How to Play the G Chord on a Traditional 6-String Guitar!

Today you will be learning how to play the G chord on guitar!

This chord can be used to impress friends at a party or to start your journey into a career of music! Before we start it is important to know the different parts of the guitar we will be using today. We will be looking at frets which are the bars located on the long portion of the guitar on which the strings go along. These will be referred to throughout the Instructable so make sure to look at images throughout the lesson if you ever get confused.

You will also need to be familiar with the strings and their numbers as they will be referred to by 1st to 6th string. When counting strings on the guitar, the string labelled no.1 is actually the bottom string or the string closest to your feet. We then count up when looking at strings above it. This means that the highest sounding string when played is the lowest number (1) and the lowest sounding string when played is the highest number (6)

All you will need to perform the G chord is a simple 6-string guitar and the chord will work whether your guitar is electric or acoustic. You should ensure that it is properly tuned for the best results and if you are having trouble with tuning it you may like to go out and buy a guitar tuner to easily tell how tuned your guitar is. If you would prefer a pick rather than your thumb when strumming you are more than welcome to use that too.

To begin, we want to make sure that we are holding the guitar correctly. Turn the guitar on its side with the strings facing away from you, placing the divot in the side of the guitar over your thigh. After this, rest the body of the guitar up against your torso. This should feel comfortable and natural and shouldn't feel uncomfortable. If you feel that you haven't quite nailed this step, refer to the image attached.

Ensure that the neck of the guitar (the long portion of the guitar that the strings go across) is pointed to the left of you. You will know you have it the right way if the thinner strings are lower than the thick ones (closer to your feet.) Place your left hand on the neck of the guitar. Ensure your thumb is positioned behind the neck, allowing your fingers to reach the strings easily. When you have this correct, relax your hand but keep your fingers curved and ready to fret the strings.

Now that the preparational steps are done, we can move on to the more exciting parts. In this step we will begin placing our fingers in the right place so we can structure the chord. Locate the frets and place your index finger in between the 2nd and 3rd frets or the second gap. Ensure when you do this your index finger tip is pressing hard on the 5th string.

Take your middle finger and place it on the 6th string ensuring that it is in between the 3rd and 4th fret bars. Ensure you are firmly pressing the string with the tip of your middle finger whilst keeping your index finger in the place it was previously designated.

Take your ring finger and place it on the 2nd string, keeping to the same fret as the middle finger. (This can take some getting used to and may be a bit of a stretch.) Making sure to keep all fingers in their designated spots, you have now created what is known as a "cheat G." 

Whilst the finger positioning you have now is a G chord, it is used more for beginners and there is an additional finger placement that can be done to make your G chord sound just that bit better. If you want this additional finger placement, place your pinky finger on the 1st string, keeping to the same fret as both the ring and middle finger. Make sure you are firmly pressing the tip of your pinky finger into the string along with all other fingers at the same time to ensure the best sound when strummed.

Finally take your right hand thumb or your pick and rest it on top of the 6th string. Then gently drag either your thumb or your pick from the top string to the bottom strumming the guitar. Ensure to strum all strings from top to bottom in order to have the complete chord played. 

Now all that is needed is lots of practice and patience. Playing guitar isn't always easy and its important not to give up when it gets tough. After all, the only thing that you need to make sure you have is fun!