Mastering Chords On Your Guitar

Learning to play a guitar requires patience, hard work, and determination. It means that you are going to have to practice everyday faithfully and study hard in order to learn what you are being taught. It is one of the most difficult instruments to learn how to play second to the violin and they are closely related.

As much as many of us want to learn how to play this instrument there are some of us who are unable to pay someone to teach us. Times are tough right now and we have to worry about more important things like bills and food. So why not teach yourself? C'mon you can do it! Teaching yourself to play guitar requires more patience then if you were going through a teacher and it requires much discipline. But if you are truly motivated to learn then you can overcome any obstacle and do it.

When learning how to play the guitar one of the first things you will want to learn is how to play the guitar chords. Guitar chords are three or more notes that are played at the same time. There are a variety of chords that are placed into two different categories; minor and major chords.

When it comes to the guitar there are 5 basic major chord patterns. The primary chord patterns are C, A, G, E, and D. To help you remember them just put them together and remember the word they spell CAGED. The other chords that you will learn will come from these chord patterns so remember them well.

CAGED is a system of fretboard patterns for scales, chords, and arpeggios. The C, A, G, E, and D basic chord patterns are only your first step to the CAGED system - but it is the most important step. Master it and you will be able to easier learn scale, chord, and arpeggio which all come from these five patterns.

Find yourself a guitar diagram that you can use and stick with it. Try to practice it until you are able to read it without any problems and then try to add on to it or choose another diagram that you can learn from. I know that you don't yet know how to read a chord diagram - but just be patient and we can show you how to do just that.

The grid of the diagram is a representation of the neck of your guitar. The vertical lines represent the strings and the horizontal lines represent the frets. The vertical line all the way on the left or the largest one is the 6th string and the one all the way on the right or the smallest one is the 1st string.

The black dots with numbers on them are a representation of your fingers and which fret you are to put it on. If the black dot had a one in it then you would use your first finger, number two would be your second finger, and so on from there. Keep in mind that your pinky is represented as your fourth finger. Now you are going to place your fingers in the correct position that the diagram is telling you to.

The circles and the X's on top of the diagram grid are easy to remember. When there is an X above a string it means that you are not to play that string. A circle above the string means that it is opened and that you don't need your fingers.