Learn How to Play Guitar: A Beginner’s Guide to Guitar Chords and Types

The guitar is integral to many styles and genres of music, from Spanish flamenco, to folk, country, blues, rock, and modern pop. When played with skill, the guitar is a complex instrument that yields endless combinations of sounds and expressions. A guitar is capable of altering the mood of a song with just a few simple strums—just think about Jimi Hendrix’s wild, inventive playing or Tom Morello’s punk-metal hybrid riffs.

A guitar is a fretted musical instrument with a hollow wooden body. It has a long, narrow neck lined with ridges, called frets, which indicate the notes. (The part of the neck that houses the frets is called the fretboard.) A typical guitar has six strings ( though twelve-string guitars are also common) made of metal or nylon, which are typically played by strumming or plucking with the bottom hand. At the same time, the top hand focuses on “fretting”—that is, pressing down on strings to change their length and achieve the right note.
Before you sign up for your first guitar lesson, there are two things you need to know:

• The difference between acoustic and electric guitars (and which you want to play)
• Whether you’re a right-handed or left-handed guitar player

Learning to play acoustic or electric guitar depends on personal preference and what kind of music you want to play. Each has advantages, and presents different challenges.

• Electric guitars. These guitars generate their sound through an electric amplifier or speaker, rather than the body of the guitar itself. Electric guitar is often recommended for beginners. This is because electric guitars have thinner strings and a smaller body, making them easier to play and handle. Additionally, because the strings are closer together However, learning to play the electric guitar also means investing in additional equipment, such as an amplifier, pedals, and cables.
• Acoustic guitars. An acoustic guitar generates sound using the natural resonance of the wood body. The wider fretboard of an acoustic guitar makes certain notes more of a stretch for beginners, while the nylon strings can be tougher on your fingers. However, acoustic guitars don’t require any additional cables or equipment, and you’ll be able to transition to electric without any problems.

When playing guitar, each hand has a different job.

• The picking hand is generally the dominant hand for a guitarist, as it plucks or strums the strings and keeps time with the music.
• The fret hand holds down the frets to create chords. While your fret hand will typically move less than your picking hand, it must also quickly switch between notes and make long stretches while doing so.

There are both right-handed guitars and left-handed guitars. Conventional wisdom suggests that if you’re right-handed, it’s safe to assume that a right-handed guitar is most suitable for you. If you’re left-handed, however, you should try both—it won’t be clear which hand plays the dominant role until you have practiced a little bit. Take note the first few times you pick up a guitar. Which hand naturally gravitates to the strings, and which to the chords?

The first thing every great guitar player needs is, of course, a guitar. Here are five other basic supplies you’ll need before you can start making music.

• Guitar strings: If you’re just starting out, the best acoustic guitar strings for beginners have a gauge (or thickness) ranging from 0.11 inches for the thinnest string to .052 inches for the thickest. Collectively known as “11s,” these strings are thinner and lighter, which means they produce less tension and are therefore easier to pluck. If you’re learning on the electric guitar, try “9s” (.009 inches to .042 inches) or “10s” (.010 inches to .046 inches). In regards to materials, for an electric guitar, nickel strings produce clearer sound, and are therefore recommended for rock, blues, and jazz. Stainless steel strings are harder but sturdier, and therefore ideal for hard rock and metal. For acoustic guitars, phosphor bronze strings produce a warm, mellow sound, and are a great choice if you’re just starting out.
• Guitar strap: The purpose of a guitar strap is to stabilize your guitar while you play. While straps can also be a nice way to personalize your guitar, as a beginner, you should keep comfort at the forefront of your mind. For example, make sure your strap is thick and wide enough so it doesn’t hurt your back—at least 2 inches in width is a good size to ensure your neck and shoulders will not get sore.
• Guitar pick: While you can learn guitar without a pick, most players will pick one up at some point. Picks produce a clearer, sharper sound and allow for more precision. They can also save your fingers during more intense sessions. When it comes to pick types, there are a few— but start simple, with a standard sized plastic pick (between 0.73 mm and 0.88 mm). Later, you can work your way up to a pick that better suits your playing style as it develops.
• Guitar tuner: A tuner allows you to quickly and accurately tune your guitar. While chromatic tuners allow you to tune in any key, clip-on tuners are generally recommended for beginners. These clip to your guitar and tune using the vibration of the strings. They’re light, portable, and very simple to use. There are also a lot of free smartphone apps available that also do the trick.
• Guitar capo: A capo is a clamp that helps to raise the pitch of the strings by holding them against the fretboard. A capo makes it easier to push all the way down on the strings when you need to, which makes it essential for beginners as they build up their finger strength.

Once you pick up a guitar, get comfortable with the two foundational techniques: strumming and fingerpicking, or simply picking. Your technique and personal style will build up from your understanding of how the strings and chords work.

