Common Open Chords

Open position chords sound “twangy” because they include unfretted strings that are permitted to ring open. There are several different variations of open guitar chords. This chart represents 18 of the most useful open chords that you’ll need for playing country and bluegrass songs.

Chart Key
X = Mute String
0 = Let String Ring Open

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Country Strumming & Fills in the Style of Merle Haggard
In this guitar lesson, I'll teach you a classic country strumming pattern and we'll practice strumming over a chord progression in the style of "Today I Started Loving You Again" by Merle Haggard. I'll also show you...
“Old Grimes” Guitar Lesson
"Old Grimes" has become popular at bluegrass jams largely due to Chris Eldridge and Julian Lage. I reached out to Chris and he said it's a traditional tune that he learned from Jesse Cobb, his old bandmate in the Infamous Stringdusters, who...
Alternate the Bass Line and Pluck the Melody
In this guitar lesson, I'll teach y'all one of my favorite hybrid picking patterns that involves plucking a basic melody line with your fingers while the pick alternates between bass...
John Hardy was a Desperate Little Man
In this guitar lesson, I'll teach y'all how to play two guitar solo breaks for the classic country & bluegrass song "John Hardy". The first break has a nice blend of Carter style "boom chick" rhythm and Tony Rice influenced licks...

Common Open Chords

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