Essential Guitar Chords Every Intermediate Player Should Know

As an intermediate guitar player, expanding your chord knowledge is crucial to unlocking the full potential of your instrument. Understanding how to find and create chords across the fretboard not only broadens your musical horizons but also enhances your ability to play more complex songs. This guide will provide you with an essential collection of guitar chords used by intermediate players and teach you how to create them.

Types of Chords for Intermediate Guitar Players to Learn

As you progress in your guitar journey, one of the main challenges is learning how to find and play new chord shapes across the fretboard. Having a larger collection of chords at your disposal allows you to play more challenging songs and deepens your understanding of music theory.

How Chords Are Constructed

To fully grasp guitar chords, it's important to understand how they are built. Let's start with the basic building blocks of chords: the triad.

What Is a Triad?

A triad is a three-note chord made up of the root note, the third, and the fifth. These notes are derived from a scale, typically the major scale. Triads form the foundation of most chords you will encounter.

There are four main types of triads:

Major Triad: Root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th
Minor Triad: Root, Minor 3rd, Perfect 5th
Diminished Triad: Root, Minor 3rd, Diminished 5th (Flattened 5th)
Augmented Triad: Root, Major 3rd, Augmented 5th (Raised 5th)

All basic chords are built from these triads. Now, let's add more flavor to these chords.

What Are Seventh Chords?

Seventh chords are formed by adding a seventh note to a triad, creating a four-note chord. They add depth and complexity to your music.

When you add the seventh to the four types of triads, you get different kinds of seventh chords:

Major 7th Chord: Major Triad + Major 7th
Dominant 7th Chord: Major Triad + Minor 7th (Flattened 7th)
Minor 7th Chord: Minor Triad + Minor 7th (Flattened 7th)
Half-Diminished 7th Chord: Diminished Triad + Minor 7th (Flattened 7th)
Augmented Major 7th Chord: Augmented Triad + Major 7th

The most commonly used seventh chords are the major 7th, dominant 7th, minor 7th, and half-diminished 7th chords.

In a major key, the diatonic seventh chords (built from each degree of the major scale) are as follows:

I: Major 7th
ii: Minor 7th
iii: Minor 7th
IV: Major 7th
V: Dominant 7th
vi: Minor 7th
vii°: Half-Diminished 7th

Understanding where these chords fit within a key helps you build chord progressions and harmonize melodies.

Essential Chords to Learn

Below are 18 essential guitar chords that every intermediate player should know. These chords will enhance your fretboard knowledge and provide a solid foundation for playing a wide variety of songs.

Major Chords

Major chords are found in countless songs. You may already know some basic major chord shapes. Let's learn movable barre chord shapes on the 6th and 5th strings, which allow you to play major chords in any key.

6th String Root Major Barre Chord (E Shape)

For example, to play a G major chord:

Barre all strings at the 3rd fret with your first finger.
Place your third finger on the 5th fret of the A string (5th string).
Place your fourth finger on the 5th fret of the D string (4th string).
Place your second finger on the 4th fret of the G string (3rd string).

This shape is movable up and down the neck. Move it up two frets to play an A major chord.

5th String Root Major Barre Chord (A Shape)

To play a C major chord:

Barre from the 5th string down at the 3rd fret with your first finger.
Place your third finger on the 5th fret of the D string (4th string).
Place your fourth finger on the 5th fret of the G string (3rd string).
Place your second finger on the 5th fret of the B string (2nd string).

This shape can also be moved along the neck to play major chords in different keys.

Minor Chords

Minor chords have a sadder sound and are just as important. Similar to major chords, you can play movable minor barre chord shapes.

6th String Root Minor Barre Chord (Em Shape)

For example, to play a G minor chord:

Barre all strings at the 3rd fret with your first finger.
Place your third finger on the 5th fret of the A string (5th string).
Place your fourth finger on the 5th fret of the D string (4th string).

5th String Root Minor Barre Chord (Am Shape)

To play a C minor chord:

Barre from the 5th string down at the 3rd fret with your first finger.
Place your third finger on the 5th fret of the D string (4th string).
Place your fourth finger on the 5th fret of the G string (3rd string).

By learning these major and minor barre chord shapes on both the 6th and 5th strings, you can play almost any major or minor chord.

Major Seventh Chords

Major 7th chords have a rich, mellow sound. They are formed by adding a major 7th to a major triad.

6th String Root Major 7th Barre Chord

To play a G major 7th chord:

Barre all strings at the 3rd fret with your first finger.
Place your third finger on the 4th fret of the G string (3rd string).
Place your fourth finger on the 4th fret of the D string (4th string).

5th String Root Major 7th Barre Chord

To play a C major 7th chord:

Barre from the 5th string down at the 3rd fret with your first finger.
Place your second finger on the 4th fret of the D string (4th string).
Place your third finger on the 4th fret of the B string (2nd string).

These chords are commonly used in jazz, pop, and R&B music.

Dominant Seventh Chords

Dominant 7th chords have a bluesy sound and are essential in many genres.

