G and D Major Guitar Chords
Learn Your Open G and D Major Guitar Chords!
If you are a complete beginner this will be an exciting lesson for you because you are going to learn two of the chords that you will need to know in order to play “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”. Those two chords are G major and D major. Both of these chords are “open” chords. Open chords simply refer to chords that are played mostly on the first three frets of the guitar and have at least one open string ringing out when the chord is strummed.
Go through both the G and D chords slowly and memorize the shape as best as you can. It may take a while for your hands to remember the chord shapes but if you practice regularly you will eventually have them down cold. Your fingers might not have enough strength to make great sounding chords right away but practice and repetition will pay off in the end. Your fingers will probably get pretty sore after a few days of playing but if you are faithful to your practice the pain will eventually go away.
Make sure to remember everything you have learned in the right and left hand guitar technique lessons. To the right are the diagrams for the G major and D major chords. If you don’t know how to read chord diagrams yet you can take this lesson on how to read chord diagrams.
Remember to curve your fingers around and come down on the very tips of them. If you don’t come down on the very tips of your fingers they might mute the neighboring strings and make your chords sound buzzy and ugly. Try your best to make these guitar chords as clean and smooth sounding as possible. Good luck and get ready to learn an A minor 7th and a C major in the next beginner guitar lesson!
Hi, your website it great!!! perfect site! =]
I have a question… I just bought my first acoustic guitar YAMAHA F310.
I tryed to do G Major, easy… but! the D Major I CAN’T DO IT! I tryed for over a hour, and I can’t make it… only if I change the first finger with the second one… then I it easy. Will it effect on me on the future?
Thanks!
Hey, I’m not actually from the site, but from experience I can tell you that you can play your chords however you feel is comfortable. There are many famous guitar players that don’t use the “proper” technique. If all else fails, keep practicing. =)
Daniel im also in the same position as you, I’ve bought the Yamaha F310 and was struggling with the same chord. I stuck at it and i’m nearly there but never thought about doing it your way and do find it easier. I was just wondering (Being a total newbie) if I play it your way if it will make other chords difficult to get or make the diagrams harder to follow later on.
Fantastic guitar choice by the way, i’m loving mine.
The D Maj is a hard one for beginners, it took me six months to train my fingers to switch to the proper shape. The trick I used till then might work for you. Bar the first 3 strings (eg. e, B & G) on the second fret with your index finger then play the third fret on B with your middle finger. Once that becomes comfortable learn to change to the proper D after the first strum. This will build muscle memory and soon you’ll be able to play the standard fingering. P.S. it will also help you pick up barre chords later.
I also have YAMAHA F310 but it works for me.. I tried your way and it does seem easier. My fingers keep on falling on the other strings but your way it sounds perfect!! Yeah I know YAMAHA F310 is awesome!
oh and Thanks!
jst luving this lessons……….
Important! The fingering for that D is incorrect. It should be 1-2-3 instead of 1-3-2. that simple adjustment should make things a lot more sensible for you. This was a glaring misprint!!
Incorrect fingering on the drawing. Should be 1-2-3 instead of 1-3-2.
Who’s monitoring this bulletin board, anyway?
hi . will u plz tell me that which is the best gitar
Daniel, I believe I understand why you are having a hard time with the D major chord. If you switch where the 2nd and 3rd fingers are, then it will be extremely easier to play.
I have a couple of friends that play an open D major chord that way and it doesn’t seem to effect their playing at all
Cool thanks!
Great site. Congratulations.
please can you recommend a book for a beginner who wants to be fluent in playing lead guitar. Needs something on paper.
Thanks
I am a starter but i want to be better too all i can say is keep trying! on the other hand if you think thats lame search for a book that will:)
your site’s great nate for people to learn at home who cant get time to go to classes. just started with beginner series, hope to play good after sum time:-)
i use fingers 2,3,4 for F chord cause it easier to go to C chord
Hey Nate, my name is Tom Berry and I really enjoy your website. I have one problem.D I am in a wheelchair. I am paralyzed from the waist down and it is really hard for me to have the correct posture. My legs are a little to high and my body is a little to low. I have to lean my guitar back toward me and it is really hard to get my left hand right. Do you have any suggestions. Thanks. Tom
b
Hey Tom,
Have you tried using a strap while you are sitting down? That might help a little. You could try to set the strap really high.
Hey Tom,
It may work or not but what if you hold the guitar more like a classical guitar player. more of an upright angle. It may help a bit.
I am just a beginner here but just a thought.
thanx a lot sir…. can you please send me all the chords name and their representation on the frets please.. i will be very thankful….
Thanks that seems to really work! But, i have a short middle finger on my left hand
how can i help when it wont reach to the 6th string on my guitar!
Thanks!! Great lessons
last time i tried bt couldnt get the D chord.. did it finally!
thnx nate, the site is really gud! 
I can’t seem to get the D chord. I don’t know why though. Help?
Try switching 1st and 2nd finger.Remember do whats comfortable for you.
These lessons are of great help for the beginners.
Thanks for making such lessons.
