Learn to play Guitar Chords: Learn how to construct the common chords used in most popular songs
Introduction
If you have a guitar that has been lying around for years, gathering dust, may be its a good time to put it to use.
A chord is a combination of notes played simultaneously so that you get a fuller & richer sound, compared to playing each note individually. Most chords involve at least three notes played together, while some may use even more. Also, chords usually involve playing multiple strings at the same time.
Although there are various ways to play all the different chords on the guitar, you can learn a few initially and start playing a few songs. With some practice, you will learn chord construction, the notes within the chords, and learn your way around the fretboard.
As far as the finger positions are concerned, you can use what is shown in the video. You may find it easier to reach some of the notes with your pinky but its also harder to press down with your pinky.
Read: What’s the Difference Between Guitar Tab and Guitar Chord?
Basics of Reading Chord Charts
Here’s how to read any guitar chord diagram.
Chord Fingering:
1 = Index Finger
2 = Middle Finger
3 = Ring Finger
4 = Little Finger (Pinky)
Barred Chords: You press multiple strings using one finger (like a bar). Learn to play bar (barre) chords.
Learn to Play Major and Minor Chords on Guitar
Remember, learning to strum is an important skill that you need to develop on the guitar. And for strumming you need to know how to play chords.
Though chords can be of various types, the two more common types are the MAJOR and the MINOR chord; every beginner guitar player starts with these.
Most guitar courses and books introduce probably a couple of these at a time, meaning the lessons are structured in such a way that you don’t have to learn all of these chords at one go; they are introduced gradually. Over a period of time you’ll know how to play all of these major and minor chords on the guitar.
Chords are usually constructed by stacking thirds over the notes from the scales and modes. A third is a musical interval which is third note from the root.
For example, in the scale of C major, to find the third note from the root (note C), we move three notes (C D E) which brings us to the third note (note E). In this case, the distance from C to E is a third. You can read more on chords here, including how to construct chords.
Here’s how to play the most basic major and minor chords; with this, you should be able to learn the basics of major/minor chords.
One of the very first chords that you are going to learn to play on the guitar is going to be a major chord.
Here are the various major chords that you can play on the Guitar:
Chord Name | Root Note | Major third | Fifth Note |
C | C | E | G |
D | D | F♯ | A |
E | E | G♯ | B |
F | F | A | C |
G | G | B | D |
A | A | C♯ | E |
B | B | D♯ | F♯ |
There are 12 major chords to be learnt, but you’ll obviously start with a handful. By the way, it is possible to play several songs using just a handful of chords.
So don’t let the thought of learning so many chords deter you.
Learn to play the basic major chords with this video. See how to play the basic major chords G, C, D and how to apply it to a song. If you always wanted to play the chords on a guitar, you can start doing now watching this video.
Learn to Play All Major Chords on Guitar
Here’s a video that shows how to learn to play all the major Chords (From A To G) on the Guitar.
Beginner Guitar Lesson: How to Play C, D, E Chords
Got yourself a new guitar, have already learnt the names of the notes on the guitar?
I’m sure you must be itching to play a few chords.
Here’s an easy guitar lessons that will teach you how to play the C, D, & E chord in the first position.
You press all three strings down with your third or fourth finger, and its good to practice both ways. To have some variety, try playing the notes one at a time while holding the chord, instead of strumming.
I don’t think it should take a lot of time for you to learn this beginner guitar lesson on how to play C, D, E Chords. There are many more guitar tutorials on this website, so do check them out as well.
Play Minor chords on Guitar
Here are the various minor chords that you can play on the Guitar:
A C minor guitar chord can be played in many places on the neck but the open position is played on the first three frets. Form and play this chord easily with tips from an experienced music instructor in this free guitar lesson video.
Here’s a video that demonstrates How to play a C Minor (Cm) Chord on Guitar
A minor chord has a sad tone to it compared to a major chord.
You don’t have to worry about the fact that you’ve got tiny fingers or that you’ve got a small guitar or if you can’t reach the higher notes.
You really don’t have to play the high E note. You only need to play 3 notes to make a chord, and as long as you are doing that, you’re playing the C Minor (Cm) Chord on Guitar.
Doubling the Notes
Because you can have the same notes on different strings of the guitar, experienced players often double the notes in chord, thereby increasing the volume of sound, and also add chorusing and depth to the overall sound. In most cases, the doubled notes also changes the chordal timbre.
You may double the Notes at identical pitches or in different octaves.
Most of the time, guitar players double the third interval (major third or minor third) to make it clear what chord they’re playing (major or minor) on the guitar.
