When you first pick up the guitar, there is so much to learn, and starting with a few basic chords can really help you get into the swing of things. Sure, it sounds great, but what guitar chords sound good together? Some players are ready to dive in and take it all on, but for everyone else, perhaps start with triads. These basic three-note chords are easy to grasp and relatively simple to play. From there, you can move on to more complex chords and start combining them to see what works for you. There are plenty of great combos that are widely used and recognized. I’ll share a few options and explain the basics to help you start learning chords in a more bite-sized and manageable way. Trying to learn it all at once can leave you feeling discouraged or confused. No one likes that, so we’ll look at some famous and easy chords to play and combine.
What guitar chords sound good together? G Major, C Major, and D Major chords sound great together. You have already heard tons of music that uses these chords because they work so well. In fact, you can play most songs using these three chords. Moreover, you can harmonize with most songs using these ubiquitous chords.
How Do You Know What Chords Sound Good Together
Although there are always exceptions to the rule, you can identify how chords will sound good together by finding or choosing your key. Naturally, you could opt to ‘just mess around’ until something works out. That system works. However, it is slow and teaches you little or nothing about music itself.
When you are just starting out, it’s crucial to learn about music history, theory and practice. By knowing the ‘rules,’ you can build the skills you need. While there’s nothing wrong with breaking out of the box, it helps to know what shape the box is first.
Every scale has seven notes. Those are the roots of the seven chords (triads) within that scale. A chord triad would be the note you begin with, then the third note, and the fifth. For example, C-Major, arguably the most well-known scale, contains the notes C, D, E, F, G, A, and B.
The C-Major chord triads are on the list below. Each chord begins with a single note from the scale and pairs it with the third and fifth notes counting from the first note you use. Combining these chords will give you a C-Major song, and you can do the same with each scale.
- C: C-E-G
- Dm: D-F-A
- Em: E-G-B
- F: F-A-C
- G: G-B-D
- Am: A-C-E
- Bdim: B-D-F
For new musicians that don’t yet understand the scales, you need to start there. Skipping the finger placements and essential note scales will hinder your learning. Keep in mind that reading a scale usually involves understanding that the writer has numbered your fingers for you. Index, middle, ring, and pinky are one-through four in that order.
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What Are the 3 Most Used Guitar Chords
Have you ever noticed how much songs sound alike? This phenomenon has more to do with what guitar chords sound good together than you might expect. It’s easy to blame it on pop-music or artists stealing each other’s sound, but the truth is that the notes are finite.
You can only play so many different sounds on a guitar. Even the most intricate guitar still limits the number of noises it can make with extra strings and fancy pedals and soundbars. Even so, not every set of sounds will work together.
Resultantly, the most commonly appealing sounds for most human ears are going to be repeated. In this case, we mean the most used guitar chords, but it applies to all instruments equally.
To play thousands or hundreds of thousands of songs, you need to know the top three chords. These are G Major, C Major, and D Major. The tempo, combinations, timing, and additional or supplemental music may change, but these three chords are the backbone of most music.
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What are the 4 Most Common Guitar Chords
In addition to the G Major, C Major, and D Major chords, there is another chord that you may want to put in your early repertoire. The Em chord is slightly less popular than the top three. Nevertheless, it is worth memorizing right away.
Typically, once you have the first three committed to memory, this is the other chord you will start hearing all the time. Fortunately, like all basic chords, it’s easy to learn. Perfecting it will take time, patience, and practice, but understanding it will only take moments.
What Is The Most Recognized Guitar Chord
There is no single most recognized guitar chord. The top three or four guitar chords that sound good together are mostly equal in terms of instant recognition. The C, D, Em, and G Major chords are a part of so many songs that once you learn them, your ability to play along with songs jumps up an order of magnitude that will surprise you.
Unsurprisingly, the popularity of these chords is tied to the sound and the ease with which you can play them. All of the big four guitar chords are beginner level. They are easy to reach, and since they sound nice, many people have used them over the years.
The Most Well Known Chord Might Be D
The universally recognized chords have been around a lot longer than modern guitar music. If you listen to the cello part in Pachelbel’s Canon in D, it will sound familiar. Even if you have never heard Canon in D before, you will recognize it.
Once you’ve heard this, you cannot un-notice. Cannon in D sounds like Basketcase by Greenday, and Aerosmyths’ Cryin’ and Step by Vampire Weekend, along with a plethora of other songs in every conceivable genre. From Tu Pac to Michael Jackson, and John Denver to Kesha, some sounds are so iconic and enjoyable we hear them everywhere.
Comedians have done whole routines about this simple chord. Although some people will call re-using a known sound a form of theft, there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions of musicians, and only so many notes to rearrange. It only makes sense that the best chords are often played.
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What Is The Most Difficult Chord To Play On Guitar
On the opposite end of the spectrum from well-known, oft-used, and easy to play chords, there are the real beasts. Some chords are so difficult to play you will only rarely hear them. Playing these means, you are truly dedicated to learning and mastering your instrument.
The most difficult of the standard chords to play is F. However, that’s just the beginning. As you grow your skills and progress beyond the familiar chords, some real finger-twisters are out there. Check out some of the most challenging chords in the guitar world for a real test of your abilities.
Many chords are among the most difficult to play. Once you are comfortable with the more standard options, you may want to try these out as a challenge for your skills. All of them are unusually tough on the fingers.
Often in these next-level chords, you’ll need to press all your strings with one finger. More challenging than that, you may need to hold down only the middle two or three strings. You can find charts to help with these eight and two more by clicking here.
Try out the eight complex chords listed below. Can you handle it? No, worries, with enough time and practice, you will get there.
- Am9
- B7add13
- Badd9
- C#madd9
- Cadd9/E
- Cmaj9
- Gadd9
- Gmaj9
If these seem like a little too much right now, keep practicing. Even pros have trouble sometimes, and your journey is just beginning.
Final Thoughts
Just because someone once wrote that certain chords go together, it doesn’t mean those are your only options. Once you have the basic chord progressions down, you can start improvising and making your own sound. Don’t settle for what others have already done. Build on it.
Learning the most common chords and combos is a great place to start. Not only do they sound nice, but they also let you play along with tons of songs. It’s gratifying to hear your instrument start to sound like a song you recognize for the first time.
Chords are only one part of the vast world that is guitar playing. However, by practicing your chords until you know them in your sleep, you will have conquered one of the essential building blocks for all guitar music.