Videos

Chord of the Day: E minor (Open Position)
This is the first chord I teach to all beginning guitar students and is one every guitarist NEEDS to know. I love its melancholic, beautiful tone. No wonder why it’s the key of so many songs.
This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: Learn multiple fingerings. Using the index and middle fingers are my preferred way, but sometimes using the middle and ring fingers makes the most sense.

Chord of the Day: G Major (Open Position)
This is the most important chord for all guitarists and is by far, the most common. It’s a chord that can’t be ignored.
This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: Focus on placing the index and middle fingers, then add the ring finger.

Chord of the Day: A minor (Open Position)
This is another common chord that is often the tonal center of a song. It goes well with most other open chords and contrasts beautifully with chords like C or G, making it a go-to for songwriting.

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: Notice how A minor is almost the same shape as C major — just move one finger. Mastering this shift will make chord changes smoother and help eliminate transition time.

Chord of the Day: C Major (Open Position)
This is another must-know chord that makes the list as one of the most common chords. It goes well with most other open chords.

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: Be careful not to play the low E string while strumming the C chord. Although technically a chord tone, unless you see this chord: C/E, I would stay clear of that string. Consider using the side of the pad of your ring finger to mute the 6th string.

Chord of the Day: F Major 7th (Open Position)
This is a great chord for beginners to learn because it’s an easy way to play the F Major chord. Although slightly different than F, this chord is close enough to get you through most situations.

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: This chord sounds best when played from the 4th string (D String). Avoid the 5th and 6th Strings for a better sounding chord.

Chord Progression of the Week: Em-G-Am-C-FMaj7-D
Wrapping up my first week doing the #chordoftheday series. After one week learning chords, we combine those chords into a chord progression. This progression is perfect for beginning guitarists because it links chords that have similar fingerings or “anchor fingers” together. It also organizes the chords so that the roots are on different strings every 2 chords.

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: Notice which fingers stay and which move when switching between chords. Don’t reposition your whole hand when you can just move a few fingers. Memorize the chord shape for even faster transitions.

Chord of the Day: D Major (Open Position)
This is an important and common open chord that you need to know. Notice the triangular shape of the chord

This week’s theme: Beginning Open Chords 

Pro Tip: Turn your wrist inward when playing the D chord. It enables the index and middle fingers to be in a better position on the fretboard, while allowing space for the ring finger to complete the chord.

Tuesday Tip of the Week: Chord Push-ups This exercise is perfect for beginning guitar students who are learning their first chords. This will help you memorize your chords, get faster at transitioning between chords, and establish muscle memory quickly and efficiently.

Tuesday Tip: Don’t Be a Bobblehead!

New guitarists often waste time darting their eyes between music, fretting hand, and strumming hand before finally playing a chord. Instead, keep your focus on the fretting hand—you don’t need to watch the strumming hand to hit the strings. You might catch a few extras at first, but that’s part of learning. Once the chord shape feels familiar, you’ll improve faster. And don’t forget: “Chord Push-ups” help lock in those shapes!

Chord of the Day: A min7 (5th Position Jazz voicing)
This is an important chord to learn for beginning jazz guitarists because it is the standard shape for a 6th string root minor chord which is also moveable to other root notes.
This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: There are many alternative fingerings for this chord. I have two suggested fingerings pictured. Find the one that works best for your hands and your situation.

Chord of the Day: D9 (5th Position Jazz voicing)
This is a versatile, moveable, dominant chord that can be a substitute for other dominant chords like 7ths or 13ths.
This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: Try barring your ring finger across the G,B,E strings which adds another string and a 5th to the chord. This also makes the chord perfect for playing funky chord riffs.

Chord of the Day: G13 (3rd Position Jazz voicing)
This is a great way to play a dominant chord on the 6th string. If you barre the pinky finger to include the high E string, you can add the 9th as well.
This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: You can also play this chord as a barre chord and have access to more notes and frets.

Chord of the Day: C Major 7 (3rd Position Jazz voicing)
This is an important chord to learn for beginning jazz guitarists because it is the standard shape for a 5th string root Major chord which is also moveable to other root notes. This can be a nice substitute for most Major chords.
This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: You can also barre your index finger to add the e string. Some publishers use a “𝚫” to indicate Major 7th.

Chord of the Day: Bmin7b5 (2nd Position Jazz voicing)
This chord has a few different names and symbols. It’s known as B half-diminished 7th and is notated with a “⦰“ symbol. It is also known as B minor 7 flat 5th which describes it exactly as it is.
This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: This chord isn’t an ideal substitute for other minor chords because of the flat 5, but it does work well in ii⦰7-V-i progressions in minor keys.

Chord of the Day: E7#9 (AKA: Jimi Hendrix Chord)
This chord is one of the most unique chords and an absolute blast to play on the guitar. The chord is gritty and makes the hair on my neck stand up. It interestingly has both the major and minor 3rd (aka #9) in the chord. Jimi Hendrix uses this chord often and is featured prominently in the song “Purple Haze.”
This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: This chord uses the open E string but doesn’t need to, so it can be used as a moveable shape.

Chord Progression of the Week: Am7 - D9 - G13 - CMaj7 - Bm7b5 - E7#9
Wrapping up week 2 of the #chordoftheday series. This week’s chords were on a jazzier side and are the first chords I teach those getting into Jazz guitar. I’m excited too showcase more chords like this since there are so many.

This week’s theme: Beginning Jazz Chords 

Pro Tip: All of these chords are moveable so experiment with creating your own chord progressions by moving chord shapes up/down the fretboard. 

Week 3

Chord of the Day:  Major Barre Chord (E Shape)
This is the most common and most important Barre chord. It is derived from the open position E Major chord, but by barring the first finger, we can move that shape throughout the fretboard.

This week’s theme: Barre Chords 

Pro Tip: Barre chords require significant hand strength and proper technique in order for the chord to ring clearly. Before attempting the full chord, try just barring the index finger and see if you can make the notes sound clean.

Chord of the Day:  Minor Barre Chord (E min Shape)
This barre chord is derived from the open position E minor chord. This chord is harder than the Major barre chord to make clean because the G string often buzzes or is unclear

This week’s theme: Barre Chords 

Pro Tip: The index finger is the most troublesome part of barre chords. Try tilting the index finger slightly to use more of the side of the finger. This prevents any bend in the finger segments, which allows for a more straight barring finger.