Beginner Guitar Chords

Start with Em and Am

E minor (Em) and A minor (Am) make a great first pair. Em needs only two fingers and Am three, both use fret 2, and the move from one to the other is small enough to practice slowly and get right. Written as a pattern from the thickest string to the thinnest, Em is 022000 and Am is x02210.

Once you can switch between them in time, you're playing the way most songs work: a few chords, a steady beat, and each change landing on the first beat of a bar.

How to read a chord diagram

A chord diagram is a picture of the neck standing upright, as if the guitar were hanging on a wall in front of you:

• Vertical lines are strings. The thick low E string is on the left, the thin high E string on the right.
• Horizontal lines are frets. The thick line at the top is the nut, the end of the neck near the tuning pegs.
• A numbered dot shows where a finger presses. The number is the finger, not the fret: 1 is your index finger, 2 middle, 3 ring and 4 pinky.
• An o above a string means play it open, with no finger on it. Some charts write this as 0.
• An x above a string means leave it out. Don't strum it.

Put that together for Am. The low E has an x, so leave it out. The A string has an o, so it rings open. Finger 2 goes on the D string at fret 2, finger 3 on the G string at fret 2, and finger 1 on the B string at fret 1. The high E has an o, so it rings open too.

Hold the guitar and fret a note

A few good habits now will save you weeks of buzzing strings later. Sit on a chair without arms, rest the body of the guitar on your leg and tilt the neck up a little, so you can reach the low frets without hunching over. Right-handed players usually rest it on the right leg; if you play left-handed, mirror everything.

• Thumb behind the neck, roughly opposite your middle finger, so your fingers can arch over the strings.
• Press with the fingertip, just behind the fret wire rather than in the middle of the space. Closer to the wire needs less pressure.
• Arch each finger so it touches only its own string. A flat finger mutes the string next to it.
• Use just enough pressure for a clear note. Squeezing harder won't make it sound better; it just tires your hand.

Keep the nails on your fretting hand short, so your fingertips can land squarely on the strings.

Hear each string

A chord is just several notes ringing at once. Playing them one at a time lets you hear what each string adds, and makes it easy to track down a string that's muted or buzzing. Tap any string to hear it on its own.

Em uses all six strings; Am uses five, starting from the open A. Try the same thing on your own guitar: pick each string of the chord in turn and make sure every note rings clearly before you strum.

Check your reading

Three diagram mistakes catch nearly every beginner: strumming a string marked x, skipping a string marked o, and reading a finger number as a fret. These five questions check exactly those, and the last two use a chord you haven't seen yet.

Strum the chord

Hold the pick loosely between your thumb and the side of your index finger, or just use the fleshy pad of your thumb. Start the strum on the chord's lowest string, the low E for Em and the A string for Am, and brush down through the rest in one smooth motion that comes from the wrist and forearm.

• Aim for the strings to sound almost together, like one sound rather than six.
• Keep your fretting fingers pressed down after the strum, so the chord rings through the whole bar.
• If the low strings drown out the high ones, strum more lightly and let the pick glide.

Play your first progression

Strum Em once at the start of the bar and let it ring for four counts. Then change to Am and do the same. Four bars in all: Em | Am | Em | Am. Start slowly: arriving on time for the next chord matters far more than speed.

The change is smaller than it looks. Your second and third fingers keep the same shape and slide over one string together, both staying at fret 2. Then your first finger drops onto the B string at fret 1. For Am, start the strum on the A string.

Losing the beat when you change? The chord changes guide breaks the Em to Am move into small steps: clear shapes, the move with no timer, then landing on the next downbeat, with a practice mode where you play the chords yourself.

A ten-minute routine

A short session on most days does more than one long one now and then. Here's a simple plan for your first week:

1. Two minutes on each chord: form Em, pick each string in turn and fix any that buzz. Then do the same for Am.
2. Three minutes on the move: switch between Em and Am without strumming, slowly, keeping fingers 2 and 3 together as a pair.
3. Three minutes of play-along: the four-bar progression above, at 50 to 60 BPM.

When the change feels easy at 60 BPM, raise the tempo by 5, or move on to the next chord in the chart below. Treat the times as a guide, not a rule.

Beginner chord chart

Learn Em and Am first, then add C, G and D. Those five chords cover a lot of beginner songs. Each one links to a page with more shapes and the notes inside the chord.

• E minorStart here

• A minorStart here

• C majorNext

• G majorNext

• D majorNext

C, G and D are here for reference. They stretch the hand more than Em and Am, so add them once the Em to Am change feels steady.

When it doesn’t sound right

• A string buzzes: move that fingertip closer to the fret wire, and press a little more firmly.
• A string sounds dead or muted: another finger is probably touching it. Arch your fingers so only the tips meet the strings.
• You can't change in time: slow the tempo down, and practice just the finger movement a few times without strumming.
• Your fingertips are sore: that's common at first. Several short sessions work better than one long one.
• Everything sounds slightly off: check your tuning. Standard tuning, from the thickest string, is E A D G B E.

Curious which notes are inside these chords, and why minor sounds so different from major? See the E minor chord page, or read intervals explained when you're ready for the theory.

Quick answers

What are the easiest guitar chords for beginners?

E minor (Em) and A minor (Am) are a good place to start. Em needs two fingers and Am three, both use fret 2, and the change between them is small. C, G and D make good next chords.

What does x mean on a guitar chord chart?

An x above a string means leave that string out and do not strum it. On Am, the low E string has an x, so the strum starts on the open A string.

What does o (or 0) mean on a chord diagram?

An o, sometimes written 0, means play that string open with no finger on it. It still rings as part of the chord.

What do the numbers in the dots on a chord diagram mean?

They are fingers, not frets: 1 is the index finger, 2 the middle, 3 the ring and 4 the pinky. The fret is shown by which space the dot sits in.

Which strings do you strum for Em and Am?

Strum all six strings for Em. For Am, strum the five strings from the open A string down to high E.

Why does my chord buzz or sound muted?

A buzz usually means a fingertip is too far from the fret wire or not pressing firmly enough. A dead, muted string usually means another finger is touching it. Play the chord one string at a time to find which string is the problem.

Keep learning

• Next: Guitar Chord ChangesChange between Em and Am without stopping the beat.
• How to Read Guitar TABTurn lines and numbers into strings, frets and rhythm.
• Guitar Fretboard NotesFind out which note each string and fret plays.
• Guitar Chord LibraryLook up any chord, with diagrams and sound.