Chord Tips for Beginning Guitarists

Tip 1 - Play Fewer Chords

Quite often chords are listed that add flavor to the song. If you're singing... if you're playing with others... or if you just
want to keep it simple, use the first easy guitar tip and don't play every chord listed.
For example: Our church band played "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" one Christmas. The first verse was written:
F

F/A

Bb

Hark the herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King";

Frankly, I couldn't keep up. So, I started dropping chords. But how do you know which chords to drop?
Begin by playing a passage using only the dominant chord (in this case, F). If a section sounds bad, or dull, it's time to
try adding the listed chord back in. You may find, as I did for this song, that simply repeating one chord where several
were listed, sounds fine. As your skills improve, start adding chords back in.

Tip 2 - Play Only Part of the Chord

Who says you have to strum the chord exactly the way the chord charts lay it out?
When you're starting out, you'll have more fun playing easy guitar rather than fully accurate chords!
So if you're struggling to get from one chord to another, drop part
of the chord form (i.e., play a 1 or 2 finger chord).
I recommend dropping the lower pitched strings. Why? Because
chances are you're working on open chords. Some open chords
require you to not play the lower-E string, and sometimes the A
string. So, simplify a difficult chord form by playing only the highE, B, and G strings.
For example, the open C chord is normally played with 3 fingers
but you can get by using just 1 finger (see diagram to the right).
How do you avoid playing the top three strings? Either use the
palm of your strumming hand to mute the strings (place the edge
of your strumming hand immediately above the bridge), or don't
strum them at all... whichever is easier for you.

Tip 3 - Find Another Chord Form

It's easy to forget that chords are made up of notes, not forms. Many
beginners don't even realize there are many ways to play every
chord. Don't assume that there's only one form just because that's
all you've learned so far. This easy guitar tip will show you how to
discover alternate forms that are easier to play.
For example, the F-major open chord is difficult for many beginners.
The D-chord, on the other hand, is typically one that most beginners
master quickly. Wouldn't it be nice if we could use the D-chord form
to play an F chord?
Well, you can if you slide the D-form up the fretboard three frets and
play only the strings that are part of the D-chord form (see diagram
to the right).

Tip 4 - Change the Key (Use a Capo)

Some songs are made for easy guitar playing, because they use chord forms you find easy to play.
If Silent Night is played in D, the chords are: D, G, and A. These chords are relatively straight forward for most
beginners. However, if someone hands you a copy of Silent Night in the key of B, you might struggle to play the B, E,
and F# chords.
What to do? Change The Key!
If you know how to transpose keys, you can figure out a key that simplifies the chord forms. There are a couple easy
ways to do this if you can't do it off the top of your head: online tools, or pocket reference cards. Once you know the new
key you want to transpose the song into, you can use a capo to place a bar across the strings (basically moving the
guitars nut up to a different fret). Then you can play the open chords you are already familiar with, but since youre
playing them higher up the fretboard they will sound a different chord.
For example, if you place a capo at the third fret, and play a G chord it sounds like Bb. Your C sounds like an Eb and
your D sounds like F. Therefore, you can play a song in the key of Bb by capoing the third fret and playing the chord
forms you would normally play for a song in the key of G (i.e., G, C and D).
The chart below shows you how to translate keys using a capo:

1st
Fret

2nd
Fret

3rd
Fret

4th
Fret

5th
Fret

6th
Fret

7th
Fret

8th
Fret

9th
Fret

10th
Fret

11th
Fret

A# /
Bb

C# /
Db

D# /
Eb

F# /
Gb

G# /
Ab

C# /
Db

D# /
Eb

F# /
Gb

G# /
Ab

A# /
Bb

C# /
Db

D# /
Eb

F# /
Gb

G# /
Ab

A# /
Bb

D# /
Eb

F# /
Gb

G# /
Ab

A# /
Bb

C# /
Db

F# /
Gb

G# /
Ab

A# /
Bb

C# /
Db

D# /
Eb

F# /
Gb

G# /
Ab

A# /
Bb

C# /
Db

D# /
Eb

G# /
Ab

A# /
Bb

C# /
Db

D# /
Eb

F# /
Gb

Just remember to always place your fingers as if the capo were the guitars nut.

Tip 5 - Play a Substitute Chord

When you learn songs it's easy to think that the only acceptable chords are the ones listed. But, when you listen to a
band, it becomes obvious that everyone is playing a slightly different note, pattern, riff, or chord - all of which compliment
the others. You can do the same thing by playing complimentary (or substitute chord) and it's easy to figure out!
Here's the rule: if you're supposed to play a major chord, you can also count down two letters (NOT frets, so it is really 3
frets down) and play a minor chord. The reverse is also true: if you're supposed to play a minor chord, you can count up
two letters (3 frets) and play the major chord.
For example, if you're supposed to play a B minor (Bm) but it's either inconvenient or difficult, use this guitar tip and
count up two letters (B...C...D) and play a D major chord. If youre supposed to play a G major, you can count down two
letters (G...F...E), which is also 3 frets down, and play an E minor (Em) instead.

Tip 6 - Play Power Chords

If you play only the root note of a
chord, plus the note five
semitones above it (called the
fifth), you're playing a power
chord. Since the chord only
contains two notes, you will only
need two fingers to play it. Many
classic rock and blues songs
were written and played using
nothing but power chords.
You can substitute a power
chord for any chord. Need to
play an F? An F power chord will
do. Need an easy guitar way to
play a Bb-minor? Play a Bb
power chord instead.
And since power chords omit the
middle note of the chord (called
the third and used to determine if
the chord is major or minor
sounding) you can play the same
power chord for both the major
and minor version of the same
chord.
Here are a few
frequently used power
chords. If you maintain
the same shape, you
can move this form up
and down any of the
lower four strings (E-AD-G) to form any
power chord you need.
NOTE: You might play power
chords to avoid a more
difficult chord form, but
sometimes they're
recommended in the song.
How can you tell? If you see
a chord name that includes
the number 5 (e.g., A5 or C5)
the author is telling you to
play a power chord. The
music examples to the right
shows you how power chords are typical written out in guitar music.

Tip 7 - Chukka-Chukka!
Sometimes you just can't get from one chord to another, and the other easy guitar tips don't work. It's OK, there's still a
way to keep the song moving along - instead of playing a chord, keep the song going by fully muting the strings and
strumming to the beat.
Some call this full palm muting, some call it chukka-chukka or scratchy-scratchy. Regardless of the term you use, this
is a great way to fill in a few beats as you reposition your hands for the next chord.
To play a chukka-chukka, fully mute the strings with your left hand. Pick a finger you don't need for the next chord, or
that will go into position easily when you're about ready to play the next chord. Strum as usual, keep the beat, and watch
people marvel at your ability to improvise!