How to Play Guitar Minor Chords

Learn minor chords on the guitar and it will add to the repertoire of songs you're able to play. These chords mix in with major chords and appear periodically in many rhythms. Once you've mastered guitar major chords, as outlined by eHow, learning the minor chords is your next logical step.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Guitar

1. The featured grid shows top of the neck of a guitar. The horizontal lines represent the frets. The vertical lines give a number to each of the strings. The thickest top bass string is #1.
2. With your thumb against the back of the guitar neck, curve your fingers to the front of the strings. Hold a string against the fretboard, just firmly enough so plucking the string will make a note. Practice this with each finger until you can play clear notes.
3. Now give a number to each finger on your left hand. Show the index finger as #1, your middle finger is #2, your ring finger #3 and your pinky #4. This will help you read the chord diagrams. An "x" over a string means that it is not played.
4. To play the A minor chord, place your index finger on the 5th string at the first fret. Put your middle finger on the 3rd string at the second fret and your ring finger on the 4th string at the second fret. Strum the 2nd through 6th strings.
5. The B minor chord is tricky, using all 4 fingers. Place your index finger on the 6th string at the second fret. Put your middle finger on the 5th string at the third fret. Put your ring finger on the 3rd string at the fourth fret, and your pinky on the 4th string at the fourth fret. Strum strings 3 through 6.
6. To play the D minor chord, put your index finger on the 6th string at the first fret. Put your middle finger on the 4th string at the second fret, and your ring finger on the 5th string at the third fret. Strum the 3rd through 6th strings.
7. E minor is an easy guitar chord. Place your middle finger on the 2nd string at the second fret and your ring finger on the 3rd string at the second fret. Strum all strings.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep your fingernails trimmed.
• Practice! There's no such thing as talent, just skills that are learned and practiced. Most guitarists have to play each new chord about 300 times before it becomes familiar.
• The soreness on your finger tips will soon turn to calluses.