Guitar Chords

Guitar | Open Chords | Triads | Learn the Fretboard | Chord Progressions

The core idea in plain words

A chord is three or more notes sounded together. On guitar, a chord shape is simply a way of holding down strings so that every string you strum plays one of those notes.

The recipe for the basic chords is short:

• Major chord = root + major 3rd + perfect 5th (scale degrees 1–3–5). Bright, settled.
• Minor chord = root + minor 3rd + perfect 5th (1–♭3–5). Darker, sadder.
• Dominant 7th = major chord + minor 7th (1–3–5–♭7). Tense; wants to resolve.
• Major 7th = major chord + major 7th (1–3–5–7). Dreamy, jazzy.
• Minor 7th = minor chord + minor 7th (1–♭3–5–♭7). Mellow.
• sus2 / sus4 = replace the 3rd with the 2nd or 4th. Neither major nor minor — open and floating.

If you know which notes are in a chord, you can check any shape yourself: name the note on each string and see if it’s in the recipe. See Triads and The Musical Alphabet for where the recipe comes from.

An analogy: a recipe, not a photograph

A chord name is a recipe (“C, E and G”), not a photograph of one hand position. The open C shape, a barre C at the 8th fret and a three-string triad at the 5th fret are all the same dish cooked in different kitchens. Learn the shapes, but also learn the ingredients — that is what frees you from the chord chart.

How to read the shapes

Strings are listed from the low (thick) E to the high (thin) E: E A D G B E. Each number is the fret to press; 0 means an open string; x means don’t play it. Next to each shape are the notes it actually sounds, low to high — every one checked against the recipe.

The essential open chords

Major

These five are the “CAGED” shapes. Every major chord anywhere on the neck is one of them, moved up.

Minor

Seventh chords

Suspended

Barre chords (movable)

Slide an E-shape barre up the neck and the root (on the low E string) names the chord: 3rd fret = G, 5th = A, 8th = C. Slide an A-shape barre and the root is on the A string: 3rd fret = C, 5th = D, 7th = E.

A worked example: checking a shape yourself

Is x 3 2 0 1 0 really a C major? Name each note:

• A string, 3rd fret: A → A♯ → B → C
• D string, 2nd fret: D → D♯ → E
• G string, open: G
• B string, 1st fret: C
• high E, open: E

Notes: C, E, G, C, E. The recipe for C major is C–E–G. Every note is in the recipe, and the lowest note is the root, C. Confirmed.

Now try x 0 2 2 1 0, which most books call Am: A, E (D string 2nd fret), A (G string 2nd fret), C (B string 1st fret), E. A–C–E: root, minor 3rd, 5th. Confirmed — and notice that moving one finger (the B string from fret 2 to fret 1) is all that separates A major from A minor. That one fret is the major 3rd becoming a minor 3rd.

Practice: the one-four-five

In any key the I, IV and V chords cover thousands of songs. In G: G – C – D. In C: C – F – G. In A: A – D – E. In E: E – A – B (use the Bm-shape barre without the minor: x 2 4 4 4 2). Add the vi chord (Em in G, Am in C) and you have the four-chord progression. More on the Chord Progressions page, and try them on the Songs to Learn.

Common misconceptions

• “You must strum all six strings.” The x matters. Strumming the low E on a C chord adds an E in the bass — not wrong, but muddy.
• “Barre chords are for later.” Start a partial F (x x 3 2 1 1) in week two; strength comes from doing it.
• “Seventh chords are a different family.” They’re the same triad with one extra note.
• “Sharp and flat names are interchangeable.” Sound-wise yes; spelling-wise the key decides (F major has B♭, not A♯).

Connections

• Open Chords, Triads, Scales, Musical Keys
• Learn the Fretboard and Guitar Practice
• Jazz Guitar — where the 7th chords take over.