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What is the difference between a chord that is played by a child on a guitar for beginners and lets say a adult chord? One thing the old lady and myself both agree on is that everyone should play the guitar. So, we give less expensive beginners and / or smaller sized guitars as presents to our nieces and nephews.

On our most recent trip to visit up north, we got to see one of our nieces that we gave a 3/4 sized Strat look alike to. She is 6 years old and likes to perform, dance, sing, draw and do magic. While watching her play, I had what you might call an ‘epiphany’. What I noticed was that she did not have a problem remembering basic guitar chords, but she did have a problem forcing her fingers around the neck into the proper positions on the neck of the guitar. Simply put, her problem was hand size and not smarts.

My point is that lots of adults are small people and don’t have regular full sized hands. They may have a ton of experience, yet never actually played a guitar that fit them well. That is the difference between a beginner with full sized hands and an experienced guitar player who is not large enough to play a big guitar. Putting it in terms you understand, ‘beginners’ chords and ‘children’s’ chords are different. If you are not comfortable when you play the guitar, than it is nearly impossible to get the results one may obtain by practicing effectively.

The basis of calling certain cords ‘children’s chords’ is centered on the size of ones hands and the ability to play a comfortable guitar that one can execute properly the material that they want to play. So, realistically speaking, I’m interested in providing easy chords that sound great and are less complicated inversions of the mandatory basic chords mentioned in this article.

It’s very elementary, it’s is a reflection of hand size, not ability. There are lots of smaller sized guitars available that have every bit the tone and quality of full sized guitars.

Click on Chart to Enlarge and Copy.

Chart Usage Guide:

#1. The n means the ‘nut’ or zero fret.

#2. The numbers on the left are the frets, starting with n or ‘nut’ or zero fret.

#3. The Capital letter above each individual chord grid identify the ‘Key”.

#4. The x above the grid means don’t play that string.

#5. The o above the grid means play the string even if you don’t press down on a fret.

Forgive me for handwriting the chart. I hope you can read it. To put it mildly, it is hard to find the chords presented here in one spot.

This chart has many 2 and 3 chord songs to choose from. Click Here.

After you click open the chart, pick the song/s you are interested in. Do a Google Search for “free ‘songs name‘ guitar tab” and pick the version of the song you want to play.

Talent level has nothing to do with your physical size. Essentially, what GPC is advocating is playing chords that a small person can comfortably position their hands for,… Note: as a ‘beginner’ progresses and gets used to using their hands in this manner than more advanced stage three chords can be achieved… Being comfortable and relaxed is part of the discipline of playing the guitar. A smaller person will benefit too by being more comfy while holding the proper sized instrument.

The folks at Guitar Players Center have had the idea for a while, perhaps to many kids start playing a guitar that is to big, therefore causing frustration and not playing so much. Kids will grow up, so wait until they grow and need a larger guitar before you spend a lot of money. On the other note, small people should buy the guitar that will suit their needs for a long time, since they probably won’t grow anymore.

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