Lesson 1 – E Major Chord

Lesson 1 - E Major Chord

Lesson Goals:

♦ Learn proper fingering for the E major chord
♦ Play the chord clearly
♦ Visualize the chord pattern

The E chord is one of the most important chords you will learn. This chord forms the basis for thousands of songs in rock, blues, country, metal and more.

The E chord is the lowest sounding chord on the guitar. In addition, the guitar itself is typically tuned to an “E” standard tuning and the 1st string and 6th string are both E notes.

All this adds up to making the E chord a great place to start!

The E chord is formed by placing the 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the 5th string, the 3rd finger on the 2nd fret of the 4th string, and the 1st finger on the 1st fret of the 3rd string.

Now let’s try playing the E chord. Concentrate on getting your left hand fingers in position and making sure each note sounds clearly. Don’t worry too much about right hand technique yet, just strum the chord with your pick or thumb.

Lesson 1 Summary

Take a few minutes to work on the E major chord. The chord should sound clear with no buzzing or fret noise. Also practice visualizing the chord pattern. You should be able to recall the chord pattern without looking at the chart. This method of visualization will really help you to progress quickly on the guitar.

Jam Tip!

We will talk a lot about visualization as a way of learning guitar fast. Take a moment and visualize the pattern of the E chord fingering so that you can recall it without looking at the diagram. I promise you will see this chord and chord pattern many times in the future!