Chords Dictionary
Tap any chord to hear its acoustic strumming with authentic studio sound.
How to use it
How to read a chord diagram
Each card shows the fretboard from the front, as if the guitar were standing in front of you. The vertical lines are the six strings.
The sixth, low E, is on the left. The horizontal lines are the frets, and the thick bar at the top is the nut.
Listen: major, minor and seventh
- C
- Cm
- C7
The symbols
- The number inside the circle is the finger. 1 is the index, 2 the middle, 3 the ring, and 4 the little finger.
- An empty circle above the string means it's played open. An X means it should not be played.
- A bar crossing several strings is a barre. The same finger presses all those strings on that fret.
- If the shape starts above the first fret, the chart shows the starting fret number.
How chords are named
The letter is the root note. C is C, D is D, E is E, F is F, G is G, A is A, and B is B.
Without another symbol, the chord is major. With an m, it's minor, like Am.
The 7 adds the minor seventh, as in G7. It sounds tense and wants to resolve.
The maj7 adds the major seventh, as in Cmaj7, and sounds softer.
The sus4 changes the third to the fourth. The add9 adds the ninth without removing any notes from the triad.
Where to start
First, learn the open chords C, G, D, Em, and Am. With these, you can already accompany many songs.
Then add E, A, and Dm, and the barre chords F and Bm.
Press Play on each card and compare your sound with the recording. If something doesn't sound clean, play string by string until you find the one that's not ringing clearly.
Check yourself
Listen to both: which one sounds minor?
Index of all guitar chords
Every chord has its own page with fingering, fretboard variations and real sound.