How To Quickly & Easily Play Open Major & Minor Chords: by Paul Bright

How To Quickly & Easily Play Open Major & Minor Chords
By Paul Bright
By Paul Bright
Page 1
Contents
Introduction ................................................................... 4 Before You Get Started .................................................. 6 Finger Basics .............................................................. 6 Strings ........................................................................ 8 Frets ........................................................................... 9 Posture....................................................................... 9 Major Open Chords...................................................... 12 The E Chord .............................................................. 12 The A Chord ............................................................. 14 The G Chord ............................................................. 16 The D Chord ............................................................. 18 The C Chord ............................................................. 19 The F Chord .............................................................. 21 The B Chord ............................................................. 23 Minor Open Chords ..................................................... 25 The Em Chord .......................................................... 25 The Am Chord .......................................................... 26 The Dm Chord .......................................................... 27 The Fm Chord........................................................... 28 By Paul Bright Page 2
The Bm Chord .......................................................... 29 The Cm Chord .......................................................... 31 The Gm Chord .......................................................... 32 Conclusion ................................................................... 33 Resources..................................................................... 35
Copyright 2011 Paul Bright By reading this document, you assume all risks associated with using the advice given below, with a full understanding that you, solely, are responsible for anything that may occur as a result of putting this information into action in any way, and regardless of your interpretation of the advice
By Paul Bright
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Introduction
Hi & Welcome. Firstly I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for taking the next step in your journey with playing the guitar. In this course you will learn how to play all the Open Major Chords, & all the Open Minor Chords too. Before we dive into the course I just wanted to let you know that Ive been where youve been. The reason why I bought a guitar, was that I wanted to be able to learn how to play my favorite songs. All songs are based on some sort of chord progression, and if you can learn what chords are in the songs you want to learn and how to play them, then the next step is just learning what strumming pattern the song uses. Most songs will have some sort of guitar solo, or something like that, but learning how to play chords forms a great foundation to learning any song you want to learn. By Paul Bright Page 4
While this course will teach you how to play all your Open Major & Minor chords, there are still plenty of other chords to learn. When I got started playing, and the way Ive laid this course out, was I learnt how to play the open major and minor chords first. After I had these chords under my belt, learning other chords when needed was easy. From time I still have to learn other chords, but what covered in this course should form a good foundation to helping you play your favorite songs. So without further ado, let get started
By Paul Bright
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Before You Get Started

Finger Basics
Before getting started, let's talk for a moment on hand and finger basics. You will obviously have one fretting hand, which is the hand responsible for creating chords or single notes, and you will have your picking or strumming hand. Both hands are equally important. I believe that anyone can create a chord with their fretting hand, but the real magic happens with your picking hand as there are so many ways to make sounds come out of the strings
Above is a diagram of your fretting hand and how to refer to your fingers. This will be a great visual aid for correct chord placement. It will be tempting to cheat By Paul Bright Page 6
with finger placement on some of the chords, but there are specific reasons for using specific fingers for constructing the chords. There is a correct way and an incorrect way to hold a pick with your strumming hand. You'll want to lightly rest the pick between your thumb and forefinger. Your forefinger needs to be arced so that it forms a semicircle. The pick will rest between the first and second knuckles on the forefinger. Each finger consists of three knuckles, one right above the fingernail, one half way up the finger and the last where the finger meets with the hand. The first and second are referring to the ones right above the fingernail and half way up the finger.
By Paul Bright
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From here you will place your thumb on the pick creating a loose yet stable pressure. As you become more advanced in your guitar playing, you will learn that there are several ways to hold a pick and all of which will be held between the thumb and forefinger. Do not let yourself fall into the trap of holding the pick with the tips of your thumb, forefinger and middle finger. This is incorrect and is a very bad habit to break.
Strings
If youve got a guitar, electric or acoustic, youd probably already have noticed that there are six strings strung on the guitar. Ill quickly let you know what strings are what so you know which strings to put your fingers on. If you are holding the guitar (Note: Coming up I have a section on how to hold the guitar correctly), the string closet to you (starting at the top) is the low-E string, known as the 6th string. Moving our way down the guitar (towards the ground) we have our A string known as the 5th string. Moving a string down we have our D string (4th String). Our next string is our 3rd string (this is our G string). Our next string is the B string (2 nd string). Lastly we have our high-e string, which is our 1st string.
