What are the only three guitar chords you really need to know how to play?

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if you had to choose...

― Rockin Robin, Thursday, 25 March 2004 17:34 (twenty-two years ago)

G, A, and E. Easy.

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Thursday, 25 March 2004 17:45 (twenty-two years ago)

learn a major barre chord, a minor, and a seven. You'll be a guitar genius.

― Will (will), Thursday, 25 March 2004 17:50 (twenty-two years ago)

will OTM

― Felonious Drunk (Felcher), Thursday, 25 March 2004 17:51 (twenty-two years ago)

d, a min and e drone ( ie the one that goes e/e/b/e/b/e) probably. There are loads of good guitar chords tho', so three isn't enough. OTOH, you can do a lot just w/e drone.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 25 March 2004 17:53 (twenty-two years ago)

G, C, D. It's that simple.

― Ally C (Ally C), Thursday, 25 March 2004 17:53 (twenty-two years ago)

I know those.

― RJG (RJG), Thursday, 25 March 2004 17:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Fmaj7. You learn that one chord and move it around, you can play every Steely Dan song every written.

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 25 March 2004 17:55 (twenty-two years ago)

A, D, E - the first two of which can be done - in a sorta cheating way - with one finger.

― Jay Kid (Jay K), Thursday, 25 March 2004 17:55 (twenty-two years ago)

A, Cadd9, Em

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 25 March 2004 18:16 (twenty-two years ago)

at least 6 feet with a 1/4" jack. Oh. I thought you said cords.

groan.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Thursday, 25 March 2004 18:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Dan's here every Thursday, folks...

― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Thursday, 25 March 2004 18:32 (twenty-two years ago)

A, D, E - so I can still play "Just Like Honey"

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 25 March 2004 18:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Dan, are you anything to do with The Little Killers?

(sorry, brief hijack)

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Thursday, 25 March 2004 18:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Nothing other then sharing a city.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Thursday, 25 March 2004 19:09 (twenty-two years ago)

i agree about A, D, E but i think that knowing 2 chords, and not 3, is sufficient to play guitar. the chords are: C and F, and allow you to play most of VU and JAMC songs. well sometimes a random chord change occur during the bridge, but you can just hum on top of it and keep playing C and F. it works especially well if you ask a friend to play the tambourine to cover you up.

― lazy cho, Thursday, 25 March 2004 20:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Cookie's right. Did he learn his fact from me?

The other day Steady Mike played G and C and showed that he has the measure of THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF POP.

― the blissfox, Thursday, 25 March 2004 20:12 (twenty-two years ago)

F#dim7, Bb13#11, E7b9b13

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Thursday, 25 March 2004 20:13 (twenty-two years ago)

i disagree. it's Emaj7b9b11 is clearly a FAR superior chord to you feeble E7b9b13!!!1!1!

― AaronK (AaronK), Thursday, 25 March 2004 20:17 (twenty-two years ago)

a major 3rd AND a flat 11th?

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Thursday, 25 March 2004 20:18 (twenty-two years ago)

quite.

― AaronK (AaronK), Thursday, 25 March 2004 20:21 (twenty-two years ago)

only the Moody Blues know...

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Thursday, 25 March 2004 20:22 (twenty-two years ago)

knowing 2 chords, and not 3, is sufficient to play guitar. the chords are: C and F, and allow you to play most of VU and JAMC songs

actually, most JAMC songs have three chords (although the whole of Psychocandy only has 1 key change IIRC!), and they're variations on A,D,E.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 25 March 2004 20:27 (twenty-two years ago)

well, it's in a different key, but it sounds the same... i find it easier to sing to the C - F (and i am not too lazy, complete with G) chords than to A - D (and E)

― chomi, Thursday, 25 March 2004 21:07 (twenty-two years ago)

D-G-A + Em

― John Cocktolstoy, Thursday, 25 March 2004 23:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, Dan, the moody blues really are the only ones who know the right answer to this question, but I'm going to give it a shot anyway:

F#m
A
D

― 57 7th (calstars), Friday, 26 March 2004 00:24 (twenty-two years ago)

3 chords? you Prog Rock ponce.

― noodle vague (noodle vague), Friday, 26 March 2004 00:28 (twenty-two years ago)

In Search of the Lost Chord + Afrika Bambaata =

Looking for the Perfect Chord.

Oh damn, I just gave away the name of my first album, which I haven't started yet.

I'm sorry everyone, it's been a slow week at work.

Actually I have work to do. I'm just not doing it.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 26 March 2004 00:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I notice that everyone is giving answers that involve specific letter names of chords. It is often more useful to think of chords functionally rather than by letter name or quality (major/minor).

If you think this way, the 3 main chords would be tonic, subdominant, and dominant. The letter names would vary depending on the key you are in. For example, in E, the three chords would be E, A, B. In C the chords would be C, F, and G.

For more info. you may want to see my free music theory tutorials at:

http://www.ilovemusic.com

― Phil Seyer, Friday, 26 March 2004 08:01 (twenty-two years ago)

thank you!

― g--ff (gcannon), Friday, 26 March 2004 08:06 (twenty-two years ago)

fuck off!

― g--ff (gcannon), Friday, 26 March 2004 08:07 (twenty-two years ago)

none

― duke jiminy, Friday, 26 March 2004 08:14 (twenty-two years ago)

He took our name! Let's beat him up!

― Sym (shmuel), Friday, 26 March 2004 08:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Three chords? Two chords, man!

E-barred and A-barred.

I never could figure out what that third chord was for.

― Psycho Kate (kate), Friday, 26 March 2004 09:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Just learn E. It's great. It's loud and low and it rings really satisfyingly. Turn up yer amp, windmill an E chord, and suddently you're standing on the top of a lonesome crag in the middle of the Grand Canyon, jammin' like Metallica. Yeah.

― Prude (Prude), Friday, 26 March 2004 09:11 (twenty-two years ago)

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