Beginner Guitar Chords and First Strums
The first chords every guitar player learns, with finger numbers, then a short strumming lesson: pick two or three chords and strum along with drums and bass at a speed that suits you.
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First chords
| Chord | E A D G B E |
|---|---|
| C | x 3 2 0 1 0 |
| G | 3 2 0 0 0 3 |
| D | x x 0 2 3 2 |
| Em | 0 2 2 0 0 0 |
| Am | x 0 2 2 1 0 |
| E | 0 2 2 1 0 0 |
| A | x 0 2 2 2 0 |
| Dm | x x 0 2 3 1 |
More open chords
| Chord | E A D G B E |
|---|---|
| G7 | 3 2 0 0 0 1 |
| D7 | x x 0 2 1 2 |
| A7 | x 0 2 0 2 0 |
| E7 | 0 2 0 1 0 0 |
| B7 | x 2 1 2 0 2 |
| C7 | x 3 2 3 1 0 |
| Am7 | x 0 2 0 1 0 |
| Em7 | 0 2 0 0 0 0 |
| F | x x 3 2 1 1 |
Next steps: barre chords
| Chord | E A D G B E |
|---|---|
| Bm | x 2 4 4 3 2 |
| F♯m | 2 4 4 2 2 2 |
| B | x 2 4 4 4 2 |
| B♭ | x 1 3 3 3 1 |
| C♯m | x 4 6 6 5 4 |
| Gm | 3 5 5 3 3 3 |
| Cm | x 3 5 5 4 3 |
| Fm | 1 3 3 1 1 1 |
First strums lesson
- Hold the guitar comfortably and hold the pick loosely between thumb and the side of your first finger.
- Choose Two chords and the pattern down on every beat. Press Start: after one bar of clicks, strum down once on each beat and change chord when the box changes.
- When the change feels easy, try down, down-up and then down, down-up, up-down-up. Keep your hand moving down and up all the time – it just misses the strings on the dots.
- Speed up 5 beats a minute at a time. Then try three and four chords.
Tips for teachers
- Practise chord changes without strumming first: "one, two, three, change".
- Project the page so the whole class can follow the big chord box and the strumming arrows.
- Then open guitar tab and chords, choose Songs with chords and play a real tune with the same chords.
Chord shapes are standard guitar shapes, checked note by note against a hand-made table of each chord's notes.
Questions teachers ask
Which guitar chords should I learn first?
Em, Am, C, G and D cover thousands of songs. Start with Em and Am (two fingers each), then C, G and D. F is harder because one finger presses two strings – the chart shows an easier small F.
What do the numbers in the chord boxes mean?
Each line going down is a string and each row is a fret. The dots show where to press, and the number in a dot is the finger: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little finger. A circle above a string means play it open; × means don't play it.
How do I read a strumming pattern?
↓ is a down strum and ↑ an up strum. The counts underneath show where each strum falls: "1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &" in four-four time. A dot means your hand still moves but misses the strings, which keeps the rhythm steady.
Is the chart right for my tuning?
It is for standard tuning E A D G B E (thickest string to thinnest).