What Are Guitar Chords?

To put it quite simply, chords are a multiple notes played in unison. This means two or more notes played at the same time, which is usually strumming on guitar.

On the guitar, chords are first learnt in various shapes that are memorised and then rehearsed extensively so that students can “Snap-Change” from one to the next. This means to instantly swap from one shape to another. This level of playing takes a long time to achieve and varies from 6 months to 2 or 3 years, depending on the student and how much they practice (and what they practice).

The learning of chords can extend beyond just shapes. Students eventually learn their composition (e.g. C major is made up of three notes C, E, G) and how to use this knowledge in a compositional manner. This is just fancy talk for learning how to solo or make up guitar parts that work over a specific chord (e.g. C Major).

Chords are found in every grade of The Ultimate Guitar Method.