A Guide for Beginners - Minor Chords

by Christopher Sung Minor Chords
When you first start playing guitar, the easiest chords to play are the ones requiring the least amount of fingers, and in the least awkward positions. This usually means that one or more open strings are involved, meaning that you play that string but you don't need to place a finger on it. Although there aren't that many minor chords that use open strings, there are enough to get by when you are first starting out. In this lesson, we'll cover the three most basic minor chords:

• A Minor
• E Minor
• D Minor

If you're familiar with the equivalent major chords for the three chords listed above, or if you took my "Guide For Beginners - Major Chords" lesson, then the fingerings for these chords will look very similar to their major counterparts. This is because the only difference is that one finger moves one fret lower (this is the process that can turn a "major" chord into a "minor" one.

People traditionally characterize minor chords as "sad". As Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap said, "people hear D Minor and instantly start to weep. It's the saddest of all keys." When you start to combine playing minor chords with the major ones you already know, most any tune is now within your reach to play.

As in the Major Chords lesson, I don't want you to worry about strumming or rhythm. I just want you to concentrate on each chord, how it sounds, and how it feels under your fingers. So let's go to the next page and learn how to play an A Minor chord.