Learning guitar chords can seem complicated at first, with chord charts that tell beginning players to put this finger here, that finger there, and don't forget another finger on yet another string. Trying to memorize the positions for the 20 or so most commonly used basic chords can be confusing for beginning guitar players, and it's easy to get the chords mixed up. Not only that, but simply learning the chords isn't enough: The guitarist then has to be able to move from one chord to another -- in time.
There is an easier way: Learn and practice chords in the groups in which they most commonly appear in songs.
Finding the Key of a Song
Usually, a song uses three primary chords. Depending on its complexity, songs may use more chords, but the three primary chords will be the foundation.
To know which primary chords a song will use, it is first necessary to know the key of the song. One easy way to identify the key is to look at the last chord of a song. If the song ends on a C chord, the song is usually in the key of C. If it ends on an E flat chord, it is in the key of E flat. This rule is not foolproof, but it works more than 90 percent of the time, so it's a good place to start.
Common Groups of Guitar Chords
Most beginning guitarists play songs in only a few keys. Indeed, the guitar's organization of notes and strings lends itself to being played in these "guitar-friendly" keys, so when singer-songwriters compose on guitar, they tend to gravitate to these keys.
Each key has its own set of three primary chords. In a simple folk song, blues song, or rock and roll song, these three chords may be the only chords in the whole song. Slightly more complicated pop or rock songs may contain four or five chords (the extra chords are usually the so-called "secondary chords" in a given key). And in more complicated jazz or classical music, the piece of music might use a much bigger spectrum of chords and chord variations. But no matter how complex the song, the primary chords form the skeleton for it, and often comprise as many as 80 or 90 percent of the chords.
Here are the primary chords in the most common guitar keys:
- Key of A: Primary chords: A, D, and E (or E7); Secondary chords: B minor, F sharp minor
- Key of C: Primary chords:: C, F, and G (or G7); Secondary chords: A minor, D minor:
- Key of D: Primary chords: D, G, and A (or A7): Secondary chords: B minor, E minor.
- Key of E: Primary chords: E, A, and B (or B7); Secondary chords: C sharp minor, F sharp minor.
- Key of G: Primary chords: G, C, and D (or D7); Secondary chords: E minor, A minor.
- Key of A minor: Primary chords: A minor, D minor, E7; Secondary chords C, E minor.
- Key of E minor: Primary chords: E minor, A minor, B7; Secondary chords: G, B minor.
Practice Tips for Moving Between Guitar Chords
In a basic song in the key of C, the chords most likely to be used are C, F, and G, with perhaps a few A minor and D minors thrown in. So when practicing, it makes sense to practice moving from one primary chord to another in the key of C. It doesn't make a lot of sense to practice moving from, say, a C chord to a B7 chord. because in real music, a guitarist would rarely make that move. However, a guitarist will move between C, F, and G (or G7) thousands upon thousands of times, so it makes sense to practice moving between those three chords, then adding the secondary chords, which, in the key of C, are A minor and D minor.
Practice the primary chord sequences above in each of the keys until the fingerings are memorized and the moves from one chord to another are smooth. Then add the secondary chords for the key. (For secondary chords, note that the keys of A and E are most difficult, so save them for last).
Music, of course, is written by composers, not theorists. Advancing guitarists will encounter many cases where a song will demand other chord changes or more complex chords and chord voicings. But by mastering the basic cadences and the secondary chords in each key, a guitarist will have a base of knowledge to play thousands of songs.
Karen Berger - Karen Berger is the author of 15 books. Please click on her name to read her full bio.
