On the very last word of the verse it will resolve back to the 1 chord. Somewhere in the middle or end of the verse, it will change to the 5 chord. Tip: Most bluegrass or folk type songs always start on the 1 chord. Pretty soon, you’ll get used to what sounds good and what doesn’t. If the melody clashes with the chord you are on, change to the other chord. The melody needs to sound harmonious with the chord you are playing. The melody will tell you when to change chords. What you may not know is WHEN to change chords. You already know what chords to use, the 1 and the 5.
![simple folk punk chords simple folk punk chords](https://musicnotesbox.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/thumbnail/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/n/i/nino_rota-the_godfather__love_theme_-sheet-music-thumbnail.png)
So strum your 1 chord, and begin singing or humming the melody as you strum down with your pick on the chord. Or if you prefer to do it in the key of G, the 1 chord is a G and the 5 chord is a D. That means the 1 chord is a D and the 5 chord is an A. For the moment, let’s choose the well-known folk song “Down in the Valley.” Let’s play it in the key of D. Select a song from the list below that you’re familiar with. Important fact: When a song has only two chords, normally only the 1 and the 5 chords are used. To make your task even easier, I’ve compiled the following list of bluegrass songs that only use only two chords.
![simple folk punk chords simple folk punk chords](https://musicnotesbox.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/thumbnail/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/t/sting-let_your_soul_be_your_pilot-sheet-music-thumbnail.png)
As you can see below, in the key of G, G = 1, C = 4, and D = 5. These three chords form a little family called a “key.” We often give the chords in the same family the numbers 1, 4, and 5.Īs you can see in the illustration, in the key of A, 1 = A, 4 = D and 5 = E. The good news is that most bluegrass, folk, and country songs can be played with just three chords. Armed with that knowledge, there are thousands of songs you can play simply by strumming the chord and singing, humming, or whistling the song.īefore you can do that, you will need to figure out which chords to play when. In Basic Guitar Chords, I showed you a number of basic guitar chords.