Guitar Chords: a Beginner's Guide

As helpful as Guitar Chords might be to you, you might not be ready for your personal copy right now.

Tip 1:
Play a blues in C:

Strum C7 8 times.
Strum F7 4 times.
Strum C7 again 4 times.
Strum G7 twice, then F7 twice.
Strum C7 twice, then G7 twice.
Repeat, starting from "Strum C7 8 times."

Tired of playing in C? Here are blues for keys F and G.

Blues in F:

F7 (8), Bb7(4), F7(4), C7(2)
Bb7(2), F7(2), C7(2), repeat

Blues in G:

G7 (8), C7(4), G7(4), D7(2)
C7(2), G7(2), D7(2), repeat

Tip 2:
To make a happy song sound sad, replace major chords with minor chords two letter names down. Examples:

Instead of G major, play E minor. (Count, "G, one; F, two; E, *three*)
Instead of C major, play A minor. (Count, "C, one; B, two; A, *three*)
Instead of F major, play D minor. (Count, "F, one; E, two; D, *three*)

Tip 3:
Break away from the same major key to play a minor progression. Strum each of these twice:

Am, G, F, E7, repeat

Tip 4:
To put chords to a melody: work out the key center for the melody, and try out the first, second, and fifth chords from that key center; select the chord that sounds best. Example: if the melody is in C major, sing while you play the C (the first), Dm (the second), and G7 (the fifth) chords with your voice. Pick the chord that sounds best.


If you are interested in purchasing Guitar Chords, the rest of this page will help you do that. If you have any questions about Guitar Chords, please contact me at dkoltow@yahoo.com.

Thanks again!

Darrin Koltow


Guitar Chords helps you understand harmony and chords on the guitar in a way that's engaging, musical and fun. Substitute and combine chords; play jazz, rock and Blues progressions; transpose songs; put chords to a melody; play major, minor, dominant and other chords all over the fretboard; apply fingerpicking, alternating bass, arpeggios, and much more. Guitar Chords is fully refundable if you're not satisfied with it; just request a refund within thirty days of purchase.