The First 4 Guitar Chords You Should Learn
Guitar Instructor Nathanael Koenig teaches you the first 4 chords to learn on guitar
What is the first chord you should learn if you are just starting out learning to play guitar? Learning an instrument requires dedication, and guitar especially can be uncomfortable until you build up your finger strength, calluses, and technique. Because of this, I think the E minor chord is the perfect one to start with, and here’s why:
Fretting an E minor chord
Fewer Fingers Needed: Of all the basic open chords on the guitar, E minor requires the least fingers on the left hand to push down strings, just the second fret on the fifth and fourth strings. Also, if pressing down those two strings is too difficult, you can make it even easier. The first three open strings on the guitar are E, B, and G, which already form an E minor triad. This means you can play an E minor chord without even using your left hand! I frequently teach major and minor triads on the top three strings of the guitar to children whose hands aren’t big enough to play traditional open chords.
No Finger Stretches: On top of only requiring two fingers to play, the placement of those two fingers are right next to each other for the E minor chord. This means that there is no stretching required, allowing you to focus solely on getting those notes to ring out clearly.
Applicability: The E minor chord is not only easy to play, but also widely used in almost every genre of music. This means that if you learn the E minor chord along with a few others, you can already play along with hundreds of different songs! For more information on this, check out my video on the first four chords you should learn if you are beginning guitar
Check out the video for the other 3 chords!
