To see different left-handed guitar chord charts. Just select a root note from the first menu and then the type of chord from the 2nd menu.
learn to Play | Left-Hand Guitar Chord Tutorials
Left-Handed Guitar Chords for Beginners
Regardless of whether you are right or left-handed, chords are constructed in the same way, consisting of the same notes. However, in almost all cases, chord charts are designed for right-handed guitarists. This makes it difficult for beginner left-handed guitarists to learn chords using chord charts.
If you are just starting out on your guitar journey the first chords you should learn are: C, A, G, E, D, Am, Dm, and Em
These chords are all played within the open position (first four frets) and can all be modified and used as movable barre chord shapes. The best part? Once you know these chords you can play hundreds of songs.
Why Learn These Chords First?
Three reasons.
- Firstly, they are the simplest chords to learn and are all played in the open position. Chords played within the first four frets that contain open strings are commonly referred to as open chords (aka cowboy chords).
For example, if we strum an E minor chord we only need to fret two notes (2nd fret on the A string (fifth string), and the 2nd fret on the D string (fourth string). The remaining notes are open strings that we also play by including when strumming the strings but do not fret. - Secondly, as you become more experienced on the guitar and gain a better understanding of guitar theory you will eventually use many of these basic chord shapes to play chords higher up the neck (barre chords). Hence, it makes sense to invest in a little muscle memory early on. In case you didn’t notice the first five chords listed above spell CAGED which is the name given to the system used to help navigate the fretboard using common chord shapes played in different positions on the neck.
- Thirdly, the chords listed below are perhaps the most common chords used in popular music, and by learning these simple chord shapes you will be able to play a huge number of songs and begin working on playing common chord progressions and improving your strumming.
So, without further ado, below are the essential chords for beginners, in left-handed format.
E Minor
To play an open E minor chord, place your second finger on the second fret of the A string (5th string). Remember your thicker bass strings are shown on the right.
Then place your 3rd finger on the second fret of the D string (4th string). Be sure to strum all strings.
The Em chord consists of the notes E (root), G (minor third), and B (the fifth).
You can read more about the theory and learn multiple chord voicings for E minor here.
E Major
Playing an E Major chord in an open position requires a simple change from E minor. All we need to do here is add one finger. Place the first finger on the first fret of the G string (third string) as indicated in the chord chart below.
This may also make sense to you if you were wondering why we didn’t include the first finger for our E minor chord above.
The E Major chord consists of the notes E (Root), G# (major third), and B (the fifth).
You can read more about the theory and learn multiple chord voicings for E Major here.
A Major
To play A Major on guitar we need to place the second finger on the second fret of the D string (fourth string), the third finger on the second fret of the G string (third string), and the fourth finger on the second fret of the B string (second string).
The A Major chord consists of the notes A (Root), C# (major third), and E (the fifth).
You can read more about the theory and learn multiple chord voicings for A Major here.
A Minor
Transitioning from A Major to A Minor requires lifting the 4th finger and placing the first finger on the first fret of the B string (2nd string). Again, you will see why we didn’t fret the A Major chord using the first finger on the D string.
The A minor chord consists of the notes A (Root), C (minor third), and E (the fifth).
You can read more about the theory and learn multiple chord voicings for A Major here.
D Major
D major is a chord that features in a lot of popular chord progressions. To play D major on guitar, place your first finger on the 2nd fret of the G string (third string). Place your third finger on the 3rd fret of the B string (second string) and your second finger on the 2nd fret of the high E string (first string). Also, keep in mind the low E and A strings are not played as indicated by the two x’s placed above the strings.
The D Major chord consists of the notes D (Root), F# (major third), and A (the fifth).
You can read more about the theory and learn multiple chord voicings for D Major here.
D Minor
We’ll be using different fingers than we used to play D Major to play D minor due to the shape required. In this instance, we are placing the first finger on the first fret of the high E string (first string), the second finger on the second fret of the G string (third string), and the third finger on the 3rd fret of the B string (second string).
The D minor chord consists of the notes D (Root), F (minor third), and A (the fifth).
You can read more about the theory and learn multiple chord voicings for D minor here.
C Major
C Major is another ‘must-know chord and features heavily in many popular chord progressions. To play C Major on the guitar fret the first fret of the B string (second string) with the first finger. Fret the second fret of the D string (fourth string) using the second finger, and place the third finger on the third fret of the A string (fifth string). Remember, do not include the low E string (6th string) when playing C Major as E is not a note included in the chord of C Major.
The C Major chord consists of the notes C (Root), E (major third), and G (the fifth).
You can read more about the theory and learn multiple chord voicings for C Major here.
G Major
Our final ‘must-know beginner chord is G Major. It’s the first chord in the song ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’ which is a song you are more than likely to encounter when new to the guitar and practising your basic chords and strumming patterns.
To play G Major on the guitar fret the third fret of the low E string (sixth string) with your second finger. Fret the second fret of the A string (fifth string) with your first finger, and the third fret of the high E (first string) with your third finger. Remember to play all strings.
The G Major chord consists of the notes G (Root), B (major third), and D (the fifth).
You can read more about the theory and learn multiple chord voicings for G Major here.
Summary
I hope the information above on playing left-handed chords is useful. Chord charts are incredibly useful and I would recommend familiarizing yourself with standard format chord charts as well as left-handed chord charts where possible.