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Peter Bussey asked:




One of the first challenges faced by the advancing guitar player is learning a core group of basic guitar chords. Why is it so important to learn these basic chords? Chords form the backbone of most rock and pop songs, and provide the harmonic accompaniment to the melody and instrumental solos.

Rhythm guitar based on basic chords provides many of the most memorable rock riffs… think AC/DC’s “Back in Black” or The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. What’s really amazing is that by learning no more than 10 to 15 basic guitar chords, you will be equipped to play thousands of rock and pop songs!

First let’s establish the definition of a chord. A chord is three or more different musical notes played together. In the case of the guitar, this means that at least three strings are strummed or plucked simultaneously to sound three or more notes. Since the guitar has six strings, the maximum numbers of notes in a guitar chord is six. All chords can be placed in one of three groups based on the musical structure of the chord: Major, Minor, or Seventh. Each of these chord groups has its own “sound” or “feel”. Major chords sound stable and complete. Minor chords can evoke a more somber or pensive mood, and Seventh chords are jazzy and somewhat incomplete sounding.

There is no standard list of “basic guitar chords” that every one agrees to. However, there is general agreement that there is a list of somewhere between 8 and 18 basic guitar chords (open string) that every guitarist must know cold. These chords are used in all musical styles from rock and pop to country, jazz, and classical. No matter where you are on your guitar-playing path, you should take the time to learn and master the basic chords. Getting these right will ensure you have the basic tools and skills to learn many songs and increase your playing enjoyment.

So what are the basic guitar chords? Our basic stable includes the major and minor chords from four common musical keys, A,G,C, and D. They are played as “open chords”, that is at least one string in the chord is not fretted (pressed down with a finger). Open chords are easier to learn and play than more advanced chords such as Barre chords, or complex chords further up the guitar neck. Our list of basic major and minor chords is:

A Major (or A), A Minor (or Am), C, D, Dm, E, Em, F, G

These chords can be best learned as chord “families” (by key) that can be combined into great-sounding chord sequences that make up lots of popular songs. Using this chord family approach is much more interesting and useful than just memorizing a bunch of chords in random order!

These chords grouped by chord family (key) are as follows:

A Family (Key of A): A, D, E

D Family (Key of D): D, Em, G, A

G Family (Key of G): G, Am, C, D, Em

C Family (Key of C): C, Dm, Em, F, G

Tips for Learning the Basic Chords:

1. Pick a Chord Family and master it. This will give you quick success and let you play great sounding progressions right away.
2. Use a Guitar Chord Chart as a reference tool. A chord chart shows each chord as an easy to read “chord diagram” with exact finger positions. See this example of a chart of basic guitar chords.

3. Find the chords and lyrics for an easy song that is based on the chord family so you can apply your skills. Many great songs are based on only three chords!

4. Ensure each string sounds right. Take care to make sure that each string is sounding clearly, and that only the strings that should be played are played.

5. Practice, practice, practice! Every day, practice continually change from one chord to another until you can do it rapidly. Learn the chord families one at a time.

6. Master all the basic chords first. Only then move on to Barre chords and other more complex chords. First things first!
7. Expand with 7th chords. As a next step you can easily expand on your basic chord knowledge by adding 7th and minor 7th chords based on the nine basic major and minor chords.

8. Have fun using your new skills! Enjoy your musical ability by applying it to learning a small set of 5-10 songs you know really well and can confidently play at any time.

Copyright 2005 Peter Bussey of http://www.guitar-players-toolbox.com
This article can be reprinted freely online, as long as the entire article and the resource box are included.

Jamorama Guitar – Lessons from beginner to advanced

Kendra asked:


I’m a beginner guitar player and i’ve been trying to learn how to play songs. I just wrote my own song but i’m having trouble with applying the strumming pattern to my song. The song i wrote is sad so i was wondering is there certain patterns that go with a good sad song?

