Session 2: Your First Chord: Em

Duration: 50 minutes

Breaks: Put the guitar down for 5 minutes at the end of Segment 2 and again at the end of Segment 3. No stretch of playing is then longer than 15 minutes, and the session takes about an hour by the clock.

Today you play your first chord. The E minor chord (Em) uses only two fingers and sounds dark, moody, and powerful — perfect for rock music. You will also learn to read guitar TAB, which is how guitar music is written down. By the end of this session, you will be strumming a real chord and reading your first piece of TAB.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

1. Play the Em chord cleanly with all six strings ringing clearly
2. Read basic guitar TAB (string numbers and fret numbers)
3. Strum Em with steady downstrokes at 70 BPM
4. Identify fret-hand finger numbers (1 = index, 2 = middle, 3 = ring, 4 = little finger)
5. Play the “Em Groove” exercise piece with a steady rhythm

Materials Needed

• Your Saga SF-600C-BK guitar
• A guitar pick
• A clip-on tuner or phone tuner app
• A metronome
• A phone that can record sound (for one self-check)
• Fretting-hand nails: cut them short enough that when you press a fingertip straight down on a table, the skin touches before the nail. A longer nail makes the finger lie flat and deadens the next string.
• Handout for this session: Fretting And Hand Position
• Handout for this session: Reading Tab
• Reference: Chord Chart
• Reference: Tab Notation Guide
• Reference: Glossary

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Segment 1 — Warm-Up and Stretch (5 minutes)

Hand Warm-Up

The same movements as in Session 1:

Open and close both hands loosely five times. Circle each wrist five times each way. Touch your thumb to each fingertip in turn. Shake the hands out.

Tune Your Guitar

Tune all six strings to standard tuning (EADGBE) using your clip-on tuner. Do this every single session before you play anything.

Quick Review

Strum all six open strings with 4 downstrokes at 60 BPM, one strum per click. Count aloud: “1, 2, 3, 4.” Do this twice to reconnect with the guitar.

Posture check: In the first weeks you will need to look at your fingers. Keep the guitar upright against your body and tip your head forward to see the edge of the neck. Do not lean the guitar back to see the fretboard: that bends your fretting wrist.

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Segment 2 — Technique Focus: Fretting Hand Basics (10 minutes)

Finger Numbers

Your fretting hand (the hand at the neck) has numbered fingers:

Finger	Number	Abbreviation
Index	1	1
Middle	2	2
Ring	3	3
Little finger	4	4
Thumb	T	T

Your thumb stays behind the neck — it does not press strings. It provides support and leverage.

How to Press a String (Fretting)

1. Place your fretting-hand thumb on the back of the neck, roughly behind fret 2. Your thumb should point upward, not wrap over the top of the neck.
2. Curl your fingers so your fingertips approach the fretboard at a steep angle — almost perpendicular. You press with the very tip of your finger, not the pad.
3. Press the string down just behind the fret wire (the metal strip). “Behind” means on the side closer to the headstock. If you press directly on top of the metal strip, you get a dead, muted sound. If you press too far from the fret wire, you need more pressure and may get buzzing.
4. Press hard enough that the string contacts the fret wire. You do not need to crush the string into the fretboard — just enough for clean contact.
5. Keep your wrist gently curved, not sharply bent, and keep the guitar upright against your body; do not tilt it back to see your fingers.

Before You Press: The Pain Rule

Steel strings make new fingertips tender. This is the course’s one rule about pain. Read it before you press a string.

The pain rule

1. Normal: fingertips that are tender, red or dented by the strings. Keep to the time limits and take the breaks.
2. Stop for today: fingertips that sting or burn, a blister or broken skin, or a hand that cramps or aches. With a blister, do not press strings again until it has healed.
3. Warning signs, stop at once: pain in the wrist, forearm, thumb joint or knuckles; numbness or tingling; any sharp pain; pain that lasts into the next day. Rest until it has gone completely. If it comes back when you play, or has not gone after two days, see a doctor or physiotherapist before you play again.

Never play through any of these to finish a session or to keep to the schedule.

Soreness usually eases after two to four weeks of regular playing, and by Phase 2 most people can play a whole session in comfort. Skin differs from person to person: go by how your fingertips feel, not by the calendar.

