From theory — Western theory · Chords. Shapes on the neck.

Open chords

The first six unlock most beginner songs in G, C, D, E, and A. Week 3 adds A and Dm. Intermediate players add method-book sevenths. F and Bm wait on Barre. Click a diagram to hear a downstrum. Finger numbers: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky.

Aim for clean ringing — not speed. Change slowly between two chords before adding a third. Hal Leonard Book 1 orders it this way: open majors and minors first, barre after the first-ten set is honest. Famous titles below — Western and Nepali — are a recognition aid: chords only, no melody. Teaching keys, not always the record. Each one jumps to a loop on Play along.

The first six

Low E is on the left of each diagram (Hal Leonard convention). × = mute that string; ○ = play it open. Click a picture to hear it; the neck lower down lights the same shape.

Em — E minor

vi of G Relative of G

Two fingers, one fret — usually the first shape that rings. It is the relative minor of G: same family, sadder door. In a G song it is vi, the “oh” chord in a four-chord loop. On its own it is home for darker rock.

Hear it in (chords only): Zombie · Save Tonight — Em · C · G · D. Same four letters sit as vi in With or Without You and Take Me Home, Country Roads. Nepali: Awaz (Albatross) — Em · C · D. Timro Nyano — G · D · C · Em. Aankhama Timilai — G · Am · C · D · Em.

Relative-minor loop Four-chord song

G — G major

I · home ghar

The friendliest guitar home. Stretch the pinky to high e; let the middle strings ring. Capo it to move a singer’s Sa without new shapes. G and Em are relatives — if a verse in G suddenly feels sad, you probably landed on Em.

Hear it in (chords only): La Bamba · Twist and Shout · Wild Thing — G · C · D. With or Without You · Take Me Home, Country Roads — G · D · Em · C. Nepali: Hamro Nepal Ma — G · C · D. Resham Firiri and Makhamali Pachheuri Le — G · Am · D. Chari Maryo — same G · Am · D, capo 2. Timro Nyano — G · D · C · Em.

G–Am–D folk Ghar loop Four-chord song

C — C major

I in C IV in G Relative of Am

Piano’s home, and the other campfire home. Mute the low E. In G songs C is IV — the warm “away.” C and Am share a family: C is the bright door, Am the sad one. Many film / piano songs think in C, then the guitar puts a capo on G shapes instead of learning new grips.

Hear it in (chords only): Let It Be · No Woman, No Cry — C · G · Am · F (F waits on Barre). Nepali: Pir (Prakash Saput) — C · G · F · Am (capo if the singer needs it). Nepali Thito — C · Am · F · G. Chihan Ki Pari — C · Am · D · G. Same C as IV on the Ghar loop.

Four-chord in C Am–F–C–G Ghar loop

D — D major

V in G I in D

The small triangle. Skip the two fattest strings. In G it is V — the question that wants to go home. Bright, a bit tense, then G answers. Same job in a 12-bar: D is the turnaround chord.

Hear it in (chords only): every G–C–D tune above (La Bamba, Twist and Shout, Wild Thing). Nepali: Hamro Nepal Ma — G · C · D. Resham Firiri and Chari Maryo — G · Am · D (D is the V that sends you home). 12-bar uses D as V — Hound Dog · Johnny B. Goode (map only).

G–Am–D folk Three-chord backbone 12-bar blues

Am — A minor

vi of C Relative of C

Same idea as E major, slid one string toward the floor. Relative minor of C — if you can see C, you already know where Am lives. Default folk sadness; a lot of lok / film verses sit here. Pair it with E (or E7) and it wants to resolve, like a courtyard cadence.

Hear it in (chords only): Let It Be (the vi). Nepali: Resham Firiri and Makhamali Pachheuri Le — G · Am · D. Adhuro Prem — Am · F · C · G (needs F). Chari Maryo — G · Am · D, capo 2. A lot of lok / film verses sit on Am as home.

G–Am–D folk Am–F–C–G Am campfire

E — E major

I in E V of Am

Em plus the index on the G string. Home for blues and a lot of rock — the open low E is the thunder. Against Am it is V: major against a minor home, which is why Am–E feels like a question. B7 is the usual V7 when E itself is home.

