E, A, and D Major

Lesson

Three shapes, hundreds of songs

E, A, and D are the easiest open chords because they all share a similar finger pattern in the lower frets. Master them and a third of the rock songbook opens up.

E major

• 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the A string
• 3rd finger on the 2nd fret of the D string
• 1st finger on the 1st fret of the G string
• Strum all six strings.

A major

• 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the D string
• 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the G string
• 3rd finger on the 2nd fret of the B string
• Strum strings 5–1 (skip the low E).

D major

• 1st finger on the 2nd fret of the G string
• 3rd finger on the 3rd fret of the B string
• 2nd finger on the 2nd fret of the high E string
• Strum strings 4–1 (skip both E and A).

Switching between them

The hardest part isn't fingering — it's getting from one shape to the next without breaking time. Practice E → A, A → D, D → A, A → E. Two strums per chord at 60 BPM. Don't speed up until the transitions are silent.