Learning Basic Guitar: Open Chords C-A-G-E-D Part 1 – the G Chord in 3 Forms
When learning to play the acoustic guitar (or electric guitar for that matter), there are several different chords and forms that exist, but only a few major forms that a beginning player must become familiar with in order to become the best beginner acoustic guitar player he or she can be.
For starters, there are essentially “open chords” and “bar chords”. While there are many other kinds of styled chords, inversions, power chords, and other technical names for different kinds of chord forms, you will be well underway as a solid entry level player if you first learn some major “open chords” that are used in hundreds of thousands of songs, and then progress to bar chords for intermediate playing, advanced guitar playing, learning scales and lead guitar playing. One thing you will see universally when learning to play some of the most common chords or “open chords” on the guitar is the term C-A-G-E-D.
This term “CAGED” represents the major open chords on the guitar and you can play and learn thousands of popular songs by mastering these chords (but you may have to transpose or use a capo to fit the proper key of the song – but that is an entirely different set of lessons). This lesson assumes that you understand how to locate the correct frets and strings of a common 6 string acoustic or electric guitar.
A Bit of Music Theory
To start, we will focus on 3 of these open chords (see included diagrams for G in this lesson), C, G and D, because they are in the key of C as well as G, and are often in many different songs and chord progressions together, and are 3 of the most commonly used and universal chords not only on the guitar, but on other instruments as well. If you are playing in the key of G major, G would be the root chord or note, C would be the major 4th, and D would be the major 5th. Once you learn these 3 chords and begin to memorize them, you will gain a familiarity with them and will even begin to recognize them in different songs that you hear on the radio, TV, or your iPod. For this lesson, we will focus on 3 forms of the G chord, and in subsequent lessons we will introduce a few forms of C and D.
Let’s start with the G major chord.
The G Major chord can be played at various places on the guitar neck, but we will focus on one place, in the open form near the 3rd fret. We will cover 3 simple ways to chord this, as you will find that one form is easier to use with certain chord progressions than the other. You will also develop a certain kind of personal playing style and preference as you continue to get more skilled at guitar playing.
Diagram 1 shows the G chord in 3 different fingering combinations. In the first form, you place the 3rd finger on the 6th string 3rd fret, the 1st finger (index or pointer) on the 5th string 2nd fret, and the 3rd finger (ring finger) on the 1st string 3rd fret. If you are a right handed player, you will use your left hand to chord the strings and play a right-handed guitar. If you are a left-handed player, you will do the opposite. Chord this G chord, making sure that you are using only your finger tips to press the strings firmly into the fretboard. Take special care to be sure only to touch 1 string per finger, and make sure the other strings are open to ring when strummed.
The second form of G is in the middle of Diagram 1. You achieve the same G sounding chord with an alteration on the 2nd string. With this G form, you place the 1st and 2nd fingers on the same strings as the previous G form, but the 3rd finger (ring finger) will go on the 2nd string 3rd fret. Then add the 4th finger (pinky finger) on the 1st string 3rd fret and strum all strings to get a variation on this open form of the G major chord.
The 3rd form of G is on the right of this diagram. This one is commonly used when playing a song that requires bouncing between the G chord and C chord, and is also a great position to make some open scale runs in the key of G (or even C) between the 1st and 4th fret (but that is also another lesson).
For this version of the G chord, place your 4th finger tip on the 1st string 3rd fret. Next arch, your fingers as though you were holding a small egg in the palm of your hand. Then place your 3rd finger or ring finger on the 6th string 3rd fret and your middle finger or 3nd finger on the 5th string 2nd fret.
Be sure, as in all open chords, that your fingertips are pressing firmly on the string and are only touching their dedicated string from the chord diagram or chart you are using. If you are experiencing string buzz or muted strings, there’s a good chance that one or more of your fingers are touching another string, or your fingering pressure is too low to firmly fret a string.
This lesson on the G chord was written by Aaron Schulman, a guitar player since 1990, teacher and writer of honest acoustic guitar reviews.
He has tested many guitars, researched and written many guitar reviews, including a recent review on finding the best acoustic guitar under 1000 at his acoustic guitar review site, StrumViews.com.
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