Basic Guitar Chords
Open position guitar Chords

The 5 major open position chords

When looking at how these chords are fingered, it's best to think of them as "shapes". Your fingers will create a specific shape as they form the chord. You'll see why this is useful in later lessons.

E major open position chord

• High E string is played open
• 4th finger frets the B string at the 2nd fret
• 3rd finger frets the G string at the 2nd fret
• 2nd finger frets the D string at the 2nd fret
• The A string is played open
• The low E string is NOT played (marked by the X)

Don't worry if at first your fingers seem a little crowded. This won't bother you for long! Just make sure each string sounds cleanly.

D major open position chord

• 2nd finger frets the high E string at the 2nd fret
• 3rd finger frets the B string at the 3rd fret
• 1st finger frets the G string at the 2nd fret
• The D string is played open
• The low E and A strings are NOT played

G major open position chord

There are a couple of ways to finger this chord. Learn both, as each offers its own voicing...

Option 1

• 3rd finger frets the high E string at the 3rd fret
• The B string is played open
• The G string is played open
• The D string is played open
• 1st finger frets the A string at the 2nd fret
• 2nd finger frets the low E string at 3rd fret

Option 2

• 4th finger frets the high E string at the 3rd fret
• 3rd finger frets the B string at the 3rd fret
• The G string is played open
• The D string is played open
• 1st finger frets the A string at the 2nd fret
• 2nd finger frets the low E string at the 3rd fret

C major open position chord

This is one beginner guitarists tend to have the most trouble with. Keep changing between this chord and other open chords in this lesson to develop that "muscle memory" in your fingers - again, the awkward fingering won't trouble you for long if you keep practicing it.

• The high E string is played open
• 1st finger frets the B string at the 1st fret
• The G string is played open
• 2nd finger frets the D string at the 2nd fret
• 3rd finger frets the A string at the 3rd fret
• The low E string is NOT played

A tip for muting the low E string

You'll notice that with the A, C and D chords the low E string is not played. At first, it can be difficult to avoid playing it when strumming up and down. Here's a technique I use to effectively mute that low E string when needed...

My thumb curls over the top of the guitar neck just enough to touch the low E string, which mutes it. To compensate, you'll need to pull your wrist up slightly from it's regular position (this is covered in the guitar basics lessons).

Now, I understand this is a bit more difficult for those of us with smaller hands, but if you can't physically use this method, keep practicing avoiding those unwanted strings, simply by not picking/strumming them and you'll be fine.

Getting comfortable with changing between open guitar chords

At first, it might seem like your fingers just don't want to co-operate! That's perfectly normal, and all it boils down to is getting your fingers physically used to it. We call that "muscle memory", because once it sets in, changing between chords becomes something you can do in your sleep.

Below I've created a couple of simple jam tracks for you to practice the physical elements of changing between the chords above. At this stage, You don't need to think about using intricate strumming patterns (that's for another lesson!), just strum the chord once - change - strum the next chord once - change - etc.

Also, try making your own sequence from the 5 basic guitar chords we've learned. The more you practice changing between chords, the sooner you will be ready to move on to using more advanced chord fingerings! However, don't feel like you're in a rush. Take your time, there is no exam deadline for this! It's important to make sure you're 100% confident with fingering these chords before you move on.