Chords Made Easy
Chords Made Easy
Learn open, barre and power chords step by step
Chords Made Easy is a beginner guitar chords course taught by Steve Stine, GuitarZoom's Master Instructor. You start with the basic terms and tuning, then learn the essential open chords, how to switch between them, and how to use a capo. From there you move on to barre chords and power chords, and practice four chord progressions with jam tracks. The course has 49 video lessons, about 2.5 hours in total, split into 13 short sections with an 11-page PDF book.
What Chords Made Easy is about
Steve breaks every skill into simple steps you can follow. In these videos, he introduces the course, explains what makes a chord major or minor, and shows the lift-and-shift method for changing chords.
Course intro: Course Intro · 1:28
Free preview lesson: Chord, major and minor · 4:55
Free preview lesson: Lift and shift · 4:26
Is Chords Made Easy right for you?
- Complete beginners. The course starts with the parts of the guitar, tuning and what a chord is.
- Players stuck on a few chords. You fill in the essential open chords, including three ways to play G.
- Anyone ready for barre chords. Step-by-step lessons cover major and minor barre shapes on the 6th and 5th strings.
- Players who want to use chords in music. Capo lessons and four jam progressions put the chords to use.
Skills you'll walk away with
- Play the essential open chords: A, Am, C, Cadd9, D, Dm, E, Em, F, G and Bm
- Play the G chord three different ways
- Move between chords with the lift and shift method
- Use a capo in real-world playing
- Play major and minor barre chords on the 6th and 5th strings
- Play power chords on the 6th and 5th strings, plus open power chords
- Name the notes on the 6th string using the chromatic scale
- Play four chord progressions along with jam tracks
The course, module by module
Every module and every lesson, in the order you learn them.
Course Introduction
An overview of the course and what it does not cover.
See all 2 lessons
- Course Intro 1:28
- What this course is not 0:57
Chord Terminology and Guitar Basics
What a chord is, major and minor, tempo, key, the parts of the guitar and essential tips on guitar fundamentals.
See all 5 lessons
- Chord, major and minor 4:55
- Tempo 1:51
- Key 0:59
- Parts of the guitar 1:47
- Essential Tips on Guitar Fundamentals 8:38
Tuning Your Guitar
How to tune the guitar using tuning notes.
See all 1 lesson
- Tuning notes 1:34
Open Chords and Musical Notes
What open chords are and how musical notes are named.
See all 2 lessons
- Open Chords 0:45
- Musical Notes 1:15
Essential 10 Open Chords
Step-by-step lessons on A, Am, C, Cadd9, D, Dm, E, Em, F and Bm, plus three ways to play G.
See all 13 lessons
- A Chord 12:40
- Am Chord 4:33
- C Chord 2:15
- Cadd9 Chord 2:42
- D Chord 2:50
- Dm Chord 1:32
- E Chord 1:21
- Em Chord 0:59
- G Chord 1st way 2:45
- G Chord 2nd way 0:57
- G Chord 3rd way 2:33
- F Chord 5:29
- Bm Chord 1:32
Review and Focused Practice
A recap of the chords, focused practice, bouncing exercises and a talk on avoiding the rockstar disease.
See all 4 lessons
- Recapitulation 5:19
- Focus practicing 1:34
- Bouncing exercises 3:42
- Avoiding the rockstar disease 2:43
Connecting Chords Together
The lift and shift method for moving between chords.
See all 1 lesson
- Lift and shift 4:26
The Magic of the Capo
What a capo is, how to use one in real playing and the different types of capo.
See all 3 lessons
- What is a capo? 4:02
- Using a capo in the real world 5:48
- Types of capo 1:06
Barre Chords
The chromatic scale on the 6th string, then major and minor barre chords with roots on the 6th and 5th strings.
See all 6 lessons
- Chromatic scale on the 6th string 10:32
- 6th string barre chord (major chords) 2:00
- 6th string barre chord (minor chords) 5:01
- 5th string barre chord (major chords) 6:28
- 5th string barre chord (minor chords) 1:06
- Final considerations 3:13
Power Chords
Power chords with roots on the 6th and 5th strings.
See all 1 lesson
- 6th and 5th string power chords 4:37
Open Power Chords
Open power chords, a hybrid of power chord and open chord shapes.
See all 1 lesson
- Open power chords 7:45
Jam Time
Four chord progressions to practice, playing tips and jam tracks to play along with.
See all 6 lessons
- Introduction 1:08
- Chord progression #1 0:51
- Chord progression #2 0:51
- Chord progression #3 0:41
- Chord progression #4 0:49
- Considerations 2:29
Final Thoughts
Advice on practicing and playing, guitar quality, string gauge and string buzzing.
See all 4 lessons
- Practicing & Playing 2:30
- Guitar quality 2:16
- String gauge 1:53
- Buzzing 3:24
Learn at your own pace
Clear video lessons
Every move is shown up close. Pause, rewind and repeat each lesson as often as you need.
Practice materials
Includes 11-page PDF book, Jam tracks. Use them to practice what you learn in each lesson.
Yours for life
Pay once and come back any time, on your computer, tablet or phone. No subscription.
Steve Stine
Steve has taught guitar for more than 30 years and has helped millions of players in over 100 countries. He has a Music Education degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead and taught guitar at North Dakota State University. He's known for breaking hard things into simple steps you can follow. Read Steve's full story
What students say about Steve's teaching
Excellent · 4.8 out of 5 on TrustpilotRead our reviews"It's clear, precise and I can follow along really well."
Jim C.United States
"This is top class. Thank you very much. This is really good, gold standard."
Brian H.United Kingdom
"I really like Steve's systematic approach to practicing."
Kevin M.United States
"The lessons are easy to learn. You'll progress quite well. Do it."
David P.United States
"You're gonna be surprised. You're gonna learn a lot very quickly."
Timothy C.Canada
"I think the really positive thing about GuitarZoom is the structure of the lessons."
David C.United States
Chords Made Easy questions
Is Chords Made Easy good for complete beginners?
Which chords will I learn?
Do I need to read music?
Does the course cover barre chords?
How long is the course?
Will I use a capo?
How much does Chords Made Easy cost?
Can I watch on my phone or tablet?
Is there a money-back guarantee?
Where to go after Chords Made Easy
Strumming Made Easy
Build your strumming hand from scratching and up strums to strumming patterns with chords and muted strings.
Barre Chords and Beyond
Learn what barre chords are, how to play them on the 6th, 5th and 4th strings, and how they fit the CAGED system.
Triple Your Chords in 7 Days
Turn open chords and power chords into sus, 6, 9, 7th, 11th and 13th chords, with the theory behind them.
Want a full path instead of single courses? See GuitarZoom Premium, or browse all courses.
Start Chords Made Easy today
49 lessons, clear steps and lifetime access. $67 once.
30-day money-back guarantee. Questions? Email support@guitarzoom.com.
