How to Read Chord Diagrams

Chord diagrams (also called chord grids or fretboard charts) are visual representations of how to play a chord on a stringed instrument. The diagram shows the fretboard as if you were looking down at the neck of the instrument held vertically.

Vertical lines represent strings (left = lowest pitch on guitar, right = highest). Horizontal lines represent frets. Dots show where to place your fingers. An open circle (O) above a string means play it open. An X means mute or skip that string. Numbers inside dots indicate suggested fingering (1 = index, 2 = middle, 3 = ring, 4 = pinky).

On piano, chords are shown on a keyboard diagram with highlighted keys. Each key corresponds to a note in the chord. The pattern is often easier to see on piano because the same shape can be moved to any starting position.

Chord diagrams are one of three notation systems every guitarist meets. The other two are chord symbols (the shorthand like Cmaj7 or Am7 you see on lead sheets) and guitar tablature (the ASCII number-on-lines format used for riffs and solos). Diagrams are the fastest for chord shapes; symbols are the fastest for harmonic communication; tab is the fastest for exact finger positions. See the Reading Chord Symbols and Reading Tablature lessons for the other two legs of the trio.