Easy guitar chords for beginners

Summary

Mix and match activities to create a fun lesson in which students will learn the easiest guitar chords (Em, Am and C) and play them in a popular song. Integrate Solfeg.io in teaching the basics of guitar playing.

💻 Materials:

• Solfeg.io web app best used with Chrome browser
• Projector or computer and access to WIFI
• Guitars
• Mobile devices with the Solfeg.io mobile app installed (optional)

🎲 Activities included:

• Learning the Em chord
• Playing the Em chord in a song
• Learning the C chord
• Combining C and Em chords in a song
• Learning the Am chord
• Combining C, Am & Em chords in a song

‍Introduction to the song

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Get familiar with the chosen song
• Recognize instruments in a song
• Describe the characteristics of a song

🎶 Recommended Song:

🎲 Activity:

• Select a song that students like the best from the suggestion list.
• Project the song on the screen. Click on 'Guitar' under 'Tools' - 'Visuals' so that the guitar chord diagrams are visible.
• Listen to a part of the song, for example, the verse and shortly discuss it with the class.

What instruments do you hear?

Is there a guitar played in this song?

What is the tempo, mood and genre of the song?

Chord diagrams

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Understand how to read chord diagrams
• Get familiar with the parts of the guitar

🎲 Activity:

- Take a look at the chord diagrams at the bottom of the song player.

-Explain how to read them:

• The horizontal lines represent the strings. At the top you can see the string which is at the bottom when playing the guitar - the E or the 1st string.
• The vertical lines indicate the frets.
• The dots indicate where the left hand fingers should be placed on the guitar.
• The numbers inside the dots indicate which finger should be pressed:

1 - index finger

2 - middle finger

3 - ring finger

4 - pinky

• An 'X' on a string indicates that this string should not be strummed.

Learn the chord - Em

🕐 Time: 15 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn easy guitar chord - Em
• Get familiar with using chord diagrams

🎶 Recommended Song:

🎲 Activity:

• Distribute guitars to students. If there's one for each student - perfect! If you have less guitars than students, distribute one instrument to a small group of students - they will have to take turns when playing.
• When playing the Em chord, strum all six strings downwards with your right thumb.
• Click on 'Em' under 'Tools' - 'Chords' so that the Solfeg.io fretboard showing the Em chord is visible.
• Tell your students to play the Em chord on their guitar with their left hand. To play that chord, students should place their 3rd finger on the 4th string, 2nd fret. Then add the 2nd finger on the 5th string, same fret. Then strum downwards with their right thumb.
• Let them practice the chord and get familiar with it!
• Play the intro of the song and listen to it with your students.
• Tell the students that they will now have to try to play the Em chord in this song.
• The rules are simple - as soon as the Em chord passes the red line - play it! Other chords should be omitted now.
• Press play and let them practice the Em chord in the song (you can also press the loop button in the controls so that the selected section would repeat multiple times).

Play the C chord

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn to play the C chord on the guitar

🎶 Recommended Song:

🎲 Activity:

• Click on 'C' under 'Tools' - 'Chords' so that the Solfeg.io fretboard showing the C chord is visible.
• To play the C chord, students should place their 1st finger on the 2nd string, 1st fret. Then add 2nd finger on the 4th string, 2nd fret. Lastly - add 3rd finger on 5th string, 3rd fret. Strum only five strings downwards, starting with the second thickest string.
• Let them practice the chord and get familiar with it!

Combine C & Em chord

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn to play the C & Em chord on the guitar

🎶 Recommended Song:

🎲 Activity:

• Tell students that they will have to play the C and Em chords in this song.
• Look at the song and play C and Em chords when they pass the red line
• Leave out the Em chord for now.
• Slow the song down by pressing “﹣” on the left side of the “Play” button. You can press it up to 4 times to choose the preferred speed.
• Play any section of the song and let them practice the chords and get familiar with it! You can also press the loop button in the controls so that the section would repeat multiple times:
• When students are comfortable with the speed, repeat the exercise at a faster speed until the original speed of the song is reached.

Last chord - Am

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn to play the Am chord on the guitar

🎶 Recommended Song:

🎲 Activity:

• Click on 'Am' under 'Tools' - 'Chords' so that the Solfeg.io fretboard showing the Am chord is visible.
• To play the Am chord, students should place the 1st finger on the 2nd string, 1st fret. Then add the 3rd finger on the 3rd string, 2nd fret. Lastly - add the 2nd finger on the 4th string, same fret. Strum only five strings downwards, starting with the second thickest string.
• Let them practice the chord and get familiar with it!

Switch chords

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Play three easy guitar chords (Em, Am and C) in a song
• Practice following chord diagrams and symbols in a song
• Practice ensemble playing skills

🎶 Recommended Song:

🎲 Activity:

• Divide the class into three groups and assign each group a different chord: Em, Am or C.
• Explain that each group has to strum only their assigned chord when it appears at the red line on the screen. Any chord that is not assigned to students should be left out or you can play it yourself.
• If you need to slow down the song, press “﹣” on the left side of the “Play” button.
• If you wish to loop the section of the song, press the “Loop” button on the right side of the “Play” button.
• When students are comfortable with the assigned chords, give each group a different chord to play and repeat the exercise.

Reflection

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Reflect on the learning process

🎲 Activity:

• Ask these questions to the class and have a short discussion

Which chord did you enjoy playing the most?

Which chord was the most challenging for you?

What other songs would you like to learn to play on the guitar?

Homework assignment

🕐 Time: 3 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Practice the combining three chords on the guitar
• Consolidate the concepts learned in the lesson

🎲 Activity:

Challenge students to go beyond the lesson by…

• Learn to combine all three chords and play them in the song.
• Learn to play another song from the suggestion list.
• Practice the song and learn the missing chord, if needed, on the app.

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