Seven chords that can help beginners sound like they know what they're doing.
(Image credit: Cindy Moorhead)
Jim Lill offers up this great lesson demonstrating “7 Easy Guitar Chords That Will Make You Sound Better.”
As Jim notes, “Everybody knows the basics—G, C, D, etc.—but if you really want to sound like you know what you’re doing, it’s good to have some tricks up your sleeve. Here are seven of them!”
In the video below, Jim talks about the chords, shows how and where to play them, and then demonstrates each over a recorded track. The chords include C#m7(no 5), Badd4/D#, E/A, D9(no 3), Bm7(no 5), F#m7add4, and Gsus4add6/B. He also explains the key in which each can be used and the chord that each replaces.
Check it out and expand your color palette in just minutes.
Jim just announced the launch of his Back from the Gig podcast, where he talks about the lifestyle of making music and answers questions from listeners after returning from a gig. You can get his regular podcast updates right here.
In addition, remember to visit Jim’s YouTube channel for more of his great videos. And take a look at his new Guitar-Lick-A-Day Instagram page, where you can learn a new lick every day, with tab available for each lick.
You can also find more lessons and MP3s at Jim’s website, and purchase his e-book, The Graphic Guide to Country Guitar. Join his mailing list and receive immediate updates on videos.
Christopher Scapelliti is editor-in-chief of Guitar Player magazine, the world’s longest-running guitar magazine, founded in 1967. In his extensive career, he has authored in-depth interviews with such guitarists as Pete Townshend, Slash, Billy Corgan, Jack White, Elvis Costello and Todd Rundgren, and audio professionals including Beatles engineers Geoff Emerick and Ken Scott. He is the co-author of Guitar Aficionado: The Collections: The Most Famous, Rare, and Valuable Guitars in the World, a founding editor of Guitar Aficionado magazine, and a former editor with Guitar World, Guitar for the Practicing Musician and Maximum Guitar. Apart from guitars, he maintains a collection of more than 30 vintage analog synthesizers.
