How Many Chords Are There?

By now you're probably asking yourself how many chords are there? The answer to that is hundreds, and each of those chords can be played many ways, however most popular styles of guitar playing can be covered by only learning half a dozen more than you already know... So here they are... (well some of them) ...

The two chords below share a common first finger on the first fret first string. The first one is called D minor (Dm). You might find it difficult to tuck your third finger up onto the third fret second string. Some guitar players use their fourth finger instead. Have a look at the chord diagram below and experiment with your fingering.

The next chord is called G dominant seventh (G7), and as I said, shares a common first finger with Dm. It's a bit of a stretch but your fingers will soon get used to it.

Practice changing between Dm, G7 and all the other chords then try the next exercise.

Exercise 27 This exercise uses the Dm and G7 chords as well as introducing a rhythm which reoccurs every two bars instead of every single bar as before. You may have to practice this separately until you get the hang of it. Another new concept you'll see is the first and second endings signified above the last three bars. The third and second last bars (first ending) should be played the first time only, then repeat back to the beginning. The next time skip the third and second last bars (first ending) and go directly to the last bar (second ending). Have a listen to Exercise 27 sound file * then try it yourself. .

Another chord that's used quite often with the Dm and G7 chords is called F major (F). For many beginning guitarists this is the hardest of the open chords to get a clear sound from, so be patient. Here it is...

The main difficulty will be to lie your first finger down to cover the first frets on both the first and second strings whilst keeping your second and third fingers standing up out of the way of the bottom two strings.

If this is a problem try to push the head stock of the guitar out in front of you and tuck your left elbow in towards your stomach (a bit like holding a rifle although I wouldn't really know). The idea is that your first finger will roll over on it's side and your second and third fingers will stand up... (Trust me, it works... honest.)

The other annoying thing about F major is that you only get to hit the bottom four strings. The top two sound terrible. Practice changing between the other chords and look for common fingers to link them together. You might not get it to sound perfect for a while but it's a very common chord, so try the next exercise anyway.

Exercise 28 F major shares a common first finger with Am and C major in this exercise, so practice changing between those chords, then listen to Exercise 28 sound file * and try it yourself. .

We'll use F major only in small doses as we go through the program and soon you'll be loving it. When you're ready for some more punishment go to the next page.

 
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Copyright ©1997 Kim Wainwright.