Learning major chords on guitar is the gateway to understanding basic music theory. Chords consist of ascending THIRDS that may contain up to seven notes.
Note that this chord is an open one, meaning your index finger needs to rest flat across both strings (known as barre chord). Therefore, to mute the low E string it will need to be muted.
A Major
A major is one of the most fundamental chords to learn on guitar. As it’s a major triad, comprising of notes 1, 3 and 5, A major stands as one of the primary building blocks.
Beginning your musical theory studies here is an excellent way to focus on intervals – or spaces between notes – which will come in handy later when learning CAGED shapes on the fretboard.
B Major
Beginners often begin learning barre chords by first exploring the B Major chord. Although it requires additional practice to sound good, this chord should eventually come easily to you!
This chord, composed of B – C# – D# notes, serves as both a dominant chord and submediant of G# Minor.
Discover more about the B Major scale with our guitar scale reference, which provides notes, formula, finger positions on the fretboard, intervals and scale degrees for this scale.
C Major
C Major is typically one of the first chords most beginners learn on guitar, requiring your right hand to play five of its six strings and mutes the low E string.
Flicking chord shapes quickly requires practice and the tips of your fingers should strike the fretboard at an acute angle (close to vertical), to prevent accidental contact between strings.
D Major
This shape is derived from the barred C major chord, moved up the neck one fret. Index finger plays string 1 (high e), middle finger on string 3 (G) and ring finger on string 4 (B).
You will often see this chord used as the base for progressions, such as Rush’s “Fly By Night”. Experiment by adding a G note on the first string to create a Dmaj7 chord.
E Major
E Major is often one of the first chords learned by novice guitarists, offering an energetic sound used in many genres of music.
Start out strumming this chord a few times until all notes sound clean and clear, without any muted or buzzing sounds.
Move your fretting hand towards the 9th fret and use your index, middle and ring fingers to play notes on the 9th, 10th and 11th frets – using tablatures with finger numbers as guidance.
F Major
This chord can often be found in F major, although other keys like C and Bb may contain it too. Experiment with changing between F chord and other chords to improve your ability to seamlessly switch.
One popular variation of this chord utilizes a partial barre shape (with finger 1 muting the low E string). This approach may be easier for beginners, yet its sound may be less full than with its full F major triad counterpart.
G Major
G Major chord is an essential building block of guitar playing. While learning it may require some finger stretching, practicing this chord requires getting all your fingers into position so it’s vital that you do so regularly for optimal playing results.
This chord can be found in many popular songs and is an easy one for beginners to get used to. With one sharp, it makes reading music much simpler for beginning players.
H Major
A chord is composed of at least three distinct letter names. Its most basic form, known as a triad, can be easily recognized.
Musicians utilize chord progressions to give songs direction. They do this by crafting chord sequences from scale shapes that sound good together; these pattern can then be moved across string sets with ease and may start from any note pitch, while also connecting to positions above and below through shared notes.
I Major
From a simple standpoint, major chords tend to sound happier while minor ones sound sadder, yet music theory is much more complex than that.
One way of understanding this is by considering the third scale degree as a starting point; move this upward by one semitone for an augmented chord and down by one for a diminished one; they all originate from one scale shape; however, their starting notes differ.
J Major
J Major is an abbreviation for “major seventh”, often written as Fj or Fmaj7 in German publications; in English publications it’s usually just given its chord symbol with its name; for instance Dm Dmj is D minor with a major seventh (DmM7); similarly for other chord symbols with major sevenths.
J Major (1840 – 1923) is also associated with this term.