Constructing a Tetrad (seventh chords)
If we count four notes – always in thirds – we’re gonna have a TETRAD (also called a seventh chord).
The process is the same as when we were constructing triads, but now we go up another third.
So, the tetrads will be these:
- from C: C E G B;
- from D: D F A C;
- from E: E G B D;
- from F: F A C E;
- from G: G B D F;
- from A: A C E G;
- and from B: B D F A.
Triad and Tetrad
The thirds between the notes in the triads and tetrads don’t have exactly the same distances in terms of semitones.
For example, in the first chord we built, the triad formed by the notes C E G, the first two notes (C E) are two whole-tones apart from each other. But in the second third (E G) the notes are just one whole-tone plus a semitone apart from each other.
The first case is called a major third; the second case is a minor third.
So, the triads will be formed by two thirds that can be major or minor, and the triads formed can be categorized in four basic types, or families.
The following triads are the more basic & commonly used ones (there are many more):
- MAJOR TRIAD: formed by a major third plus a minor third;
- MINOR TRIAD: formed by a minor third plus a major third;
- AUGMENTED TRIAD: formed two major thirds;
- DIMINISHED TRIAD: formed two minor thirds.
Regarding the guitar music theory of the tetrads, we have more basic types since we have one more third to consider:
- MAJOR TETRAD: formed by a major TRIAD plus a major third;
- DOMINANT TETRAD: formed by a major TRIAD plus a minor third;
- MINOR TETRAD: formed by a minor TRIAD plus a minor third;
- MAJOR AUGMENTED TETRAD: formed by an augmented TRIAD plus a major third;
- DIMINISHED TETRAD: formed by a diminished TRIAD plus a minor third;
- HALF-DIMINISHED TETRAD: formed by a diminished TRIAD plus a major third.
We have some guitar music theory special cases:
- Sixth chords: it’s quite common that the sixth note from a scale replaces the seventh in minor and major tetrads.
- Chords with suspended fourth: it’s quite common that before a major triad or a dominant tetrad, the third is replaced momentarily by the fourth note from the scale.
Checkout this video to see how to use chords to play songs:
Beginner Guitar Chords
Beginner Guitar Chords: Learn about the different types of chords, and the easier ones that will get you started in no time.
Learn How to Play Beginner Guitar Chords
You probably know that chords are important to learn, and may also have heard about open chords, bar chords and power chords. These are the various methods used to play chords when playing the guitar.
Of course, when it comes to playing these guitar chords, some will be easier to learn to play than the others.
The easiest beginner guitar chords are definitely the open chords and the power chords, though they are used in different ways. Bar chords, on the other hand, is more for intermediate level guitar players.
- Open chord: full sounding chord that sounds great when strummed on acoustic or classical guitar, usually played down the end of the guitar’s fretboard (towards the headstock-end).
- Power chord: Used more in rock and metal styles of guitar playing and sounds best played on electric guitar with a distortion setting on the amp.
- Only two notes are used to play a power chord; open chords may use many more notes. Because a power chord uses only two notes, it sounds simple and powerful on electric guitar, any additional notes would sound ‘mushy’ through the distortion setting.
More Guitar Chords
Here are few more chord exercises for you.
Understand why the primary chords are so useful.
How to Change Chords
As you start learning chords, you would also want to know how to change chords on the guitar, as most beginners struggle with how to switch between chords smoothly.
Though most of the time, you would change the chord at the end of a strum, there are times when you may have to switch chords in the middle of your strum. It may seem difficult at first but it’s all about practice.
Here’s how to avoid bad guitar habits while playing chords.
With enough practice, you’ll get the hang of it and also learn all the beginner guitar chords.
Guitar Chords: How to Master Them?
Learning to play Guitar Chords is important for any beginner. Here’s how to learn and master them effectively.
Chords are Important
These are important so that you can learn to harmonize a melody, or even to accompany a singer.
But then the experienced players seem to have magic in their fingers when they strum their guitars.
It’s amazing to see how they play, how their fingers move so fast and yet they play the notes fluidly, and all this without even looking at their fingers!
But then the magic is more about practice. Besides, implementing certain steps right away will help you to master the guitar chords in a short span of time.
How Pros Do It?
Well, they have spent the time, dome the hard work, and their brain/muscles know what to play next.
Even you can experience that if you play the same thing, over and over.
For instance, if you practice a song with the chords G, C, A and D repeatedly, say for a week, even you would automatically know where to position your hands when playing the song.
Have Variations in Practicing
To learn guitar chords effectively, try out variations such as switching from the easy one or the basic to harder chords such as those that include the sharp notes and so on.
