How to Read Guitar Chord Diagrams
A guitar chord diagram is a picture of the fretboard seen head-on. The six vertical lines are the strings (thickest on the left), the horizontal lines are frets, dots show where to press, an X means do not play that string, and an O means play it open.
The grid
Hold the guitar upright in front of you, as if standing it on its end, with the headstock at the top. The diagram shows exactly that view. The left vertical line is the thickest string (low E) and the right vertical line is the thinnest (high E).
The thick line at the top is the nut. If a diagram has no thick line and a number beside it, such as "5fr", the shape starts higher up the neck at that fret.
Dots, X and O
- A dot: press the string at that fret.
- An O above a string: play that string open (no fingers).
- An X above a string: do not play that string. Mute it or avoid hitting it.
- A curved or straight bar across several strings: a barre. Lay one finger flat across those strings at that fret.
Reading chord names and fingers
A chord name has up to three parts: the root note (C), the quality (major, minor, 7, maj7) and sometimes a bass note (C/G). Fingering numbers 1 to 4 stand for index, middle, ring and pinky; the thumb is T.
Our diagrams show the notes and mute marks and a code such as x32010, read from the low E string to the high e string: x = muted, 0 = open, numbers = fret.
Reading the code x32010
For C major, x32010 means: low E string muted, A string at the 3rd fret, D string at the 2nd fret, G string open, B string at the 1st fret, high e open.
Related
FAQ
Which side is the thick string on a chord chart?
The thickest (low E) string is the leftmost vertical line, the thinnest (high E) is the rightmost.
What does the X above a string mean?
Do not play that string. Mute it with a fretting finger or avoid striking it.
What does the number next to a diagram mean?
It gives the fret where the diagram starts, for example "5fr" means the top of the chart is the 5th fret.
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