Most beginner guitarists start by learning the same fifteen chords, usually called the “standard fifteen.” I’ve also heard them called the open chords because they make use of open strings and are thus easy to play. For fingerings, have a look at wikipedia or any book on beginner guitar. You can also see this handy web site, which plays audio of each chord along with the fingerings.
A A7 Am
B7
C C7
D D7 Dm
E E7 Em
F
G G7
It’s not much good to just memorize these chords without musical context. It’s better to learn them grouped together into keys, so you can hear how they relate to each other. Family Guy explains how this works using the key of G. I apologize for the general filthiness of the opening joke, but then it actually turns into a good music theory lesson.
Here are the standard fifteen grouped into various useful major, blues and minor keys. Pick a row and try the chords within it. They’ll sound good together in any order and in any combination. The first chord in each row is the tonic chord, which feels like home base.
Major keys
I ii iii IV V vi V/V V/ii V/vi
C major: C Dm Em F G7 Am D7 A7 E7
G major: G Am -- C D7 Em A7 E7 B7
D major: D Em -- G A7 -- E7 B7 --
A major: A -- -- D E7 -- B7 -- --
E major: E -- -- A B7 -- -- -- --
Blues
I7 IV7 V7 bIII bVII C blues: C7 -- G7 -- --
G blues: G7 C7 D7 -- F
D blues: D7 G7 A7 F C
A blues: A7 D7 E7 C G
E blues: E7 A7 B7 G D
Minor keys
I bIII iv IV v V bVI bVII V/V bVI7
D minor: Dm F -- G7 Am A7 -- C E7 --
A minor: Am C Dm D7 Em E7 F G B7 --
E minor: Em G Am A7 -- B7 C D -- C7
For more adventurous sounds, try mixing chords from different keys together. Trust your ears and have fun!
Post a Comment