Guitar Chords That Will Get You Playing Songs Fast

Learning some of the basic guitar chords as soon as you start learning how to play the guitar is so valuable because it builds a strong foundation. Also, when you learn a few chords and piece them together, you will be able to figure out which chord combinations sound great together and make up your own songs. You will enjoy learning guitar a lot more if you can at least play one of your own tunes and this will keep your momentum going. You would be amazed how many people can play bits and pieces but can't play a whole song.



And even more important, you will be able to choose from thousands of other people's songs that use the same chords.



The best thing is that they really aren't that hard to learn... you just have to practice!



These chords are also called open-position chords and are used in many types of music such as rock, country, folk and heavy metal. Yes that's right, even heavy metal. The big differences in these types of music are the effects that are used and the strumming.



Here are the Top 7 Basic Chords to Get You Playing Fast:



O = play string



X = don't play string



1. A Major



O |-----|-----|-----|---



O |-----|--x--|-----|---



O |-----|--x--|-----|---



O |-----|--x--|-----|---



O |-----|-----|-----|---



X |-----|-----|-----|---



2. D Major



O |-----|--x--|-----|---



O |-----|-----|--x--|---



O |-----|--x--|-----|---



O |-----|-----|-----|---



X |-----|-----|-----|---



X |-----|-----|-----|---



3. E Major



O |-----|-----|-----|---



O |-----|-----|-----|---



O |--x--|-----|-----|---



O |-----|--x--|-----|---



O |-----|--x--|-----|---



O |-----|-----|-----|---



4. G Major



O |-----|-----|--x--|---



O |-----|-----|-----|---



O |-----|-----|-----|---



O |-----|-----|-----|---



O |-----|--x--|-----|---



O |-----|-----|--x--|---



5. C Major



O |-----|-----|-----|---



O |--x--|-----|-----|---



O |-----|-----|-----|---



O |-----|--x--|-----|---



O |-----|-----|--x--|---



X |-----|-----|-----|---



6. E Minor



O |-----|-----|-----|---



O |-----|-----|-----|---



O |-----|-----|-----|---



O |-----|--x--|-----|---



O |-----|--x--|-----|---



O |-----|-----|-----|---



7. A Minor



O |-----|-----|-----|---



O |--x--|-----|-----|---



O |-----|--x--|-----|---



O |-----|--x--|-----|---



O |-----|-----|-----|---



X |-----|-----|-----|---



These 7 basic guitar chords are more than enough to get you going and you'll be playing your favorites in no time. Once you memorize all these chords, listen to some songs that you would like to play and try to figure them out on your own. This is a great way to train your ear!