Basic Chords
A chord is a group of three or more notes played together. Most chords are derived from a Major Scale. Here is the C Major scale.
This next example contains a C Major chord. The major chord is obtained by taking the 1st, 3rd and 5th degress of the scale and playing them together. Any major chord is usually described by its letter name only, so a C major chord would usually be called a C chord.
Here is the most common fingering for a C chord. Although this chord contains more than three notes, there are still only three different notes. C and E occur twice in this fingering. Doubling notes is very common in guitar chord.
Try strumming the C chord as shown in Example 3.0 If you have never read rhythms before, follow the easy read arrows which indicate downstrokes only in this exercise. Be sure to count and try tapping your foot on each of the beats as you play.
