By Hodaka Hashi
If you are just starting to play guitar, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by chord charts.
There are far more chords than any beginner needs on day one, and trying to learn too many at once usually just leads to frustration. A much better approach is to start with a small group of useful chords that are common, practical, and reasonably beginner-friendly.
Once you can play a few basic chords cleanly and move between them, you can start making real music much sooner.
What makes a chord good for beginners?
The best beginner chords usually have three things in common:
- they are not too awkward to fret
- they appear in a huge number of songs
- they work well for practising chord changes
That is why open chords are usually the best place to start. They are common, musical, and useful long before you get into more difficult shapes like barre chords.
If you want to explore more shapes later, our main guitar chord charts page is a good reference point.
If you are still building a consistent routine, this article also pairs well with Beginner Guitar Practice Routine: A Simple Daily Plan That Actually Works.
1. E minor
E minor is often one of the first chords beginners learn because it is simple to fret and sounds good straight away.
It only needs two fingers, which makes it a nice first step when you are still getting used to pressing the strings cleanly.
2. A minor
A minor is another very common open chord. It is a little more involved than E minor, but it is still a very sensible early choice.
It is useful because it turns up in plenty of chord progressions and helps you start developing better finger placement.
3. C major
C major is one of the most important open chords to learn.
It may not feel quite as easy at first as E minor, but it is worth learning early because it appears everywhere and works well with other common beginner chords.
4. G major
G major is one of the most useful beginner chords, although it can feel slightly awkward at first because of the finger stretch.
It is worth the effort because it appears in so many simple progressions and songs.
5. D major
D major is a compact open chord that helps beginners get used to fitting multiple fingers into a smaller area.
It also pairs well with G, A minor, and C for common early chord work.
6. E major
E major is a useful chord because the shape is closely related to E minor. That makes it a good way to build confidence without learning something completely unfamiliar.
Why these chords work well together
These chords are not just useful individually. They also work well as a group.
They let you practise common movements between chord shapes, and they appear in lots of simple songs and progressions. That means your practice becomes more musical very quickly.
For example, even a small combination like G, C, and D can already take you a long way.
A sensible order to learn them
There is no single perfect order, but this is a practical one:
- E minor
- E major
- A minor
- D major
- C major
- G major
This order gives you an easier entry point before moving into slightly more awkward shapes.
Tips for making your chords sound cleaner
If your chords sound buzzy, muted, or messy, that is normal early on. A few small adjustments can make a big difference.
Keep your fingers close to the fret
Fretting too far back from the fret often makes notes sound weaker.
Press firmly, but not harder than necessary
Many beginners use far more pressure than they need. Too much tension makes everything harder.
Check each string slowly
Strum the chord, then if needed check the strings one at a time to see which note is not ringing clearly.
Stay patient with awkward shapes
Some chords feel unnatural at first simply because your hand is not used to them yet.
If you need extra help on this part, our lesson on how to get the hang of new chords is a useful follow-on read.
A simple progression to practise
Once you know a few of these chords, try switching between:
- G major
- C major
- D major
Do it slowly. The goal is not speed. The goal is to make each change cleaner and more confident.
If moving between these chords is the hardest part, How To Switch Guitar Chords Smoothly Without Losing Time is the logical next step.
What should you learn after these chords?
Once these first chords feel more comfortable, the next sensible steps are:
- smoother chord changes
- simple strumming patterns
- basic chord progressions
- eventually more difficult shapes such as barre chords
Final thoughts
The first guitar chords you learn should help you start playing music, not just memorising diagrams.
If you focus on a small set of useful open chords and give yourself time to practise them properly, you will build a much stronger foundation than if you try to learn everything at once.
From here, the next sensible step is to work on smoother chord changes and then start applying these shapes with simple strumming patterns.
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These lessons have been written by me, a guitar enthuthiast. I've written them to the best of my abilities, but I'm no guitar teacher!
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