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Lesson 1.
How To Read A Chord Diagram

Let's begin our study of basic guitar chords by learning how to read and understand a chord diagram.

In the chord diagram below there are three main elements you need to know.

The nut and frets are represented by the horizontal lines. The strings are represented by the vertical lines. These three elements make up the chord diagram.

The 6th sting is the fattest string,(closest to the ceiling) and the 1st string is the skinny one,(closest to the floor). The nut is the piece by the headstock that has an individual slot for each string to pass through. The frets are the siver metal strips on your fretboard.


For additional lessons on basic guitar chords and a host of other guitar related topics, with lessons that include video and jam tracks, check out Learn To Play Lead Guitar by clicking here.

 Now let's look at a chord diagram for a C chord.

The black dots on the chord diagram tell you what fret and string to place your fingers. Numbers inside the dots tell you which finger to use. Your fingers are numbered as follows:index is 1, middle is 2, ring is 3 and your pinky is 4.

In the chord diagram above your 1st finger would be on the 2nd string in the 1st fret. your middle finger would be on the 4th string, 2nd fret. And your 3rd finger would be on the 5th string, 3rd fret.

The X under the chord diagram means that you do not play that string. In this example you would not play the 6th string. The 0 under the chord diagram indicates a string that sounds but you don't put any fingers on them. In this chord diagram the 1st and 3rd strings sound but you don't have any fingers on them.

In the lessons on basic guitar chords that follow, understanding how to read a chord diagram will be very important, so be sure you understand this lesson on how to read a chord diagram.

For a great selection of instructional books on basic guitar chords, guitar riffs, or transcriptions by your favorite artists search Sheet Music Plus. Check out the books published by the Musicians Institute. I highly recommend them.

If you need a new guitar to play basic guitar chords on, or any other gear, check out the Guitars - Specials here.

Now that you know how to read a chord diagram, it's time to move on in our quest to learn guitar. In lesson 2 we will learn 5 basic major chords in chord diagram form and explore ways that they are used in songs.

For lesson 2 on basic guitar chords in chord diagram form, click here.