as a barre chord, wherein an index finger “barres” multiple strings to prevent open ones remaining in the chord’s sound and as such provides it a full sound as well as being an essential step toward learning bar chords.
Here’s an easier way to play a B chord that only requires three fingers: simply leave out the high E or A string from its traditional B chord shape.
C Major Chord
This bright and optimistic chord can be found in numerous songs by Aretha Franklin (Chain of Fools), Creedence Clearwater Revival (“Run Through the Jungle”). Learning all forms of this triad chord will provide more options when writing or performing.
As soon as you move up a few frets to eighth position, you’ll notice that this chord resembles its C major counterpart in every way except that its lower G note has been played at a different octave – this variation of the chord has its own set of unique musical qualities.
D Major Chord
The D chord is one of the first major chords many beginners learn, making it ideal for use in chord progressions as well as adding extension chords to it.
Beginners often find it challenging to master the D shape. One of the primary challenges involves getting all five fingers to ring out simultaneously; another issue is to avoid finger 3 from muting string 1.
To play a D triad, place your thumb on D, middle finger on F sharp and index finger on A. This creates the root, 3rd and 5th notes of the D Major scale.
E Major Chord
E major chord is often one of the first major chords learned by beginners. It is simple and effective in various genres of music.
The open E major chord is an essential foundation of many blues and rock songs. Additionally, it works beautifully when used alongside A minor chord as they share similar hand positions and complement one another beautifully.
There are various methods for playing an E major chord, all offering unique sounds and feels. All will require practice to master but will provide a wealth of options for use when adding this popular chord into songs.
F Major Chord
Once mastered, this chord can be difficult for beginners but becomes invaluable to add into progressions and chord extensions such as F 7th chords or others.
At first, it’s best to master the fully barred version of this chord – this requires some hand strength as your 1st finger needs to be stretched across six strings! Once this step has been accomplished, try inverting it – flipping the chord and changing its bottom and top notes will prove fruitful!