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A Major Chord
Once you gain some strength in your hand, it is a good idea to play the A major chord by fretting all three notes with only your first finger, instead of using one finger for each note. This will free up your other fingers and put you in a better position to play.
A Minor Chord
Moving right along, let’s examine the D open chords.
D Major Chord
D Minor Chord
Let’s move on to the open C chord, which is a little bit more difficult.
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Every major chord subscribes the same theory of being built off the root, third, and fifth note of its respective major scale. Start by placing your second finger on the 2nd fret of the G string. This is the root A. Place your third finger on the 2nd fret of the B string to fret the third, C#. Finally, place your first finger on the 2nd fret of the D string to fret the fifth, E. When playing an A major chord, only strum the bottom five strings. We don’t want that heavy E bass note to ring out over the chord. When played properly, an open A major chord will sound like this:
As previously discussed, any major chord can be made into a minor chord by flattening the third. In the case of A major, the third is a C#, the 2nd fret of the 2nd string (B string). Move the note down a half step to C, the 1st fret of the 2nd string. Now, your second finger will play the 2nd fret of the D string, your third finger will play the 2nd fret of the G string, and your first finger will play the adjusted note, the 1st fret of the B string. Again, only strum the bottom five strings of the A minor chord. When played correctly, an open A minor chord will sound like this:
The D major chord has a pretty easy fingering, just like the E and A chords. Start by placing your 3rd finger on the 3rd fret of the B string. This is the root note D. Add your third finger to the 2nd fret of the high E string. This note is F#, the third. Finally, place your first finger on the 2nd fret of the G string to add A, the fifth. For this chord, only strum the bottom four strings. The D open string can ring in order to give the chord a fuller sound. When played correctly, an open D major chord will sound like this:
In order to form a D minor chord, we need to flatten the third note, in this case F#. When we move it down a half step to F, the new finger shape will form as follows. Place your second finger on the 2nd fret of the G string, your third finger on the 3rd fret of the B string, and your first finger on the 1st fret of the high E string. Keep the same strum of only the bottom four strings. A proper open D minor chord will sound like this: