Beginner Guitar Lesson #2: Master G, C, and D Major Chords (with Diagrams & Practice Tips)
Hello again, and welcome back! I hope those three chords last time didn't give you too much trouble. Learning chord shapes and developing the dexterity required for the guitar can be a long and dreadful process BUT their is hope! Even 15 minutes a day, every day, will put you on the path of guitar success!
To begin the lesson, open G, C, and D Major chords are all presented in diagram, tablature, and standard musical notation.
“Wait, we learned open D already. What gives?”
-More than likely you
Aha, good catch! This was done by design: Not only do the chords G, C, and D chords work together nicely but including this chord also gives you a starting point for our second lesson in this series. In addition, Including the D chord also will allow your hand to be using it in a another “harmonic environment” that will allow further training in dexterity in the hands.
In case you missed out last lesson: following the diagrams are ten levels of exercises to increase knowledge of the shapes, dexterity of the hands and the muscles contained within, and to get you activating the connection between mind and hands so to allow muscle memory to kick in. All exercises are designed to be repeated on a loop, repeat symbols “||:” and “:||” have been included to express this.
So, ask the question: Why these chords? Why are they relevant? Well this particular lesson is all in the key of G Major. In other words, with G Major being the foundation the other chords help build the rest of the house and fit (sound) together well. Furthermore, MANY famous rock songs were written with these same chords such as “Sweet Home Alabama”, “Love Me Do”, “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away”, “Ring of Fire”, and “Brown Eyed Girl” to name a few.
In case you missed out last lesson: Their may be some symbols that may look unfamiliar to you, and I’m here to help you through it. No worries! Whenever you see a symbol that looks like “/”, that means to simply play in time or to the beat. For this exercise, think of a / as strumming the chord 1 time. Whenever you see a symbol that looks like “%”, that means to simply play the last measure again or repeat the previous measure.
Below is the PDF of this lesson, as reading so on browser during a practice session can be an inconvenience to some. Any questions that may come up feel free to get in touch via the “Contact” page above, I am happy to answer any and all questions. I hope you enjoy this lesson, have fun and play on!
