Lesson Goals:
♦ Learn the proper fingering for the E5, A5 & B5 chords
♦ Play the chords clearly and visualize the chord patterns
♦ Play the three chord progression
Let’s get started playing guitar fast with these easy 2 note chords.
The first chord we will work on is the E5 chord.
Look at the diagram below. If you are unfamiliar with reading chord diagrams, refer to the tutorial on “Reading Chord Diagrams“. If you need information on naming the open strings and string numbering see our tutorial on “Naming the Open Guitar Strings“.
The E5 chord is formed by placing the 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the 5th string and playing that note along with the open 6th string. Give it a try!
The next chord we will work on is the A5 chord. Look at the next diagram.
The A5 chord is played by placing the 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the 4th string and playing that note along with the open 5th string.
Notice that the pattern for the A5 chord is identical to the pattern of the E5 chord. They are both the same shape and played the same way, they are just played on different string positions.
Now let’s move on to the B5 chord. Take a look at the next diagram.
The B5 chord is formed by placing the 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the 5th string, and the 3rd finger on the 4th fret of the 4th string. This chord is a little trickier than the previous two because you will be using two fingers to form the chord instead of one. Try it out!
Now let’s put these three chords together into a progression. Look at the chart below. If you are unfamiliar with reading music charts, see our tutorial on “Reading Music Charts“.
To play this progression you will play the first measure with four beats of the E5 chord. The second measure is four beats of the A5 chord. The third measure is four beats of the B5 chord, and the last measure returns to the E5 chord for another four beats. Play through it and see how it sounds.
Enjoy…
