When you first open up almost any chord book as a beginner, it can be intimidating trying to find the easiest guitar chords to start learning.
It’s not your fault. Chord books are often published with hundreds of guitar chord diagrams just to thicken the length of the book.
There are only 9 essential chords that you need to learn for now. These 9 simple guitar chords are the building blocks to thousands of songs and riffs. Here are the guitar chords to learn first as a beginner
First, learn these five two-finger chords (Em, Asus2, Cmaj7, G6, and Dsus2)
When you first pick up the instrument, it’s important to learn something that’ll give you motivation to keep playing. So, right now, it’s important to master a few easy guitar chords for beginners. The following five chords are great to learn first because they’re popular and simple. Here’s where to start.
The Em chord (022000)
- Place your 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the A string
- Then, place your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the G string
- Leave all other notes open and try not to press your other fingers on them
This chord is the backbone to many Jimi Hendrix riffs, Metallica songs, and almost the entire blues repertoire. So, this and the next chord may be two of the most important chord shapes to learn!
The Asus2 chord (X02200)
- Place your 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the D string
- Then, place your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the G string
- Like before, leave the other notes open
This chord conjures up many of the sounds of classic pop songs and acoustic riffs due to the “sus2” interval. The Asus2 chord is an easy guitar chord for beginners that can almost always be used as a great substitute for the A chord.
The Cmaj7 Chord (X32000)
- Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd fret of the A string
- Then, place your 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the D string
- As before, leave the other notes open
- Don’t play the 6th string. The X signifies this
In the next of our simple guitar chords, we’ve got a ridiculously easy version of the popular C chord. This chord brings to mind dreamy soundscapes a la Pink Floyd and the Beatles.
The G6 chord (320000)
- Place your 2nd finger on the 3rd fret of the low E string
- Then, place your 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the A string
- As before, leave the other notes open
This chord will be a god-send when you start to venture into songs using the G chord. Playing this chord is sure to conjure up memories of campfire singalongs!
The Dsus2 chord (XX0230)
- Place your 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the G string
- Then, place your 2nd finger on the 3rd fret of the B string
- Leave the other strings open, except the low E and A strings
This easy guitar chord brings to mind the Eagles, Guns n Roses, and loads of other classic rock bands. You’ll be using this one a lot as you start to master your fretboard.
Then, learn these 4 chords (C, D, G, and A major)
If we were to have a “big four” of simple guitar chords, like there is in Metal music, it would be these four chords. If you plan on learning a lot of songs, you’ve got to know these four chords!
The C major chord
- Place your 3rd finger on the 3rd fret of the A string
- Then place your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the D string
- Finally, place your 1st finger on the 1st fret of the B string
- Leave all other strings open except the low E
The difference between this chord and the Cmaj7 is that you must put your 3rd finger in the correct place. If you don’t do this regularly, you’ll find that it is quite hard to switch to other chords easily.
The D major chord
- Place your 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the G string
- Then place your 3rd finger on the 3rd fret of the B string
- Finally, place your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the high E string
- Like before, leave the other strings alone except the D string, which should ring open
The difference between this and the Dsus2 is the 2nd fret on the high E string. This will likely be the first chord that’ll test your fingers a bit.
The G major chord
- Place either your 3rd finger or pinky finger on the 3rd fret of the high E string
- Then place your 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the A string
- Finally, place your 2nd finger on the 3rd fret of the low E string
- This time play all the strings together!
This is often cited as the most difficult of the easy guitar chords to learn. Take your time when practicing this chord and repeat the process of fingering this chord as much as needed.
The A major chord
- Place your 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the D string
- Then place your 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the G string
- Finally, place your 3rd finger on the 2nd fret of the B string
- Leave the other strings open except the low E string
The A major chord’s fingering is almost exactly the same as the Asus2 chord. You’re only adding the 3rd finger into the mix. Be careful not to mute the high E string with that 3rd finger though!
The top 9 guitar chords for beginners
You’ve now added a plethora of guitar chords to your repertoire. These include:
- The Em, Asus2, Cmaj7, G6, and Dsus2 chords
- As well as the big four: The C, D, G, and A chords
Once you become comfortable strumming these chords and moving between them, you’ll be able to start playing hundreds of songs on the guitar.
How to take your guitar playing skills to the next level
The next step to bridging that gap is to explore the step-by-step lessons of the Fretello Learn Path. Not only will you learn how to master all of these chords, but it’ll teach you the basics and beyond including scales, power chords, improvisation and composition techniques, and much more!