Sir, i have a question regarding the chord diagram that is shown with the text below the video. What does the filled zero or the darkened circle in the chord diagram represent?
The filled in notes represent the root of the chord. For example, if you are playing a D major chord the filled in circles would be D notes. Hope that helps.
thanks for the help i really needed it!!!
It’s quite easy to learn on this site thx a lot!!!
THis Website IS gr8 DO u hv a Account IN FACEBOOK.??
i need help… I noticed that in the video yourchords end in a high note but my chords are too low! Help? Thnx
sorry nevermind… :S
This is very helpful! Thank you!!
this really helped thanx
thanks this helped me alot!!
Is at all possible that my fingers are to long to play comfortably??
Great work for beginners wow…………… what a site great great….
I really very thankful for side creator with the help of it impress my girlfriend also
Any tips for proper hand position to get into the G chord quickly? I have to put my 3rd finger down first. If I put my 1st and 2nd fingers down first, I can’t get the 3rd finger down. I’ve been cheating by playing the bottom strings until I get my 1st and 2nd finger into position.
hey plz send me sm chords which r easy 2 play nd usd frequently m a bgnr.
I sent this site to my daughter.Great for beginners.Thank you very much.I’ve been gig’n for 45yrs.My daughter lives in AK & I live in KY.I will recommend you to all beginners.Again thanks and great job.
And also today is her birthday.Thanks again.
Thanks a lot but I was hoping that if you could give us an introduction about the Majors and Minors and how many chords are there. You know just a quick intro.
Thanks a lot though, this is truly the best site ever and you’re a great teacher
Hey, I was wondering,does all these videos also apply to electric guitars or are they only for acoustic?
I have always been in a WOW state after I come by guitarlesson.com
Keep it up
Nate, two questons:
1)in the above lesson, the G chord shows two different finger patterns. I’m guessing you’re saying use which on is easier?
2)naming of the chords, is their a rhyme of reason? IE the G chord is named he G chord because….. thus you know the chord because….
53 years old, got a guitar in July for my birthday. No excuses this time. Just do it. Thanks for the help.
Hey Nate, i have a question: when i’m strumming the D Major Chord, then sometimes i accidently strum the 5th string. This keeps happening all the time, how should i fix it?
Hey I have a fender squirt stratocasterand im having a lot of trouble changing quick enough between cords. I have tried for hours and barely gotten better, any tips?
Mention squir
hey could some one tell the right order in which to watch all the videos or does it not matter? i just want to be sure
if you’re a total beginner, it’s better to watch them in sequence.
The G Major is so hard…. I started with D Major and A Major.. My fourth finger can’t press the lowest string most of the time
weird.. the G Major was easier for me.
MISHKAT i am not Nate Savage but i can help you do your G string Ok your problem is you cant put your fourth Finger on the high E string i Want you to do do some excercises to your fingers so that your fingers will get stronger go TO Learnandmasterguitar.com or download the app if you Have an iPhone or iPod or iPad Teacher Steve Krenz will give you excercises for your finger and he teaches you how to properly do The G and D major guitar chords
Nate do You Still work at A Music store?
I am rediscovering the guitar after about 40yrs and I love it. I am doing well with scales but am having some trouble with the finger positions for chords, I can do the G major fairly well but some of the closer together ones like D and C are giving me problems. I know I will get there eventually but it sure gets frustrating!
Nate how much is your Alvarez Yairi G-Y1 I know it’s like the model is 1990 or1991
do you have ant tips that will help me switch cords easyer
Got a guitar for my birthday a couple weeks ago. Thanks for the free lessons. My fingers are too fat but its coming along. For those of you who like the Grateful Dead, Ripple uses the four chords in this section,
G,D,C and Am7. Slow easy song to play along with.
Best Wishes
Randy J.
hi nate,
u r a wonderful teacher..this is an awsome site for guitar lovers i shud say. m practisng ur beginners course..n its so so helpful..with ur tiny tidbit corrections for all the mistakes we tend to make. thnx a lot. god bless u!!!
my strings get muted cause I’m not pressing hard enough
thanks for taking the time and effort to teach people ive learned a lot
really this is an awsom site
First of all, thanks for putting this website together. It’s been a huge help for a true beginner such as myself.
The guitar that I have seems to have a very high (tall) nut and bridge, causing the strings to sit fairly high above the fretboard, and giving me extra trouble getting the chords down. Is there anything that can be done about this (i.e. can these pieces be replaced)? Thanks for the help!
As i the only one who noticed he only wears the same black shirt?
I’m having problems with my number 2 finger muting the string beneath it when I’m trying to play a chord. I can’t figure out how to get it from doing that. I’ve changed the position and posture of my hand multiple times. Any ideas?
this site was no help to me
i am a total beginner. i have been practicing changing chords from G to D and vice versa. i just want to know if there is someone also out there have the same problem with mine. when i change from D to G, i can’t put all three fingers at the same time on each proper position. instead, i position first the first finger and followed by the two finger at the same time. when i change from G to D, i position first my first and second finger on second fret at the same time followed by the third finger.
