So we've already talked about playing single notes and in this lesson we're going to talk about playing chords. Remember those are three or more notes played at the same time. But I need a way to show you where I want you to put your fingers. So what we use is called a chord box. Let's take a look.
The chord box will look like this. The strings coming down, the lines coming down represent the strings. and the lines going across horizontally are the frets. This is the sixth string, the low E, the thickest string, and this is the thinnest string, the high E.
This is all the first fret in here, and again, your finger goes right about here in between. The second fret, third fret, fourth fret. and so on. So what I like to do for my students is sort of show them the guitar in this guitar box. So I draw in a guitar body.
The chord box is really a picture of the guitar neck like this, right? So the lines coming down are the strings, the lines going across are the frets, and it's really just a picture of the guitar in this position. So now let's take a look at a real chord.
box. Normally you won't see the letter names of the strings up here. I just put them in to help you visualize, but you won't see this. What you will see are X's, which means the string is not played. So when we strum down, again over three or more notes played at the same time I have to tell you which notes I want to play in which I don't so don't strum the sixth or the fifth string you're gonna strum the fourth the third and the second string open meaning that no fingers go down on the neck at all but you are going to put one finger down the numbers up here are the fingers So the third finger, the ring finger, goes on the first string, first, second, third fret.
So let me just go over that with you one more time. The lines going down are the strings. Don't play the sixth or the fifth.
The open, the zeros, mean you're going to strum it, but you're not going to put a finger down. So you're going to strum the fourth, third, and second strings open. The numbers represent the fingers.
You're going to put your third finger... that first string that's hanging down first second third fret so this is actually a G chord it's the first chord we're going to learn we're going to check it out in the next lesson