Guide · Guitar theory
How to read guitar chord diagrams
A chord diagram is a picture of the neck standing upright: the six vertical lines are the strings, low E on the left, and the horizontal lines are the The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step., with the thick line at the top for the The slotted strip at the top of the neck where the strings leave the headstock. Open strings ring from the nut.. Dots show where to press, an o means play the string open, and an x means do not play it. Written as numbers from the low string, open C is x 3 2 0 1 0.
The grid: strings and frets
Hold the guitar facing you, neck pointing up: that is the view a chord diagram shows.
Open
A shape · fret 3
E shape · fret 8
The leftmost line is the thickest string, low E, and the rightmost is the thinnest, high E. In between, from left to right, come A, D, G and B. The thick bar along the top is the The slotted strip at the top of the neck where the strings leave the headstock. Open strings ring from the nut., so the first space below it is The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. 1, the next fret 2, and so on.
A dot sits in the space between two fret lines, never on a line, because that is where your fingertip goes: just behind the fret wire, not on top of it.
Dots, x and o
A dot is a fretted note, o is an open string that rings, and x is a string you mute or skip.
Open D is x x 0 2 3 2: the two low strings have an x, so you strum from the D string down. Starting on the right string matters as much as the fretted notes; a stray low E under a D chord muddies it.
Some diagrams number the dots with the finger to use, 1 for the index finger to 4 for the little finger. On GuitStart the dots show what each note is instead: R for the The note a chord is named after and built up from. C is the root of C, Cm and C7., and 3, 5 or ♭7 for the other chord tones, so the diagram teaches the chord as well as the fingering.
Barres and fret numbers
A long bar across several strings is a A chord where one finger presses several strings at the same fret, like a movable nut, so the shape works anywhere on the neck.: one finger presses them all. A number beside the grid says which The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. the diagram starts on.
E shape · fret 1
A shape · fret 8
F as a barre chord is 1 3 3 2 1 1. Its diagram draws a bar across fret 1, under which your first finger presses all six strings, with the other fingers making an E shape above it.
Higher up the neck the The slotted strip at the top of the neck where the strings leave the headstock. Open strings ring from the nut. is not shown. Instead the diagram starts at the fret printed beside it, such as 5fr. The same F shape moved to fret 5 is A, 5 7 7 6 5 5, and its diagram looks identical apart from that number. The barre chord guide covers both A chord or scale fingering with no open strings. Slide it up or down the neck and it changes its root but not its type: a major shape stays major..
From diagram to tab and back
Read the diagram from left to right and write the The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. of each string, x for muted: those six symbols are the chord in tab.
Open C becomes x 3 2 0 1 0. In guitar tab the same chord is written as a column of numbers, with the low E at the bottom of the column and the high E at the top. That is upside down from how the strings look when you glance down while playing, so check it whenever a tab sounds wrong.
So a diagram reads left to right, low to high, and a tab column reads bottom to top, low to high. Once that clicks, you can turn any songbook chord box into tab and back. The guitar tab guide explains the rest of tab notation.
Reading new chords quickly
Find the lowest string to play first, place the fingers from the thickest string up, and check each note before you strum.
Look for the x marks first so you know where the chord starts. Then place your fingers from the bass strings upwards; it is easier to fit the higher fingers around the lower ones than the other way round.
Pick the strings one at a time. If a note buzzes or dies, the diagram is fine; one finger is too far from its The metal strips across the neck, and the spaces between them. Each fret raises a string by one half step. or is touching the next string. Arch the fingers so only the tips touch the strings.
Every chord on the site has a page with its diagrams and a play button, so you can compare what you hear with the right sound. Try C, G and Am, then work through the chord chart.