Introduction: How to Play a Few Guitar Chords (beginner)

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How to play eight guitar chords, the power chord shape and two songs using these chords - House of the Rising Sun and Fade to Black.


ps.Although i do play guitar it is my brother in the pictures-in case you get any ideas about me having massive hair.

Step 1: Major Chords

These are the happy sounding ones.
Just follow the tabs - the crosses at the top (above the strings)mean you dont pick that string, and the O's mean you do (it's an open string).

Step 2: Major Chords Continued

Same again.

Step 3: Minor Chords

These are the sad ones.
I figured you would have worked out how to read the tab by now and so have not included any more photo's of Jimi (My Brother).

Step 4: Power Chords

These aren't needed in the two songs i have previosly mentioned but they're really useful as you can move them up and down the neck, so you get every chord in the chromatic scale.

Power chords comprise of 2 different notes - the root note (the one you play with your first finger) and a fidth up from the root. There is an octave of the root note (which you don't have to play but i usually do just to beef up the tone).

Step 5: Song 1 - Fade to Black

The chords for this song go:

Amin Cmaj
Life it seems, will fade away

Gmaj Emaj
Drifting further every day

Amin

Amin (slid up 2 frets)

Amin Cmaj
Getting lost within myself

Gmaj Emaj
Nothing matters no one else

Amin

Amin (slid up 2 frets)

Amin Cmaj
I have lost the will to live

Gmaj Emaj
Simply nothing more to give

Amin

Amin (slid up 2 frets)

Amin Cmaj
There is nothing more for me

Gmaj Emaj
Need the end to set me free





Step 6: Song 2 - House of the Rising Sun

Amin Cmaj Dmaj Fmaj
There is a house in new Orleans

Amin Cmaj Emaj Emaj
They call the rising sun

Amin Cmaj Dmaj Fmaj
And its been the ruin for many a poor boy

Amin Emaj Amin
In the house of the rising sun!


Once you can just strum the chords try playing every note individually from bottom to top note and then back (so for Amin it goes Astring,Dstring,Gstring,Bstring,Estring,Bstring,Gstring).
On the 4 note chords play the top string twice.

Step 7: Rule of Rock

Use the rule of rock!

The rule of rock is where if you hold your right hand out like metal horns (little finger,first finger and thumb sticking out) and assign your little finger a note (say A).
Then you count along your fingers in notes so each finger has a note ( in this case 3rd finger being b, second c, first d and thumb e ).
The fingers sticking out will be chords that sound good together (A, D and E).

Now go play those songs to your mum or who-ever is around.