Play Beginner Guitar Chords In G

Are you a beginning guitarist wanting to play rock, pop or folk songs? Learning some simple chord progressions will give you the skill you need to play hundreds of songs with only three or four easy to learn chords.

A chord progression is simply a series of chords played one after another. The progression usually repeats every three or four bars throughout a song. Most rock, pop and folk songs are made up of progressions of three or four chords like this.

If you practice commonly used progressions you will not only develop skill to play many songs, but you'll also start training your ear. Indeed, you might recognize the sound of the progressions below from songs you are familiar with.

Without further ado, let's take a look at some example chord progressions in the key of G. If you don't know what a key is, don't worry about it for now. A key simply identifies the set of chords that is used by a particular song.

In these songs you'll be using the chords G major, C major and D major. If you don't already know how to play these chords then visit the links in the last sentence to learn them.

In all the examples strum each chord four times. When you have played all four chords return to the beginning and repeat. The '||:' and ':||' symbols mean just that – they mark the beginning and end of a section to repeat.

Take your time and don't rush. If you have trouble passing from one chord to another then slow down and try again. Go as slowly as you need to make the chord changes smoothly. You will discover that your speed will increase once you have mastered the chord changes.

Example I-IV-V-I
||: G | C | D | G :||

Example I-V-IV-I
||: G | D | C | G :||

Example I-IV-I-V
||: G | C | G | D :||

Example V-IV-V-I
||: D | C | D | G :||

I recommend that you practice the examples in several short sessions. If you can fit three 10 minute sessions into your day you will make good progress. You will be surprised to find that the rest between sessions improves your playing. This is because your mind works on the problem in the background. This is far more effective than forcing yourself to play for hours, especially if you are making mistakes.

Conclusion

Knowledge of a few basic chord progressions will help you to play many hundreds of rock, pop and folk songs. Additionally, if you pay attention with your ears you will find that you are able to recognize the progressions used in songs that you hear. It is a great feeling when you recognize a song and can play it like that.


Do you have questions about chords or progressions? Please leave them in the $$comments.