# Learn Guitar — Open chords

> Interactive page: [`chords.html`](chords.html)

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](barre.md). On the HTML page, 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](songs.md).

Low E is on the **left** of each diagram (Hal Leonard convention). × = mute that string; ○ = play it open.

## The first six

| Chord | Shape (low E → high e) | Tip |
|------|-------------------------|-----|
| **Em** | 0 2 2 0 0 0 | Two fingers, one fret. Often the first chord that rings clean. |
| **G** | 3 2 0 0 0 3 | Stretch the pinky to high E. Keep the middle strings ringing open. |
| **C** | x 3 2 0 1 0 | Mute the low E. Index on B string, ring on A string. |
| **D** | x x 0 2 3 2 | A small triangle on the top three strings. Skip the two lowest. |
| **Am** | x 0 2 2 1 0 | Same shape as E major, slid toward the floor by one string. |
| **E** | 0 2 2 1 0 0 | Like Em with the index added on the G string. |

### Em — E minor

**vi of G · relative of G.** Two fingers, one fret. The sadder door of the G family. In a G song it is **vi**. 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](songs.html#minor) · [Four-chord song](songs.html#four)

### G — G major

**I · home (ghar).** The friendliest guitar home. 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](songs.html#gad) · [Ghar loop](songs.html#folk) · [Four-chord song](songs.html#four)

### C — C major

**I in C · IV in G · relative of Am.** Piano’s home, and the other campfire home. In G songs C is **IV** — the warm “away.” C and Am share a family. Many film / piano songs think in C; the guitar often puts a capo on G shapes instead.

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. Nepali Thito — C · Am · F · G. Chihan Ki Pari — C · Am · D · G.

[Four-chord in C](songs.html#popc) · [Am–F–C–G](songs.html#amfcg) · [Ghar loop](songs.html#folk)

### D — D major

**V in G · I in D.** The small triangle. In G it is **V** — the question that wants to go home. Same job in a 12-bar: D is the turnaround chord.

Hear it in (chords only): every G–C–D tune above. Nepali: Hamro Nepal Ma — G · C · D. Resham Firiri and Chari Maryo — G · Am · D. 12-bar blues uses D as V — Hound Dog · Johnny B. Goode (map only).

[G–Am–D folk](songs.html#gad) · [Three-chord backbone](songs.html#three) · [12-bar blues](songs.html#blues)

### Am — A minor

**vi of C · relative of C.** Same idea as E major, slid one string toward the floor. Default folk sadness; a lot of lok / film verses sit here. Pair it with E (or E7) and it wants to resolve.

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.

[G–Am–D folk](songs.html#gad) · [Am–F–C–G](songs.html#amfcg) · [Am campfire](songs.html#amfolk)

### E — E major

**I in E · V of Am.** Em plus the index. Home for blues and a lot of rock — the open low E is the thunder. Against Am it is **V**. B7 is the usual V7 when E itself is home.

Hear it in (chords only): I–IV–V7 in E — E · A · B7. Nepali: Gurasai Phulyo (1974 AD) is often taught around A and E (with Bm). Against Am, E is the V.

[Three-chord in E](songs.html#eivv) · [G with Bm](songs.html#keyg) · [Am courtyard](songs.html#amdm)

## Next two open — A and Dm

Week 3 of the [4-week plan](foundations.md).

| Chord | Shape | Tip |
|------|-------|-----|
| **A** | x 0 2 2 2 0 | Three fingers in a row on D, G, and B. Keep the high e ringing. |
| **Dm** | x x 0 2 3 1 | Like D major, but the index sits on high e fret 1. |

### A — A major

**I in A · IV in E.** Three fingers in a row. Shortcut: capo 2 on G–C–D *sounds* like A–D–E — same I–IV–V. Still worth owning the open A.

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](songs.html#ade) · [G–Am–D folk](songs.html#gad) · [G with Bm](songs.html#keyg)

### Dm — D minor

**iv next to Am · ii in C · relative of F.** Sad cousin of D. Once barre F is honest, Dm is its darker door. Next to Am it is **iv** (courtyard / film colour).

Hear it in (chords only): the original Am courtyard — Am · Dm · E · Am. After F, Let It Be and Nepali pop (Adhuro Prem, Nepali Thito, Pir) live in the C / Am family.

[Am courtyard](songs.html#amdm) · [Am–F–C–G](songs.html#amfcg)

### F and Bm — the two that wait

F is **IV in C** (why Let It Be, Pir, Nepali Thito, and Adhuro Prem are taught in C). Bm is the chord Chari Maryo and Gurasai Phulyo need in A (or capo 2 on G · Am · D). Finish them on [Barre](barre.md).

[Am–F–C–G](songs.html#amfcg) · [G with Bm](songs.html#keyg)

## Sevenths — the next colour

Hal Leonard Book 1/2 adds dominant 7ths after the open majors. They are not jazz extensions. A 7th *pulls* to the chord a fourth above: G7 → C, D7 → G, E7 → A, A7 → D, B7 → E, C7 → F.

| Chord | Shape (low E → high e) | Tip |
|------|-------------------------|-----|
| **G7** | 3 2 0 0 0 1 | G with high e dropped to fret 1. |
| **C7** | x 3 2 3 1 0 | C with the pinky on the G string. |
| **D7** | x x 0 2 1 2 | D triangle with the index on B fret 1. |
| **E7** | 0 2 0 1 0 0 | E major with the ring lifted. |
| **A7** | x 0 2 0 2 0 | A major with the G string open. |
| **B7** | x 2 1 2 0 2 | Open-position B7 — first B before barre. |
| **Em7** | 0 2 0 0 0 0 | Em with the ring lifted. |
| **Am7** | x 0 2 0 1 0 | Am with the ring lifted. |

**G7 · D7 · C7** — blues colour in G. Play G then G7: the extra note is the itch. Hear it in Hound Dog · Johnny B. Goode (map only). [12-bar blues](songs.html#blues) · [12-bar with 7ths](songs.html#blues7)

**E7 · A7 · B7** — the other blues home. B7 is Hal Leonard’s first B. [Three-chord in E](songs.html#eivv) · [Three-chord in A](songs.html#ade)

**Em7 and Am7** — lift, don’t add. Softer colour, no dominant pull. Swap them onto [Four-chord song](songs.html#four) or [Relative-minor](songs.html#minor).

## Three tracks

- **Beginner** — own the first six ringing clean. Change G–C–D slowly. Tick the checklist.
- **Intermediate** — A and Dm, then the six 7ths. Change G–G7–C and D–D7–G.
- **Advanced** — one beat per chord on G–C–D–G. Mute unused strings on purpose. Then F and Bm on the same click.

The HTML page has a neck view (square = root, circle = other notes, letter in the mark = note, number under it = finger) and a **first-ten checklist** saved in this browser.

Shapes are conventional open-position voicings (Hal Leonard Book 1 · Berklee open-position spelling). Nepali titles: common beginner teaching maps (OnlineKhabar guitar-lesson list · campfire charts) — not transcriptions.

Continue: [Play along](songs.md) · [Strumming](strumming.md)