5 Easy Guitar Chords for Beginners5 min read
Are you planning on picking up a new hobby? Do you want to learn a new instrument? Do you want to spend your time doing something more productive? Irrespective of whether or not you nodded to any of these questions, we know you’re here because you probably want to learn the guitar.
Learning a new instrument takes time, effort and dedication. Many people tend to get bored or impatient and give up halfway. But if you are serious about picking up the guitar then we have a few words of encouragement as well as some easy chords that you can learn as you begin your journey!
Contents
What are the Benefits of Learning to Play the Guitar?
Making the decision of learning a new skill can be challenging but rewarding once you’ve picked it up well. Many times you will be surprised at the benefits you reap from mastering a new skill, and the same goes for learning to play the guitar. Apart from the obvious benefit of being able to play a new instrument, learning to play the guitar has other physical and psychological advantages that you may not have known of. Some benefits of learning the guitar include:
Great exercise for your brain
Playing the guitar is believed to improve concentration and memory. As you gradually begin to focus on mastering certain chords or playing a song that you really like, you might notice that your concentration in other tasks has significantly improved as well.
Boosts confidence
As you learn and grow more, the quality of your performances will naturally increase. This will give you more confidence as you play and/or perform in front of an audience (even if that audience is just your pet dog). As your guitar-playing skills improve, you will feel better about yourself and more confident in trying new things in the future.
Improved motor skills
Learning to play the guitar will inevitably improve your hand-eye coordination. Although it might be challenging to make your fingers move in sync with your brain, as you get better at it you will also be able to pick up new movements much more easily.
Inculcates discipline
Trying to learn anything new always calls for dedication and discipline. You can only improve on something when you put in the effort and time to practice it regularly. Designating a particular time in the day or night when you will solely sit and practice your guitar even (and especially) on days when you don’t feel like it, is what will help you to gain more discipline. Discipline is necessary because there will be times when you won’t be motivated.
Helps you emotionally
Learning the guitar not only helps to reduce stress and deal with anxious thoughts and emotions, but also brings feelings of satisfaction and catharsis when you create new music.
What are the Different Types of Guitars Available?
There are multiple types, shapes and sizes of guitars that are used and played all over the world. The different types of guitars are:
- Acoustic Guitar
- Electric Guitar
- Bass Guitar
- Electro-Acoustic Guitar
- Semi-Acoustic Guitar
- Twelve-String Guitar
- Steel Guitar
- Touch Guitar
- Archtop Guitar
- Resonator Guitar
While these are some of the many types of guitars, instruments like the banjo, the ukulele and the mandolin are known as the cousins of the guitar.
As a beginner, it is always best to learn on an acoustic guitar first. This is a simple guitar that is easy to learn on, and extremely rewarding.
What is the First Thing You Should Learn on the Guitar?
It can get pretty overwhelming when you’re trying to learn something from scratch. However, it is important to stay calm and keep going without giving up.
Here is a list of 5 things that every beginner guitar player should learn:
- Anatomy of a guitar
- How to hold a guitar
- How to tune a guitar
- Playing open chords
- Strumming in rhythm
This is a great place to start for a beginner. Get a hold of these and you’re good to go!
What is a Chord?
The term “chord” is very well-known in the music world. A chord is basically two or more notes that are played together. In order to play a chord, one will play several notes at once. Interestingly, knowing how to play a few chords will help you to play multiple songs!
What are 5 Basic Guitar Chords Every Beginner Should Learn?
Now for the part we know you’ve eagerly been waiting for! These are 5 easy guitar chords that every beginner should learn:
- C
- D
- Am
- G
- Em
C major or C
Many musicians and guitarists will agree that this is a chord that you must know. It is one of the most basic and the easiest chords when it comes to learning and playing the guitar.
Although it is an easy chord, it can get quite challenging for beginners to get around it.
D major or D
D is arguably one of the most common chords used while playing guitar, and you should absolutely know how to play this one even though it can get quite tricky!
A minor or Am
This is an easy chord to learn, and most people are able to play it fluently within a couple of weeks. It requires three fingers to play and is a very common guitar chord.
G major or G
Just like the previous few, G is another super common chord not just when playing the guitar but many other instruments as well.
E minor or Em
If you want easy, E minor gives you just that. This is one of the beginner favorites and is really easy to learn and play!
What are the 10 Additional Guitar Chords Every Beginner Should Learn ?
Apart from the 5 easy chords mentioned above, here is a list of an additional 10 chords you as a beginner can learn:
- A major (A)
- B major (B)
- B minor (Bm)
- C minor (Cm)
- D minor (Dm)
- E major (E)
- F major (F)
- F minor (Fm)
- F major 7 (FMaj7)
- G minor (Gm)
Conclusion
Finally, keep in mind that learning the guitar is not a two-day thing but rather a lifelong process. Therefore, it is important to not lose heart if you find yourself struggling. Understand that you will not get everything right the first time and that is okay! We only learn better when we make mistakes. So, learn your chords, practice regularly and don’t forget to take breaks. Above all, just stick with it and have fun!
