Electric Guitar Chords - Simple, Versatile, and a Great Place to Start

When someone talks about electric guitar chords, they're usually talking about barre chords because they're easier to play on an electric guitar than an acoustic. Most songs written for acoustic that might prompt someone to play barre chords usually end up investing in a capo instead.

A Capo

With that said we'll try to talk a little bit about a couple of electric guitar chords that you'll find easy to play and get you started in the right direction to becoming a proficient rhythm guitarist, and ultimately hopefully your learn to play lead guitar as well.

Let's learn the basic fingering of a major chord on the 2nd string. This finger position requires a little bit of hand strength but with practice you'll get it. Place your index finger flat across the fretboard just behind the fifth fret, covering the 2nd, through 6th strings. Now with put your ring finger flat across the 3rd thru 5th strings just behind the seventh fret.

Basic chords like this D major do take time to learn to play with ease, but you'll find that once you have this chord and a few others under your belt you'll quickly hear familiar combinations of chords in your own play. Developing your ear will need to be an important part of your lead guitar lesson plan. Get used to sliding your hand up and down the neck while holding this finger position together. This will help you get the hand strength needed to play chords quickly and cleanly (sign up for free video demos of this here)