Showcase special: 24 free guitar chord lessons

24 guitar chord lessons
(Image credit: Future)

GUITAR SHOWCASE 2022: With so many great chord lessons available in our ever-growing guitar lesson archive we thought it made sense to put them all in one place. Whatever level or style of guitar player you are, you'll find inspiration to develop here...

Unlock hundreds of new chord shapes with this barre chord workout (opens in new tab)

new chord shapes

(Image credit: Future)
(opens in new tab)

Moveable shapes you can play anywhere on the neck  (opens in new tab)


Play guitar chords across the entire fretboard - here's how (opens in new tab)

Guitar chords across the entire fretboard

(Image credit: Manish Sethi / EyeEm / Getty)
(opens in new tab)

Use the CAGED system to discover major and minor chords in this guitar lesson (opens in new tab)


Guitar chord vocab: dissonant chords (opens in new tab)

dissonant chords

(Image credit: Future)
(opens in new tab)

Add a sense of mystery and ambience to your playing (opens in new tab)


How to play a guitar solo using chords (opens in new tab)

solo using chords

(Image credit: Adam Gasson / Future)
(opens in new tab)

Sharpen your three-piece solo skills (opens in new tab)


How to build guitar chords the easy way (opens in new tab)

Elixir® Strings

(Image credit: Elixir® Strings )
(opens in new tab)

Elixir® Strings artist  Shawn Persinger shows you how to unlock the theory behind finding guitar chords  (opens in new tab)


30 acoustic guitar chords that every player should know (opens in new tab)

acoustic guitar chords

(Image credit: Future)
(opens in new tab)

From open chords to blues and alternate tunings – we've got you covered here (opens in new tab)


Improve your guitar chord changes in three simple steps (opens in new tab)

guitar chord changes

(Image credit: Future)

Lesson: chord shapes to learn with tabs and exercises (opens in new tab)


22 essential chords all guitarists need to know  (opens in new tab)

22 essential guitar chords

(Image credit: Future)
(opens in new tab)

From beginner essentials to folk and blues (opens in new tab)


Learn 60 guitar chords in 20 minutes with this simple lesson (opens in new tab)

barre

(Image credit: Future)
(opens in new tab)

Master barre chords and open up the fretboard (opens in new tab)


These two simple guitar chord changes will improve your muscle memory (opens in new tab)

chord muscle memory

(Image credit: Future)
(opens in new tab)

Start developing speed around the fretboard with an accessible lesson (opens in new tab)


Bored of barre chords? Try these 5 great slash chords to learn (opens in new tab)

Keith Richards

(Image credit: Graham Wiltshire / Getty )
(opens in new tab)

Partial shape chords that are great for rock (opens in new tab)


Learn to play hundreds of songs with these 5 great chord progressions all guitar players need to know (opens in new tab)

Acoustic guitar

(Image credit: Future)
(opens in new tab)

Blues, 50s, pop-punk, jazz and the cycle of 5ths are great for songwriting inspiration or looping your own backing tracks too (opens in new tab)


Expand your repertoire with these unusual chords (opens in new tab)

Unusual chords

(Image credit: Future)
(opens in new tab)

Step outside the confines of rock and pop with these exotic, weird and wonderful sounds (opens in new tab)


Get creative with your guitar chord playing in 20 minutes (opens in new tab)

Creative chord playing

(Image credit: Future)
(opens in new tab)

Find new ideas for old chord shapes with our lesson (opens in new tab)


Stretch your fingers with these wide chord shapes (opens in new tab)

Wide chord shapes

(Image credit: Future)
(opens in new tab)

We’re spacing chords across all six strings and leaving lots of space between each note, aiming for an open, airy sound (opens in new tab)


Learn 16 of the best guitar chords for clean tones (opens in new tab)

Chords for clean tones

(Image credit: Future)
(opens in new tab)

Make your clean sounds shimmer with these captivating chords (opens in new tab)


Learn (opens in new tab) the three-chord trick that's behind thousands of songs (opens in new tab)

Three chord trick

(Image credit: Ian Dickson / Getty)
(opens in new tab)

Three chords and the most important chord progression in music (opens in new tab)


Learn add guitar chords (opens in new tab)

Add guitar chords

(Image credit: Future)
(opens in new tab)

A beginner's guide to exploring the contrasting moods of major and minor add chords (opens in new tab)


Major guitar chords  (opens in new tab)

Major guitar chords

(Image credit: Future)
(opens in new tab)

Welcome to the world of bright-sounding major chords; simply add a handful of new notes to create lush, spacious sounds (opens in new tab)


Learn extended minor chords (opens in new tab)

Extended minor chords

(Image credit: Future)
(opens in new tab)

A guide to getting more from the moodiest chords of all – they can take on a mellow character too (opens in new tab)


A beginner's guide to sus guitar chords (opens in new tab)

Sus guitar chords

(Image credit: Future / Kevin Nixon )
(opens in new tab)

Introduce an airy quality to your progressions with this special ‘neither major nor minor’ type of chord (opens in new tab)


Learn add guitar chords (opens in new tab)

Add guitar chords

(Image credit: Future)
(opens in new tab)

A beginner's guide to exploring the contrasting moods of major and minor add chords (opens in new tab)


Use chords and arpeggios to improve your solos (opens in new tab)

Chords arpeggios solos

(Image credit: Future)
(opens in new tab)

In this lesson we're covering ideas to help you play more melodic leads, drawing on classic Americana styles (opens in new tab)


Spice up your chord playing with these inventive harmonic ideas (opens in new tab)

Harmonic chord ideas

(Image credit: David Warner Ellis / Getty)
(opens in new tab)

Integrate natural, artificial and tapped harmonics with this Yes, Rush-style lesson (opens in new tab)


Learn to play sliding diad chords (opens in new tab)

Diad chords

(Image credit: Future)
(opens in new tab)

Take diad shapes and move them to add dynamics (opens in new tab)

MusicRadar

MusicRadar is the number one website for music-makers of all kinds, be they guitarists, drummers, keyboard players, DJs or producers...

GEAR: We help musicians find the best gear with top-ranking gear round-ups and high-quality, authoritative reviews by a wide team of highly experienced experts. TIPS: We also provide tuition, from bite-sized tips to advanced work-outs and guidance from recognised musicians and stars. STARS: We talk to musicians and stars about their creative processes, and the nuts and bolts of their gear and technique. We give fans an insight into the craft of music-making that no other music website can.