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8 Beginner Guitar Chords You Should Know

Ayla Tesler-Mabe  /  Lessons UPDATED Aug 26, 2021

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Chord Chart

Ever hear people talk about the basic chords that are in “every” song? If you know these chords, you can play 90% of popular songs. When you’re first learning guitar, that’s the best thing you’ll ever hear. And because they’re used frequently, every beginner guitarist should know how to play these chords. So let’s learn them!

The chords you’ll learn are called open chords — which means one or more strings aren’t being fretted by your fingers. In other words, most of the chords only require a couple of fingers, making them simple to play.

In this lesson, these are the eight basic chords to master:

  1. E Major
  2. E Minor
  3. A Major
  4. D Major
  5. C Major
  6. C Major7
  7. G Major
  8. *Special* G Major

Download the chord chart so you can practice these chords — after all, you’ll be playing them a lot.

Practicing these shapes as a beginner builds dexterity in your fingers preparing you for more advanced chords (like those scary bar chords). So get comfortable playing around with them and transitioning between each chord shape. And when you’re confident, search how to play one of your favorite songs. There’s a high chance at least one of these eight chords will be there. And you’ll have no problem strumming it out!


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