Learn these 8 chords, and you can play 8,000 songs!
by Steven Kendzorski for Guitar Tricks and 30 Day Singer
Learning how to play guitar is an exciting and unique adventure for every beginner guitar player, and there are thousands of videos, articles, and YouTube channels that share different approaches to the craft. While there can be disparity in the quality of information found online, most vetted sources agree that learning chords should be every new guitarist’s first mission. But why?
The answer is pretty simple: learning riffs helps you play part of a song, while learning chords helps you play an entire song all the way through. Want to keep an audience entertained for a few seconds? Play a guitar riff. Want to keep an audience engaged for an hour – or longer? Play songs!
Guitar chords are the ‘emotional meat and potatoes’ of a song. Because they combine many notes simultaneously, chords produce a full and complete feeling. Chords are divided into families (called qualities) based on their shared emotional impact. For example, chords that sound bright and happy are called major chords. Chords that produce a dark and sad sound are called minor chords. Switching between chords in a sequence is called a chord progression, and these movements create songs. You can use a guitar chord chart showing the fingerings of thousands of chords. With so much information available it can be daunting to determine the most important chords, to begin with.
Here’s the bottom line: The first chords everyone should learn on guitar are the ones that are used most commonly. In fact, by learning the following 8 chords, you will be able to play more than 8,000 easy guitar songs! Without further ado, let’s dive into the first chords everyone should learn on guitar, beginning with open major chords.
OPEN MAJOR CHORDS (C, A, G, E and D)
The first chords everyone should learn on guitar are open major chords. An open chord is any chord that includes open strings (meaning, strings that are strummed without placing fingers on any of the frets). They are simple to play, as they typically occur in first position (between frets one and three) and generally use two or three fingers.
The word ‘CAGED’ spells out the 5 essential open major chords every guitar player needs to know: C, A, G, E and D. Major chords are most commonly written shorthand with a single letter, but sometimes also include the suffix maj, ma, M or a triangle (“Δ”). For example, a G Major Chord can be written as G, Gmaj, Gma, GM or GΔ.
The first chord in the CAGED group, the C Major chord, is the most common chord of all-time. In fact, there are even some popular songs that use only the chord C! (Check out “Chain of Fools” by Aretha Franklin or “Tomorrow Never Knows” by the Beatles, both use only C.) C major is played with the index finger on the first fret of the B string, the middle finger on the second fret of the D string, and the ring finger on the third fret of the A string. When strumming the chord, strike all strings except the low E string. If you produce the chord cleanly, not only will you hear the three tones you are fretting, but you will also hear the open strings G and high E as well.
The A major chord is played by placing your index, middle and ring fingers on the second fret of the D, G and B strings, respectively. Similar to C, an A major chord is produced by strumming every string except the low E. A favorite in rock and blues, this chord has a strong, confident and positive sound. To feel it’s power, listen to the intro of “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC, which begins with three ferocious strikes of an A major chord. Once you get comfortable with the A major chord, try moving from C to A in sequence. (Check out Creedence Clearwater Revival’s version of “Proud Mary” to hear the transition from C to A. This chord progression is played three times at the start of the song, and reoccurs several times throughout.)
The G major chord has the widest stretch of the bunch, with the index finger on fret 2 of the A string, middle finger on fret three of the low E string, and the ring finger on fret 3 of the high E string. The G Major chord is arguably the second most common chord ever, and a favorite in pop and country music. All strings are strummed to produce this chord, and, if played cleanly, will result in the strings D, G and B ringing freely. (Take a listen to the intro of “Take it Easy” by Eagles or to hear some clear G strumming.)
The next chord in the CAGED group, the E major chord, is the deepest sounding major chord that can be produced on a guitar. It is warm, inviting, rich and full – a favorite of rock, folk, blues and country players. An open E Major Chord is played by placing your index finger on fret one of the G string, middle finger on fret two of the A string, and ring finger on fret two of the D string. All strings are strummed when playing this chord. (Check out “Upside Down” by Jack Johnson or “Don’t Stop” by Fleetwood Mac to hear chord progressions that begin with E.)
The D major chord is the ‘smallest’ chord in the CAGED group, as it requires strumming only four strings: D, G, B and high E. Place your index finger on fret two of the G string, your middle finger on fret two of the high E string, and ring finger on fret three of the B string. Because it sounds sweet and simple, some players consider D to be the “prettiest” open major chord. (Check out “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran or “Hey There Delilah” by Plain White T’s to hear chord progressions beginning with D major.)
OPEN MINOR CHORDS (Em, Am and Dm)
Like their major counterparts, open minor chords include open strings and use simple fingerings. Unlike major chords, however, minor chords produce a darker, sadder feeling. Some songs use minor chords exclusively, such as “Aint No Sunshine” by Bill Withers, but more commonly songwriters use minor and major chords together to create emotional contrast. Minor chords are commonly written shorthand with a lower-case ‘m’ following their letter name. Other suffixes can be used, such as min, mi or a dash (“-“). For example, an E minor chord can be written as Em, Emin, Emi, or E-.
The E minor chord is the deepest, darkest minor chord that can be produced on a guitar. It is also one of the easiest chords to play, as it requires just two fingers. E minor is played with the middle finger on fret two of the A string and the ring finger on fret two of the D string. All strings are strummed, resulting in four open strings (low E, G, B and high E) ringing out in addition to the two fretted strings. E minor is a favorite in folk, rock and a go-to for sad songwriting. (For chord progressions beginning with E minor, check out “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica or “Heart of Gold” by Neil Young.)
The most common minor chord, the A minor chord, is played with the index finger on fret one of the B string, middle finger on fret two of the D string, and the ring finger on fret two of the G string. All strings are strummed with the exception of the low E string. (“House of the Rising Sun” and Johnny Cash’s version of “Hurt” are two examples of chord progressions beginning with A minor.)
A D minor chord is played with the index finger on fret one of the high E string, middle finger on fret two of the G string, and the ring finger on fret three of the B string. D minor produces a melancholy and haunting emotion. Because it involves strumming only four strings (D, G, B and high E), this chord sounds dark but also delicate. (To hear chord progressions beginning with the D minor chord, check out “What it’s Like” by Everlast or “Wheel in the Sky” by Journey.) Fun fact: In the cult classic music mockumentary Spinal Tap, D minor is famously, and satirically, referred to as “the saddest of all keys”.
ROCK, ROLL, REPEAT
Learning and practicing chords takes time and patience, but the best way to promote muscle memory is repetition. Because these 8 chords can be used to play thousands of songs, repetition won’t be as tedious as you might think. Start learning chord progressions as soon as you have these shapes down, and let the joy of playing songs seduce you into practicing even more!