Max Bellamy asked:




A chord is a combination of three or more tones sounded together in harmony. Some of these guitar chords are the keys of C, D, E, F, G, A, and B majors, minors, dominant 7th, major 7th, minor 6th, diminished 7th, augmented 7th, dominant 9th, major 9th, minor 9th, suspended 4th, and 7th suspended 4th. The basic chords are grouped into chord families (keys): A, D, E (A Family); D, Em, G, A (D Family); G, Am, C, D, Em (G Family); and C, Dm, Em, F, G (C Family).

All of these chords can be shown in a chord chart. A guitar chord chart is a graphical representation of a rectangular box that shows you how to play each single chord. A comprehensive understanding of guitar chord charts is vital to any guitar player.

The elements of a chord chart are these: the six lines that run vertically represent the strings; the series of lines running across the string lines represent the frets; the crisscross of the string and fret lines represent the guitar fret board; the dots located on the fret board show which strings and frets to press; a double line at the right edge of the box represents the end of the neck; an “x” symbol on the string line means “dead string,” or “do not pluck this string”; an “o” symbol on the string line means “open string,” or the string is plucked but not fingered; numbers 1 to 4 on the string line corresponding to the dots specify which finger to press on that string. Number 1= the index, 2 = middle, 3=ring, and 4= the pinky; a line crossing two or more strings is called a “barre chord”, in which one finger presses several strings.

From this basic information, you can learn to form and play any guitar chord, and thus master guitar playing.

Play Jazz with your own BLues Back-up Band

Clark Hunter asked:




The basic guitar chords are very important for the aspiring guitar player. That’s because without the basic guitar chords actually playing your favorite songs would be impossible and making music with someone else wouldn’t be that easy either. So, the basic guitar chords are where you should start if you want to play music, especially your favorite songs. Did you know that the majority of rock and pop songs can be played by only knowing the basic guitar chords? That means you could learn the basics and still play some of the most popular songs!

Chords are not notes; instead they are combined of notes. A chord has at least three notes that are played together and sometimes more. A guitar can only have six notes in a chord because there are only six strings. The way to play a chord on the guitar is to strum three of the strings at the same time. The resulting sound is a chord. All chords can fit into one of three groups depending on what notes make up the chord. The groups include Major, Minor, and Seventh. The Major chords are the richest sounding chords while the minor chords are a little more solemn. Seventh chords do not provide a rich sound like the Major chords and actually sound like they may be missing something although these chords work well for certain types of music.

The problem with learning the basic guitar chords is that there is not an agreed upon list of what those chords are. There is, however, a list that includes up to 18 basic guitar chords that most everyone agrees upon. So, you should make it a goal to learn all 18 of these basic guitar chords. Doing so will ensure that you are able to play all the songs, almost, that you ever dreamed of and you will have more fun playing.

The approved “basic guitar chords” come from keys A, G, C, and D. These chords are played by pressing down on one string while strumming the others. These are easier to play than other chords that are complex. Some of the basic chords are A, Am (A minor), C, D, Dm, E, Em, F, and G. You can learn the chords anyway you want, but the recommended way is to learn them by the keys, or chord families, so that you can start playing a bit as you learn. The chord families include the keys of A, D, G, and C. A is made up of A, D, E; D is made up of D, Em, G, A; G is made up of G, Am, C, D, Em; and C is made up of C, Dm, Em, F, G.

Learning the basic guitar chords is not hard if you are dedicated to doing so. There are a couple of tricks, however, that might help you learn faster and start playing the songs you love. For instance, use a guitar chord chart as you are learning. This ensures you will learn proper finger placement from the start. Another tip is to master one chord family or key before moving on to the next. When you are an expert at one chord you can start “playing” already and learning the others will be a lot of fun! There are a lot of tips to learn to play the guitar, just follow the ones that seem most helpful to you and have fun!

Jamorama Guitar – Lessons from beginner to advanced