Learning guitar chords is one of the first things many aspiring guitarists do. This is a great way to begin because, once you've got the hang of a few basic guitar chords, you'll be ready to play a multitude of different songs by many, many different artists.
But where do you start? It's easy to feel lost when you first start to learn guitar, especially when presented with some of the lists of chords and chord diagrams that you see on the internet these days. There are literally thousands of them! I don't know about you but I like to break learning stuff down into bite-sized chunks. I just find it easier that way. This then raises another question: what should you learn first and do you really need to learn all of those chords before you can consider yourself a proficient guitarist?
Well, you really don't need to know every single chord to be able to jam along with your pals or even to come up with a decent song of your own. There are certain chords that just keep on cropping up again and again. Some of these are C, A, G, E and D - learn these and you're well on your way.
Learning Guitar Chords - Begin with the Open Chords
Most beginners focus on open chords when they start out (also known as first position chords). These chords are played close to the nut and are relatively easy because you typically don't need to hold down more than 3 strings at once.
Let's take a look at one of the easiest chords to play - E minor (Em).
Em - (022000)
Wait a minute, what do all those numbers in the parentheses mean? Well, the numbers are a very basic form of guitar chord notation - a quick and dirty alternative to a proper chord diagram. For a full explanation of this notation, just take a look at this article on learning guitar chords, which explains how to interpret the numbers as well as proper chord diagrams.
In order to play the E minor chord, you must place one finger of your left hand on the second fret of the 5th string and another finger on the 2nd fret of the 4th string. You then strum all of the strings with your right hand and hey presto, you're playing an E minor chord.
I usually play this chord with my 2nd and 3rd fingers because it leaves my index finger free to easily move to other strings, which is useful for transitioning from one chord to another. Which fingers you choose to use yourself is entirely up to you and will depend on what you find comfortable and which chords you are playing immediately before and after the E minor. You might also be embellishing the chord with ornamentation or perhaps playing a passing note between chords. You will find your choice of fingers changes in response to factors such as these, and that is fine.
It is important to use the tips of the fingers of the left hand when holding down the strings. Using the fingertips causes the fingers to arch further above the fretboard, which keeps them well away from the open strings. This ensures that your playing is more precise and does not result in you accidentally muting, or partially muting, adjacent strings.
When learning guitar chords, you should also ensure that your fingers are placed immediately behind the fret. Your finger should not actually be on the metal fret itself, but should be within the space between the metal frets as close to the fret as possible but on the side furthest from the body of the guitar. This helps to reduce buzzing caused by not holding the string tightly against the fret.
Now that you've grasped the E minor chord, you can start learning other chords. I'd suggest learning an easy song and getting the transitions between the different chords smooth and accurate. This will really help your motivation and spur you on to learning guitar chords included in other songs that you would like to play.
But where do you start? It's easy to feel lost when you first start to learn guitar, especially when presented with some of the lists of chords and chord diagrams that you see on the internet these days. There are literally thousands of them! I don't know about you but I like to break learning stuff down into bite-sized chunks. I just find it easier that way. This then raises another question: what should you learn first and do you really need to learn all of those chords before you can consider yourself a proficient guitarist?
Well, you really don't need to know every single chord to be able to jam along with your pals or even to come up with a decent song of your own. There are certain chords that just keep on cropping up again and again. Some of these are C, A, G, E and D - learn these and you're well on your way.
Learning Guitar Chords - Begin with the Open Chords
Most beginners focus on open chords when they start out (also known as first position chords). These chords are played close to the nut and are relatively easy because you typically don't need to hold down more than 3 strings at once.
Let's take a look at one of the easiest chords to play - E minor (Em).
Em - (022000)
Wait a minute, what do all those numbers in the parentheses mean? Well, the numbers are a very basic form of guitar chord notation - a quick and dirty alternative to a proper chord diagram. For a full explanation of this notation, just take a look at this article on learning guitar chords, which explains how to interpret the numbers as well as proper chord diagrams.
In order to play the E minor chord, you must place one finger of your left hand on the second fret of the 5th string and another finger on the 2nd fret of the 4th string. You then strum all of the strings with your right hand and hey presto, you're playing an E minor chord.
I usually play this chord with my 2nd and 3rd fingers because it leaves my index finger free to easily move to other strings, which is useful for transitioning from one chord to another. Which fingers you choose to use yourself is entirely up to you and will depend on what you find comfortable and which chords you are playing immediately before and after the E minor. You might also be embellishing the chord with ornamentation or perhaps playing a passing note between chords. You will find your choice of fingers changes in response to factors such as these, and that is fine.
It is important to use the tips of the fingers of the left hand when holding down the strings. Using the fingertips causes the fingers to arch further above the fretboard, which keeps them well away from the open strings. This ensures that your playing is more precise and does not result in you accidentally muting, or partially muting, adjacent strings.
When learning guitar chords, you should also ensure that your fingers are placed immediately behind the fret. Your finger should not actually be on the metal fret itself, but should be within the space between the metal frets as close to the fret as possible but on the side furthest from the body of the guitar. This helps to reduce buzzing caused by not holding the string tightly against the fret.
Now that you've grasped the E minor chord, you can start learning other chords. I'd suggest learning an easy song and getting the transitions between the different chords smooth and accurate. This will really help your motivation and spur you on to learning guitar chords included in other songs that you would like to play.