Chords memorized..
 

I have only 21 chords fully memorized by heart. A-G major/minor and their 7th chords. How many do you know by heart and do you use them regularly?

Open chords, not barre.

I know all four chords--G,C,D, Em. Are there more?

Well, there's only so many open chords...

I know how to build chords, what notes are in them, so actually...I'm guitar George. I know all the chords.

Hi Arch.

Remember this "CAGED" These are the basic major "open" or 1st position chord shapes.

These can be used up and down the neck, with barres or as long as they include a 1st not (keynote) and a 3rd and a 5th note (of the scale).

Once you have these "to hand" then the minor versions and the 7th versions can quickly be added.

knowing those shapes, you can work out the constituent notes (e.g. for C - 1=c, 3 = e, and 5 = g etc., and then look for these notes using the other "shapes" elsewhere.

This video of mine might help:

Ask more questions.

At one time, I thought I knew quite a few chords......then I started playing Contemporary Christian music every Sunday at church and I found out that I was pretty bad on my chord knowledge! I found out really quick that jguitar.com was my friend!! I've since learned a LOT more because the songwriters in that genre throw in a lot of strange chords that sometimes aren't the easiest to play.

I played in the church band for 10 years. The most popular chord in church music is.....ready?.... "Gsus."

Get it? Gsus? :roll:

I may not "know" all of 'em but my guitar teacher spent some time on theory with me so I'm fairly confident I can "make" any of them if given a few seconds to think it through. Ah, the beauty of theory.

That's a good one!! You know exactly what I'm talking about with 10 years experience in it!! Awesome music but can be tough on people who aren't familiar with a lot of chords and aren't open to lots of DIFFERENT strumming patterns!

I didn't learn the guitar by memory. I learned how playing the guitar works and how music works. Like how to play a D chord up and down the neck. Or a A9th chord in different places. With different fingerings. Or a boogie woogie bass line in different keys. So to answer your question I don't have a clue what chords I have memorized. But if I want to play a iii - vi - ii - V - I and change keys on the fly I'm on it. There's more then one way to learn how to make music and play the guitar. I guess that's my point.

Actually beyond the basic chords and scales I found it beneficial for creativity purposed to rely on experimentation.

I love to go to an alternate tuning where none of the chords you know apply and just figure things out. When doing this you come up with amazingly creative and original stuff.

Twenty-one chords? I'm sure I've forgotten more than that it this point.

This is a tough one to answer. If you are going stay with bluegrass/country ( for the most part) you are set. Going into Latin/jazz...you are gong to need the help of a hands on instructor. 9th's, m11th's, 13's, dim, shells, inversions, it gets a bit crazy. But knowing the fretboard...knowing where the notes are is the key to learning everything else. There really are no short cuts, no "secrets" as some will try to sell you. Its going to take a lot of time sitting alone in a room with your guitar and getting to know the fretboard...period.

Oh yah, Am:)

Just one . . . Am

That covers the I (G), IV (C), V (D), IIm (Am), and VIm (Em). That covers just about anything.

Have no clue as to how many chords I know. I probably know a lot more than I think I know because at this point my muscle memory for chording is stronger than that other source of memory...