The 8 Essential Beginner Chord Grips

SO MANY SONGS YOU CAN PLAY!

Here are the eight essential grips you need to become a campfire guitar player :)

Do you know that incredible feeling of sitting around a campfire, grabbing the guitar, and playing hits your friends will sing along with you? You basically need these eight open chords! 

Of course, you can - and should! - stick around and get into some chord variations and even barre chords. But true is - there are hundreds of popular songs you can play using only those eight grips. 

If you're following my Beginner Guitar Course, you'll already be familiar with many things we'll explore here. If you're struggling with some of these grips, you might learn something that will help you out! This guitar lesson is an excellent revision of many techniques we've learned so far.

Let's check that out?

 

Chord Perfect Practice

This exercise is the best, and you should use it whenever practicing a new guitar chord. It's very simple, and it consists of checking out all notes in the chord to make sure they all sound clear. 

When you find a string that's not sounding well, you should work specifically on it. Observe your finger position and try to figure out what's going on. 

Many guitar players will struggle with the same problems - so let me show you the most common ones and how you can fix them!

 

1. The D Chord

Many beginner guitar players find the D Chord the hardest one of these. The best way of getting it down is by practicing it, so just stick with it! 

Take a look at the diagram:

 

Here are a few problems you might encounter and my advice to get it right:

1. Ensure you're using your fingertips. If the fingers flatten out, the 3rd finger will probably mute the thinnest string. 

2. Get the fingers as close to the frets as possible, especially that 3rd finger. It's the positive finger placement, remember? 

3. You shouldn't play the thickest two strings! This can be difficult, so try and do your best here. If you can't perfectly avoid the thickest strings, don't let that stop you from playing songs. 

Now let's check out the A Chord. 

 

2. The A Chord

We've learned two different fingerings to play the A Chord! I recommend you stick with the following one. It sounds better, and it's easier to play. Take a look at the diagram:

 

Here are a few common beginner mistakes when playing the A Chord on guitar:

1. Don't play the thickest string. It’s not the worst if you do, but better to learn not to. Tune your ears to be aware of what the chord should sound like. That way, you’ll know when something is off.

2. Be sure you can hear the thinnest string ringing out. If you can’t hear it, you might be accidentally muting it with your 3rd finger.

Ready for the E Chord?

 

3. The E Chord

You might find the E Chord is easier to play than A and D! Take a look at the diagram:

 

 

1. You should play all the strings when strumming the E Chord! So, focus on the correct finger position on the guitar fretboard, and you'll nail it.

2. Be careful to not mute any string by accident, and there you go - a perfect E Chord. :)

Remember, you can use anchor fingers to switch faster between chords! Now let's check out the Am Chord!

 

4. The Am Chord

The Am Chord looks a lot like the E Chord - you only need to move down a string! Take a look at the diagram:

 

 

1. Just like in A Major Chord, you shouldn't play the thickest string when strumming the A Minor Chord. That's your big challenge here!

Now, let's check out the Em Chord. 

 

5. The E Minor Chord

Here's an easy one, right? But there's a common mistake many beginners make. Before we explore that, take a look at the Em diagram:

 

 

1. Yes, it's probably the easiest open chord ever. But if you accidentally mute the G string (3rd string) string, you'll sound like playing E Major, not E Minor. Be aware of that!

Want to go further and understand the relationship between majors and minors? Check out the JustinGuitar Practical Music Theory Course! :) 

Now let's get strumming the Dm chord.

 

6. The D Minor Chord

The Dm can be a bit tricky for many of you, but practice will help you out. :) Take a look at the D Minor diagram:

 

 

1. I recommend you use the 4th finger to play the second string! It's ok to use the 3rd finger, but you do eventually need to make your pinky stronger, and this presents an excellent opportunity to do so. It also brings chord change benefits. :)

2. Don't play the thickest two strings at all. It just sounds wrong!

We're almost there! Let's check out the C Chord.

 

7. The C Chord

I love teaching the C Chord! It's an excellent grip to practice a few little guitar tricks. Take a look at the diagram:

 

1. When playing the C Chord, you must make sure your fingers aren't square on the strings. Keep them at an angle!

2. Your 3rd finger can be flatter than the others, so it mutes the thickest string. The C Chord doesn't include the thickest string, so if you make your 3rd finger slightly flatter, you'll mute that unwanted note. :) 

#guitartricks, eh? Muting the thickest string is essential when playing the C Chord. That trick is the difference between sounding great and sounding… beginner. 

Last but not least, the G Chord!

 

8. The G Chord

You've probably learned the G Chord using three fingers, haven't you? Me too - and I struggled so much with that. I recommend you stick with a 2-finger version. It's easier to play, and it sounds better too! Take a look at the diagram below:

 

1. You should lay your 2nd finger down flat when playing this grip, so it mutes the 5th string.

 

Now let's learn the best chord changes to practice, so you optimize your guitar time!