First chords: E minor, A minor, E, A, D

A chord is a group of notes played together. “Open” chords use open strings: they sound rich and are quick to learn. Read the diagrams as if the guitar were standing upright facing you: vertical lines are strings (6th on the left), horizontal lines are frets; numbers show the fingers, x = string not played, o = open string.

Notice that E and A minor have exactly the same shape, moved over by one string: learn one and you know the other. And E minor is just E major without finger 1.

Checking a chord

1. Place the fingers one by one, on their tips, just behind the fret.
2. Pluck each string separately from low to high: every one must ring, with no buzz or muted note.
3. If a string is muted, find the finger touching it by accident and curve it more.

M:4/4
L:1/4
Q:1/4=60
K:C clef=treble-8
"Em"[E,B,EGBe]4 | "Am"[A,EAce]4 | "E"[E,B,E^GBe]4 | "A"[A,EA^ce]4 | "D"[DAd^f]4 |]