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Some chords are easier to learn than others, you might have seen the chord charts before but I want you to go through this entire lesson, and learn each of the four easy guitar chords. Once you’ve had a chance to master these in your practice session you can add others into the mix.

When learning guitar chords it’s easy to give up too soon, I get a lot of emails from people who say they simply can not get their fingers in the right position, or tell me it is impossible to change from one chord to another in time with the music. In all cases I’m able to give them basic practice routines that they can implement over the next 3-4 weeks and without exception they are able to conquer the chords.

I don’t think any guitar lesson is complete without applying the theory to a real world example and a practice routine you can use by yourself. We will cover a simple song using just three of the four chords you are about to learn and I will provide a routine for you to add to your daily, or weekly practice schedule that will help solidify this knowledge.

EMaj Open Chord

You’ll be using three fingers, your first, second and third fingers to form the E Major Chord. Place your index finger on the 4th string from the top on the 1st fret, your 2nd finger goes on the 2nd string from the top on the 2nd fret and your 3rd finger goes on the 3rd string from the top on the 2nd fret. Strum downwards from the very top string to the very bottom string. All 6 strings should ring clearly, if not check your fingers aren’t accidentally touching adjacent strings, and you’re applying enough force.

The G Major Open Chord

The GMaj Open Chord uses the notes G, B and D. The Low E String is fretted by your 2nd finger at the 3rd fret to give you the G Root Note, the A String is fretted by your 1st finger at the 2nd fret to give you the B note, the D, G and B Strings are played open, and finally the High E String is fretted by your 3rd finger at the 3rd fret for another G note.

The C Major Open Chord

The open chord C Major uses just 5 of the strings on your guitar, be careful not to use the Low E String when strumming this one. Place your 1st finger at the 1st fret on the B String, your 2nd finger at the 2nd fret on the D String and your 3rd finger at the 3rd fret on the A String. The Root Note is C which is played as the A String fretted at the 3rd fret.

The D Major Open Chord

The DMaj Open Chord uses the notes D, A and F#. The Low E String and A Strings are not played. Start from the Open D String to get the D Root Note. The G String is fretted by your 1st finger at the 2nd fret to give you the A note, the B String is fretted by your 3rd finger at the 3rd fret to give you another D note, and the High E String is fretted by your 2nd finger at the 2nd fret to give a F#.

There’s nothing like putting this theory to a real world example. Knocking on Heavens Door by Guns N Roses uses the G, D and C chords above. You will be playing two bars of four beats per bar. On the first two beats play the open chord G Major, followed by two beats on the open chord D Major, and finally four beats of the open chord C Major, returning the start of the first bar with the G Major.

I want to now give you the tools needed to practice the finger positions, strumming technique and changing between these four guitar chords. Remember to strum from the Root Note down for each chord. So the E and G Major chords start from the top, the C Major from the 2nd string down, and the D Major from the 3rd string down. Choose a sequence to follow for your practice session, for example G-D-C-E, and play each chord four times being mindful to make each note ring out clearly. Spend several minutes getting into the correct position for each chord before doing your four strums, then move onto the next.

To really get a grasp on changing between chords and increasing the flexibility in your fingers it is essential that you change the sequence of the chords in this practice routine each time you come to use it. Today you might choose D, C, E then G, tomorrow you should change this order for maximum effect.

By doing this practice routine consistently you will be increasing your finger strength and flexibility by changing to chords in a different order each day and by spending 10 minutes on this you will increase your muscle memory. Results will appear like magic.

Adam Summers is out to bust the myth that you require cash to learn how to play guitar. What you really need is a teacher who’s looking out for your best interests and time to practice. Check out some more free resources on easy guitar chords at InstantGuitarist.com.

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