In this article, we will talk about what guitar chords are. We will also discuss the main problems many begginers have had, and how to learn to overcome these problems.

The Basics of Learning Guitar Chords

You may be wondering, as a begginer, how hard it would be to learn guitar chords by yourself. 'Where do I begin?' is a very common question. You should start at the beggining; learn what a guitar chord actually is.

The dictionary says that a chord is a combination of musical tones sounded at the same time. For the guitarist, it means that you need to hit the strings of the guitar at the same time with the fingers of the hand you use to strum, while holding down the strings at the required places on the fretboard. This should produce the sound.

There are tons of guitar chords to learn; some simple and some complex. As a begginer you should learn the easier chords first. These are named the simple guitar chords, or beginners' guitar chords. The first chords you should learn are G Major, C Major, and D Major.Once you have memorized and are comfortable with these chords, you should practice some other ones.

The Main Problems of Learning Guitar Chords

As we discussed earlier, to play a guitar chord you must hold down different strings on the specific places on the fretboard. Each chord requires you to put your fingers in a very precise position. This leads to three problems:

- Sharp pain in the fingers coming from holding down the strings.
- Fingers may become numb, or even blister
- Fingers stiffen and reaction time slows down

Everyone experiences these problems while learning to play chords the first time. Fortunatley there is solutions to the problems stated above.

You feel pain in your fingers mainly because they aren't used to being put in such uncomfortable positions. To solve this problem you should make a routine of doing finger exercises before you play everyday. Stretch your fingers out and play some single string notes. This stretches and strengthens your fingers, while also increasing your ability to move your fingers across the frets.

Your fingertips begin to get numb and sometimes blister is because your fingers rub against the hard metal frets. Rubbing in some methyl alcohol over the area before practice should help out a lot.

Your reaction time slows down because your fingertips begin to become stiff. This is because you have never played guitar before and your fingers aren't used to it. As you learn more about the different chords, your fingers will be much more comfortable with the positions that are required to play them. You should also practice changing chords. The only way to improve is through practice.