Guitar Chords for Beginners: The First 8 Chords to Learn (and the Order)

You don't need to learn 50 chords. You need about eight. These open chords show up in more songs than you can count, and once you can switch between them cleanly, most beginner songs are within reach. Here they are, in the order that makes them easiest to learn. For a guided, hands-on version of the first four, work through the open-chords lesson in the free beginner series.

How to read a chord diagram

A chord diagram is a picture of the first few frets. The vertical lines are strings (low E on the left, high E on the right), the horizontal lines are frets, and the dots show where your fingers go. An X above a string means don't play it; an O means play it open. That's the whole code. Tabs use a similar logic, so see how to read guitar tabs if the numbers throw you.

The first 8 chords, in order

Em and Am come first because they use two or three fingers and almost play themselves. Then C and G, the two workhorses of folk and pop. Then D, which completes the set behind thousands of songs. After those five, add E, A, and Dm to round out the major and minor shapes you'll reach for constantly.

Each one links to a full chart with every finger position and the keys it lives in, and the rest are in the chord library. Learn them one at a time. Get Em ringing clean before you touch Am. Trying to cram all eight in a day just gives you eight chords that all sound mushy.

Why your chords buzz (and how to fix it)

Buzzing and muted strings are the universal beginner complaint, and they almost always come down to three things. You're not pressing with the fingertips, so a finger leans on the string next door. You're pressing too far from the fret, in the middle of the gap instead of right behind the metal. Or your fingernails are too long for the tips to come down straight. Fix those three and most of the buzz disappears. The soreness that comes with pressing harder is normal, and here's what to do about finger pain.

The one-minute change

The hard part isn't the shapes, it's switching between them in time. Pick two chords, say G and C, and count how many clean changes you can make in one minute. Write the number down. Do it again tomorrow. Watching that number climb is weirdly motivating, and it trains the exact skill every song demands. More drills like this are in beginner guitar exercises.

When you're ready for barre chords

Once the open chords feel comfortable, the next wall is barre chords: one finger holding down a whole fret. They're the key to playing any chord anywhere on the neck, and they're hard at first for everyone, so don't rush them. When you're ready, read how to play barre chords. To see how one chord can be played in different spots and voicings, chord voicings explained covers it.

Related reading

• Lesson: Your First Open Chords — Em, G, C, and D
• Easy Guitar Songs You Can Play This Week
• Guitar Chord Progressions Every Beginner Should Know
• How to Play Barre Chords: Tips That Actually Work