Arts & Music

Playing Guitar Chords From Scratch

Go from holding a guitar to strumming clean chords, switching between them in time, and playing real songs.

This course is for members

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What you will learn about Playing Guitar Chords

The 7-day sprint
  1. Tune Up and Make One Clean Note. A guitar only sounds good if it is in tune and if your fingertip presses the string firmly just behind the fret.
  2. Your First Two Chords: E Minor and A Minor. A chord is several notes sounded together, and a chord shape is a repeatable finger pattern that produces those notes.
  3. The Big Three Majors: G, C, and D. Three major open chords plus your two minors cover the large majority of beginner songs.
  4. The Strumming Hand Keeps Time. Your strumming arm should move in a constant down-up pulse whether or not it touches the strings.
  5. Changing Chords Without Falling Apart. Speed of chord changes comes from moving fewer fingers, moving them all at once, and moving early.
  6. F, Power Chords, and Movable Shapes. Some shapes can be slid anywhere on the neck, which turns one shape into twelve chords.
  7. Chord Families and Playing a Whole Song. Chords that sound good together come from the same key, and a handful of progressions cover most popular music.
The 80/20: the 7 concepts that matter most
  • The Handful of Open Chords That Play Most Songs
  • Clean Fretting: Fingertips, Close to the Fret, Light Pressure
  • The Strumming Arm Never Stops
  • Chord Changes Are the Real Skill
  • Chord Families and the I IV V vi Pattern
  • Movable Shapes: Power Chords, Barre Chords, and the Capo
  • Practice Design: Slow, Small, and Frequent
The core idea, explained like you are 5

A chord is a specific set of notes sounded at the same time, and a chord shape is just one of many ways to grab those notes on the fretboard.

Then the quiz and the ladder

10 questions that correct you when you are wrong, and beginner, intermediate, advanced levels, each with a practical exercise.