A chord chart is an effective way to begin learning guitar. These charts help you visualize open and barre chord shapes while the numbers on vertical lines indicate which finger should press onto which fret.
Thick black lines represent strings, with numbers above them to indicate which fret your finger should press upon. You may also notice X’s and O’s above specific strings to either mutes them or play them open respectively.
Basics
Let’s first examine the key elements of a chord chart: Vertical lines represent strings, starting with Low E on the left and progressing upward to High E on the right; horizontal bars represent frets; the numbers on each line indicate which finger should be placed on it (1 representing your index finger, 2 representing middle finger and 3 or 4 representing ring finger).
Above the thick black line that represents your guitar’s nut you’ll see Xs and Os. These symbols indicate which string should be muted when strumming chords; Os indicate which string should be strung open instead. Having these quick reference guides help quickly identify chords you should play when learning songs or creating original material! Developing strong chord changing habits now will make transitioning between chords much simpler down the road!
Dots
When viewing a chord chart with black dots, each number within each dot indicates which finger of your fretting hand should be used to fret that particular string and fret. For instance, if there’s an indicator at the second fret of the fourth string with two dots inside of it, your index finger should be in that spot if applicable; some charts also feature “T” symbols that indicate thumb should fret the note in question.
Chord charts often display symbols with “X” and “O” designations above the thick line that indicates the guitar nut. An “X” indicates that string should not be strung with an open finger while an “O” allows either method of play – either strumming it openly or fretted finger.
Some chords contain notes above the fifth fret. When this occurs, chord charts typically display a “6fr” or ‘VI” symbol to indicate that its starting point should be considered the sixth fret rather than the nut.
Numbers
On chord diagrams, fret numbers often appear within black dots as fret numbers. They indicate which finger to press against each string when fretting it; for instance, fret number “1” would indicate you should fret it with your index finger while fret numbers 2 and 3 could indicate middle and ring finger fretting, respectively. If any black dot doesn’t contain numbers within it then that string should be played open.
Chords that produce a major sound are identified by simply noting their root note; those with minor tones use “m”, while diminished and dominant chords offer further variations from traditional major chords.
Bars are represented by thick black lines that span multiple strings, while any string that doesn’t feature an “X” should be muted when playing the chord.
Bars
Bar chords are chords where all strings are compressed with your fingertips and not left open, as evidenced by a thick line across all of their strings on a chart. Indicating this with either an “X” or an “O”, respectively. They serve to indicate whether to avoid strumming any particular string (indicated with either symbol), or play it as is (the latter case being more typical).
On the guitar, there are various ways of writing bar chords and it is important to become familiar with them all. They will frequently move up and down the fretboard so it is crucial that you learn their movement patterns.
Chord charts may include repeat marks that look like thick lines with two dots to indicate that a particular chord should be played twice at the end of every line. This helps keep track of your playing while making it easier for reading; plus it will speed up learning so that more chords will get learned faster!