How To: Play perfect open chords on an electric guitar

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Learning the electric guitar can be fun and rewarding, but it's difficult to know where to start. Whether you're a complete beginner or an expert looking to tighten your technique, this video tutorial on the basics is sure to help you out.

Fretting chords can be a tricky business, especially if you've just started playing. There are quite a few factors to bear in mind, like finger and thumb positioning, fretting accuracy and strumming the correct strings.

It's worth taking the time to get your technique right at the beginning of your playing 'career' as it's more difficult to undo poor technique once it's been ingrained over a period of time. Although it can be frustrating working on seemingly insignificant changes to your technique, like small change in thumb position, it will pay off when you can fret chords perfectly without thinking about it.

This tutorial shows you how to position your fingers and thumb correctly to avoid fret buzz and dead strings as well as showing you how to avoid unnecessary tension that may cause damage to your precious fretting hand. See how to play perfect open chords on an electric guitar.