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A Bit About Acoustic Guitar Chords

By: Allison Thompson

An acoustic guitar chord is several notes all played at once. There are a lot of different acoustic guitar chords, but if you can learn a few basic ones, you can then play hundreds, if not thousands, of songs. There are some of the major chords, which have a brighter sound whilst the minor chords have a darker or sadder sound.

Guitar chords are notated with chord diagrams. Acoustic guitar chord diagrams are similar to guitar tabs, except that the lines representing the strings run vertically (up and down) rather than horizontally (side to side). When you look at a chord diagram, you will see a grid.

The vertical lines represent the strings. The horizontal lines represent the frets. The dots represent where you are to hold the string down. You will also see numbers, either at the top or the bottom of the diagram which represent which finger you are to use to hold down each string, with 1 meaning index, 2 middle, 3 ring and 4 pinky.

If however you see a zero this is means that the string should be left open as it is played. Although the thumb does not generally, get used when playing the guitar on the grid this is denoted by the letter "T".

The first acoustic guitar chord we're going to talk about is the G-major chord. To play this chord, place your middle finger on the sixth string at the third fret, your index finger on the fifth string at the second fret and your ring finger on the first string on the third fret. Now play each note, including the open strings, one at a time.

When you play each note, you make sure that you hear the sound that they are producing very clearly. If you do not or they make some kind of rattling or buzzing noise when being played you may find you need to press down on the fingerboard of the guitar a little harder or move the finger closer to the fret. Also as you play each note make sure that none of your fingers come into contact with each other as this can further cause the sound to be wrong. The other important thing to remember when learning to play the G-Major chord is that you never strum the strings together you should at all times play each one separately. Following these steps and you will ensure that you learn how to play this chord correctly.

The next acoustic guitar chord we're going to try is much easier on the fingering; E-minor. In this chord, you place your index finger on the second fret of the fifth string, and your middle finger on the second fret of the fourth string. Be sure to make enough room on the fret for both fingers without letting them touch each other. Try each of the notes out and adjust your fingering until you get the right sound. Strum the E-minor chord. Notice how the minor chord gives you a darker sound.

Other good basic acoustic guitar chords to learn are C-major, D-major, A-minor and A-major. Practice moving back and forth between acoustic guitar chords. Try to get your fingers in place quickly. At first you'll need to take some time and get your fingers in place one at a time. But by practicing this over and over again, you're building muscle memory. After a while, your fingers will just get in place by themselves.

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