Guitar chords can be tricky for the beginner with no experience. Just keep in mind that over the years, hundreds of thousands of people have made the same journey you are currently making - if your chords don't sound great right away, don't get discouraged! With plenty of practice you'll soon be playing clean and crisp chords like the pros. Everybody gets it eventually.

Chord Fingering

Playing guitar chords properly requires proper fingering technique. Your fingers should be curled around the neck of the fretboard so that only the fleshy part of your fingertips are touching the strings. Each finger should be placed directly behind it's appropriate fret, not at the top or middle of the fret. If you hear strings buzzing, check your placement - if your finger isn't directly behind the fret, that's likely why. Another way to make guitar chords easier to play is to keep your fingernails short so they don't interfere in any way. And as for the thumb, keep it planted behind the neck and try not to let it curl over the edge.

Chord Troubleshooting

Do you hear chords buzzing? Are certain strings in your chord not ringing out as loudly or clearly as others? First things first, make sure you're pressing down hard enough. You don't want to be getting white knuckles, but it does require a fair amount of pressure to make a chord sound clear - especially on an acoustic guitar with heavy steel strings.

If string pressure isn't the problem, check to make sure your finger is directly behind the fret. That means it should be placed closer to the body of the guitar, not the neck. If your fingers are in the middle or at the top of the fret the chord is going to be much harder to play.

Buzzing and dull strings can also occur if one of your fingers is touching an adjacent string accidentally. This is a very common problem for beginners. It just takes time and practice to develop your accuracy, so don't get discouraged - work slowly and consistently. To check to see if you have any dead strings in your chord, pluck each note individually. If you come across a dull note inspect your fingers and make sure they aren't touching any strings they aren't supposed to be.

Just keep making minor adjustments when you run into problems. Eventually you'll find something that works for you, and then it's just a matter of practicing your technique until it becomes second nature.

Fingers Hurt Yet?

Another issue you'll run into when you first start learning guitar chords is finger pain! Because the skin on your fingertips isn't used to pressing down skinny metal wire, it's going to be uncomfortable at first. It's okay though, because your body has a plan to help you - calluses! Calluses are basically rough patches of skin that form on your fingertips after they repeatedly push down the strings. Once callouses have formed you'll be able to play for longer and experience much less pain and discomfort. To speed up the development of calluses, just keep practicing chords over and over, you'll get some eventually!

Remember, if you stop playing for a long time you're going to lose your calluses and have to start all over.

Chord Progressions & Chord Switching

The power of guitar chords lies in combining them into musical sequences called "progressions." An example of a chord progression is: C, G, D, A, E. This basically means you'll play each of these chords in the given order. Learning how to switch smoothly between the chords in a progression takes lots and lots of practice. First, you have to memorize the chord shapes for the music you are playing. Then, you have to repeat the motion of switching from one distinct fingering to the next. This is going to take some time and in the beginning you'll feel pretty clumsy. Don't get discouraged. Keep practicing your chords and switching between them using an online metronome set at a slow and easy pace.

Remember, when switching between chords the goal is to move your fingers as little as possible. Inspect your motions to make sure that you're not moving any fingers unnecessarily, which happens often when two chords share similar notes. In time and with lots of practice you'll get comfortable with switching between just about any chord. Just remember to take it slow and practice with focus.