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Learn guitar 2/5: Hundreds of songs with four chords (G, C, D, Em)
Second lesson: G, C, D and Em — the four chords of pop and rock. Shapes, learning order, counting bars and songs that use only these four.
In lesson one you learned Em, Am and D. This lesson adds two more — G and C — and together (G, C, D, Em) they form the most used chord family on the guitar. Hundreds of songs in the catalogue use just these four.
Two new chords
- G — string 6 fret 3 (2), string 5 fret 2 (1), string 1 fret 3 (3). Fingers spread out; this is the chord that buzzes most in the first days. All six strings.
- C — string 5 fret 3 (3), string 4 fret 2 (2), string 2 fret 1 (1). Skip string 6. Almost the same shape as Am: 1 and 2 stay, only 3 moves up one string.
Count the bars
Most songs are in 4/4: four beats per bar. Count out loud — 1-2-3-4 — and strum down on every number. The chord change always lands on 1. If you're late, don't break the rhythm: strum open strings and catch the chord on the next 1. The right hand never stops; that rule holds for the rest of the series.
Order of changes
- G → Em: finger 2 stays put, the easiest change.
- C → D: every finger lifts; start slow.
- G → C: the hardest. Finger 3 jumps from string 1 to string 5. Two minutes a day on this change alone.
This week's drill
G – D – Em – C, four beats each, with the metronome at 60 BPM (the Metronome tab on any song page). One clean minute without stopping, then move to 70. Try the same four chords in another order too: Em – C – G – D.
Songs with these four chords
- Green Day — Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) [Live] G – C – D – Em · 122 BPM
- Morgan Wallen — Chasin' You G – Em – D – C · 97 BPM
- Conner Smith — Feathered Indians G – D – C – Em · 174 BPM
- Cherry Bullet — Aloha Oe A – D – G – Em · 94 BPM
- Nirvana — Come As You Are D – Em – G – Am – C · 121 BPM
Previous: 1/5 — Holding and first chords · Next: 3/5 — Strumming: the right hand's job.