By Paul Bright
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So to summarize, here are our strings from top (thickest string) to bottom (thinnest string): Low-e string (thickest string) = 6th string A string = 5th String D string = 4th string G string = 3rd string B string = 2nd string High-e string (thinnest string) = 1st string
Frets
With the number of frets varying from guitar to guitar, in the course we will be mainly playing in the first three frets. There are a couple of chords that we will play a couple of frets higher, however, most will be played in frets 1 to 3.
Posture
Posture is also very important. Correct posture will help your overall performance. You need to sit up straight and make sure you have a flat back. You may find a tendency to want lean over the front of your guitar so that you can see what you're doing with your fingerings. Instead of looking over your guitar, use your fret dots to By Paul Bright Page 9
know where your fingers are. Ultimately you want to play without looking at your instrument and fingers. A lot of novice guitar players will sit anywhere; place the guitar on their right thigh and play. You may wonder why this is a problem. Well, when your posture is completely out of alignment, this will result in sloppy wrist, hand, and finger habits. Also, correct chord formations and scale constructs won't be possible up the entire neck of the guitar. Youll want to get yourself a chair that fits your height. When you are getting a chair make sure that when you sit in it, your feet are flat on the ground. You also want to make sure that your lap and knees make a 90 degree angle. Any deviation on this will result in incorrect posture. If your chair is too low, your arm, wrist, and finger movements will be limited. If your chair is too high, the tendency will be to lean over your guitar and the result is incorrect posture. A good measure is to stand next to the chair and it should come up to your knees. Second, you want to get yourself a foot stool. You will use the foot stool to elevate your left leg. The guitar will rest on your elevated left thigh. I caution at getting a foot stool that is too high. While the foot stool allows for the most secure and correct body posture, it can cause some stress to your lower back.
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Third, be sure that you sit at the edge of the chair. Do not slouch. Sit up straight. It's okay to look at the guitar and your hand, but it isn't okay to lean over and look at them. Relax your shoulders and keep them square to your torso. Do not let yourself lean to any side. There are a couple of exceptions to this when you are playing up in the twelfth frets and above. Once you have finished in those frets, resume posture. Now I'm sure you have the right foot phenomenon. What to do with the right foot? I tuck it under the chair and rest on the ball of my foot. Some like to have it almost completely extended to where it's almost on the heel. You decide what works best for you. Last thing I'd like to go over with you are the principles of movement. Our joints work in three different realms of movement. The gist of this is if you put your hand out in front of you and curve the wrist as far left as you can and wiggle your fingers. You should feel tension and pulling in your forearm and wrist. Do the same for the right side. Now keep the wrist in an unbent position and wiggle your fingers. There should be a marked difference in how this feels in comparison to the other two positions. You also want to keep your fretting arm next to your torso. You don't want it smashed against your rib cage but you also don't want it out there like a chicken wing. Correct posture is important because as a guitar player, you want to eliminate any excess tension or straining on your body. Believe it or not, real physical conditions can be the result of bad posture. Take the time to be honest By Paul Bright Page 11
about what you need to work on. Bad habits come easy and perfection takes practice.
Major Open Chords

Lets begin with open chords. Open chords are basic chord formations that all guitar players learn how to play first. The first chord we will be learning is.
The E Chord
For me, the E chord was the very first chord I learnt to play when I was getting started with the guitar. By Paul Bright Page 12
Ive decided to start with this chord first because out of all the different chords available, I believe the E chord is probably the easiest to master as your fingers will be grouped closely together, its easy to remember, and you can strum every string unlike other chords like D, where you cant play the top 2 stings. Step 1: Press your 2nd finger on the 5th string, in the 2nd fret Step 2: Press your 3rd finger on the 4th string (directly below your 2nd finger) in the 2nd fret. Step 3: Press your 1st finger on the 3rd string in the 1st fret. Step 4: Strum the guitar from the 6th string to the 1st string. As I mentioned earlier, the E chord is a great chord because youre allowed to strum every single string, even those that arent pressed down like the 6th, 2nd & 1st string. This makes it easier as you dont need to worry about what stings youre strumming, allowing you to focus on the proper placement of your fingers.
