Learning Acoustic Guitar Chords for Beginners

You can’t expect yourself to be a genius on guitar chords if you were just starting to learn how to play the acoustic guitar. Everyone who plays the guitar, even the famous ones like B.B. King, Eddie Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, and Slash all had to start with basic, simple, and easy acoustic guitar chords for beginners. The truth is these chords lay down the foundation for all succeeding lessons. Once you have mastered the easiest chords, you’ll be well on your way to learning advanced chords. You might even breeze through these. Nevertheless, if you want to be good at learning guitar chords, you need to acquaint yourself with the basic anatomy of an acoustic guitar. You need to keep in mind that the chords are rendered in a pattern on print; thus, it’s important that you learn how to read the chords chart.

The main component of an acoustic guitar that you will be working closely with is the guitar strings. On the fingerboard of a guitar, you will see six strings, with the bottom-most string considered the first string and the top-most considered the sixth string. Each string has various frets underneath, which you need to push your finger against to produce a note. Each fret plays a different note. You may opt to play without pushing your finger on the frets, and this is called an open note. For each string, there is a default open note, starting with E note on the first string, B on the second, G on the third, D on the fourth, and A on the fifth string. The E note is once again on the sixth string. All acoustic guitar chords and lyrics revolve around these strings, so these form the basis for any type of guitar lesson.

As overwhelming as it sounds, there are hundreds (perhaps even thousands) of guitar chords that you can learn and play. However, chords are but a combination of different notes. In order to play just one chord, you need to play a combination of various notes on various strings all at once. Through guitar books and chord charts, you will be able to locate the chords easily on your acoustic guitar. Furthermore, if you’re diligent in your practice sessions, you will be able to memorize the chords in no time. Soon enough, you’ll be fingering the chords on your guitar without even looking. It’s important to pay attention to tips, guides, how-tos, and pieces of advice you would encounter along the way.

If you’re keen on learning acoustic guitar chords for beginners, you will find these tips indispensable:

1. Take advantage of the power of the Internet. It’s rife with online tutorials and instructional for learning chords. Just be wary of choosing the right website, as there are those that require payments so you can access the lessons. Patience is the key to finding sites that provide free lessons.

2. When it comes to acoustic guitars, it pays to spend time studying the instrument and familiarizing yourself with its different parts. You don’t just play the guitar. Instead, you need to know it like the back of your hand. This is important as it lets you understand how each component of the guitar works together to produce sound.

3. Rather than just strum the strings on your acoustic guitar, try to understand how the tension in the string affects the sound emitted by the guitar. You’d be surprised to find out that the sound differs depending on the length and size of each string.

4. You need to know that there are different ways to play acoustic guitar chords. This allows for versatility. In addition, once you’re able to play chords in various ways, it would be easier for you to transition from one chord to the next.

5. It may be cliché, but practice makes perfect. Hence, devote 20 to 30 minutes each day in practice. Don’t try to learn the chords in one go, or you’d end up frustrated and overwhelmed. It’s impossible to learn everything in one sitting, so make do with the pace you’re most comfortable with and don’t rush yourself.

By following these simple tips, you’d be reading chords like a pro in no time.