An acoustic guitar chord is several notes all played at once. There are a lot of different acoustic guitar chords, but if you can learn a few basic ones, you can then play hundreds, if not thousands, of songs. There are some of the major chords, which have a brighter sound whilst the minor chords have a darker or sadder sound.

When playing chords on an acoustic guitar you can use a chord diagram, which looks very similar to guitar tabs. However, there are some differences in these notations. With the notations for acoustic guitar chords, the lines, which represent the strings on the instrument, run vertically rather than horizontally as they do on the guitar tab ones. Also in front of you all chord diagrams look similar to a grid that would be used in mathematical equations.

As you look at it, the vertical lines you see in front of you are those that represent the strings on your guitar, whilst the horizontal ones are there to represent the frets on it. Along with these lines there are dots and these represent the position in which you need to press down on the strings. Further to the dots and lines on the grid there are also numbers at the bottom and it is these that tell you where you need to place your fingers on each string. The Number 1 relates to your index finger, Number 2 to your middle finger, Number 3 to your ring finger and Number 4 to your small (pinkie) finger.

However, if a Zero appears in the notations this means that no finger should be placed on the string and it should be left open. But, if there is a letter “T”, this actually denotes that the guitarist should place their thumb on the string in question.

Now we have explained a little about what makes up an acoustic guitar chord now let us show you the positions you should place your fingers in order to play them. The first chord we are looking at is G-Major. To play this particular chord you need to place your middle finger on to the sixth string above the third fret. Then take your index finger and place this on to the fifth string above the second fret and finally take your ring finger and place this on the first string above the third fret. Once you have your fingers in place you need to play, each of the strings in the order shown one at the time (not altogether).

Make sure you can hear each note clearly and there aren’t any odd sounds like buzzing or rattling. If you hear something off, try pressing the string down harder on the fingerboard or move your finger closer to the fret. Also make sure that your fingers aren’t touching each other or any of the other strings. Once all of the notes sound good, strum them all at once. That’s a G-major acoustic guitar chord.

Another basic chord which any would be guitarist should learn in the beginning is the E-Minor one. This is much simpler to learn, as it only requires a couple of fingers in order to do so. You take your index finger and place this on the fifth string above the second fret and then your middle finger on to the fourth string above the second fret also. When placing your fingers on the strings makes sure once again that, there is sufficient space between them to ensure that they do not touch. But where as when playing the G-Major chord you need to play each note separately with this one you can play, (strum) the strings at the same time. The sound that this particular chord produces is much darker than that you would hear when you play the G-Major chord.

Along with the two chords that we have mentioned the other basic acoustic guitar chords that one should learn include C-Major, D-Major, A-Minor and A-Major. Also, you need to practice as much as possible and as you practice move between each chord that you have learnt. It is important that you try to get your fingers in to the right positions as quickly as possible, although in it will take some time to achieve this. But by practising them over and over again, you will start to build up muscle memory and then your fingers will start to place themselves without you having to look.

In the article above we have provided details regarding acoustic guitar chords if you would like to find out more about playing the Acoustic Guitar click on the link shown.