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Chords for 12-string guitar

It's popular to tune 12-string guitars to DGCFAD (all 12 strings with octave difference will look like d-D--g-G--c-C--f-F--A-A--D-D). Tuning down one whole tone makes the strings looser and easier to play. Since a 12-string guitar has double strings, tuning down a whole tone is very common on this guitar type.

Chords (DGCFAD tuning)

The specialties of 12-string guitars

The strings on a 12-string guitar feature a combination of steel strings and wound strings, which vary in thickness. The string pairs are also tuned at different octaves apart from some of the pairs. 12-string guitars produce a fuller and richer sound with a chorus-like character. The bracing often deviates some, with a somewhat larger dimension.

The instrument is relatively common in folk and rock. Beatles are one of the famous bands to have used it. Some specific songs to listen to are “Stairway to Heaven”, “Hotel California” and “Eight Miles High”.

The 12-string guitar has been around since the early 20th century. The geographical origin is unknown, but according to some suggestion it could have been Mexico.

More hand strength is needed for guitar with twelve strings. This is why some tune down the guitar one half or whole tone. String breakage is also more common and once again, this can often be avoided byloosening the strings. It’s also recommended to use light string gauge (light string is approximately equivalent to medium gauge on a regular guitar).

The neck is wider, but since the strings are arranged in pairs, there is only a slighter difference. If you are used to playing on a nylon guitar, you will not have any problems. One aspect of the wider neck is that your regular capo probably not will fit and you have to get a special made capo.

Strumming is easier than fingerplaying or fingerpicking. When playing arpeggios and similar, you should strive to play two strings (a string pair and not a separate string) at a time. (If you’re using tablature, it will look the same for 12-string).

Plectrum will often sound great and because of the special conditions, light and medium plectrums are recommended.

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