Beginner guitar students need a basic chord chart as a starting point. Open-voiced chords provide vibrant sounding chords which are easy to learn.
This downloadable chart contains 144 guitar chords in PDF format for printing. A smaller version can also be useful as a pocket poster or cheat sheet in your guitar case.
Triads
Triads are simple three note chords that form the basis of harmony, making up any style of music and serving as the starting point for learning more complex chords. Studying triads will also help develop your musical ear while sharpening up your guitar technique.
Basic triads consist of a root note, third and fifth note. Every type of triad has its own sound that can be classified as major, minor, diminished or augmented triad. While major triads have the characteristic sound of being complete and bright; minor ones sounding sadder, droopier and melancholic while diminished ones can sound discordant with an addition of flat fifths (b5).
Start learning triads on guitar by first familiarizing yourself with the CAGED system of chord shapes. This will provide a solid grasp of all major triads found close position. When you have these down pat, practice them by playing block chords and arpeggios using them; take your time comparing their sound qualities across positions and keys of the fretboard.
Dominant 7ths
Dominant seventh chords produce an authoritative sound. Constructed from root, major third, perfect fifth and flattened seventh – commonly referred to as tetrads – they produce a powerful melody with four note intervals between.
Dominant sevenths typically follow the formula 1-3-5-7, although they can also be constructed with a flattened 5th and feature the form 1-2-3-5-7 for added interest (known as drop 3 chords; drop 2 and drop 4 are also common options).
Drop 3 chords can be created easily by taking the third note in an open voicing and lowering it by half step to create a minor third, creating tension in the bass. When looking at guitar chord charts for this style of chord playback, look out for strings with either an “X” or an “0” where numbers should appear – this tells you to either mutes (play) that string, or leave it out completely; all remaining fretted notes will continue as normal – these chords are typically used in blues music and rock genres.
Minor 7ths
When playing minor chords it is often added a seventh note, creating a more melancholic sound and conveying more sad emotions. Usually this 7th is lowered by half step; thus forming what’s known as a minor seven flat five or diminished chord.
To identify note intervals within these chords, take note of which notes you are using as part of the scale you are employing and count the half-steps/semistones between roots and 3rd, 5th and 7th notes in that scale. Referring to an interval table will help to establish its quality.
These are four of the most frequently employed drop 2 minor seventh chord voicings (this term refers to how it’s laid out over the fretboard). Note that an “x” means to mute strings so you can practice these chord shapes with normal position finger placement; once mastered you can move onto other minor 7th chords.
Major 7ths
The major seventh chord is similar to its dominant seven counterpart, yet adds one tone above its root for an additional romantic and harmonious sound that often appears in Romantic-era piano pieces.
Sheet music notation depicts these chords as Maj7, M7 or m7b chords. Alterations – whether sharpened or flattened fifth notes – may also be added for additional notes which produce shapes like Maj9, Maj7add11 and Maj7add13 chords.
Jazz musicians frequently employ major sevenths when performing songs featuring saxophone or brass instruments, like Tadd Dameron’s “Lady Bird”. This PDF eBook presents 126 guitar chord shapes in open positions which can be moved around, featuring pictures, standard notation, tabs, analysis and audio files for practicing major seventh arpeggios licks and progressions.