Fretting Exercise — One Finger at a Time

Place finger 1 (index) on string 3 (G string), fret 1. Start with the lightest touch: rest the fingertip on the string without pressing and pluck it with your pick. You will hear a dull thud. Press a little more and pluck again, and keep adding a little until the note rings clearly. Stop there: that is all the pressure a note needs. (This is the method of the “Lightest Touch” exercise in Fretting And Hand Position, which you will read after the session.)

Does the note ring clearly, or does it buzz or sound dead?

• If it buzzes: (1) move the fingertip right up behind the fret wire; (2) stand the finger on its tip; (3) only then add the smallest extra pressure that clears the buzz.
• If it sounds dead: the finger is on top of the fret wire, or not quite pressing. Move it back a little towards the headstock.
• If the finger will not stand on its tip: the nail is touching the fretboard: trim it.

Now try each finger on string 3:

Step	Finger	Fret	What to do
1	1 (index)	Fret 1	Press and pluck. Let the note ring, then release.
2	2 (middle)	Fret 2	Press and pluck. Let the note ring, then release.
3	3 (ring)	Fret 3	Press and pluck. Let the note ring, then release.
4	4 (little finger)	Fret 4	Press and pluck. Let the note ring, then release.

Repeat this sequence 3 times.

Break: 5 minutes. Guitar down.

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Segment 3 — New Learning: The Em Chord and Reading TAB (15 minutes)

The Em Chord

Em (E minor) is the simplest open chord on guitar. An open chord is a chord that includes open strings. Minor is one of the two main kinds of chord: major sounds brighter, minor darker (your first major chord comes in Session 5). Em uses only two fingers and all six strings ring open or fretted.

How to read a chord diagram. The six upright lines are the strings: string 6 (low E, the thickest) on the left, string 1 (high e) on the right. The lines across are frets. A dot shows where to press, and the number in it is the finger (1 = index, 2 = middle, 3 = ring, 4 = little finger). O above a string means play it open. X above a string means do not play it.

Every chord in this course is drawn this way. They are all collected in Chord Chart.

Chord Diagram:

Em

OOOO

2

3

EADGBe

Step-by-step:

1. Place your middle finger (2) on string 5 (A string), fret 2. Press just behind the fret wire.
2. Place your ring finger (3) on string 4 (D string), fret 2. It sits right next to your middle finger, on the next string towards the floor.
3. Keep your index finger (1) and little finger (4) relaxed and hovering — they are not used for this chord.
4. Your thumb should be behind the neck, roughly behind fret 2, pointing upward.
5. Make sure your fingers are curled enough that they do not accidentally touch any neighbouring strings.

The sound check: Strum all six strings slowly from string 6 to string 1. Every string should ring clearly. Now pluck each string individually:

• String 6 (E): Open — should ring clearly
• String 5 (A): Fret 2 — should ring clearly (finger 2 pressing)
• String 4 (D): Fret 2 — should ring clearly (finger 3 pressing)
• String 3 (G): Open — should ring clearly
• String 2 (B): Open — should ring clearly
• String 1 (E): Open — should ring clearly

Tuner check: A ringing string can still be the wrong note, so let your tuner referee. Pluck the strings one at a time, slowly, from string 6 to string 1. The tuner should show E, B, E, G, B, E. (If your tuner has modes, use the one that shows any note, often called chromatic.) A different letter means a finger is on the wrong string or the wrong fret.

If a string buzzes or sounds dead:

• If a note buzzes: (1) move the fingertip right up behind the fret wire; (2) stand the finger on its tip; (3) only then add the smallest extra pressure that clears the buzz.
• If a fretted note sounds dead: the finger is on top of the fret wire, or not quite pressing. Move it back a little towards the headstock.
• If an open string in a chord is dead: the finger on the next thicker string is leaning on it. Stand that finger up on its tip.
• If a finger will not stand on its tip: the nail is touching the fretboard: trim it.

Practice the chord: Strum Em 4 times at 60 BPM, one strum per click. Lift all fingers off. Place them back and strum 4 more times. Repeat this “place — strum — lift — place — strum” cycle 10 times. This builds the muscle memory for the chord shape.

Reading Guitar TAB

Keep Tab Notation Guide nearby: it is the short key to TAB for the whole course.

