Learn the chords II

Here is the rest of the most basic open chords. When you've learned how to play all the chords from both 'Learn the chords' pages, you will be able to play a lot of songs on the guitar. These are the most basic chords you will need. There are other chords which are not included here (Cm, Fm, Gm, B, Bm). But they're a bit harder to play, and also not as frequently used as these. Stick to these chords to begin with, and you will learn the rest sooner or later. When you've mastered all these open chords, I suggest you move on to learning barred chords. I will make a lesson on that later.

Before we get into the learning the chords, you will have to remember this to know where to place each finger.

Fingering:
1 - index finger

2 - middle finger
3 - ring finger
4 - pinky finger

How to play a C major chord:

1. Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd fret - 5th string (A string)

2. Place your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret - 4th string (D string)

3. Place your 1st finger on 1st fret - 2nd string (B string) 

('X' means this string is not played)

How to play a D minor chord:

1. Place your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret - 3rd string

2. Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd fret - 2nd string

3. Place your 1st finger on the 1st fret - 1st string

How to play an E minor chord:

1. Place your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret - 5th string

2. Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd fret - 4th string

How to play an F major chord:

1. Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd fret - 4th string

2. Place your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret - 3rd string

3. Place your 1st finger on the 1st fret - 2nd string AND 1st string

(This can be a bit tricky in the beginning, as you have to push down 2 strings using only your index finger)

How to play a G major chord:

1. Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd fret - 6th string

2. Place your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret - 5th string

3. Place your 4th finger on the 3rd fret - 1st string

How to play an A minor chord:

1. Place your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret - 4th string

2. Place your 3rd finger on the 2nd fret - 3rd string

3. Place your 1st finger on the 1st fret - 2nd string

That's all the basic open chords you will need to know to begin with. Now you can start playing some more songs. Find some easy songs and tutorial videos at the 'Song tutorials' page.