Basic Guitar Chords Every Beginner Should Know
So, you’ve finally done it. You’ve made the decision to follow through on your desire to pick up the guitar and begin a life-long journey of musical creativity, expression, and fulfillment. Congratulations!
But you might be wondering where to begin on this journey and what you should start practicing right away. Fortunately, there are a few basic guitar chords that every guitarist should know and have under their belt. The good news is that once these chords are mastered, you’ll have an endless repertoire of songs at your disposal!
What is a Chord?
Before we dive into what guitar chords every beginner should know, let’s clearly define what a chord actually is.
Simply put, a chord is a group of three or more notes played together at the same time. There are important harmonic structures that make these specific notes sound great together, and it’s definitely worth your time to learn more about this later (a highly trained and qualified guitar teacher can help).
But for now, let’s focus on the basic guitar chords that we know sound great and you should begin learning right away.
What Guitar Chords Should a Beginner Learn First?
The most important basic guitar chords every beginner should know are what we call open chords. The term “open” refers to playing strings that do not include any notes that are fretted. Thus, the strings are left “open” as a result, playing the corresponding pitch that the string was tuned to (i.e. playing an open D string results in playing a D note).
Open guitar chords are great for beginners because they require the fewest fretted notes, making them an excellent starting point for creating great-sounding music. Often referred to as ‘cowboy’ chords or ‘campfire’ chords, hundreds of songs are written using just open chords, allowing your musical repertoire to grow almost immediately upon learning them!
What Are the Eight Basic Guitar Chords You Need to Learn?
Among the many open guitar chords, there are eight basic chords you should begin practicing right away. We’ll break these chords into two groups: Major chords and Minor chords.
Major chords have a characteristically happier, brighter sound, while minor chords tend to have a sadder, more melancholic quality. You don’t need to understand the reasons behind how or why these chords are constructed to sound the way they do right now (an expert guitar teacher can help with this). However, being aware of the tonal differences between these groups is essential.
Below are diagrams for each chord, often referred to as ‘chord charts.’ The vertical lines represent the guitar strings, with the lowest (6th) string on the far left and the highest (1st) string on the far right. The horizontal lines represent the frets on the guitar’s fretboard. The circles indicate which notes on the fretboard should be played, and the numbers within each circle represent the finger to be used for that note (1 = index, 2 = middle finger, 3 = ring finger, 4 = pinky finger).
Major Open Chords
Let’s first take a look at the five major basic guitar chords of the group.
C Major
Our first chord is the C Major chord, often simply referred to as ‘C.’
D Major
Next, we have the D Major chord, often simply referred to as ‘D’.
E Major
Here we have the E Major chord, often simply referred to as ‘E’.
A Major
Here we have the A Major chord, often simply referred to as ‘A’.
G Major
Finally, we have the G Major chord, often simply referred to as ‘G’.
Minor Open Chords
Now let’s look at the three minor basic guitar chords of the group.
A Minor
First we have the A Minor chord, often abbreviated as ‘Am’.
D Minor
Next, we have the D Minor chord, often abbreviated as ‘Dm’.
E Minor
Finally, we have the E Minor chord, often abbreviated as ‘Em’.
How Beginners Should Practice Basic Guitar Chords
Step 1: Memorize the Basic Chord Shapes
When starting to learn these basic guitar chords, the first step for beginners is to begin memorizing each chord shape. Refer to the chord charts to determine where to place each finger on the fretboard. To start, focus on placing each finger in position one at a time, as close to the fret bar as possible. Over time, your goal will be to have all your fingers in place simultaneously. For now, just focus on learning the shapes and coordinating each finger appropriately.
Once all your fingers are in place at the designated positions on the fretboard, gently press down on the strings with each finger, and strum each string until a clear note rings out for every note of the chord. If a note doesn’t sound clear or seems ‘dead,’ check the position of your finger and ensure it’s not too far from the fret bar. Your fingers should be as close to the fret as possible without resting directly on top of it.
When fretting notes, use only the minimal amount of pressure needed for a clear note to ring out. Applying more pressure than necessary can lead to discomfort and potential injury, so focus on keeping your fretting hand relaxed and applying only the minimal pressure required.
