Read Chord Diagrams

You can play literally thousands of songs just by learning a few chords. And, once you're ready to keep learning, you'll find that chord diagrams are an invaluable way to study and learn new chords. The system is fortunately easy and intuitive to pick up, as well.

Steps

  1. Know the square grid in the diagram represents frets and six strings. The grid represents the neck of your guitar, and the thick horizontal line at the top represents the nut of the instrument, which is located at the top of the fret board next to the head. The horizontal lines represent frets while the vertical lines represent strings.
    • The leftmost vertical line is the sixth string (the thickest string), while the rightmost one represents the first string (the thinnest string).
  2. Note where the chord starts. The first position chords are based at the nut of the instrument and have the most open strings. However, if there is a small number to the upper right of the diagram, this means you start the chord at the fret noted by the number. The top of the diagram would be the fret -- so if there is an 8, the top of the diagram is the 8th fret. The letter at the top of the chart is the name of the chord.
  3. Number your fingers to match the chord diagrams. The dots on the strings indicate the string and fret location. One string vibrating by itself is called a note. When multiple strings are vibrating at different frequencies, the sound produced is called a chord. Furthermore, the numbers inside the dots tell you which finger to use for fretting, making finding the chord even easier.
    • 1 - Pointer finger
    • 2 - Middle finger
    • 3 - Ring finger
    • 4 - Little finger
    • T - Thumb
  4. Pay attention to barre chords noted by a thick line across the frets. If there is a thick, horizontal line across the frets, this means that the same finger is barred across multiple strings. This is done for barre chords and some complex jazz fingerings. You start your tip of the finger at the farthest left fret on the diagram, then use the "body" of your finger to fret the other strings beneath it.
  5. Know which open strings to play and which to ignore. The X above the nut indicates a string that is not used. Either mute the string with an unused finger or don't strum it. The O above the nut indicates a string that is played open, meaning no finger is pressed on that string.
    • Black or differently colored dots often indicate the "root note." This is the dominant note in the chord. For an A-major chord, for example, the root note would be an A. There are often multiple of the same root note in one chord.

Tips

  • Play along with the song on your stereo/mp3 player/computer. It will help establish tempo and timing between the chord changes.
  • Keep practicing on a regular schedule and slowly increase the length of your practice sessions. This will build muscle memory and calluses on your fingers. Calluses will enable you to play for longer periods of time which builds up more calluses. Don't worry, the calluses don't keep growing, but adjust to the length of your playing sessions.
  • It takes time to master some chords. Know that there is some pain and difficulty when you're first starting.

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Sources and Citations

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