Playing a G Major Guitar Chord

This diagram illustrates the first chord we are going to play, a G major chord (often simply called a “G chord”). Take your second finger, and put it on the third fret of the sixth string. Next, take your first finger, and put it on the second fret of the fifth string. Lastly, put your third finger on the third fret of the first string.

Make sure all of your fingers are curled, and are not touching any strings they’re not supposed to. Now, using your pick, strike all six strings in one fluid motion. Notes should ring all together, not one at a time (this could take some practice). Voila! Your first chord.

Now, check to see how you did. While still holding down the chord with your fretting hand, play each string (starting with the sixth) one at a time, listening to be sure each note rings out clearly. If not, study your hand to determine why it doesn’t. Are you pressing hard enough?

Is one of your other fingers touching that string, which is preventing it from sounding properly? These are the most common reasons why a note does not sound.

Useful Tip:

– In order to achieve best results and do not even to look at the fretboard when playing any chord, you should learn to play guitar chords right from the very beginning.

So, use the following technique and your fingers will start memorising the chords – not only your eyes:

- each time when you move from one chord to another, straighten up all your fingers first in a way that you could see them all (except for the thumb), then take another chord.

Do not try to shift or to climb down somehow, instead: - using your pick, strike all six strings in one fluid motion - straighten up fingers …and only then move to another chord.

It might seem to be very boaring and slow way of playing at first, but it’s also one of the main techniques to achieve great results in moving from one chord to another without even looking down on the fretboard.

Playing a C Major Chord

The second chord we’ll learn, the C major chord (often called a “C chord”), is no more difficult than the first G major chord.
Place your third finger on the third fret of the fifth string. Now, put your second finger on the second fret of the fourth string. Finally, put your first finger on the first fret of the second string.

Here’s where you have to be slightly careful. When playing a C major chord, you do NOT want to strum the sixth string. Watch your pick to make sure you only strum the bottom five strings when you are first learning the C major chord. Test this chord as you did with the G major chord, to make sure all notes are ringing clearly.

Playing a D Major Guitar Chord

Some beginners have slightly more difficulty playing a D major chord (often called a “D chord”), since your fingers have to cram into a fairly small area. Shouldn’t be too much of a problem, however, if you can comfortably play the other two chords.

Place your first finger on the second fret of the third string. Then, put your third finger on the third fret of the second string. Lastly, place your second finger on the second fret of the first string. Strum only the bottom 4 strings when playing a D major chord.

Spend some time familiarizing yourself with these three chords… you will use them for the rest of your guitar-playing career. Make sure you can play each of the chords without looking at the diagrams. Know what the name of each chord is, where each finger goes, and which strings you strum or do not strum.

Major Chord Video

Before we can start, look at the diagram to the right to understand how fingers on the “fretting hand” (the hand that plays notes on the neck) are commonly identified. The thumb is labelled as “T”, the index finger is the “first finger”, the middle finger is the “second finger”, and so on.

The Chromatic Scale

The above represents the neck of the guitar, when looked at head on. The first vertical line on the left of the diagram is the sixth string. The line to the right of that is the fifth string. And so on.

The horizontal lines in the diagram represent the frets on the guitar.

.. the space between the top horizontal line, and the one below it is the first fret. The space between that second horizontal line from the top and the one below it is the second fret. And so on. The “0″ above the diagram represents the open string for the string it is positioned above. Finally, the black dots are indicators that these notes that should be played.

Start by using your pick to play the open sixth string. Next, take the first finger on your fretting hand (remembering to curl it), and place it on the first fret of the sixth string.

Apply a significant amount of downward pressure to the string, and strike the string with your pick. Now, take your second finger, place it on the second fret of the guitar (you can take your first finger off), and again strike the sixth string with the pick.

Now, repeat the same process on the third fret, using your third finger. And lastly, on the fourth fret, using your fourth finger. There! You’ve played all the notes of chromatic guitar scale on the sixth string.

Now, move to the fifth string… start by playing the open string, then play frets one, two, three and four. Repeat this process for each string, altering it only on the third string. On this third string, play only up to the third fret. When you’ve played all the way up to the first string, fourth fret, you’ve completed the exercise.

Chromatic Scale Playing Advice

• When playing a note, place your finger at the “top of fret” (the area of the fret farthest away from the headstock). This will produce a clearer sound.
• Try to use alternate picking while attempting this exercise. If this is overwhelming, try using only downstrokes with your pick, but learn properly once you’ve gotten used to the scale.
• Once you’ve finished the scale, try playing the scale backwards, by starting at the first string, fourth fret, and playing all notes in exactly the reverse order.

You could always skip to the video at the bottom of the page.

I wouldn’t suggest that you ask someone to tune your guitar for you or else how you gonna train your ear? Instead, ask somebody to teach you tuning a guitar.

