A Major Chord
A
To play the A chord, place the first, second and third fingers of your left hand as shown in the diagram. Strum all six strings.
Rhythm Pattern
When changing between C and A use your second finger as a pivot.
E Major Chord
E
To play the E chord, place the first, second and third fingers of your left hand as shown in the diagram. Strum all six strings.
Rhythm Pattern
When changing from E to A, the first finger can be used as a slide finger on the 3rd string.
The following chord progression uses the same rhythm pattern as in the previous example but contains two chords per bar in bars 1, 2 and 3. Each of these chords receives two beats.
D Major Chord
To play the D chord, place the first, second and third fingers of your left hand as shown in the diagram, but strum only five strings. Do not strum the 6th string (as indicated by the dotted line).
When changing between E to A or between E to D, slide your first finger along the third string (only lightly touching it). When changing between the A and D chords, use your first finger as a pivot and slide your third finger along the second string. The first finger remains in contact with the third string throughout each of the following chord progressions.
Rhythm Pattern
In the following chord progression there are two chords in each bar. Each chord is played for two beats. The rhythm pattern has two half note strums, so each chord is strummed once. This progression is two bars long.
Rhythm Pattern
