First chords learned?

[ryanfender]

G D C shaking, stir, and repeat

[Placida]

Originally Posted by wgmiller

I wonder if I'm the only one here who learned to play "House of the Rising Sun" as their very first song.

No, Red River valley was my very first tune back in 1964. House of the Rising Sun was learned in 1967 after I had become a teenager. It's one of my wife's favorite songs to listen to me play - one that will actually keep her from slowly gravitating to another room .....

[susitna]

Originally Posted by wgmiller

For me it was Am, D, F, and E. I wonder if I'm the only one here who learned to play "House of the Rising Sun" as their very first song.

Will

I started playing with a friend, but when I took a guitar class at school that was the first song the teacher gave us. We used a modified F instead of the full-barre.

[Bruce E]

I played piano for 9 years before I started guitar, so I naturally wanted to play C, F and G. But even a four string F on that Kay flattop we got with Gold Bell Gift stamps was quite impossible. So, D probably came along next.

[camera_obscura]

i think i learned G chord first. and i learned it the wrong way... without using your pinky. i still haven't learned to fix that yet.

[hempomatic]

A D G C Em Am pretty much in that order.

I'm embarrassed to say how long I avoided all songs with B Bm or F in them.

ken

[meredith]

Originally Posted by hempomatic

I'm embarrassed to say how long I avoided all songs with B Bm or F in them.

ken

You too, huh?

C F G (still use my 3rd finger on the B string, I don't know why) Am

I'm pretty sure my first real song was "Take Me Home, Country Roads". Followed by "Blowin' In The Wind" and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" Hey, this was back in the seventies.

[Horse]

C, G7 at age 12. But I was forced to play "Tom Dooley" and nearly gagged. After a brief stay in the "nervous" hospital, I was allowed to go home. Added D, A, G a few years later after my father stopped MAKING me take lessons and I developed a natural interest. Next, of course, were the minor chords.

[auljock]

E A D were my first chords and I made the songs fit whether they wanted to or not I took a very long time to bring in F, I'm now working on barre chords and failing dismally but hopefully they will come.

[raptordigits]

C, F, G,

Back in 1970 they were the only chords in a guitar book I obtained 'somewhere'. The book was in German, a language which I couldn't read at that time. There were 3 or 4 tunes...none of which I recognized (probably the German equivalent of Polly Wolly Doodle, etc.)

Years later a German friend and I both agree that the best thing that happened to us was no lessons, no videos,etc. No clone playing. No 'this is the correct way'. We developed our own styles and used our ears. Bad habits are only such in the eye of the beholder...we call it creativity.

After 40 years I use most chord combinations but CFG are still my 'comfort chords'. ADE seem like 'the other guys'. I've played E,A,B most over the years but CFG are family.

Re house of the Rising Sun. I learned it (after many, many hours) off a record by ear without realizing that the notes were chord arpeggios. It was only a few years later I learned that there were older more edgy versions.

[funkapus]

I took the beginning guitar group class at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. First class: D and A7, switching back and forth between them playing "Iko Iko" and "Jambalaya" at a very, very, VERY slow tempo.

Once those two, and changing between them, were comfortable, G and C came next. At that point, any I-IV-V tune can be faked in either D or G.

[Stoogey]

For my first chords i pretty much followed justinguitar's basic open chords lesson...

A, D, E, G, C, Am, Dm, Em

Took me long enough but i got there eventually.

[Fliss]

I think it was D7, C and G for me.

Fliss

[Loki]

You mean there is MORE than three chords!?

Well ****, ****, ****!

[pickoid_1]

D and A7. With that, you could play "Clementine" and "Red River Valley."