Remember, the difficult ones will take time so don’t be harsh on your-self. Over time, you’ll also master the power chords but you need to be patient and practice regularly.
When you follow these steps consistently, you will find that you are getting better at playing guitar chords; just remember to take it easy and one step at a time.
How to Quickly Change Chords on Guitar
Here are tips on how to change chords quickly on Guitar. Changing chords is one of the beginner steps in playing the guitar. So here’s the right way to do it.
Practice Changing Chords on Guitar
We always admire the rockstars and musicians who effortlessly move their fingers changing the chords an wonder if it is even true at all! But its not anything to be surprised of, because all this comes from a lot of practice on the guitar.
Challenging Task of Changing Chords
The most challenging part for anyone playing the guitar, especially a newbie is the changing of chords with relative ease and speed. It is not enough that you play the chords, you also need to be able to change it fast enough without breaking the flow or the strumming action.
It can get a bit frustrating changing from one chord to the other initially but eventually once you get comfortable with the chords, you will start to enjoy it. Practice makes a man perfect and it’s the same with guitar chords too.
If you practice well, you will realize that over a period of time your fingers will start moving on the strings without you even having to look at it. You can follow some tips on the same which will help you practice your chords better.
Useful Tips to Help you Change Chords
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- Hand Position
It is very important that your hand is positioned properly on the guitar else it might get a little difficult for you to change chords swiftly. Your thumb should be placed at the back of the guitar at the neck region and not anywhere else. This will help you move your fingers over the chords easily, especially when you have to stretch it towards the open G and F chords.
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- Finger Movement
Try and keep your fingers loose and free. Stiff fingers will only make it difficult for you to move through the chords easily.
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- Chord Combinations
You should try out various combinations with the chords on your guitar. Start with the simple chords first till your fingers feel comfortable like G or D chord and then move to the more difficult ones such as A to G chords or G to F even!
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- Practice the Right Way
You should practice changing chords and you should do it the right way. The right way would be to play a chord four times and then change to another chord and play it four times and come back to the previous chord. Keep doing this till the time when you can play it without having to look at your fingers while changing the chords.
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- Go Simple
When learning the guitar, don’t start with the difficult chords from the start because if you don’t get it right, it might be a little frustrating. Start with the simple one’s first and practice with those till you are able to move your fingers without looking at your finger placements. Once you have mastered the simple chords, you can move on to the tougher chords slowly.
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- Won’t Achieve Anything Without Practice
You won’t achieve much without enough practice. Any form of art requires enough practice to master it. Changing chords effortlessly is not as easy as it looks when experienced musicians play it live. Practice is the only way you can even try to imitate your music idols.
Chord changing in reality is not as difficult as you imagine it to be. It is just about muscle memory as you will realize once you start playing the guitar. If you want to play your favourite song on the guitar, memorize the chords of the song and pay attention to how the fingers move on the chords. The index finger is the most important as it is used to press all six strings of the guitar.
Practice the song slowly in the beginning and increase the tempo as and when you begin to get comfortable with the chords. Usually when the chords are at a distance from each other are more difficult to play, hence practice those chords well.
To Summarize
Changing chords of a guitar is just a matter of continuous and sincere practice. It may look very cool when guitarists effortlessly change their chords without so much as a glance, but there is a lot of hard work behind it. You can start practicing with the simple chords before moving on to the most difficult ones. The key to changing chords is also the memory muscle technique. You can memorize the chords of a song and practice it till you get it right, and over a period of time you will start changing chords on guitar like a pro without even realizing it.
Apps to Learn Guitar Chords
If you’re a geek, love using apps, and also like the sound of a guitar, you’ll like playing around with this app that is now available on the Glassware directory. This app called Chords is developed by developer named Tejas, and aims to help the budding guitar hero in all of us.
Chords isn’t a full-fledged music instruction app; instead, it gives quick access to all of the major and minor chords and presents them both visually and aurally so you can see and hear each one.
The app can work via voice commands (“OK Glass, learn an instrument” and then speak the name of a chord) or the touchpad, where you can browse through all the chords and pick whichever you want. You’ll want to use at least the mono earbud with this app, and the stereo earbuds would be even better, I’m sure.
I don’t have a guitar here at Casa McGee, and I’m not a musician by any means, but I do love music and enjoyed just playing with the app briefly to hear what different chords sound like.
Chords only supports guitar at the moment, but Tejas says additional instruments will be added in future app updates. He also says singers can use the app as a pitch finder since it plays the sound of each chord.
To Conclude
So the next time you sit down to practice guitar, remember these techniques. Also get hold of some nice practice songs with chords so that you can start implementing these right away in order to master playing the guitar chords.
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