How to Play the G Major Chord on an Acoustic Guitar

By: Latrice Derry and Grace Barnhill

Steps:
Get Your Supplies
1. Get what you will need: your guitar, optional pick(s), a guitar
strap if youre playing while standing, and an optional chord
reference sheet.
Holding Your Guitar
2. Choose your position while playing. If youre sitting down,
set the guitar in your lap. If youre standing, use a guitar
strap so that you dont have to support it while you play. A
guitar strap is attached to the headstock of the guitar on one
end and a knob on the bottom of your guitar on the other
end. When it is properly attached, its put around your neck,
so the guitar hangs around your neck.
3. Hold the neck of the guitar with your left hand and keep your
right hand near the strings (but not strumming yet). If youre
a left handed guitar player, switch this (and make sure to
reverse your strings).
Tuning Your Guitar
4. Turn on your tuner, whether it is a handheld one or an app. If
you have a pitch pipe, take it out of its case.
5. Strum one string. The sound should register on your tuner
and tell you whether it is flat, in tune, or sharp. If it doesnt
register, play it again louder. If youre using a pitch pipe,
blow into the according pipe and listen by ear to see if the
sound it makes matches the sound of your string. If it
doesnt, it isnt in tune.
6. If your string is flat, or low, turn the according peg whichever
way makes it sharper, or higher. If it is sharp, or high, turn

the according peg whichever way makes it flatter, or lower.

Remember, the direction you turn the peg depends on how
your guitar is strung.
7. Once you have tuned all of your strings, double check them
just to make sure one didnt change while you were tuning
another or vice versa.
Finger Placement for a G Major Guitar Chord
8. Locate the A string, or the second string closest to you. Put
the tip of your pointer finger on the second fret on this
string, pressing down.
9. Locate the low E string or the string closest to you. Put the
tip of your middle finger on the third fret of this string,
pressing down.
10.
Locate the B string or the fifth string closest to you. Put
the tip of your ring finger on the third fret of this string,
pressing down.
11.
Optional: Locate the high E string or the sixth string
closest to you. Put the tip of your pinky finger on the third
fret of this string, pressing down.
Playing a G Major Guitar Chord
12.
Optional (but recommended): Using your right hand (or
your left if youre left handed), pick up your pick and get a
firm grip on it with your thumb and pointer finger (or
whichever grip is most comfortable for you).
13.
If you arent using a pick, just use your thumb.
14.
Using the pick or your thumb, strum all of the strings in
order from the low E to the high E.
15.
You have just played a G chord!
16.
If the chord sounds out of tune, muted, etc., go back
and read over the directions again. Make sure youre
following each one correctly. Remember, you dont sound
perfect when youre just beginning, so dont get
discouraged.