guitar chords

A guitar chord is a chord as played on any type of guitar.

There are so many combinations of notes that can create chords on the guitar that it is difficult to represent them all graphically. This article therefore demonstrates some of the theory behind chord construction on the guitar. Other chords not listed here can be created by following these principles.

Guitars can vary in the number of strings they have and the way they are tuned. Most guitars used in popular music have six-strings and are tuned (in order of decreasing string width) E-A-D-G-B-E. The string with the highest tone is known as the first string and the lowest in tone is the sixth string.

Notation

Chord diagrams

Guitar chords can be represented in standard notation, tablature (frequently referred to as tab), or in chord diagrams that are used on this page.

There are several symbols used in this graphical format:

• Vertical lines represent the guitar strings. The line on the left is the bass (thickest) string on the guitar.
• Horizontal lines represent frets on the guitar. Unless a different fret number is indicated on the right-hand side of the diagram, the top horizontal line should be taken to be the nut (zeroth fret).
• An X above a vertical line indicates a string which is not played.
• An O above a vertical line indicates a string which is played without being fretted (known as openly).
• A filled circle on a vertical line indicates the position in which a string is fretted to play a note.
• A filled circle and square on a vertical line indicates the position in which a string is fretted to play a root note.
• A curved line is used to indicate when a single finger is used to hold multiple strings down at once.
• Numbers beneath certain strings indicate the finger number that is usually used to play this note.

Note that the chord diagrams have to be reversed for guitars played upside-down (as left-handed guitarists may do).

Fret numbers

A shorthand for chord diagrams is to simply give the fret numbers of each chord. For example, this might be given as [X 3 2 0 1 0] in the case of the C major chord which is pictured below. The leftmost character gives the fret number of the sixth string (in this case X means it is not played) and the rightmost character gives the fret number of the first string (in this case open).

Six-string guitars with standard tuning

In standard tuning, the guitar is tuned E-A-D-G-B-E (from thickest to thinnest string). This means that the intervals between the strings are all perfects fourths, except for the interval between the G and B strings which is a major third. Guitar chords in standard tuning often take advantage of this interval combination.

CAGED major chords

Major chords contain a root note, a note a major third above the root and a note a perfect fifth above the root.

In the case of C major, these notes are C, E and G. The graphical representation on the right shows how left-hand fingering produces:

• E on the first string
• C on the second string
• E on the third string
• G on the fourth string
• C on the fifth string

No note is played on the sixth string.
In a similar way, the chords A major, G major, E major and D major are often played as:

These five chords are fundamental to guitar playing because the each have their root on a different string.

A major and E major shapes

The two remaining whole tone major chords (to complete an octave) are those of B major and F major. These are commonly played as barre chords, with the first finger used to press down multiple strings across the guitar fingerboard.

On examination, it becomes clear that these two chords are logical extensions of the A major and E major chords above. The B major chord is the same shape as the A major chord but it is located two frets further up the fretboard. The F major chord is the same shape as E major but it is one fret further from the headstock. In effect, barre chords act as if the whole guitar has been shortened, like a moveable nut or capo.

Barre chords in the shape of A and E major can be played anywhere on the fretboard. Wherever they are played, these chords are major because they have the same shape, and this determines the intervals between the notes. The root of the chord in any position can be worked out from the diagrams above.

C major, G major and D major shapes

The other three shapes in the CAGED system are C major, G major and D major. These can be transformed into barre chords in a similar way to the A major and E major shapes.

The CAGED system therefore creates five major barre chords which can be used to play all the major chords in more than one position on the fretboard.

Other CAGED chords

The CAGED system can be modified to produce many other chords, only some of which can be covered here.

These require the basic shape of the chord to be modified so that it has slightly different intervals between each note. Once this is done, the shape can be played anywhere on the fretboard, as above.

Minor, Augmented and Diminished

Minor chords (commonly notated as C, Cm or Cma) are the same as major chords except that they have a minor third instead of a major third. This is a difference of one semitone.

To create F minor from the F major chord (in E major shape), the second finger should be lifted so that the fourth string plays onto the barre.

The other shapes can be modified as well:

The C major and G major shapes cannot be modified in this way because the major third in those shapes falls on the barre (or nut). It is therefore impossible to lower that note by one semitone (to produce the minor third) and retain the barre. C minor and G minor therefore have to be played using one of the other CAGED shapes.

Augmented chords (major third and augmented fifth) and diminished chords (minor third and diminished fifth) can be created in much the same way.

Slash (Inverted)

A chord is inverted when the bass note isn't the root note. For example, if the note E (the open sixth string) were to be played over the A minor chord (as in the table above), the chord would be [0 0 2 2 1 0]. This has the note E as its lowest tone instead of A. It is often written as Am/E, where the letter following the slash indicates the new bass note.

Seventh and Extended

Seventh chords (notated by 7) are constructed by adding a fourth note to the triad. There are various types of seventh chords depending on the quality of the original chord and the quality of the seventh added.

Other extended chords, such as ninths (9), elevenths (11) and thirteenths (13) can also be constructed. These can all be played with the CAGED shapes.

Power chords

Power chords (sometimes notated as 5) consist solely of a root note and a fifth. Sometimes an octave is included as well.

Since power chords do not have a third, they cannot be defined as either major or minor.

On a guitar with six strings, it is possible to play any of five power chord shapes. Each can be played anywhere along the neck. The basic shapes are

Six-string guitars with alternate tuning

A simple readjustment like drop D tuning drastically changes the way several important chords are played (one of drop D tuning's advantages is that it makes power chords easier to play, a plus for rock and roll music). Alternate tunings are used often to make normally fiendish chords to play on standard tuning more manageable due to less stretching of the fingers.

External links

• Yamaha Guitar chord reference for cell phones
• ChordFind.com Chord finder with all chords available as MIDI files
• WikiBooks guitar-playing guide Extensive list of chords
• Electric-Guitar.co.uk Lessons on basic and advanced chords as well as a chord dictionary
• I learn music User-submitted guitar resources
• Guitar School Online Chord Diagrams
• Guitar Chords Magic Chord charts
• Look No Hands Interactive site that visually generates chord structures covering the neck of the guitar
• Gootar Over 8,000,000 chords in standard and alternative tunings; Designs printable chord charts
• Chordie List of guitar chords and alternative forms
• Guitar Tab Interactive online tab finder; Shows correct fingering for each chord
• The Guitarist's Online Survival Kit