Hear it in (chords only): I–IV–V7 in E — E · A · B7. Same 12-bar map as Hound Dog, just a different letter. Nepali: Gurasai Phulyo (1974 AD) is often taught around A and E (with Bm). Against Am, E is the V — courtyard / film colour.

Three-chord in E G with Bm Am courtyard

Next two open — A and Dm

Week 3 of the 4-week plan. Then preview F and Bm on Barre — those finish the first ten.

A — A major

I in A IV in E

Three fingers in a row on D, G, and B. Keep high e ringing. Home in A; the “away” chord when you are in E. Shortcut: capo 2 on G–C–D sounds like A–D–E — same I–IV–V, no new shapes. Still worth owning the open A so you can play without the clamp.

Hear it in (chords only): Three Little Birds · Blowin’ in the Wind — A · D · E. Nepali: Chari Maryo in A — A · Bm · D · E (or capo 2 on G · Am · D). Resham Firiri is also sung in A · Bm · E. Gurasai Phulyo sits in this A family.

Three-chord in A G–Am–D folk · capo 2 G with Bm

Dm — D minor

iv next to Am ii in C Relative of F

The D triangle with the index on high e fret 1. Sad cousin of D. Relative minor of F — once barre F is honest, Dm is its darker door. Next to Am it is iv (courtyard / film colour). In C it is the ii, a stepping-stone toward G.

Hear it in (chords only): the original Am courtyard — Am · Dm · E · Am. After F, Let It Be and a pile of Nepali pop (Adhuro Prem, Nepali Thito, Pir) live in the C / Am family. Dm is the sad cousin when a film verse wants extra colour.

Am courtyard Am–F–C–G

F and Bm — the two that wait

F is IV in C Bm is iii in G

Not open chords — they finish the first ten on Barre. F is why Let It Be, Pir, Nepali Thito, and Adhuro Prem are taught in C. Bm is the chord Chari Maryo and Gurasai Phulyo need when you play them in A (or capo 2 on G · Am · D).

Barre shapes Am–F–C–G G with Bm

Sevenths — the next colour

Hal Leonard Book 1/2 adds dominant 7ths after the open majors. They are not jazz extensions — they are the same open grips with one finger added or lifted. A 7th pulls to the chord a fourth above: G7 wants C, D7 wants G, E7 wants A, A7 wants D, B7 wants E, C7 wants F.

Softer colour — lift one finger from the minor:

G7 · D7 · C7 — blues colour in G

G7 is G with high e dropped to fret 1 — V7 of C, and I7 in a G blues. D7 is the D that really wants G. C7 is the IV7, the “away” with extra tension. Play G then G7: the extra note is the itch.

Hear it in (chords only): Hound Dog · Johnny B. Goode — 12-bar map. First with plain G C D, then with 7ths.

12-bar blues 12-bar with 7ths

E7 · A7 · B7 — the other blues home

E7 is E with the ring lifted — V7 of A, and I7 in E. A7 is A with the G string open — V7 of D. B7 is Hal Leonard’s first B, before barre — V7 of E, the chord that makes E–A–B7 feel finished.

Hear it in (chords only): E · A · B7 as I–IV–V7. Same job as D7 in a G song.

Three-chord in E Three-chord in A

Em7 and Am7 — lift, don’t add

Not dominant 7ths. Lift the ring finger from Em or Am. Same home, softer colour — folk and film use them when a plain minor feels too plain. They do not pull the way G7 does.

Hear it in — swap Em for Em7 on the four-chord or relative-minor loop; swap Am for Am7 on the C four-chord. Same letters, gentler.

Four-chord song Relative-minor loop

Three tracks

Beginner

Own the first six ringing clean. Change G–C–D slowly on the click. Tick them on the checklist. Do not rush A and Dm until those six are honest.

Intermediate

A and Dm, then the six 7ths. Change G–G7–C and D–D7–G. Hear the pull. Add Em7 / Am7 as colour, not as new homework.

Advanced

One beat per chord on G–C–D–G at a tempo that still rings. Mute unused strings on purpose. Then take F and Bm to Barre and keep the same click.

On the neck

Pick a chord. Squares are the root; circles are the other notes you fret or let ring. The letter in the mark is the note. The number under it is the left-hand finger: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky. × means mute that string.

First-ten checklist

Tick a chord when you can fret it and strum once without buzz. The last two are barre shapes — tick them after Barre. Saved on this browser.

    Play along Strumming