The First Guitar Chords to Learn (and How to Switch Between Them)
Almost every song you want to play is a handful of chords, so the fastest route into guitar is learning a few of them well and getting smooth at changing between them. Here are the first chords to learn and how to switch cleanly.
- Start with a small set of open chords: E minor, then A minor, C, G, D, and A. Those cover a huge number of real songs.
- E minor is the easiest first chord (two fingers). Learn it, then add one chord at a time rather than all at once.
- Press the strings just behind the fret (not on top of it), with your fingertips arched so you do not mute other strings.
- Changing chords smoothly is the real skill, and it is harder than fretting them. Practise the change itself, slowly, not just the shapes.
- Sore fingertips for the first couple of weeks are normal; calluses build and it stops hurting. Short daily practice beats long rare sessions.
The chords to start with, and in what order
Do not try to learn every chord at once. Start with E minor, which needs just two fingers and sounds good immediately, then add A minor (a very similar shape), then C and G (the big two for countless songs), then D and A. With those six or seven open chords you can play a genuinely large chunk of popular music. Learn each shape until you can drop your fingers onto it and strum all the right strings ringing cleanly, then move to the next. Chase clean over fast: a chord where one string buzzes or is muted sounds wrong no matter how quickly you can grab it.
How to fret a chord cleanly
Three things make a chord ring instead of buzz. First, press just behind the metal fret, not on top of it and not way back toward the previous fret. Second, arch your fingers so you press with the very tips, keeping them off the neighbouring strings, adjacent strings buzz when a lazy finger flops onto them. Third, press firmly enough (it takes more than you think at first, which is why fingertips get sore). Strum slowly and pick out each string one at a time; if one buzzes or is dead, adjust that finger. A minute of this per chord fixes most beginner buzzing.
The real skill: changing chords
The thing that separates "I know some chords" from "I can play a song" is changing between them without a long pause. This is a separate skill and it is where you should spend your practice. Pick two chords (say E minor and C), and practise only the change: fret Em, strum once, then move to C as quickly and cleanly as you can, strum, and back. Slowly at first. Look for common fingers that can stay put or pivot between the two shapes. Do this for a few minutes with each chord pair and the changes speed up on their own. Once you can change between four chords in time, you can play songs.
Practise chord changes to a slow metronome or a strummed count, moving on the beat even if you have to slow the tempo way down. Playing in time with imperfect changes builds real musicianship faster than playing perfect shapes with random pauses.
Common questions
What chords should a beginner guitarist learn first?
Why do my chords buzz or sound muted?
How long until my fingers stop hurting?
How do I change chords faster?
Should I learn barre chords early?
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