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How to Read a Guitar Chord Diagram
Aug 4, 2010 Music Theory Leave a comment
Posted by
dwguitar101
A Chord Diagram is a visual representation of the guitar’s fretboard and teaches you how to play new chords by illustrating exact frets, strings, and fingering to be used.
The chord name that the diagram is teaching you is located above the diagram.
The diagram’s vertical lines represent the six guitar strings. The guitar’s thickest string is the left vertical line on the diagram, and the thinnest string is the right vertical line on the diagram.
The diagram’s horizontal lines represent the frets on the guitar’s neck. The top horizontal line represents the “Nut” at the top of the neck, where the strings run through, and the bottom line of the diagram represents the respective fret number.
X’s located at the top of the diagram represent muted strings. Do not play those strings.
O’s located at the top of the diagram represent open strings. Play these strings without touching them.
The black dots indicate which frets you should place your fingers on.
The numbers at the bottom of the diagram describe which fingers to use. Your fingers are numbered: 1=Index, 2 = Middle, 3 = Ring, 4 = Pinky.
A number or Roman Numeral will be placed to the left of the diagram if the diagram represents a higher section of the guitar’s fretboard. For example, if a 5 or V is written to the left of the diagram, the “first” fret of the diagram now becomes the fifth fret, the “second” is the sixth, the “third” is the seventh fret, and so on.
Hope that helps you out. Feel free to email me if something is still unclear.