7 Basic Open Position
Guitar Chords
by Shawn Bradshaw
In this lesson you are going to learn 7 of the most basic open position
guitar chords. An open position chord is one that contains at least one
open string. If you are a beginner, these are the first chords that you should learn. For more on reading guitar chord charts, be sure and take a look at the guitar chords primer lesson.
Em is the first chord you should learn on the guitar.
Not only is it a wonderful chord, but it's easy. The small m after the E means minor.
Chord number two is C, or C major. You don't have to say "major" in the name of the chord. If you just say C chord, it is assumed that it is a major chord. You only want
to strum the top 5 strings (that means the highest sounding
5 strings, not their relationship to the floor)
There are 2 things that you should practice as you learn new
chords.
Play the notes of the chord individually, making sure that
all of the notes are sounding.
Practice switching between different chords keeping a steady
beat. Try not to stop, the goal is to learn to switch between
the chords getting the best sound possible (without stopping).
Fix any problems as you are strumming.
With all of the following chord progressions do the following
Strum only on beat 1 of each measure. This gives you plenty
of time to get to the next chord.
Next try strumming only on beats 1 and 3.
Finally strum on all 4 beats.
Each chord progression has a MIDI play along track.