As an alternative, you could invest in a “guitar tuner”, a relatively inexpensive device which listens to the sound of each string, and advises you (via a few blinking lights on display) on what you need to do in order to get the note in tune.

If neither of these options are realistic for you, however, don’t fear. You can learn to tune your guitar, and with some patience and a bit of practice, you’ll become a PRO at doing it I also recommend to use a Personal Ear Trainer

Tuning 6th String

Before beginning to play you must make certain that the strings are in tune with each other. If you play a chord and it doesn’t sound quite right you are probably out of tune and must tune up.

Because the 6th string is the largest string on the guitar it will not go out of tune as easily as the others. We can, therefore, “assume “that it is in tune.

When you are playing by yourself the 6th string does not have to be exactly in tune with any other instrument. However, when we play with other musicians we must tune our E string with an E note of another instrument.

Tuning 5th String

Place your finger on the 6th string – at the 5th fret – strike the 6th string. Now, strike the 5th string open. If the two notes sound the same (in unison) they are in tune. If they do not sound the same, then the 5th string is either too high or too low in pitch to the 6th string at the 5th fret.

Tighten the 5th string if it is too low or loosen the string if it is too high.

If you have trouble hearing the pitch of the 5th string, try humming both tones while concentrating on the pitch. Don’t get discouraged. Your sense of pitch will be developed and refined as you gain more experience. The differences in pitch, if any, will be subtle.

When your 5th string open sounds like the 6th string – at the 5th fret then these two strings are in tune.

Tuning 4th String

Place your finger on the 5th string – at the 5th fret. Strike the 5th string. Strike the 4th string – open.

Tighten or loosen the string to raise or lower the pitch until the 4th string – open sounds like the 5th string – at the 5th fret. When these two strings sound the same they are in tune.

Tuning 3th String

Place your finger on the 4th string – at the 5th fret. Strike the 4th string. Strike the 3rd string – open.

Tighten or loosen the 3rd string until the two tones sound the same. When they sound the same, these two strings are in tune.

Tuning 2th String

Place your finger on the 3rd string – at the 4th fret. Strike the 3rd string. Strike the 2nd string – open. Tighten or loosen the 2nd string until the two tones sound the same.

When they sound the same, these two strings are in tune.

If you are tuning a steel string guitar the B (2nd)string may sometimes be difficult to tune correctly. This string, as well as the 1st string, does not have a bronze or other metal winding around it like the others. Therefore, it tends to be more sensitive to the tightening / loosening process. Do not become discouraged. You will learn the various “quirks” of your guitar over time bringing you that much closer to your instrument.

Tuning 1th String

Return to the 5th fret. Place your finger on the 2nd string – at the 5th fret. Strike the 2nd string. Strike the 1st string – open. Tighten or loosen the 1st string until the two tones sound the same. When they sound the same, these two strings are in tune.

At this point all the strings should be in tune with each other and, therefore, your guitar is now in tune.

The easiest way to check your tuning is to play a chord. If your guitar is not in tune, the chord will not sound right. Go back to step 1. Repeat the tuning process by checking each string. This is known as “fine tuning”.

Guitar Tuning Advice

Do not become discouraged if you have trouble hearing the pitches. It will take time to develop an “ear” for tuning the guitar. An easy way to determine whether the string you are tuning is sharp or flat to your reference pitch is to loosen it until it is obvious that the pitch is lower, then slowly tighten the string until it comes “up to pitch”.

If you tune the string too high simply lower it and try again. Tightening the string will stretch it giving it maximum tension. By contrast, lowering a string to pitch will not assure this maximum tension and will most likely slip a little bit causing the string to go flat.

Another way to assure that your guitar will stay in tune is to keep a good set of strings on it. As strings get older they tend to stretch out and lose their tonal brilliance. If your guitar sounds “dull”, try putting on a new set of strings. You will be amazed at the difference. Be warned, however, that when strings are new they will continue to stretch for the first few Shows causing them to loosen and go flat. Once they have achieved their optimum tension they should stay in tune.

Guitar Tuning Video

You can find out online guitar lessons on theory, fancy scales and speedy cool licks playing…but what about beginner guitar lessons you may ask me. Right, there are not loads of of them. So, the subsequent beginner guitar lessons have been formed with the absolute beginner in mind.

This set of lessons is planned for people who are not familiar with what to begin with or they, have borrowed a guitar, but don’t yet know the primary things about playing it

You can learn this guitar lessons for beginners at your own tempo, but it’s recommended that new guitarists begin at lesson one, spending at least one week learning the workout.

Even though, there are lots of diverse types of guitars (acoustic, electric, classical, electric-acoustic, etc.), they all have many things in general. Thus, you may appropriate any beginner guitar lessons to different kinds of guitars and afterward prefer a style you want to be in.

Start at lesson one found in the navigation to the right of this post