Learn to play guitar chords

Learning to play the guitar is so much fun, but playing chords may seem a little scary at first glance. Don't be afraid, it's not much different from playing single notes: you just need to play these notes at the same time! This article will present you with the steps to strumming and teach you how to play common chords. Grab your gear and start rocking!

Part 1 Understanding Chords

1 Understand the strings. It is best to get familiar with guitar strings first and know how they come into contact with your fingers. For convenience, we need to number the strings. The strings on the guitar should be numbered as shown in the figure:

• Sort vertically from 1 to 6, from the highest to the lowest to the lowest.

• Sequentially, sort from high to low by the position of the fret.

• Note If the instructions say "Put the first finger on the third fret", it means you should place your finger between the second fret and the third fret. This way the strings are in contact with the third fret.

If you know English, you might as well use this mantra to remember the tone of each string, from the lowest note (upper note) to the highest note (down):

E at A ll Da ay, G et B ig E asy.

2 Number your fingers. Look at your left hand and imagine a label on your finger. The index finger is 1, the middle finger is 2, the ring finger is 3, and the pinky finger is 4. The thumb is "T", but in this post we don't need to play chords with "T".

3Learn C chords. The first thing you need to master is C chords—one of the simplest chords in music. Before learning, let’s figure out what it means. A normal chord, whether on the piano, guitar or a well-trained mouse, is a sound composed of three or more notes (two notes are called "dual refrain" and are musically common, but it is not a chord). Chords contain more than three notes, but that's beyond what this article is. The C chord looks like this on the guitar:

• The lowest note is located at the fifth string and third fret: 1 (do)

• Higher notes are located in the fourth string second: 3 (mi)

• Be careful not to place your fingers on the six strings. When playing the C chord, the string should always remain "empty".

• The highest note is located at the second string and the first fret: 1 (do)

• The C major chord does not require two strings with the highest and lowest notes.

4Try these sounds. Play the notes in the chords from low to high in turn, one at a time. Take your time carefully and slowly: press the strings tightly on the fret, and then pluck the strings with your right hand. Make the sound as long as possible and then switch to the next note:

• Press the middle finger on the fifth and third frets, pluck the strings as shown before, until the sound gradually fades. This is the 1 (do) note.

• Place your index finger on the fourth string second fret, pluck the string like before, and pop 3 (mi).

• take a break! Simply pluck the G string that doesn't let go of your fingers.

• Place your index finger on the second string and fret, and then pop 1 (do) loudly!

• Replay a few times. When you're ready, use your fingers or picks to quickly sweep the four strings in the middle. You popped the C chord!

• You may feel pain at first, but if you have already grown calluses, the pain will disappear.

Part 2 Learn more chords

1 Expand your music library. It is already very good to be able to play C chords. It is definitely an introduction to the field of more interesting music, but for music, there are more than C chords! When playing C major, you often use two other chords, the F chord and the G chord. The basic F chord finger spectrum is as follows:

• The notes of the F chord are 4 (fa), 6 (la) and 1 (do). Pay attention to using the same finger to complete 4 (fa) and 1 (do): the index finger should press the first string of the first and second strings at the same time.

• Generally speaking, the lowest note of a chord is its basis, but in the F chord, the sound of 4 (fa) is located on one string and one fret, which is also called "string index".

2 Expand F chords. You can also pop 4 (fa) on the four strings: place the middle finger on the third fret. You may have noticed that the chords sound no different, just more "full".

3 play G chords. Just like the C chord and the F chord, the G chord is one of the three giants in C major. There are many ways to play G chords, and two are introduced below. The first one is simple: it's exactly the same fingering as the extended F chord, you just need to move two frequencies upwards.

4 Play the G chord in the easiest way. There is also a way to play the G chord with only one finger.

5 Add up the three chords. Now that you already know the three basic chords in C major, put them together, you can dig out countless pop songs from them. Play C chord four times, F chord twice, G chord twice, and then go back to C chord:

• Note that each chord is a Roman numeral. This means that the basic notes of the chord are fixed regardless of the fingering. Once you have mastered the basic notes of a chord, it is much easier to read the fingering table than remember the chords.

• Practice until your fingers are tired, take a break, come back and continue: we will teach you basic chord E and A!

6 Learn E-tune. Many rock and blues are in E-tune. Here are three chords E Maj (I), A Maj (IV) and B Maj (V). Here is the E-tune:

• When your fingers are already covered with calluses, the E-tuning will easily bounce. You can play all the strings at once. Get ready for Marshall No. 11 amplifier, and a rock hero is born!

