September 12, 2010
Three Guitar Chords All Beginners Should Learn
We all start learning guitar because we want to learn songs. To learn songs we have to know chords. Today I’ve got a beginner lesson for you that will introduce you to your first 3 chords. We’re going to keep it simple so these first chords will only be 3 string chords rather then focussing on all 6 strings.
Once you complete this article you will be able to get your guitar and start practicing these chords right away. Below I’ll outline the three chords and then provide you with some tips on practicing them. The 3 chords we’ll learn today are the D7, C and G chords.
I’m going to use some simple tablature to explain how to play these chords and where to place your fingers
3 String G Chord
E — 3 —
B — 0 —
G — 0 —
D — X —
A — X —
E — X —
This is an easy three string beginner guitar chord. You place your third finger (ring finger) on the third fret of the high E string (also known as first string) and strum the first three strings, G, B and e.
Three String C Chord
E — 0 —
B — 1 —
G — 0 —
D — X —
A — X —
E — X —
Similar to the above chord this G chord is easy to play and only requires you to use a single finger on the fret board. Put your index finger (1st finger) on the 1st fret of the B string and then strum the first three strings from the G string down.
3 String G7 Chord
E — 1 —
B — 2 —
G — 1 —
D — X —
A — X —
E — X —
Of all three of these chords this D7 chord will be the most difficult. Don’t get frustrated if you can’t get this right the first time it may take a few tries for your fingers to feel natural in this shape.
Take your first finger and place it on the first fret of the G string, next place your second finger on the first fret of the high e string, finally place your third finger on the second fret of the B string. Take a couple of moments to let your fingers feel comfortable there and go ahead an strum.
It may not sound crisp and clean the first time you strum this 3 string G7 chord. If that’s the case just take your time and remove your fingers and try again, be sure to focus on using the tips of your fingers on the strings and don’t let them roll over to the fleshy part.
These 3 string chords aren’t always taught with private lessons or on learn guitar dvds, but they are good beginner chords to start with. To being with I would suggest practicing making the chord shapes then removing your fingers and making them again, this will create muscle memory and will be better then trying to switch between them all right away.
Taking your time is the key to perfection on the guitar. Trying to go to fast only results in frustration most times. If you’d like more detailed instruction I would suggest trying a DVD guitar lesson. These self study courses are becoming more popular with adult guitar players who don’t have the spare time available for private instruction.
Tags
Related posts
Filed under Latest Releases by musicnews