The first three chords and a connector

We’re going to get started from zero here and look at what I consider to be the absolute easiest way for beginners to start strumming their first chord progressions. This is a classic first lesson from Guitar in a Nutshell and because of how clearly it’s explained and how ‘doable’ it is for someone just starting on guitar, you should find it will inspire you want to learn more.

Before actually getting into our first three chords it’s important to go through some really important rules for how to make your chords sound clear and full. You see on guitar it’s not enough to simply hold the correct chord shape, you have to do more than that in order to have your chords sound perfectly. For this reason we have 3 foundation rules when it comes to getting clear, professional sounding chords.

This guitar lesson combines learning our three chords with an all conquering strum pattern, the colossal Guitar in a Nutshell Strum No.1. This strum is extremely important and so versatile that you’ll find yourself able to apply it to thousands of popular songs, it’s what we call a Universal Strum because of its ability to cross over from one song to the next.

There’s a particular point in Strum No.1 that most beginners will find a little strange to perform at first but normally by the end of a standard 30 minute lesson most people are feeling confident with it. The trick with strums is to learn the big, universal ones first and cycle them around and around to drum tracks so they become effortless and automatic for you to play. Once that step is complete you won’t ever have to worry about your strumming preventing you from playing songs every again and you’ll be free to simply concentrate on your chords or your singing.

The exercises are also built up in stages so that you’re never asked to complete to big a jump all at once, instead we follow a step by step sequence which will allow you to experience a constant feeling of success. When you learn it this way it really helps to motivate you to learn more.

It’s normally a good idea to spend 5 days rehearsing and practicing what’s been covered in this first guitar lesson on chords and connectors. That way you’ll feel very secure going into lesson two and be well on your way to establishing a rock solid foundation you can depend on.

Continue onto How to Strum Guitar - Strum No.1