A Bit About Acoustic Guitar Chords
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.
As you look at it, the vertical lines you see in front of you are those that represent the strings on your guitar, whilst the horizontal ones are there to represent the frets on it. Along with these lines there are dots and these represent the position in which you need to press down on the strings. Further to the dots and lines on the grid there are also numbers at the bottom and it is these that tell you where you need to place your fingers on each string. The Number 1 relates to your index finger, Number 2 to your middle finger, Number 3 to your ring finger and Number 4 to your small (pinkie) finger.
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".
However, the first acoustic guitar that we are going to be talking about in this article is the G-Major chord. In order to play this particular chord you need to place your middle finger (No 2) on the 6th string at the 3rd fret. Your index finger (No 1) should be placed on the 5th string at the 2nd fret and your ring finger (No 3) on to the 1st string at the 3rd fret. Now all you need to do is play each one including along with open strings one at the 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.
Another basic chord which any would be guitarist should learn in the beginning is the E-Minor one. This is much simpler to learn, as it only requires a couple of fingers in order to do so. You take your index finger and place this on the fifth string above the second fret and then your middle finger on to the fourth string above the second fret also. When placing your fingers on the strings makes sure once again that, there is sufficient space between them to ensure that they do not touch. But where as when playing the G-Major chord you need to play each note separately with this one you can play, (strum) the strings at the same time. The sound that this particular chord produces is much darker than that you would hear when you play the G-Major chord.
Along with the two chords that we have mentioned the other basic acoustic guitar chords that one should learn include C-Major, D-Major, A-Minor and A-Major. Also, you need to practice as much as possible and as you practice move between each chord that you have learnt. It is important that you try to get your fingers in to the right positions as quickly as possible, although in it will take some time to achieve this. But by practising them over and over again, you will start to build up muscle memory and then your fingers will start to place themselves without you having to look.
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