The following chord progressions are great for developing a solid foundation that will help make it easier to play many popular songs. I recommend that you learn one at a time, only introducing a new one when the previous starts to feel comfortable.
Each progression is written out three different ways. At the top is a chord box showing an overview of where to put your fingers. In the middle is standard music notation with the fingering marked to the left of the first chord of each measure. Then, at the bottom, tablature is used to indicate which frets of each string ( written 6th to 1st from the bottom up) are to be used. Zeros indicate open strings while Xs indicate strings that are not played. The partial square symbol above the chords in music notation (first and last measures of each line) indicate that a down strum pattern should be used.
All the chords are written using a quarter note rhythm (one beat each) because it's best to keep things rhythmically simple in the beginning. In fact it's probably a good idea to start by playing each chord as a whole note (one per measure for four beats) then half notes (two per measure for two beats) and finally as written. This will make it easier to concentrate on getting a good tone while allowing ample time to switch from one chord to another. Also, starting with these simple rhythms will serve as a foundation for the eventual developement of down up strumming as well as more intricate patterns.
I'll be discussing how to approach different types of strumming patterns in the future but for now have fun playing these.
*Note that when a letter is used by itself above a chord box (ex: C, E, A, D etc.) a major tonality is implied. Also, if you would like to hear me playing these progressions just click where it says "Listen to Ex." next to the speaker icon below each example. You will hear each chord progression played one time as written using a quarter note (one strum per beat) down strumming pattern.
Example 1:
This progression, in the key of G major, is great to start with because each chord has a common finger with the one after it. The 1st finger of the G (on the 5th string) is used in the E minor, the 2nd finger of the E minor (on the 4th string) is used in the C and the 1st finger of the C (on the 2nd string) is used in the D7. That means the common finger does not have to be lifted when shifting to the next chord in the progression. The only place this doesn't apply is when you are playing D7 to G at the end.
Sequentially the G is the built on the first degree of the G major scale while the E minor is built on the 6th, the C on the 4th and D7 on the 5th making this a I-VI-IV-V7 progression. This chord sequence has been used as the basis to many popular songs over the years and would be a good one to master.
Listen to Ex. 1 
Example 2:
This next progression is a I(C)-VI(Am)-II(Dm)-V7(G7) chord sequence in the key of C major and is also widely used in many songs. Like the 1st example there are common fingers between some of the chords. The 1st and 2nd fingers (on the 2nd and 4th strings) of the C are used in the A minor and the 1st finger of the D minor is used in the G7. There are no common fingers between A minor and D minor as well as between G7 and C . When this is the case it is a good idea to practice rolling your fingers when shifting to the new chord by placing them down one at a time instead of all at once. In doing so you will eventually get fast enough where it will seem as though all your fingers are landing together when they actually aren't and the transition between chords will sound very smooth.
Notice that the D minor uses the 4th finger on the 2nd string which I like to do because it frees up the 3rd finger and because the smaller 4th finger fits nicely between the 1st and 3rd strings. This means that the 3rd finger must float so as not to touch any strings which can be very difficult at first. My advice is to stay with this until it feels comfortable because it's a more versatile fingering and you'll be able to do more with it technically over time. However, if it proves too difficult then try using your 3rd finger on the 2nd string instead. This should prove to be a bit easier and you can always go back to the other fingering at a later date when you feel ready.
Example 3:
Example 3 has only one common finger application which is the 2nd finger of the B7 (on the 5th string) being used in the E. Also of note is that this chord sequence, although pretty commonly used, is a little outside the box theoretically. By this I mean that the E, A and B7 are the I, IV and V7 chords in the key of E major while the D is not part of this key at all. This sort of thing is common in many rock and pop songs where a chord, although not in the original key, is used for the effect and/or sound it adds to the overall progression. In this case you can look at the D as being a IV chord in the key of A major (more on this later).