1. 1. How to strum: The most important thing to remember when strumming is to relax. Make sure you are holding your guitar securely, and have good posture. Don’t allow your upper body to tense up. Next, hold your pick in your hand. Once your fingers are locked on the chord you want, lock your wrist—make sure it forms a straight line from your forearm. Make sure you don’t strum from the wrist. Don’t move or rotate it. You need to strum with the entire forearm, not just the wrist. Once your wrist is locked, strum in a downward stroke.
2. 2. How to pick: Again, the best advice for picking is to relax. If there is tension if your upper body, it will reflect in your playing and your technique. Remember: everyone has his or her own style, but this won’t be evident until you’ve practiced enough to be comfortable. Unlike strumming, you’ll want to make sure your wrist is nice and loose, as you’ll be mostly using small, focused movements when picking. You can pick upwards or downwards, but for beginners, just practice downstrokes to start with. The angle you pick at—whether you’re parallel to the strings or at an angle—will depend on what’s most comfortable for you.

Now that you’re all set up, try practicing some basic guitar chords. The most basic chords for guitar are G, C, and D.

Also called the G major chord, the G chord is played as follows:

• Place your index finger on the fifth string, second fret.
• Place your middle finger on the sixth string, third fret.
• Place your ring finger on the second string, third fret.
• Place your pinky finger on the first string, third fret.

Also called the C major chord, the C chord is played as follows:

• Place your index finger on the fourth string, second fret.
• Place your middle finger on the fifth string, third fret.
• Place your ring finger on the second string, third fret.
• Place your pinky finger on the first string, third fret.

Also called the D major chord, the D chord is played as follows:

• Place your index finger on the third string, second fret.
• Place your middle finger on the first string, second fret.
• Place your ring finger on the second string, third fret.
• Your pinky finger stays off the fretboard.

Once you’ve become accustomed to positioning your fingers in these chord patterns, you’ll need to strum in for 10-15 seconds so you can hear how the chord actually sounds. Practice transitioning between these three chords (with a full 15-second strum on each one) until you can do it seamlessly.

Once you’re comfortable transitioning between the three G-C-D chords, the next step is to try and play along with some songs where it’s easy to distinguish between these chords. Doing this will also allow you to get better at matching the tempo of the song while strumming.

Here are some good songs to practice G-C-D with, along with breakdowns of how the three chords are incorporated in each song’s strumming pattern:

• Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Sweet Home Alabama” (1974): D-C-G
• Green Day, “Good Riddance” (1997): G-C-D
• AC/DC, “You Shook Me All Night Long” (1980): G-C-D
• Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967): G-C-D-Em
• Violent Femmes, “Blister” (1983): G-C-Em-D

Guitar players aren’t born with technique. It’s developed over time through repetition and muscle memory. Practicing guitar is equal parts technique—training your fingers to do what you want them to do—and theory—learning where your fingers can go and why. Guitar practice requires:

• Consistency. Guitarists like Tom Morello believe you can achieve more progress playing for one hour every day than playing for an entire afternoon once a week. What you focus on during your practice time can vary throughout your development as a musician.
• Commitment. As with learning any other craft, it’s easy to get frustrated at the beginning when progress doesn’t seem to happen fast enough. Be patient, and commit to practicing regularly.
• Creativity. The great Carlos Santana is known for practicing in the dark, which allows his fingers find new possibilities and to learn more about the guitar by touch. Whether you’re practice upside down, or setting goals for how many times you can transition between chords seamlessly, getting creative with your practice can make it more fun and take your ability to new heights.
• Collaboration. A guitar is often paired with other musical instruments, and practice is no exception. By collaborating with other musicians in your practice, you’ll not only learn how to approach guitar music with a band: you’ll also get to see how other people approach their craft up close.

Learning to master the guitar takes years of practice and dedication. It requires patience, time, and a love of music. Don’t rush yourself—learn at your own pace, and know that the longer you spend understanding how the instrument works, the more you’re discovering about how to master it.

• When you’re starting out, it’s natural to want to play your favorite songs and artists. After all, these are the people who inspired you to pick up a guitar in the first place. But if you want to become an artist, a musician with your own unique voice and style, learning those riffs and solos will only take you so far. It’s a great way to develop technique and gain an understanding of how and why your heroes play the way they do, but a true artist doesn’t merely copy influences: he or she transcends them.
• Practicing guitar technique will make it easier to take the ideas in your head and heart and get them out into the world for others to hear, but it’s the ideas themselves that matter most. You could strap on a guitar for the very first time, not knowing a single note, and as long as you have the conviction to write and play a song, you’re already an artist.

Whether you’re an aspiring singer-songwriter or have dreams of changing the world with your music, becoming a skilled and accomplished guitar player takes practice and perseverance. No one knows this better than legendary guitarist Tom Morello. In Tom Morello’s MasterClass on the electric guitar, the two-time Grammy winner shares his approach to making music that challenges the status quo, and delves deeper into the riffs, rhythms, and solos that launched his career.

Want to become a better musician? The MasterClass Annual Membership provides exclusive video lessons from master musicians, pop stars, and DJs including Tom Morello, Timbaland, Cristina Aguilera, Usher, Armin van Buuren, and Deadmau5.