Learning to play the guitar is one of the best things in the world. Playing the guitar is so much fun and whether you are looking to play just for your own amusement or you want to set up a band, it is one of the most rewarding instruments to choose. When you are starting out learning to play, the chords are very important. Once you master the easier chords, you can check out these advanced level guitar chords.

Advanced Guitar Power Chords

Power chords are one of those chords that you’ll learn as you improve your playing skills. It is a chord, which consists of the root note and the fifth interval. Power chords are often very popular in rock and metal music. So, if you are looking to add a bit of distortion to your sound, then go with these advanced power chords:

E power chord:  

|———-|———-|———-|———-|———-|

|———-|———-|———-|———-|———-|

|———-|—–2—|———-|———-|———-|

|———-|—–1—|———-|———-|———-|

|———-|———-|———-|———-|———-|

B power chord:   

|———-|———-|———-|———-|———-|

|———-|———-|———-|———-|———-|

|———-|———-|———-|—–4—|———-|

|———-|—–1—|———-|—–3—|———-|

|———-|———-|———-|———-|———-|

C power chord:        

|———-|———-|———-|———-|———-|

|———-|———-|———-|———-|—–4—|

|———-|———-|———-|———-|—–3—|

|———-|———-|—-1—-|———-|———-|

|———-|———-|———-|———-|———-|

You usually play the power chords with your index finger on the lowest sounding fret and then use your middle finger on the strings that are the on the same fret. This makes it relatively simple since you often use only two to three strings in power chords.

There are plenty of great tips for playing power chords online. For instance, check out the Fretboard community for discussions on the best power chord songs and start practicing!

Advanced Major Chords:

On top of this, you should also start adding some major chords to your playing. These guitar chords are very good if you want to achieve jazz and blues sounds with your playing. Major chords are a fun way to add a bit more swing to your playing. Some of the best advanced major chords to add to your playing include:

Cmaj7/E:      

|———-|———-|—–3—|———-|———-|

|—–1—|———-|———-|———-|———-|

|———-|———-|———-|—-4—-|———-|

|———-|—–2—|———-|———-|———-|

|———-|———-|———-|———-|———-|

|———-|———-|———-|———-|———-|

Cmaj9 (tab’s first fret is the tenth fret on your guitar!)

|—-1—-|———-|———-|———-|———-|

|———-|———-|—-3—-|———-|———-|

|———-|———-|—-4—-|———-|———-|

|—-2—-|———-|———-|———-|———-|

|———-|———-|———-|———-|———-|

|———-|———-|———-|———-|———-|

 Emaj9:  

|———-|———-|———-|———-|———-|

|———-|———-|———-|—-2—-|———-|

|—–1—|———-|———-|———-|———-|

|———-|———-|———-|—-3—-|———-|

|———-|———-|———-|———-|———-|

|———-|———-|———-|———-|———-|

These are very good chords to learn if you want to shake up your song selection. Understanding the way these advanced level major chords work can give a lot more kick to your sound.

On top of this, remember that when it comes to boosting your chord knowledge to the next level, it can help to learn from the best. For example, if you are passionate about jazz music, you can check out these contemporary jazz guitarists listed by Guitar Aficionado.

Mix and Match Your Styles

When you are starting out with advanced guitar chords, the key is to keep yourself from moving too fast. Sometimes playing the basic chords might get a little bit boring, but you need to keep at it as long as you can do it in your sleep. If you move on to tougher stuff too early, you might find these advanced chords a lot harder than they actually are. Remember to practice with our beginner chord songs before you learn these advanced chords.

Mix and match your styles and the genres you play. You don’t just want to stick to songs that seem easy. Even songs that use very basic chord structures can be a bit trickier to play when you aren’t that familiar with the song or the style.

Hopefully, the above tips help you take your guitar playing to the next level. Remember that there are no shortcuts to mastering the guitar!