7 Play the A chord. This is a "big chord" in the music. There are several ways to play it. Press and hold the second fret of the second, third and fourth strings with one finger (play 1 (do)#, 6 (la) and 3 (mi) respectively), and you can also combine other fingers. For example, place the ring finger on the second string, the middle finger on the third string, and the index finger on the fourth string.

• As you play more and more skillfully, you will understand that the quick transition from one chord to another can sometimes bring strange fingering and correct pronunciation. The key is to make the most of your fingers and once you start practicing, don't be afraid to try.

8 Play the B chord. You can play it in easy ways or difficult ways. The simple method is shown in the figure above, and the fingering has been indicated with black numbers. You can also add consonants, which are represented by gray numbers.

9 Try it. Here is another simple fingering method for playing E:

• Create different chord fingerings, and don't stick to those lines on paper.

10 Learn A-tuning. You've completed two-thirds of it! Tune A includes 6 (la) (I), 2 (re) (IV), and our powerful old friend, 3 (mi) (V) in the fifth place. Here is how to play D chords:

• Note that the index finger is pressed on the first three strings: this is the beginning of the "big horizontal press" chord. A complete large horizontal chord refers to holding down all strings with one finger, based on the basic form shown in this article.

11 Learn a transposition A chord. This transposition A chord is very useful when playing simultaneously with D and E chords:

12Try it. The picture above is another small song to practice the new chord.

• Now, get ready to try the song "Creedence Clearwater Revival" Down on the Corner and practice it again!

Part 3 uses video chord diagram

1 Learn the chords in G major. Place your ring finger on the third fret of the top string. The middle finger is placed on the second fret of the fifth string, and the little finger is placed on the third fret of the first string. You can play the chord by plucking all the strings at the same time. If you want, you can also press the third fret of the second string - this is not necessary, but it can make the chord richer.

• --3-

• --0--

• --2-

• --3-

2 Learn chords in C major. Place your ring finger on the third fret of the fifth string, and then place your middle finger on the second fret of the fourth string. At the same time, place the middle finger on the second fret of the fourth string - note that this is the same as the beginning of the G chord, just move one string downward. Finally, place your index finger on the first fret of the second string. Except for the top string, all other strings must be used.

• --0--

• --1-

• --0--

• --2-

• --3-

• --X--

3 Learn chords in D major. Playing this chord only uses the four strings below. Place your index finger on the second fret of the third string. Then place the ring finger on the third fret of the second string and the middle finger on the second fret of the first string. This forms a small triangle. Just use these three strings and the fourth string to pop the chord - that is, the open D chord.

• --2-

• --3-

• --2-

• --0--

• --X--

4 Learn chords in E minor and major. This chord will use all six strings. Place the middle and ring fingers on the second fret of the fourth and fifth strings, and then place the index finger on the first fret of the third string. Then place the index finger on the first fret of the third string. Pull all six strings.

• --0--

• --1-

• --2-

• --0--

• Just move the index finger away and let the third string open, and you can pop the E minor chord. [4]

Figure 21

5 Learn chords in A major and minor. A major chord is one of the simplest chords – you can pop it by just putting the index, ring and middle fingers on the second fret of the second, third and fourth strings. Except for the bass E string, all other strings must be used.

• --0--

• --2-

• --0--

• --X--

• Play the first fret instead of the second fret on the B string and you can play the chord in A minor. Its hand shape is the same as the E major chord.

6 Learn chords in F major. The chord in F major is similar to the chord in C major, but is squeezed. Don't worry about the two strings above. Place your ring finger on the third fret of the fourth string. Place the middle finger on the second fret of the third string. Finally, place your index finger on the first fret of the second string. Only the four strings below will be used.

• --0--

• --1-

• --2-

• --3-

• --X--

Tips

• Once you understand the basic chords, it is easier for you to think about chords from the mechanism of tuning. For example, when playing E key, 3 (mi) (I) is called the lead voice. The main tone is the note that all other chords are close to - this makes Western music dynamic. 6 (la) (IV) in E key has the function of assisting the main voice - it is like a passive note wandering in the middle, and wants to walk forward happily, and wants to return to the main voice to rest. And the dominant sound function is just like its name: take you where you want to go. In E, this character is occupied by 7 (xi) (V), which makes your brain want to return to the lead voice! As you become more familiar with chords and want to write the melody yourself, you can try writing I-IV-V (or other types) instead of 3-6-7. If you find that the singer can't sing the original tune, it will make her more likely to switch.

warn

• As Ringo Starr said in his busy studio work, “My fingers are already blisters!” You will also have blisters and your fingers will get hurt. And guitarist George Harris said, "Everything will pass." Calluses will eventually replace blisters. Practice frequently and you will never be troubled by the pain in your fingers again.

Users who liked