The fingering diagram is wrong. It should be 1-2-3 instead of 1-3-2, shich is anatomically correct, as you have discovered.
okay this is where I am going to take a couple of days before moving on.
Hi Nate,
Am in New Zealand, this website is fantastic…best I have come across and you teach so well, wish you were in NZ and I could come and have a class one on one.
I think I have D & G Major spot on.
Look forward to more lessons.
Thank you sir
Mel
Awesome site….still struggling with D…fingers muting. I’m experimenting with posture now. Sometimes I can get it…so just need to figure out what I’m doing wrong. But, love the lessons. They are great.
i love dis site,its full of knwoledge
Can’t play the G chord. please help. Iam an absolute beginner.
First of all i appreciate your good work on guitar lessons, very effective.
While playing D major chord my guitar is making a jumbling noise specifically at G chord. I have ensured that G chord is tuned properly, but when i press the G chord from left hand and strike it it creates jumbling kind of noise. Can you suggest if i can try something?
i don’t have a guitar right now.. But after watching some of your lessons.. I am planning to have one soon
)) 
DD
Hi Nate
how come your videos dont start the beginnner guitar series the same as this video?
Does it matter if you strum all the strings for a D (even the high E and A)
every time i do a chord that involves the e1 string i cant seem to make the e1 string sound i dont know how to put my finger on it to make it sound can some one please help ..tips videos or someting please.
Hello. i got the G major chord right away but the D chord sounds muted :/ i cant curl my fingers. please help
Hello Nate,
I’m a complete newbie and I find it difficult to play the D chord. It sounds muted and i can’t curl my fingers. I’ve tried a lot yet it still sounds muted. Please help me. My guitar is a Givson Venus Spl.
Bro can u teach me over garagband ipad 2… Pls
hi. I Want to change my guitar strings but i don’t know what type of strings i should take coz there is many types. Could u please make a video in how to choose the right strings…
thank you
I’m twelve, and I have wanted to learn to play guitar forever. My mom got the guitar restrung today. I love this website!!!! I just learned my first chord and plan on learning more!!!!
gerat lesson i am jut a begginer and am having trouble with the d major any sugestions? plz help
Hey Nate.
I’m just a beginner and learning to play. My fingers have a HUGE problem curving properly, they land on the other strings a lot, what do you suggest?
wts tht coloured 0 n non-coloured?
How would I know if your lessons are any good. The only thing I can ever get to, is just where to put your fingers for a cord. Every thing else is currently unavailable.
Hi Nate,
Im 10 and in 2 weeks I need to learn hey soul siter Train.
I am a total newbie and love ur website.
Samika
I just can’t do it. My fingers mute the other chords and I am really getting frustrated. It’s my birthday today anyway and I really want to learn guitar as I got my guitar today for a present. Please try to give me tips as also I want to impress someone at school
HELLO NATE.
I HAVE AN ELECTRIC ACOUSTI GUITAR WITH AN EQUALIZER WHERE SHOULD I HAVE MY EQUALIZER SET WHEN PRACTICING THESE NOTES&THE STRINGS YOU WANT ME TO PRACTICE HAS TWO OPEN STRINGS THAT HAS A 1&2 ON THEM AND ANOTHER STRING ON THE THIRD FRET WITH A SHADED CIRCLE WITH A THREE ON IT IS THAT WHERE I STRUM INDIVIDUALLY ?
I happen to have a classic acoustic guitar which has a wider fret board than a regular acoustic (which is about 3/8 inch narrower) I can play several chords without problem but wonder if I should get a standard acoustic instrument which has a narrower neck and might be easier to use and possibly help when I want to increase speed of play.
HELLO NATE.
I LOVE YOUR LESSONS,YOU DETAIL EVERY ASPECT,BUT NOW I’M HAVING TROUBLE WITH. THE G-MAGOR ,I CAN’T. GET MY 4TH AND THIRD FINGER TO LAY ON THE LOW. E AND HIGH E DO YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS
Hi, i play dmaj as described above, i find it soo much easier ! i couldnt do it the other way now!
Thanks nate, i am single mum teaching myself at home and i find your lessons great!
Hi, first of all these lessons are fantastic. I’ve only just started but i seem to have this annoying problem of having my nails get in the way. I’ve cut them as short as it possible can be cut but they still get in the way when i try pressing the strings down when playing chords. Ive tried filing them down a bit but now they just hurt. I know this must sound weird but my nails go right up to the tip of the fingers. Can you suggest a way i can press the stings down. Cheers.
Thanks for the small bites of instruction. I am not overwhelmed.
Keep up the good work
awesome work sir ……………..m feeling pain in my fingers //////
marvelous teaching of guitar. a beginner can learn painlessly and perfectly at the same time interestingly.
ThaNK yOU sHO mUch Sir………..
Sir the lessons are great….
but i would like to know what is d difference between the filled circles with number 3 and 4 and the empty circles with number 1 and 2
but i would like to know what is d difference between the filled circles with number 3 and 4 and the empty circles with number 1 and 2