Also, be mindful of your fretting hand’s thumb position. Keep it located directly behind and in the middle of the fretboard, rather than wrapping it over the top. While there are specific instances where wrapping the thumb over the top is appropriate, these are exceptions to the rule.
Additionally, ensure that you’re not pressing your thumb into the fretboard when fretting notes, as this can lead to hand pain and potential injury. Avoiding these bad habits from the start is crucial and can save you years of frustration and potential injuries. An expert guitar teacher can guide you in avoiding bad habits and help accelerate your progress.
Step 2: Changing Chords
Now that you’ve memorized these basic guitar chord shapes and have practiced getting your fretting hand fingers in place, your next step is to practice switching between these chords.
Before you begin directly switching between chord shapes, you want to be able to get your fretting hand in place for each chord from a dead stop position.
First, place your fretting hand in the correct position for the chord you are practicing and gently press down to fret the notes. Next, relax each finger while maintaining the shape of your hand for the chord. Then, lift your hand slightly away from the fretboard, keeping the shape of your fretting hand in the same position of the chord as if you were still playing it. Now, bring your fretting hand back down to the fretboard, ensuring your fingers land in the exact, correct position for the chord. Play the notes to make sure they are clear. Perform this step over and over for each chord to get the shape and position ingrained into your muscle memory.
Once you can perform this step comfortably for each chord shape, the next challenge is to increase the difficulty by lifting your fretting hand away from the fretboard and relaxing it at your side. Then, slowly bring your hand back to the fretboard, gradually positioning your hand and fingers into the correct chord shape simultaneously before touching the strings. Your goal is to have your hand and fingers in the proper position for each chord before pressing down on the strings.
The goal of this step is to be able to play the chords instantly from a relaxed position, eliminating the need to move each finger individually. Instead, you should be able to shift your fretting hand into the proper chord shape immediately.
Don’t be discouraged if this takes some time to develop; that is a completely normal part of the process, and it’s worth investing the time. Once you can ingrain the muscle memory needed to create these chord shapes correctly and instantly, changing between chords will become almost seamless.
Now we can begin switching between different chord shapes. Start by selecting two chords and practice fretting the first one. Then, release the first chord while maintaining the shape of the chord with your fretting hand. Next, while your fretting hand is elevated above the strings, slowly shift it into the next chord shape. Once your fretting hand has fully shifted into the new chord position, gradually bring it down to the strings and fret the notes.
When you can verify that each note is ringing clearly after shifting to the next chord, congratulations! You have successfully switched between chords. Repeat this process with any pair of chords, aiming to switch between any chord in the group seamlessly.
Examples:
C to G
C to D
C to E
Am to Em
Be sure to randomize the order of what chord shifts to practice, and you are well on your way to mastering these basic guitar chords.
Step 3: Adding Strumming and Rhythm to Chord Changes
The final step in this process is to add strumming and rhythm to your chord changes. At this point, we can truly say that you are playing music, marking the beginning of your journey to playing countless songs on the guitar.
There are many basic strumming patterns you can learn to improve your timing with chord changes and have fun playing your favorite songs, which go beyond the scope of our topic today. An expert guitar teacher can help you develop essential strumming and rhythmic patterns, bringing you closer to your guitar playing goals and enabling you to learn your favorite songs or even compose your own!
Taking the Next Step in Your Guitar Playing Journey
You have now learned the eight basic guitar chords that you should start practicing right away to play and create the music you love.
However, many beginning guitar players often find themselves caught in a rut, causing their progress to stall. Bad habits can easily develop without the player’s awareness and may prevent them from becoming the guitarist they aspire to be.
Fortunately, with the guidance of a highly trained expert guitar teacher, you can eliminate the potential for bad habits to form and even accelerate your learning process, helping you achieve your guitar playing goals in a shorter time.
At Twin Cities School of Guitar, your progress is the top priority. With a carefully directed and customized approach tailored to your individual needs, your success is well assured.
For guitar lessons in Minneapolis or guitar lessons in St. Paul, call 612-470-7790 or click the button below to book your FREE introductory session and start accelerating your guitar-playing journey today!