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The A Chord
I love the A Chord, and to be perfectly honest, I was debating on whether I should feature this chord first instead of the E Chord. The only reason why I chose the E chord over the A chord, is because when you strum this chord, you need to make sure you dont play the 6th (low-E) string. Well chat about that a little more in a few moments, but lets learn how to play the A Chord first. Step 1: Press your 2nd finger on the 4th string in the 2nd fret By Paul Bright Page 14
Step 2: Press your 3rd finger on the 3rd string in the 2nd fret. (Directly below your 2nd finger) Step 3: Press your 4th Finger on the 2nd string in the 2nd fret (Directly below your 3rd finger) Step 4: To strum the A Chord, you begin playing the chord at the 5th string. So make sure you do not play the 6th (Low-E) string otherwise your chord will sound off. Side Note: Even though the 5th string & 1st string arent pressed, ensure you include those strings when you strum. Those 2 strings are played open, meaning not pressed.
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The G Chord
The next chord we will master is the G chord. I believe the G chord is slightly harder to play than the E Chord because you need to stretch your fingers a little more. However like the E chord, you can strum every string, even those that are not pressed down. Step 1: Press your 2nd Finger on the 6th string in the 3rd fret. Step 2: Press your 1st finger on the 5th string in the 2nd fret.
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Step 3: Press your 3rd finger, on the 1st string in the 3rd fret. Step 4: Strum the guitar starting from the 6 th string. Ensure you include every string along the way. How did you go with the G Chord? Can you play it? When I first learnt the G Chord, I remember having a few issues with getting my 3rd finger all the way down to the 1st (High-E) string, while keeping my other 2 fingers pressed down on the first 2 strings. If youre having issues with this too, dont stress, because with some repetition and practice, this chord will become a walk in the park.
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The D Chord
Step 1: Press your 1st finger on the 3rd string in the 2 nd fret. Step 2: Press your 2nd finger on the 1st string in the 2nd fret. Step 3: Press your 3rd finger on the 2nd string in the 3rd fret. Step 4: To strum the D Chord, you begin playing the chord at the 4th string. This means the 4th string is played open. By Paul Bright Page 18
With this chord, youll need to pay special attention to ensuring you dont strum the top 2 strings (ie. 6 th & 5th Strings). When I got started playing this chord I remember I would accidentally strum the top 2 strings without meaning it. This will happen from time to time, and all you can do is take it slow and be careful. With the guitar practice makes perfect, and practice is something youll need to do, even if its 5 minutes per day.
The C Chord
By Paul Bright
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Step 1: Press your 3rd finger on the 5th string in the 3rd fret. Step 2: Press your 2nd finger on the 4th string in the 2nd fret. Step 3: Press your 1st finger on the 2nd string in the 1st fret. Step 4: To strum the C chord, simply strum staring at the 5th string. The 4th and 1st strings are played open. However the 6th (low-E) string is not played in this chord. Side Note: A common complaint I see and hear from people learning this chord is that their 1st finger (index finger) slips and ends up touching the 1st (high-E) string which is meant to be played open. If this happens to you a suggestion I have is to do some finger stretching exercises. At first it can seem impossible to stretch your finger all the way down to the 1st string, but with some practice, and stretching it shouldnt take long until you can play a C chord easily. Ive included a bonus for you to help with this stretching issue.