TAB (tablature) is a way of writing guitar music. It looks like this:

e|------0---0---0---0---|
B|------0---0---0---0---|
G|------0---0---0---0---|
D|------2---2---2---2---|
A|------2---2---2---2---|
E|------0---0---0---0---|
Count:  1   2   3   4

How to read TAB:

• There are 6 horizontal lines, one per string. Each line starts with the letter of its string: e (thinnest) at the top, E (thickest) at the bottom. The bottom line = string 6 (low E, thickest). The top line = string 1 (high e, thinnest).
• The numbers on each line tell you which fret to press. “0” means play the string open (no fretting). “2” means press fret 2.
• Read left to right, like a book. Numbers stacked vertically are played at the same time (strummed together).
• The ”|” at the end is a bar line, as in Session 1. The “Count:” row under the TAB shows the beat each strum falls on.

The TAB above is the Em chord strummed 4 times — exactly what you just learned.

Important: TAB does not show rhythm on its own. In this course the rhythm is shown by a “Count:” row under the TAB, or stated in words.

You will practise reading on your practice days with Exercises 1 and 2 of Reading Tab: they are a row in this week’s practice plan.

Break: 5 minutes. Guitar down.

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Segment 4 — Song Workshop: “Em Groove” (15 minutes)

This is an original exercise piece designed to get you comfortable strumming Em with a steady beat.

”Em Groove” — Exercise Piece

Tempo: Start at 60 BPM and work up to 70 BPM (60, then 65, then 70), one strum per click Time signature: 4/4 (4 beats per measure) Strumming pattern: All downstrokes (D)

Structure:

• 8 measures of Em, all downstrokes
• Ending: after measure 8, strum one more Em chord and let it ring
• Focus: Steady rhythm, clean chord tone, even volume on each strum

Chord:  Em                  Em
Count:  1   2   3   4   |   1   2   3   4   |
Strum:  D   D   D   D   |   D   D   D   D   |

TAB:

Chord:  Em                  Em
e|------0---0---0---0---|---0---0---0---0---|
B|------0---0---0---0---|---0---0---0---0---|
G|------0---0---0---0---|---0---0---0---0---|
D|------2---2---2---2---|---2---2---2---2---|
A|------2---2---2---2---|---2---2---2---2---|
E|------0---0---0---0---|---0---0---0---0---|
Count:  1   2   3   4       1   2   3   4

Play this pattern for 8 measures total (32 strums) without stopping, then strum the final Em and let it ring. Start at 60 BPM. When a run is clean, raise the metronome to 65, then to 70.

What it should sound like: A steady, dark, moody pulse. Em has a rich, slightly sad quality. Let the strings ring between strums — do not choke the sound by lifting your fingers.

Adding Dynamics

Once you can play 8 measures cleanly, try this dynamic variation — strum beats 1 and 3 louder (accented), beats 2 and 4 softer:

Count:  1   2   3   4   |   1   2   3   4   |
Accent: >       >       |   >       >       |
Strum:  D   d   D   d   |   D   d   D   d   |

D = normal downstroke, d = softer downstroke, > = accent: play that strum louder

This gives your playing a sense of pulse and life, not just mechanical strumming.

Check and Repeat

Fingertip check: Look at your fretting-hand fingertips. They will be red and dented by the strings: that is the first line of the pain rule in Segment 2, and it is normal. If anything on the second or third line of the rule applies, stop here and do what that line says.

If your fingertips are only tender, play the “Em Groove” one more time — all 8 measures and the final Em, at the fastest tempo you played cleanly today (up to 70 BPM).

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Segment 5 — Review and Practice Plan (5 minutes)

What You Learned Today

• Fretting-hand finger numbers (1 = index, 2 = middle, 3 = ring, 4 = little finger, T = thumb)
• How to press a string cleanly (fingertip, just behind fret wire, lightest touch that rings)
• The pain rule, and the two 5-minute breaks
• How to read a chord diagram
• The Em chord (finger 2 on string 5 fret 2, finger 3 on string 4 fret 2)
• How to read basic guitar TAB
• The “Em Groove” exercise piece, from 60 up to 70 BPM

