IAN STORM
FOR STUDENTS

Guitar Chords
for Students.

Seven essential open chords, clear diagrams, and exercises to build real chord-changing skill.

See the Chords Take the Challenge
THE CHORDS

Seven chords, every song.

These seven open chords — C, G, D, Em, Am, E and A — unlock hundreds of songs. Learn them well and everything else on guitar gets easier.

C major x o o 3 2 1

C

C MAJOR
G major o o o 2 1 3

G

G MAJOR
D major x x o 1 3 2

D

D MAJOR
E minor o o o o 2 3

Em

E MINOR
A minor x o o 2 3 1

Am

A MINOR
E major o o o 2 3 1

E

E MAJOR
A major x o o 1 2 3

A

A MAJOR
o = play open string x = don't play this string numbers = which finger to use (1=index, 2=middle, 3=ring, 4=pinky)
PRACTICE

Chord exercises.

Speed comes from repetition, not effort. Work through these slowly and cleanly before speeding up.

1. One-minute changes

Pick one pair below. Strum once, switch, strum once, switch — for one full minute. Count how many clean changes you land.

C ↔ G  ·  D ↔ Em  ·  Am ↔ E  ·  E ↔ A

2. Pop progression

A four-chord loop used in countless songs. Strum four beats per chord, then repeat the loop without stopping.

C — G — Am — Em

3. Campfire progression

Another classic loop, built around G. Focus on landing the D-to-Em change cleanly.

G — D — Em — C

4. Open-position E/A loop

These two chords share a shape — practice sliding your fingers as a block rather than repositioning each one.

E — A — E — A
STUDENT CHALLENGE

The 7-Day Chord Challenge.

Commit to seven days of short, focused practice. Ten minutes a day beats one hour once a week.

  1. Day 1–2: Learn C, G and D. Play each chord and check every string rings out clearly.
  2. Day 3: Add Em and Am. Practice the C ↔ G and D ↔ Em changes for one minute each.
  3. Day 4: Add E and A. Practice the E ↔ A shape change until it feels automatic.
  4. Day 5: Play the Pop Progression (C–G–Am–Em) four times through without stopping.
  5. Day 6: Play the Campfire Progression (G–D–Em–C) four times through without stopping.
  6. Day 7: Record yourself playing all seven chords in a row, then both progressions from memory. Compare it to Day 1.

Finished the challenge? Bring your recording to your next lesson to plan what comes next.

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