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The F Chord
If youve ever tried learning this chord then youll know from experience that this chord is a pain in the butt. Most people getting started find the F Chord the most difficult to learn because you need to get used to putting your fingers in weird positions. A common complaint with this chord is people saying their fingers arent long enough to play this chord. Based on what Ive seen, I would be 99% certain in saying that your fingers would be long enough to play this chord. It just takes a lot of practice to get this chord By Paul Bright Page 21
down pat. The easiest way to learn this chord learn the steps I am about to give you so you have an idea of what the chord looks like, then go back to step 1, practice it until it sounds fine, then move onto step 2. Practice step 2, then move onto step 3 etc. Step 1: Press your 3rd finger on the 4th string in the 3rd fret. Step 2: Press your 2nd finger on the 3rd string in the 2nd fret. Step 3: Press your 1st finger down flat on the 1st and 2nd strings in the 1st fret. Step 4: To strum the F chord, simply strum staring at the 5th string. The 5th string is played open, with the 6th (low-E) string not played. You will probably find steps 1 & 2 to be easy (especially if youve learnt the C chord). However step 3 tends to get most people stuck. Again practice makes perfect. Another tip I have is to just practice step 3. So press your finger flat on just the 1st & 2nd strings, and strum just those two strings. Have that sound nice and go
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backwards to step 2 by adding your 2nd finger on the 3rd string. Whatever you do, do NOT give up. Spend a few minutes each day mucking around with this chord. I found that it didnt take too long before it just kind of snapped, and came all together for me. The worst thing you can do is try to master this chord in 1 day. It probably wont happen. Spend a few minutes everyday day or so, and it wont take long before you can play this chord.
The B Chord
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The good old B Chord. A chord some people love, and others hate. The good news is if youve heard of barre chords, then this chord will be a great introduction to them. The B chord is a barre chord held in the A Shape. If youre not sure what a barre chord is, here is the definition I found at wikipedia.org Barre chords (also known as bar chords, but more commonly spelled as "barre") are a type of guitar chord, where one or more fingers are used to press down multiple strings across the guitar fingerboard (like a bar pressing down the strings). Here are the steps to play this chord. Step 1: Lay your 1st finger flat across all the strings in the 2nd fret. At this stage I would pick each string individually to make sure youve actually got each string pressed down correctly. Its very easy to have 1 string not pressed down correctly. Youll know if you havent got a string pressed down correctly because it wont ring like one that is pressed correctly.
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Step 2: Lay your 3rd finger flat across the 4th, 3rd and 2nd string in the 4th fret. Step 3: To strum the B chord, simply strum staring at the 6th (low-E) string. The biggest mistake I see people making with this chord is having their 3rd finger touch the 1st (low-E) string, resulting in a dud note being played. You need to take special care when getting your 3rd finger to lie across 3 strings only. While this chord is one of the harder ones to learn, it is probably the most rewarding to learn. I remember how great it felt when I finally learnt how to play this chord and my friends looked on in amazement as they were struggling with it. I keep saying, but repetition is the mother of all skill. Keep practicing this chord a little everyday, and it wont be long until you have this one up your sleeve.
Minor Open Chords

The Em Chord
Out of all the Open Chords, the Em in my honest opinion is the easiest to play by far.
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The Em is essentially the same as an E Chord, without having to press your 1st finger down on the 3rd string. This means you only need to press two stings, directly under each other to play an Em. How great is that? Step 1: Press your 2nd Finger on the 5th string in the 2nd fret. Step 2: Press your 3rd finger on the 4th string in the 2nd fret. Step 4: Strum the guitar starting from the 6 th string. Ensure you include every string along as you strum in an even and consistent manner Isnt the Em Great???? Next the Am
The Am Chord
The Am is another great, simple chord to learn because it is essentially an E chord played 1 string lower. Let me show you what I mean: Step 1: Press your 2nd finger on the 4th sting in the 2nd fret.
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Step 2: Press your 3rd finger on the 3rd string in the 2nd fret. Step 3: Press your 1st finger on the 2nd string in the 1st fret. Step 4: Strum starting from the 5th string. With the Am minor the 6th string isnt played, and the 1st & 5th strings are played open.
The Dm Chord
Moving on from the Am, the next chord well be learning is the Dm. How did you go with the D Chord in the previous section? The reason I ask this question is because the Dm is fairly similar to the D, but with a few minor adjustments. Heres how to play it. Step 1: Press your 3rd finger on the 2nd string in the 3rd fret. Step 2: Press your 2nd finger on the 3rd string in the 2nd fret.
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Step 3: Press your 1st finger on the 1st string in the 1st fret. Step 4: Strum starting from the 4th string. The 4th string is played open, while strings 5 & 6 are not played at all. Again the Dm in terms of layout is fairly similar to the D chord, with the exception of the note on the 1st string. The big difference with this chord is that in order to play it correctly, you need to put your fingers in a slightly different position.
