By now, you have learned how to play your first note on the guitar, which means you know how to hold the guitar properly and you know how a sound is generated on a guitar. The next step is to learn guitar chords.
What are Chords?
A Chord is a combination of two or more notes, which is played by strumming two or more strings together. Chords are used to sing along with the guitar. Chords basically work as the harmony and rhythm is provided by various strumming patterns that you play with your right hand. I’ll discuss the strumming patterns in detail in the upcoming lessons.
Your First Chord
E-minor Chord
I will not intimidate you by explaining the names of the chords yet, as to what is Minor and what is Major. We’ll keep such details for the Music Theory Lesson later on. For the time being, just remember that E-Minor is the easiest chord to play on the guitar and here is how you play it:
As you can see in the picture, place your 1st finger on the 2nd fret of A-string, and your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of D-string. Rest of the strings will remain open.
You can also play E-Minor Chord using your 2nd and 3rd fingers by placing your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of A-string, and your 3rd finger on the 2nd fret of D-string (as shown below):
G-Major Chord
Next most easy chord to play on a guitar is G-Major Chord. Here’s how you play it:
Two other important chords that are played with E-Minor and G-Major are C-Major and D-Major:
Other basic chords that you must remember as a beginner guitarist are: A-Major, E-Major, A-Minor & D-Minor.
So, now, fellow rock stars, you have in your arsenal a good number of chords to start playing the guitar. These eight chords will help you play a lot of songs with ease. But before you start playing the songs, make sure you are producing clear sound from the guitar after holding the above chords.
Early Glitches
When you will start playing your first chords, you will find that they don’t sound as good as you expect them to be. Don’t panic. It happens with everyone because your fingers are not used to it and are not able to hold the chords properly. It will improve with time automatically. What you should focus on is forming the patterns with your fingers as per the structure of the chords you play. Once you are accustomed to the structures, your fingers will automatically form the patterns and it will be easier to hold chords.
Another problem you might face is muting of some strings while you are playing the chords. This again is a common glitch and you should see that you are pressing the chords with the tip of your fingers. That way you will avoid touching/muting other strings. Click here to learn how to correctly press the guitar fretnotes.
The best way to practice chords is to keep playing them even if they sound shitty in the beginning. Something great happens with time. Gradually, your grips grows stronger and the sound improves.
So keep practicing! You are becoming a rock star soon. \\nn//
