How to read a chord diagram
A chord diagram is a picture of the fretboard as if the guitar were standing upright facing you. The six vertical lines are the strings — low E on the left, high E on the right. Horizontal lines are frets; the thick line at the top is the nut. Dots show where to press. A circle above a string means play it open; a cross means mute it or avoid hitting it. If the shape is higher up the neck, a number such as 5fr tells you the fret of the top row.
Under each diagram the tool also gives the shape in tab-style shorthand, from low E to high E. x 3 2 0 1 0 is the classic open C chord: low E muted, A string 3rd fret, D string 2nd fret, G open, B 1st fret, high E open.
How the shapes are generated
Instead of a fixed list, the finder calculates real voicings. For the chord you pick it works out the notes from the chord formula, then searches the first twelve frets for shapes that:
- have the root note as the lowest sounding note,
- contain every essential chord tone (the 5th may be left out of four- and five-note chords, as guitarists normally do),
- stretch no more than four frets and need no more than four fingers, counting a barre as one finger,
- mute only bass strings, never strings in the middle.
The results are sorted so that open-position and easier shapes come first, followed by barre and higher-neck options.
Chord formulas
Every chord is built from a root plus intervals above it. Learn these few formulas and you can work out any chord in any key:
| Chord | Formula | Example in C |
|---|---|---|
| Major | 1 3 5 | C E G |
| Minor (m) | 1 b3 5 | C Eb G |
| Dominant 7th (7) | 1 3 5 b7 | C E G Bb |
| Major 7th (maj7) | 1 3 5 7 | C E G B |
| Minor 7th (m7) | 1 b3 5 b7 | C Eb G Bb |
| Sus2 / Sus4 | 1 2 5 / 1 4 5 | C D G / C F G |
| Add9 | 1 3 5 9 | C E G D |
| Diminished | 1 b3 b5 | C Eb Gb |
| Augmented | 1 3 #5 | C E G# |
| Power chord (5) | 1 5 | C G |
The difference between major and minor is a single note: the 3rd. Lower it by one fret and a happy-sounding major chord becomes a darker minor chord. You can hear this by switching between E (022100) and Em (022000) — only one finger moves.
Practising new chords
Learn shapes in pairs that appear together in songs, such as G and C, or Am and E. Place all fingers at once rather than one at a time, strum, then lift and repeat. Our first guitar chords guide gives a full beginner plan, and the barre chord guide covers the movable shapes shown higher up the neck.
Frequently asked questions
Why are there several diagrams for one chord?
A chord is a set of notes, and the guitar has many places to play each note. Open shapes ring brightly, barre shapes are movable, and higher shapes sound thinner. Use whichever fits the song and the chords around it.
What does the bar across the strings mean?
It is a barre: lay your first finger flat across those strings at that fret. The other dots are played with the remaining fingers.
Can I link to a specific chord?
Yes. The page address updates as you choose, for example /tools/chord-finder/#Am7, so you can bookmark or share it.
Why does a sharp chord show a flat name?
Some roots are more commonly written as flats, such as Bb and Eb. They are the same notes on the guitar as A# and D#.