How to Read Guitar Chords (Chord Diagrams)

A guitar chord diagram is a simple map of the fretboard. Vertical lines are the strings, horizontal lines are the frets, dots show which notes to press, and small marks above the grid tell you which strings to play open or skip. Read it left to right from the lowest string to the highest and the shape is unambiguous.

The parts of a chord diagram

• Vertical lines — strings. Six lines, left to right: low E, A, D, G, B, high E.
• Horizontal lines — frets. The top line is the nut (or a fret number is shown if the shape sits higher up the neck).
• Dots — where to press. A dot on a string-and-fret crossing means hold that note down.
• Numbers on the dots — fingers. 1 is the index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky.
• O above a string — play it open, with no finger.
• X above a string — do not play it.

From a chord name to a shape

A chord name tells you the notes; a diagram tells you where to put them. A C major chord is the notes C, E, and G — and a chord finder shows you those notes, the intervals that build them, and the diagram or piano shape to play. That bridge from name to shape is the fastest way to learn an unfamiliar chord without hunting through a paper chart.