Guitar Chords for Beginners

8 Basic Guitar Chords for Beginners

O = open string; X = do not play. Numbers inside dots are fingers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky. Fret numbers below each chart run from string 6 to string 1.

Download the chart under the shape you are practising. Each file is that one shape, not a fixed sheet of all eight.

How to Read a Guitar Chord Chart

Use the full reading guide to decode X and O, distinguish finger numbers from frets, and follow the C major example.

How to Practice Beginner Guitar Chord Changes

This is our suggested practice routine, not a fixed eight-day deadline. Repeat a stage across sessions when needed. The time and repetition targets below are practice suggestions, not a promise about learning speed.

1. Em → E: keep fingers 2 and 3 on A and D; add or lift finger 1 on G. Check that open G rings in Em, and fret 1 rings in E.
2. Am → A: learn each chart separately before switching. Our chosen fingerings change which fingers press D, G, and B, so reset deliberately rather than trying to preserve the whole hand shape.
3. A → D: practise changing the starting string as well as your fingers: A starts at string 5; D at string 4.
4. G → C → D: learn G and C separately, then connect all three. Start each strum at string 6, 5, and 4 respectively.
5. D → Dm: compare the high E fret (2 versus 1), then rebuild the full fingering shown above.

A repeatable practice session

1. Spend about two minutes placing one shape and picking its intended strings individually. Correct unclear notes before strumming.
2. For about two minutes, alternate a pair: count 1–2–3–4, strum once on 1, and prepare the next shape for the next 1. Choose a pace you can maintain.
3. Try four gentle downstrokes per chord, one per count, for another two minutes. Slow down if the change interrupts the count.

Before moving on: aim for three clean, separate-string checks of each shape and four consecutive changes without losing your count. If that is not comfortable yet, repeat this stage next session. You can stop sooner and take a break.

Fix Buzzing or Muted Chord Notes

1. Find the string: pick each intended string alone. A strum can hide which note is unclear.
2. Check placement: move a fretting fingertip just behind the fret wire, rather than on it. Check whether another finger is touching an intended open string.
3. Recheck the strum: C, A, and Am start at string 5; D and Dm start at string 4. Em, E, and G use all six strings in these shapes.
4. Rebuild slowly: lift and place the shape again, check individual strings, then strum. If it works alone but not during changes, slow the change exercise down.

The chart links provide a visual shape and reference sound. Our finder does not listen through your microphone or grade your playing.

Keep Practising

Use the guitar chord finder to explore alternative shapes, chord progression generator to hear chords in sequence, and guitar scales lessons to explore notes across the neck. Five of the shapes here (C, Dm, Em, G, Am) belong to the seven-chord set on Guitar Chords in C. The finder’s fretted dots show suggested finger choices when available; reference-only shapes say so without adding numbers. The numbered diagrams on this lesson show the authored finger choices.

To practise a smaller root-and-fifth grip, follow how to play a power chord, then find other roots in the power chord guitar chart.