5 Must-Know Guitar Chords For Your Arsenal

Posted on | October 13, 2009 | No Comments

From a learners level, a guitar chord is formed with the fingers on one hand and played by strumming or picking the strings with the other hand. Playing two or more notes is necessary in the formation of a  chord.

We will look at everything as though you were a right handed guitarist, so if you are left handed switch hands for everything. When first learning how to play, don’t worry about what your right hand is supposed to be doing. It will probably be easier for you to play down the strokes using your thumb while you focus on the chords using your left hand.

The 5 Must-Know Guitar Chords

First, you should understand that there are two categories of chords: minor and major. The basic primary chords are as follows C,A,G,E,D or CAGED For those of you that are just beginning to play the guitar, learning the CAGED pattern should be one of the first things you do. Gaining mastery of the basic chords, as attested by many music professionals, is an excellent foundation for simplifying the transition into other, more challenging chords.

The 6 Secrets to The Chord Diagram

Remember, don’t panic! Take it one step at a time. It is not nearly as hard to read a chord diagram as it is to actually read the music. From a chord diagram, you will see which fingers go on which strings.

* Imagine that you are holding your guitar vertically, meaning the head is pointing at the ceiling.

The chord diagram is arranged in this way. The diagram represents the strings and the fretboard of the guitar. * The vertical lines on the diagram represent the guitar strings.

The vertical line located furthest left of the diagram is the lower E string and the vertical line furthest to the right is the higher E string.

* The horizontal lines you see on the diagram correspond with the frets of the guitar. The top most horizontal line is usually shown in bold and represents the ‘nut’ of the guitar. This is the plastic bar that the string lie in to be held in the proper place.

With this in mind, the second horizontal line on the diagram would represent the first fret *Your fingers are to be placed in the areas shown with the large black dots on the diagram. * The numbers inside the dots, or sometimes located at the bottom of the chord diagram represent the finger you should be using.

1 is the index finger, 2 is the middle finger, 3 is the ring finger, 4 is the little finger. Most times, the thumb is not used for forming the chords. *Do not place a finger on a string that is marked with an X or an O at the top of that particular string on the diagram. The “X” means that this string is not used at all. However, an “O” means that the string is left “open” when played, you just don’t place a finger on it.

If the chord is meant to be played on a fret further up, then a number will be shown representing which fret you play. But for right now we will only be playing chords located towards the top of the fretboard. These are also known as open chords.

In order to see the chord diagrams for CAGED, Click Here.

Having Any Problems?

It is not unusual for guitar beginners to complain of aching fingers following their first attempt at the guitar. This is a natural occurrence. If you are not having any discomfort after your first session, that probably indicates that you have been playing incorrectly. However, don’t give up. You will see that if you play as little as 5 minutes a day, you finger tips will soon get hardened and stop hurting.

Press your fingers hard enough on your guitar strings, as to correctly implement the fingering. If you notice a buzzing sound why you play the string, you need to press harder with your fingers on the strings. You can avoid buzzing by making sure that your fingers are placed as close as possible, to the fret (on the right-hand side).

No Fingernails Allowed!

1) Cut your long fingernails. Fingernails make it difficult to press on the strings in the correct manner.

2) Don’t lie your fingers flat when you’re playing because they tend to mute some of the strings. This is a mistake many beginners make.

3) Make sure that only the top of your fingertips are touching the strings, not the flat soft padded part of your fingers. Maintain the proper arch. I know this is exhausting, difficult, and painful, but once you start to form calluses, it will pay off.

4) Remember that all the notes should be pressed at the same time. Make sure you don’t leave any strings out except for the ones that are marked with an X.

5) Practice. You need to practice at least 5 minutes a day. Each chord pattern needs to be memorized.

6) Don’t expect too much of yourself. Be patient when learning to play chords, if you aren’t then you’ll just end up frustrating your self.

There is of course a lot more to learning and playing chords which we can’t cover here.

However, I’ve written a review of an online guitar teaching product called Jamorama which teaches not only all the chords you’ll need to know but also everything else to make you into a great guitarist. Click here to read my Jamorama review

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