You’ll find no shortage of downloadable guitar chord charts and graphs flying around the internet, so what makes this one different? After some 25+ years of teaching guitar lessons, I’ve found that the right mix of open position shapes and a little music theory goes a long way to understanding more complex and difficult chords in the future for beginning guitarists.
Throughout this lesson I’ve included links to other guitar lessons (on this website) for reference or more depth on a particular topic. After all, the focus today is beginner chords. I’ll do my best to give a brief theory reference that you can (optionally) read up on to further your knowledge later.
I’ve also listed the “how” and “why” for each chord type. If you’re going to start learning guitar chords, you’re probably also going to want to know which ones sound good together… and why that is.
If you’re not interested in guitar music theory, that’s ok! At the bottom of the lesson you can grab a printable 20 Beginner Guitar Chords PDF and get started playing right now.
So let’s have some fun and get right to it…
Throughout the lesson you’re going to see names like “A”, “C7”, “A sus4 “ and more… Let’s take a quick look at what those names mean.
Any chord which contains only the 1st, 3rd and 5th notes from the parent (Major) Scale.
For example a “C” chord:
C Major Scale:
C is the first note, so we’ll need that one!
E is the 3rd.
G is the 5th.
Any combination of those 3 notes (and in any order) will make a C chord.
If you just see a letter name like “C” with no letter or symbol after, that indicates a Major chord type.
Lets take a look at some Major Chord Types:
If you’re a day 1 beginner guitarist, chord charts are easy to read.
A minor chord contains the 1st, 3rd and 5th from the Major scale with one big change:
The 3rd is lowered 1 half-step (semi-tone).
Using the A Major Scale as an example:
Lowering the 3rd, C#, 1 half-step gives us a C natural.
Some minor chord types:
Without getting too deep into more music theory, it is useful to remember that every Major Key has 3 Major chords and 3 minor chords hiding within.
Using our C Major Scale as an example:
You can create a song using any combination of chords in a key and you can bet that it’s going to sound pretty good. Some examples in the Key of C:
You get the idea.. Playing in or around a Key Center will enable you to write songs easily. You’ll also learn songs easier because you understand this chord network that exists in every Key.
Remember – The 1-4-5 chords are always Major chords. The 2-3-6 are always minor. In every key!
Ever wonder what that “7” means in a chord name? It indicates the 7th note of the parent Major scale added to the chord. In this lesson we’re going to discuss three types of chords with 7ths added:
Dominant 7th Chords:
So where can we use these 7th chords? If we use our C Major scale again as an example from which to pull our chords, it looks like this in every key:
More Maj7, m7 and Dom7 Chords:
When you’re looking for some chords that go well together, just think of where a chord lies within a particular Major Scale or Key Center.
With that in mind, a C Major Chord could be used like this:
Using Am as an example:
You may have seen chords with names such as “Asus2” or “Dsus4”. These are Suspended Chords.
The easiest way to think of a Suspended Chord is to just think of the number that follows as replacing the 3rd in the scale.
A sus2 – A Major chord (1-3-5) with the 3rd replaced by the 2nd note in the scale.
D sus4 – D Major chord with the 3rd replaced by the 4th from the scale.
Because of this 3rd scale tone omission, it’s safe to use suspended chords as either Major or minor chord types as the 3rd is what defines Major or minor. Lets take a look at some examples:
The Cadd9 is a very useful and common chord. The name “add9” means exactly what you think it means. We simply add the 9th note in the C Major Scale to the existing Major Chord form.
C add9 = 1+3+5+9
You’re probably thinking, “ok isn’t the 9th just a 2nd?” Well, yes and no.
In Music theory the 9th refers specifically to the 2nd scale tone, but one octave higher, which is how we get the name “9th”.
A barre chord refers to any chord that requires you to cover 2 or more strings with 1 finger. Typically your 1st or 3rd fingers on the fretting hand. Let’s take a look at everyones first barre chord, the F Major.
There are a few ways to approach barre chords depending on the size and shape of your hands and fingers. Typically, beginner guitarists will have the most success with the F chord if they angle the 1st finger slightly inward (pointing toward the second fret area).
I’ve always found that there are 2 types of guitarists out there:
I’ve always been a #2 type, but that doesn’t mean you have to be. The music theory in this lesson is completely optional and should be digested slowly while having fun learning some chords and songs.
If you’re more like me and want to delve even deeper into all of this stuff, here are some other lessons on the website that will take you further in your musical journey.
Lastly, here is a downloadable PDF of all the chords listed above for easy reference and practice.
Beginner Guitar Chords PDF
In the next lesson, I’ll cover more chord types including barre and “power” chords as well as some strumming and rhythm patterns.
Until next time,
Craig
Craig Smith is a professional Guitarist, Teacher, and Writer living in Sanford, Florida. Craig has taught guitar lessons, performed 200+ gigs per year for nearly 30 years, and published 4 guitar instructional books. When he’s not gigging or writing, you may find him by the pool with his wife Celeste, 4 Chihuahuas, and a drink. 🎸
