The 5 Primary Guitar Chords – Fundamentals for Success
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. Chords consist of two or more single notes.
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. While you are focusing on playing chords with your left hand, you will probably find it less complicated to simply play downward strokes using your right thumb.
The 5 Must-Know Guitar Chords
If you categorize chords, you will only have minor chords and major chords. The basic primary chords are as follows: C, A, G, E, D (CAGED). Becoming proficient at the CAGED pattern should be the main focus of beginner guitar players. Many professional guitarists testify that learning the CAGED pattern help to pave the way for learning the more difficult chords.
The 6 Secrets to The Chord Diagram
Do not panic! Chord diagrams are much easier to read than music. The only thing you need to be able to digest from chord diagrams is the position of your fingers on the strings.
* Imagine that you are holding your guitar vertically, meaning the head is pointing at the ceiling.
The orientation of the chord diagram is this way. The guitar’s fretboard and strings are represented by the chord diagram. * The vertical lines on the diagram represent the guitar strings.
We begin with the bottom E string being the farthest left vertical line and the upper E string being the farthest right vertical line on the diagram.
* The horizontal lines you see on the diagram correspond with the frets of the guitar. The plastic bar at the top of your guitar, that the strings sit on, known as the “nut”, is shown on the diagram as the horizontal line at the top.
So, this puts the first fret as the second horizontal line, just below the “nut” on the diagram. * The large black dots you see on the diagram designate where your fingers should go on the fret board. * You will note that there are numbers on the dots or at the bottom of the diagram. These tell you which finger is to be used as follows:
1 = Index finger, 2 = middle finger, 3 = ring finger, 4 = 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. Fro the time being, we will only be focusing on chords which are to be played at the top of the fretboard. We call these open chords.
In order to see the chord diagrams for CAGED, Click Here.
Having Any Problems?
Many beginners complain of sore fingers after just one session with the guitar. This is a natural occurrence. On the other hand, you should be surprised if your fingers don’t hurt even a little bit, this could mean you’re not playing correctly. 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.
In order to carry out fingering in the proper manner, you have to press your fingertips onto the strings hard enough. If you notice a buzzing sound why you play the string, you need to press harder with your fingers on the strings. Also try to put your fingers as near as you can to the fret (to the right), so that you can avoid buzzing.
Fingernails Are GONE!
1. If you have long fingernails, you will have to cut them. They will make it really hard for you to correctly play the strings.
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. It is the very top of your fingertips, not the flat, soft pads, that are to be in contact with the strings. Maintain the proper arch. I know this is exhausting, difficult, and painful, but once you start to form calluses, it will pay off.
4) Be sure to press all of the notes in unison. The only strings that should not be pressed are those indicated by an X.
5. Practice makes perfect! 5 minutes of practice a day is required. Each chord pattern needs to be memorized.
6) Don’t rush the learning process. 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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