Basic Guitar Chords for Beginners that are Easy to Learn

When your child starts to learn the guitar, chords are one of the first and most important things they will be introduced to. The guitar has many chords, and it can be overwhelming to learn for a beginner, especially if they are young. Luckily, there are a few guitar chords for beginners that you can learn and teach to your child.

In this guide, you will discover some easy guitar chords for beginners. They might be basic guitar chords, but you’ll soon find that many popular songs use them. Knowing the chords will take some practice and memorization, but the results will be worth it when you and your child can play some fantastic songs, maybe even together. 

Why Learning Beginner Guitar Chords Is Important

Chords are the fundamental building blocks of a song. They give songs their rhythm and flavor. Once you master basic guitar chords, you can start playing them in a particular order, known as a chord progression. Through progressions, you can begin creating melodies that can blossom into amazing songs.

[Read: Guitars for Beginners]

The Easiest Guitar Chords for Beginners

Below, you will learn a few basic guitar chords for beginners. With enough repetition, you’ll find that they gradually become easier to do. Soon you’ll be able to play them effortlessly. Then, you can move on to the intermediate chords. You may struggle at first, but, as the saying goes, “Practice makes perfect.”

Note: As you try out these chords, keep in mind that strings are counted from the guitar’s headstock to the body. That means the string immediately after the headstock is string #1.

A major (A)

A major is a simple guitar chord that requires the use of three fingers. You’d be hard-pressed to find A major missing from any list of guitar chords for beginners. 

Steps to play the A major chord:

• Place finger #1 on string #4 of the second fret
• Place finger #2 on string #3 of the second fret
• Place finger #3 on string #2 of the second fret

As you can see, all the action takes place on the second fret, which is why many beginners find A major easy.

[Read: How to Play Guitar]

A minor (Am)

Another famous A-chord is the A minor. 

Steps to play the Am chord:

• Place finger #1 on string #2 of the first fret
• Place finger #2 on string #4 of the second fret
• Place finger #3 on string #3 of the second fret

C major (C)

C major is one of the most popular power chords in western music because it’s an elegant combination of three basic notes: C, E, and G. No guide on guitar chords for beginners would be complete without it. It also just happens to be very easy to play. 

Steps to play the C major chord:

• Place finger #1 on string #2 of the first fret
• Place finger #2 on string #4 of the second fret
• Place finger #3 on string #3 of the third fret

[Read: How to Change Guitar Strings at Home]

D major (D)

Continuing with the three-finger simple guitar chords is the D major. To play this chord, you’ll need to mute a couple of strings. Muting the strings prevents unwanted ones from getting in the way of achieving the desired sound. 

Steps to play the D major chord:

• Place finger #1 on string #3 of the second fret
• Place finger #2 on string #2 of the third fret
• Place finger #3 on string #1 of the second fret (you’ll see that your fingers have formed an upside-down triangle)
• Mute sting #5 and #6, leaving string #4 open

D minor (Dm)

If you have mastered the D major, you’ll find Dm much easier to pull off. It only requires you to move the first finger from the second fret to the first one.

[Read: How to Hold a Guitar]

Steps to play the Dm chord:

• Place finger #1 on string #3 of the first fret
• Place finger #2 on string #2 of the third fret
• Place finger #3 on string #1 of the second fret (you’ll see that your fingers have formed an upside-down triangle)
• Mute sting #5 and #6, leaving string #4 open

E major (E)

The shape of the E major is similar to the A minor. The difference is you move one string to the left. That means if you’ve mastered the Am chord, this one should be a little more intuitive.

Steps to play the E major chord:

• Place finger #1 on string #3 of the first fret
• Place finger #2 on string #5 of the second fret
• Place finger #3 on string #4 of the second fret 

E minor (Em)

Perhaps the most beginner-friendly of the guitar chords for beginners is the E minor. It is a power cord that requires the use of only two fingers.

Steps to play the Em chord:

• Place finger #2 on string #4 of the second fret
• Place finger #3 on string #3 of the second fret

Notice that you can turn the Em into an Am if you place your first finger on the second string of the first fret. You can easily transition between the Em and Am chord and vice-versa this way, which is cool because you’re starting to practice how to switch between chords.

[Read: Guitar Riffs]

G major (G)

As you can see, most of the guitar chords for beginners use three fingers. The G major is no different. However, this one is slightly more challenging to pull off because the third finger has to extend further than the first two. For this reason, you might run into problems switching from other chords to this one.

Steps to play the G major chord:

• Place finger #1 on string #5 of the second fret
• Place finger #2 on string # 6 of the third fret
• Place finger #3 on string #1 of the third fret

Teaching Guitar Chords to Your Child

Once you have practiced these guitar chords for beginners enough times and have built confidence, you can teach them to your child. Depending on how young they are, they might find the three-finger chords a bit of a challenge. But if you want your child to learn guitar chords in a fun and interactive environment with 1:1 attention, then BYJU’S FutureSchool School of Music can teach them all they need to know and more.