Basic Guitar Chord Charts

Basic guitar chord charts can help beginning guitar players brush up on the basics or lean fingering for chords they may not have encountered before. Most songs use the same chords regularly. These chords are known as the basic chords. If a guitar player learns around twelve to fifteen basic chords, there are thousands of songs that can be played.

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Chords typically fall into three main categories: major, minor and dominant seventh. Most basic guitar chord charts will cover open chords. An open chord simply has at least one open string. These are fairly easy to learn and are easy for beginners to master.

If you are a beginning guitar player, you may want to start with some of the easier and more common chords. The most basic chord charts will cover chords such as E, A, D, C, G, B and F. The best approach is to learn each chord as thoroughly as possible, and then work on transitioning smoothly between each chord. It is important to take time in the beginning to master the basics of smooth chord transitions and proper placement of fingers on the strings and frets. This will make advanced play easier later in the learning process. Some people find it easier to play the chords in chord families. You can get detailed information and additional charts on "family chords" at the Guitar Players Toolbox.

Now that you know a bit more about basic guitar chords, you're probably wondering where you can find these handy charts. One of the best sources is your local music store where you can purchase books on guitar technique. Almost every single one of these books will offer a guitar chord chart for basic chords, whether you purchase the ever popular Hal Leonard books or the House of Blues series.

Another source is your guitar instructor. Teachers often have their own techniques and order for teaching students basic chords. Because each teacher's technique can vary, the teacher will often have his or her own handouts and guitar chord charts. Once you find an instructor whose style and techniques work well for you, you'll likely benefit from any material offered during your weekly lessons.

Finally, you can find many free chord charts and information for chords online. Here are just a few of the better resources out there:

• Printable Guitar Chord Charts: You'll find a comprehensive guitar chord chart right here at LoveToKnow. Use the chart online, or feel free to print a copy you can carry with you.

• Learn Basic Guitar Chords: This site offers clear images showing hand and finger placement alongside the chord charts. One unique feature of this site is the sound files that give an example of how the chord should sound when played properly. This allows you to learn to play by chord chart and by ear at the same time; this is a handy skill to build for those times when sheet music may not be readily available.

• Guitar Chords Magic: This handy website features printable guitar chord sheets. In addition to the chords, the site offers many useful tips for learning to play these basic chords and finger placement information. It also offers more advanced chord charts once you've mastered the basics, including power chords and bar chords.

• Guitar Chords 247: This is another site that offers easy to read sheets that you can print right from your computer. It covers all of the more basic chords for guitar playing, and also offers a primer that explains how to read guitar chord charts.

• Guitar Principles: The best thing about this site is the easy, conversational tone and the layout of which chords are best to learn first. If you can't afford lessons, this may be the next best thing because there are a lot of tips shared about technique. The site also offers some courses for when you are ready for lessons.

• File Dudes: There are many different types of software available to help you learn guitar chords and other beginning techniques. Many of these software programs are free, but a few do cost a around $20.00.

Be sure to check out programs such as:

• YGS Guitar Chords Help System 2006.07++: Completely free
• Guitar Power PalmOS Edition 1.1.0 for your PDA: Runs about $14.95
• Virtual Fretboard for Guitar 1.00.06: Runs around $30.00

However you decide to learn the basic chords, the main ingredient will be perseverance and dedication. With those two traits, you'll be playing like a professional in no time at all.

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