Estimated reading time 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Do you want to learn the easiest beginner guitar chords? Once we’ve talked about what makes a chord simple to play, you’ll learn them in progressively more challenging stages. In each stage, you’ll have links to songs that you can play using the easy versions. Keep reading “What Are the Best Easy Guitar Chords for Beginners to Learn?” to start mastering guitars chords.
This article uses musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
The Best Easy Guitar Chords for Beginners #1: What Makes a Chord Simple to Play?
What makes them easy beginner guitar chords?
- The fewer fingers you use the simpler they’ll be to play.
- They’re particularly helpful for teaching young kids how to play guitar. However, they can also be helpful for adult guitar students as a bridge to full open chords.
- Conversely, the more fingers you use, the more challenging it becomes to play.
For this reason, I’ve broken the easy beginner guitar chords into four sections:
- No fingers needed
- One finger
- Two fingers
- Three fingers
This way you can gradually transition to the more challenging versions.
The Best Easy Guitar Chords for Beginners #2: Zero Fingers
The easiest beginner guitar chord to learn is E minor:
- Just strum the three thinnest strings.
- No left-hand fingers are necessary.
- Also, I use color coded diagrams when teaching young students and special needs students. For more info: click here.
Song (click on the link for the lead sheet):
- Key: C Major
- Em, C/G
- Substitute the easy C (see the next section to learn it) for the C/G.
If you don’t know one of the songs in this post, go to YouTube and search for it. That way you can get the melody into your ear.
The Best Easy Guitar Chords for Beginners #3: One Finger
Hand Icon (churien.deviantart.com/art/hand-template-blank-272630198) by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0). Modified by Geoffrey Keith.
There are a lot of songs you can play using C, G, and G7.
- Except for the easy G, these simple versions all use the first finger (the pointer).
- See the hand icon at the beginning of the section for the finger numbers.
- You’ll use the E7 for songs in A minor (see the next section).
Song (click on the link for the lead sheet):
He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands
- Key: C Major
- C, G7
- Just switch your #1 finger (pointer) between strings 1 and 2 (the two strings closest to the floor).
The Best Easy Guitar Chords for Beginners #4: Two Fingers
The easy A minor uses just the #1 (pointer) and #2 (middle) fingers.
Songs (click on the links for the lead sheets):
- Key: A Minor
- Am, G
- Once you have the easy A minor down, you can start to play songs in the key of A minor.
- Key: A Minor
- Am, C, G, Em, E, E7 (substitute E7 for E)
- On all these songs, you should substitute the easy beginner guitar chords for the harder versions, at least to begin with.
The Best Easy Guitar Chords for Beginners #5: Three Fingers
The easy F will be more challenging to play than what you’ve played in the earlier sections:
- However, it’s still simpler than either the “open” F or barre F versions, which require you to use a barre.
- Also, notice that it’s like you’re just adding one more finger to the simple A minor chord.
- The easy F will let you play a greater variety of songs in the key of C Major. Why? Because there are a lot more three chord songs than ones that have only two.
D7 isn’t one of the simple chords:
- However, if you can play the easy F, you should be able to handle D7. Like the relationship between Am and F, F and D7 have two notes in common. You only need to change the position of finger #3 (the ring finger).
- D7 allows you to play songs in the key of G Major.
- Once you can play D7 and easy F without problems, you can start working on full open chords.
Songs (click on the links for the lead sheets):
- Key: G Major
- G, G7, C, D, Em
- Substitute D7 for D
She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain
- Key: G Major
- G, C, D7
- Slide your ring finger (#3) up and down the first string (the thinnest string) as you transition from G to D7 and back. This is called a guide finger.
When the Saints Go Marching In
- Key: C Major
- C, F, G7
- Keep your pointer finger (#1) pressed down on the second string, first fret as you transition from C to F. This is called a common finger.
- Key: C Major
- C, F, G
- The more chords you know, the more songs you’ll be able to play.
Final Thoughts
Takeaway points:
- What makes a chord simple to play? The fewer fingers you use the simpler it will be.
- They’re particularly helpful for teaching young kids how to play guitar. However, the easy versions can also be helpful for adult guitar students as a bridge to the full open chords.
- On all the songs above, you should substitute hard chords with the easy versions, at least to begin with.
- If you don’t know a song, go to YouTube and search for it. That way you can get the melody into your ear.
- Look for opportunities to use guide fingers and common fingers as you switch chords.
- The more chords you know, the more songs you’ll be able to play.
- Once you’ve mastered the easy beginner guitar chords, you can begin to work on the full chord versions.
Have fun playing!
Related Posts
- Harmonic Progressions (Including the 12 Bar Blues)
- How to Play the Beginner Guitar F Triad Without a Barre
- D’you Want Some Music Tips and Tricks I’ve Learned Over the Years?
© 2024 Geoffrey Keith
Join me for in-person or online lessons today!
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