6th String Root Dominant 7th Barre Chord

To play a G7 chord:

Barre all strings at the 3rd fret with your first finger.
Place your third finger on the 5th fret of the A string (5th string).
Place your second finger on the 4th fret of the G string (3rd string).

5th String Root Dominant 7th Barre Chord

To play a C7 chord:

Barre from the 5th string down at the 3rd fret with your first finger.
Place your third finger on the 5th fret of the D string (4th string).
Place your fourth finger on the 5th fret of the B string (2nd string).

Minor Seventh Chords

Minor 7th chords add depth to regular minor chords by including a flattened 7th.

6th String Root Minor 7th Barre Chord

To play a G minor 7th chord:

Barre all strings at the 3rd fret with your first finger.
Place your third finger on the 5th fret of the A string (5th string).

5th String Root Minor 7th Barre Chord

To play a C minor 7th chord:

Barre from the 5th string down at the 3rd fret with your first finger.
Place your third finger on the 5th fret of the D string (4th string).

Half-Diminished (Minor 7 Flat 5) Chords

Half-diminished chords have a unique, tense sound and are used in jazz and classical music.

6th String Root Half-Diminished Chord

To play a B half-diminished chord (Bø7):

Place your second finger on the 7th fret of the E string (6th string).
Place your third finger on the 8th fret of the A string (5th string).
Place your first finger on the 6th fret of the D string (4th string).
Place your fourth finger on the 8th fret of the G string (3rd string).

Power Chords

Power chords are simple two-note chords consisting of the root and the fifth. They are widely used in rock and punk music.

To play a G5 power chord:

Place your first finger on the 3rd fret of the E string (6th string).
Place your third finger on the 5th fret of the A string (5th string).
(Optional) Place your fourth finger on the 5th fret of the D string (4th string).

These shapes can be moved anywhere on the neck.

Suspended Chords

Suspended chords replace the third of a chord with either the second or fourth, creating a sense of tension.

Sus4 Chord

To play a Dsus4 chord:

Place your first finger on the 2nd fret of the G string (3rd string).
Place your third finger on the 3rd fret of the B string (2nd string).
Place your fourth finger on the 3rd fret of the E string (1st string).

Add9 Chords

Add9 chords are major chords with an added ninth, providing a bright and modern sound.

To play a Cadd9 chord:

Place your first finger on the 2nd fret of the D string (4th string).
Place your second finger on the 3rd fret of the A string (5th string).
Place your third finger on the 3rd fret of the B string (2nd string).
Place your fourth finger on the 3rd fret of the E string (1st string).

Chords in Different Music Genres

Different genres tend to use certain chords more frequently. Here's how the chords you've learned fit into various styles:

Jazz: Uses many seventh chords, including major 7th, minor 7th, dominant 7th, and half-diminished chords.
Blues: Dominant 7th chords are common, especially on the I, IV, and V chords.
Rock and Punk: Power chords are a staple.
Funk: Uses dominant 7th and suspended chords, focusing on rhythm.
R&B and Neo-Soul: Employs extended chords like 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths.
Country: Often uses simple major, minor, and dominant 7th chords.

Chord Inversions and Voicings

Understanding chord inversions and voicings allows you to play the same chord in different positions on the fretboard, adding variety to your playing.

Triad Inversions

Root Position: Root - 3rd - 5th
First Inversion: 3rd - 5th - Root
Second Inversion: 5th - Root - 3rd

Practice playing triads and their inversions on different string sets to become familiar with these shapes.

Extensions and Altered Chords

Adding notes beyond the seventh can create extended chords:

9th: Adds the 9th (same as the 2nd an octave higher).
11th: Adds the 11th (same as the 4th an octave higher).
13th: Adds the 13th (same as the 6th an octave higher).

These chords are used to add color and complexity to your playing. Altered chords involve changing certain notes (like raising or lowering the 9th or 5th) to create tension and resolve in jazz and contemporary music.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the '1-3-5' rule for chords?

The '1-3-5' rule refers to building basic chords using the root (1), third (3), and fifth (5) notes of a scale.

What chords should an intermediate guitarist practice?

Intermediate guitarists should practice major and minor barre chords, seventh chords, suspended chords, and learn chord inversions and extensions to enhance their versatility.

What do chords like G5, C6, and A2 mean?

G5: A power chord using the root and fifth (G and D).
C6: A C major chord with an added 6th (C, E, G, A).
A2: An A major chord with an added 2nd (A, B, E).

Do some chords sound better on electric or acoustic guitar?

Certain chords may sound better on one type of guitar due to the instrument's tonal qualities. Open chords often resonate beautifully on acoustic guitars, while power chords and barre chords may sound better on electric guitars with amplification.

Wrapping Up

Expanding your chord vocabulary is essential for any intermediate guitar player. By learning these chords and understanding how they are constructed, you'll be better equipped to tackle more complex songs and even create your own music.

Keep practicing these chords, incorporate them into your playing, and explore how they fit into different genres. Your dedication will pay off as you become a more versatile and confident guitarist.