Learn 9 Fancy Chords All Guitar Beginners Should Know

Why do beginner guitar players love these chords so much? To play them, you can keep two fingers in the same position when switching between these awesome grips.

Even better, they sound super cool, and they're useful for many chord changes now and later in your guitar journey. Many call these The Wonderwall Chords because they are played in that Oasis classic. They're also common chords in other 90's rock ballads. So chances are you're already familiar with their sound.

🚨 If you don't memorize all these new chords immediately, don't worry! This is a lot of new information, and it'll take practice & time to get familiar with these new chords.

Stuck 3&4 Chords

The Stuck 3&4 chords get their name because fingers 3 & 4 are stuck on the thinnest two strings. Now, they don't have to be - but this is true most of the time! But this will also depend on what song and the specific sound you're going for.

You'll often find those two fingers staying in the same place - on the thinnest two strings of the 3rd fret. These chord shapes will give a unique sound known as the drone effect. This drone effect is what we call two notes ringing out together.

Why Is Your Little Finger Hurting?

You'll use your little finger a lot more with these chords. Expect some pain level, and take enough breaks to let it heal a bit between your practice sessions.

Suppose you haven't already - you still have time to set up your practice sessions with My Practice Assistant. This free tool helps set up practical practice sessions to prevent overplaying.

💡 Don't be in a hurry - you'll learn BETTER and FASTER if you give yourself time to heal.

Nitsuj found his Finger 3 was hurting a lot during this practice session. Finger 3 overcompensates for the weakness of Finger 4 by pressing harder than it should - so be mindful of this. Nitsuj knew what was going on and still struggled with it. It's normal if you struggle too! Stay aware, and don't hurt yourself. :)

Because of the shape of these chords, you should find that the muscle between your thumb and index finger can get a bit pumped. This is GOOD! It means you are growing that muscle.

You'll need to get that muscle strength for next week's lesson. So work on it - but not until it's painful! Let's look at those nine awesome chords - starting with the 'Big G' chord.

The 'Big G' Chord

This is the best introduction to the Stuck 3&4 Chords and is the 'daddy' of them!
Try not to press too hard with fingers 3&4 (but aim to get the notes clear).
You can use this any time you see a G Chord written!
For obvious reasons, you'll often hear people describe it as the 'Four Finger G.'

G5 'The Rock G' Chord

Note the muted 5th string here - same as the previous easy G we learned earlier!
If you're studying Music Theory, you'll notice the '3rd' is missing, hence the name G5!
This grip is *usually* much better than any other G when playing with overdrive/distortion.
I generally prefer this sound to the "Big G," but they all have a place.

Cadd9 Chord

It's exactly like the Big G but with fingers 1 & 2 moved down a string.
Make sure you mute the thickest string with the tip of Finger 2 (it shouldn't be hard!).

D sus4 Chord

Don't worry about the name. We'll get more into that later.
This chord is commonly substituted for regular D if the other chords are Stuck 3&4 grips.
Sometimes, it sounds cooler to go to regular D (use finger three as an anchor).

A7 sus 4 Chord

And another big scary name chord, but not hard to play. It's an A chord variation when holding the Stuck 3&4.
The stretch between Finger 2 and 3 is the tricky part of this one!
Try not to play the thickest string.

A7 sus 4 Chord (Variation)

In Wonderwall, we have this other version with the Open G string.
It's got the same name as it's just doubling a different note than the last grip.
It might look easy, but ringing the open string out can be tricky!

E min7 Chord

There are a few ways of playing an Emin7 chord. This is the Stuck 3&4 version.
The stretch between Fingers 2 and 3 makes it the most challenging chord here (I think!).

D add11/F# Chord (Whaaaat?)

This is often a transition chord when moving between G and Em (as in Wonderwall).
Moving between the Emin7 and this is a great finger exercise for independence!

F 6/9 Chord

I just added this one because it's a fun one in the Stuck 3&4 grips, but it's less common.
Just like Cadd9, fingers 1 and 2 moved down a string.
Don't play either of the thickest two strings.
Mute string 5 with the tip of finger 2.
I wouldn't practice this one much until you find it in a song!

The Stuck 3&4 chords are perfect for our next exercise: Perfect Fast Changes.