A chord is a group of notes which are played together. Chords are used to accompany the melody of a song. In the early stages, chords are usually played with the left hand and the melody is played with the right. The first chord you will learn is C major, usually just called the C chord. In this book, chord diagrams are color coded. There are three basic types of chords - Major (red), Dominant (7th) (green) and Minor (purple). You will learn more about each chord type as you progress through the book.
The C chord contains three notes - C, E and G. To play the C chord use the first, third and fifth fingers of your left hand, as shown in the C chord diagram.