While most music loops can be programmed into a computer it's a nice alternative to add live instruments into the mix. The guitar has certainly been a staple in pop music through the years and will be so in the future as well. With this in mind learning a few basic chords on the guitar can be a good start to making more interesting songs and loops in your music production efforts.
The focus of this article will be on learning basic guitar chords in the key of C major. The chords presented will be (for the most part) in open position and are some of the most commonly used chords for the guitar. For further understanding of chords please refer to our article "Understanding Basic Chords" on this blog.
Getting Started
The following chords in this article are written in the form of a chord diagram or grid representing the fretboard of a six string guitar in open position.
In figure 1 (see below) we have an example of a C major chord. The letter at the top of the chord indicates the chord name. An "X" indicates a note NOT to be played. Numbered dots indicate which left hand fingering is to be used. Open strings left unmarked are to played along with fingered tones. The chords shown will represent scales tones starting with the tonic (I) through the leading tone (vii) in the key of C.
Furthermore, be sure to play each note cleanly behind each fret (not on top) for the most consistent sound. Use only enough pressure from the pad of the finger tip to achieve an even and clean tone from the guitar and generally keep the thumb behind the neck of the guitar between the first and second finger.
Lastly, while using a plectrum experiment with various strumming patterns and rhythms. You can also play the chords as an arpeggio one note at at a time using various rhythmic patterns and you can experiment using finger picking styles as well. See our link on this blog for more details on fingerpicking.
In conclusion, we hope this serves as a good introduction to playing simple chords and will open some avenues for your own music and as a start to discovering the guitar and its potential as a creative tool for musical expression.
Figure 1
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