How To Play Guitar

How To Play Guitar

Lesson 1 - Basic Guitar Chords

The best way to learn how to play guitar is to start with basic things such as simple guitar chords. What you will not believe is that the guitar chords you are going to learn today will enable you to play proper songs that you can impress your friends and family with. At the end of this lesson you will be able to play three major chords - C major, G major, D major, as well as put these chords together and be able to play "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" by the Guns N' Roses. New lessons, chords and tabs will be added regularly so bookmark this page and check back often!

How To Play Guitar - Basics

The order of the strings on a normally tuned, six-string guitar is as follows-

E - thinnest string (aka top string)
B
G
D
A
E - fattest string (aka bottom string)

As far as fingering goes-

5 - Pinky finger.
4 - Ring finger.
3 - Middle finger.
2 - Index finger.
1 - Thumb.

Chords are given in the notation 12345 (12345) where the numbers outside the brackets refer to the frets you will play on the guitar, and the numbers in the brackets give you the suggested fingering (for right-handed guitarists)

Other symbols you should know -

X - Do not play string/mute string.
0 - Open string (some people call this fret zero - basically it means play the string without fretting any note on it)
* - No finger is required to fret note (relates to playing an open string)

How To Play Guitar - Chord One - C major

When learning how to play the guitar, you won't be able to get very far without C major, which is the basis for many famous songs. The chord notation for C major is X3201X (X43*2X) - The leftmost digit "X" represents the bottom (fattest) string. An "X" means that you have to deaden this note using your fingers (ie don't play this string)

"3" means that you have to put one finger, in this case your third finger/ring finger (the one closest your pinky finger) on the 3rd fret of the A string, the second fattest string.

"2" means place a finger (in this case your second/middle finger) on the 2nd fret of the D string, the third fattest string.

"0" means play an "open string" - you do not need to fret any note, simply play the G string (fourth fattest string) without having any other fingers touching it.

"1" means place a finger (in this case your index finger) on the first fret of the B string (fifth fattest string)

"X" means do not play any note on the top string, the E string. Use your index finger to lightly press up against the E string to deaden the string and prevent it from ringing.

In case you didn't get it, here's a diagram of the "C major" chord.



Practice playing this chord again and again, until all the notes ring clear.

How To Play Guitar - Chord Two - G Major

The notation for this chord is 320003 (32***4)

Use your middle finger to play at the 3rd fret on the fattest (low E) string.

Use your index finger to play at the 2nd fret on the second-fattest (A) string.

Do not fret any notes (play open strings) on the D, G and B strings (third, fourth and fifth fattest strings)

Use your fourth finger (ring finger) to play at the 3rd fret on the high-E string (thinnest/top string)

Here's a pictorial diagram to help you understand this chord better -



How To Play Guitar - Chord Three - D Major

The notation for this common chord is XX0232 (***243)

Do not play any notes on the low-E and A (two fattest strings)

Play an open string on the D string.

Use your index finger to play at the second fret of the G string.

Use your ring finger (fourth finger) to play at the fourth fret of the B string (second string from the top)

Use your middle finger to play at the second fret of the high-E string (thinnest/top string)

Once again, practice this chord over and over until you get it right.

In case you didn't get the chord, here's a diagram
of it -



How To Play Guitar - Song

Once you have practiced each of those three chords for a while, and are confident of them, can make them ring clear and can move quickly from one chord to another (if you can't, don't worry - just practice lots) then you can move on to learning a song - "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" by the Guns N' Roses.

Here are the lyrics and the chords -

Chords -

Verse - G Major, D Major, C Major (you will be able to hear when the chords change)

Chorus - G Major, D Major, C Major (you can hear the chord changes easily)

Lyrics -

Mama, take this badge off of me
I can't use it anymore.
It's gettin' dark, too dark for me to see
I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door.

Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door

Mama, put my guns in the ground
I can't shoot them anymore.
That long black cloud is comin' down
I feel like I'm knockin' on heaven's door.

Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door

Keep practicing what you have learned today until you have really mastered it. Check back regularly for new chords and song charts, as well as guitar and amp purchasing tips, videos of great players in action and more.