Learn to play simple guitar chords.
You can learn to play simple guitar chords in the privacy of your home. Learn hold a guitar and where to place your fingers for simple chords for beginning guitar players. Mastering the most basic guitar chords---Em, G, G7, C and D---will help you establish the basic foundation of guitar playing, which will help you learn other chords easier. Strumming with your pick while holding down the correct strings over the correct frets starts you out in forming your first chords on the guitar.
Instructions
1. Hold the guitar in the classical position.
Hold the guitar correctly. Sit on an upright chair or stool. Place your left foot on a six-inch-high foot stool. Hold the side of the guitar over your left leg and rest it on top of your leg while the bottom of the guitar rests on the inner right thigh. The neck of the guitar should point to your left and slightly upward. Hold the guitar close to your body.
2. Learn the E minor chord.
Play the E minor chord. Use your third finger---that is, the third finger from your left thumb---to hold down the fourth string, which is the fourth string from the bottom or the third-thickest string. Hold it down between the first and second frets. (Count frets by starting at the top of the neck and counting down toward the body of the guitar.) Hold down the fifth string (the second-thickest string) between the first and second frets with your second finger. Strum all the strings with a continuous motion using a pick in your right hand. Repeat until all strings ring together. Adjust your fingers to ensure you press hard, and only touch the strings you are suppose to touch.
3. Learn the G major chord.
Play the G major chord. Hold your third finger, which is the third finger from the thumb over the first string, which is the string at the bottom of the neck (the thinnest string), between the second and third frets. Place your first finger over the fifth string between the first and second frets, and your second finger over the sixth string between the second and third frets. Holding down all three strings in the correct location, strum all six strings with a pick in your right hand.
4. Play the G7 chord.
Play the G7 chord. Hold your first finger on the first string above the first fret. Put your second finger on the fifth string between the first and second frets. Put your third finger on the sixth string between the second and third frets. Holding down all three strings in the correct location, strum all six strings with a pick in your right hand.
5. Learn the C chord.
Play the C chord. Put your first finger on the second string above the first fret. Put your second finger on the fourth string between the first and second frets. Put your third finger on the fifth string between the second and third frets. Holding down all three strings in the correct location, strum the bottom five strings with a pick in your right hand.
6. Learn the D chord.
Play the D chord. Put your second finger on the first string between the first and second frets. Put your third finger on the second string between the second and third frets. Put your first finger on the third string between the first and second frets. Holding down all three strings in the correct location, strum the bottom four strings with a pick in your right hand.