The Fm Chord
I have to admit that weve been fairly lucky so far with the Minor chords so far. Most of them have been variations of the Major chords learnt in the previous section. The last 4 chords youll be learning are going to be a little trickier then the previous 3, so I just wanted to warn you up front. But remember, practice makes perfect. Spend a few minutes each day on these chords and before long youll have them mastered. The Fm is another barre chord. To play this chord simply do this:
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Step 1: Lay your 1st finger flat across all the strings in the 1st fret. Note: Once you do this you may want to individually pick each string, as its fairly easy for a string not to be pressed. Step 2: With your 1st finger laying flat, press your 2nd finger on the 5th string in the 3rd fret Step 3: Press your 3rd finger down on the 4th string in the 3rd fret. Step 4: Strum this chord starting from the 6th string. Note: All strings are played with this chord. A common mistake people make with this chord is that their 3rd finger slightly touches the 3rd string creating a dud note sound. Pay special attention to this by individually pick the 3rd string once youve formed the chord. If the 3rd string rings nicely then youre right. However if you hear a dud note, try adjusting your 3 rd finger slightly.
The Bm Chord
Here is another barre chord called the Bm Chord. To play this chord, simply do this:
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Step 1: Lay your 1st finger flat across all the strings in the 2nd fret. Note: Once you do this you may want to individually pick each string, as its fairly easy for a string not to be pressed. Step 2: Press your 3rd finger down on the 4th string in the 4th fret. Step 3: Press your 4th finger down on the 3rd string in the 4th fret Step 4: Press your 2nd finger down on the 2 nd string in the 3rd fret Step 3: Strum this chord starting from the 6th string. Note: All strings are played with this chord.
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The Cm Chord
How did you go with the Bm?? If youre having some difficulty learning these chords then please do not give up. These chords do take time to learn, and with some daily practice, youll have them under your belt in no time. To play our next chord the C minor, simply do this: Step 1: Lay your 1st finger flat across strings 1 to 5 in the 3rd fret. Step 2: Press your 3rd finger down on the 4th string in the 5th fret. Step 3: Press your 4th finger down on the 3rd string in the 5th fret. Step 4: Press your 2nd finger down on the 2 nd string in the 4th fret. Step 5: Strum starting from the 5th string. Note: The 6th String isnt played in this chord. Tip: Use the very tip of your first finger to mute the 6 th string.
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The Gm Chord
Our lucky last chordThe G Minor. The Gm isnt all that hard to play, it just involves you stretching a little which can be hard at first. Just follow along below and in no time youll have this one down pat. Step 1: Press your 1st finger down on the 5th string in the 1st fret. Step 2: Press your 2nd finger down on the 6th string in the 3rd fret. Step 3: Press your 3rd finger down on the 2 nd string in the 3rd fret. Step 4: Press your 4th finger down on the 1st string in the 3rd fret. Step 5: Strum starting from the 6th string. Note: The 3rd and 4th strings are played open.
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Conclusion
Congratulations. If you are reading this part then I want to congratulate you on getting through the course. Guitar chords are one of those things that seem difficult at first, but with a bit of practice and patience, seem almost too easy. Learning to play guitar chords reminds me of learning to ride a bike. At first, learning how to ride a bike seems impossible, but with some practice, youll never forget how to ride one. As we come to an end I want to leave you with a few next steps you can take right now to improve the chances of this course being a success for you. The first thing you will want to learn is how to play the Major Open Chords. Start at the beginning of the section with the E chord, learn that, and then move onto the next chord which is the A Chord. Keep doing this until you finish off with the B chord. I made this course to start with the easiest chords first, and then progress to the harder chords towards the end of each section. After you have learnt the Major Open Chords, move onto the Minor Open Chords. Do the same thing by By Paul Bright Page 33
learning the easiest chords found at the front, and working your way through one chord at a time. You may have heard the saying before about the way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. Do this, take one small bite at a time, and work your way through. This will prevent overwhelm, and greatly increase the chances of you learning these chords. I wish you the best of luck. Until next time, Paul.
By Paul Bright
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Resources
By Paul Bright
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How To Quickly & Easily Play Open Major & Minor Chords

Before You Get Started

Major Open Chords

Minor Open Chords

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