How To Play Guitar Chords: 5 Tips For Success

This article contains five beginner level tips that will help you succeed in learning how to play guitar chords. Follow these tips, practice every day, and soon you'll be playing chords and songs and meeting your musical goals.

Before You Begin
Before you can learn to play guitar chords, learn how to read chord diagrams. Chord diagrams are pictures that show how to place your fingers on the fretboard of the guitar to play a chord.

1. Start With The Cowboy Chords
First, learn the so-called cowboy chords, also called the CAGED chords. These are the C, A, G, E, and D chords. When you learn these five easy chords, you will know everything you need to play many songs in the keys of G, A, and D, and some songs in the keys of C and E.

2. Learn Chords By Key
In any musical key, the most common chords are the major chords that are named for the first, fourth, and fifth notes in the scale for that key. Sometimes these chords are known as the one, four, and five chords for the key.
Example: In the key of C, the scale notes are C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. The one, four, and five chords in the key are C Major, F Major, and G Major. If you learn those chords, you'll be able to play lots of songs in the key of C.

The following table lists the one, four, and five chords in the keys of C, A, G, E, and D.

1 4 5
C F G
A D E
G C D
E A B
D G A

To play songs in the key of C, practice the C, F, and G chords together. To play songs in the key of A, practice the A, D, and E chords together, and so on.



3. Practice Changing Chords In Each Key
Instead of practicing individual chords by themselves, practice changing between the chords in a key.
Example: If you're working on the key of A, you should not only practice playing the A, D, and E chords, but practice changing from A to D and back, A to E and back, and D to E and back.
This will get you ready to play songs much more quickly than if you just practice the chords by themselves.



4. Use Anchor Fingers When Changing Chords
Sometimes, you'll find that you can leave one finger in the same place when you change from one chord to another. Noticing this, and practicing it, can make it easier to change chords.
Example: If you finger an A chord using your index finger on the second fret of the third string (and your second and third fingers on the second fret of the fourth and second strings) you can leave your index finger there when changing to the D chord.
If you can't find a finger that's in the same place, sometimes there's a finger that only needs to move a short distance. Staying in the key of A, but changing from the A chord to the E chord, the index finger moves from the second fret of the third string to the first fret of the third string.

5. Add Minor Chords and Seventh Chords Next For Tonal Variation
When you've mastered the CAGED chords, plus F and B7 (note: in the key of E, use B7 as the five chord instead of B - it's easier and it sounds fine), then learn some 7th chords and some minor chords. These will let you introduce different sounds and moods into your playing, and will let you play more songs. Start by learning the 7th chord for each of the CAGED chords (i.e. C7, A7, G7, E7, and D7), and substitute a 7th chord for the five chord in whatever key you're playing. Then learn E minor, A minor, and D minor.

If you follow these tips, and practice every day, you'll be well on your way to learning how to play guitar chords and achieving your musical goals.


About the Author
Ed Vickerry is a guitar player and former software trainer. He has created an eCourse that teaches you to make your guitar practice time more effective. To get the "Supercharge Your Guitar Practice Time" eCourse, and make your guitar practice time more effective, please go here: http://www.justenoughguitar.com/practice