Common Mistakes

1. Pressing with the finger pad instead of the fingertip — Curl your fingers more. You want the very tip of the finger, almost the edge near your fingernail. If the nail reaches the fretboard before the fingertip does, trim it (see Materials Needed).
2. Thumb wrapping over the top of the neck — Keep your thumb behind the neck pointing upward. This gives your fingers more reach and a better angle.
3. Muting adjacent strings — If string 3 (G) sounds dead when you play Em, your ring finger (on string 4) is likely touching it. Stand that finger up on its tip. If it will not stand up, the nail is touching the fretboard: trim it.
4. Inconsistent strumming speed — Use the metronome. Every strum should land exactly on a click. If you are rushing or dragging, slow the metronome down to 60 BPM and work back up 5 BPM at a time (65, then 70).
5. Pressing harder because your fingertips are tender — More pressure does not make them less tender. Press just hard enough for a clean sound. Extra pressure tires your hand and makes the soreness worse.
6. Reading TAB upside down — The top line is the thinnest string (string 1), the one nearest the floor.

Self-Check Questions

1. Tuner check: hold Em and pluck each string, from string 6 to string 1. Does every string ring clearly, and does the tuner show E, B, E, G, B, E? If not: use the fixes under “If a string buzzes or sounds dead” in Segment 3; a different letter on the tuner means a finger is on the wrong string or the wrong fret. Try again the next day.
2. Can you place your fingers in the Em shape, lift them off completely, and place them back within 3 seconds? Check: set the metronome to 60 BPM (one click a second) and lift your fingers on a click; both fingers are back in place by the third click after it. If not: keep to the place-strum-lift-place cycle in the Em Chord block of the practice plan (10 reps) and try again the next day.
3. Looking at the “Em Groove” TAB, can you name the string and the fret for every number in its first column? Check: all six answers match the list under “The sound check” in Segment 3 (the top line of the TAB is string 1, the bottom line string 6). If not: read “How to read TAB” in Segment 3 again, do the TAB Reading block of the practice plan, and try again the next day.
4. Recording check: record the “Em Groove” (8 measures and the final Em, about 30 seconds) at 70 BPM, one strum per click, with the metronome loud enough to hear. Listen once for one thing: does every strum land on its click, with no stop? If not: go back to 60 BPM in the Em Groove block of the practice plan and work back up 5 BPM at a time (65, then 70), moving up only after a clean run. Record again when 70 is clean.

Practice Plan for Week 2 (each practice day, 20 minutes)

Block	Time	Activity
Warm-Up	3 min	The warm-up from this session’s Segment 1, then tune
Lightest Touch	2 min	The “Lightest Touch” exercise in Fretting And Hand Position: find the least pressure that gives a clear note. Once on each string
Fretting Exercise	2 min	One-finger-per-fret exercise on string 3 (Session 2 Technique Focus). 3 times through
Em Chord	6 min	Place-strum-lift-place cycle (10 reps). Then strum Em for 8 measures, one strum per click, 3 times: at 60, 65, then 70 BPM
Em Groove	5 min	Play the full “Em Groove” with accents (D d D d), one strum per click. Start at 60 BPM; after a clean run go to 65, then 70. Repeat until the time is up
TAB Reading	2 min	Exercises 1 and 2 in Reading Tab. Say each string and fret aloud, play it slowly without the metronome, then at 50 BPM, one note per click. Twice each

This is your plan for the whole week. The end-of-week check is in Weekly Plans Phase 1 2, Week 2.

Two sittings this week: If the week’s practice plan is longer than the limit in the table, split it into two sittings at least an hour apart. (The table is “Playing-time limits for your first weeks of pressing strings” in How To Practice.) This is your first week of pressing strings, so the limit is 15 minutes: do the first four rows in one sitting (13 minutes) and the last two in another (7 minutes).

Steel-string note: Your fingertips will be tender after practice. Do not peel or pick at the hardening skin. Short practice on most days toughens your fingertips faster than occasional long sessions. A rest day does not undo it. If your fingertips are raw or blistered, rest them: the pain rule comes before the schedule.

Guitar Tip — Saga SF-600C-BK

The Saga’s steel strings need more finger pressure than nylon strings. If you have to press hard to get a clear note, do the string-height check in Guitar Guide. Strings set too high above the fretboard (a high “action”) are common on new guitars, and a guitar shop can put that right with a routine setup.

After the session (not part of the 50 minutes)

• Read: Fretting And Hand Position, the sections “Sitting Position”, “Fretting Hand Position” and “Level 1 — The Lightest Touch (From Session 2)” (5 minutes).
• Read: Reading Tab, the sections “What TAB Looks Like” and “Numbers on the Lines” (5 minutes).