Learning how to read guitar chord charts is one of the first important skills you’ll need as you learn how to play guitar. This free guitar lesson will show you how to read charts that display guitar chords in the standard way. It explains the string, finger, and fret number system that guide you in fingering guitar chords and are also used in guitar scale diagrams.
Guitar String Numbers
Check the bottom of this example guitar chord chart (left), and notice the numbers counting from 6 to 1. This sequence corresponds to guitar strings on a typical right-handed guitar. Look at your guitar neck and notice that string number 6, the heaviest and thickest string, is on the left. Notice that string number 1, the lightest and thinnest string, is on the right.
Along the top of the chart, you may see one or more Xs or Os. If you see an X above the string, it means that the string should not be played. Avoid plucking it. It helps if you can mute it with your fingers so that it can’t be heard if you accidentally brush it. When you see an O above the string, that indicates that the string is to be played open. In other words, you don’t need to place your fingers on the string on the neck.
Left-handers: If you are using a left-handed guitar, string 1 will be on the left and string 6 will be on the right. You will need to use a mirror image chord chart, or learn to read the guitar chord chart in the reverse order.
Guitar Finger Numbers
Guitar chord charts don’t always include finger numbers, but the most helpful charts do — such as charts included with eMedia Guitar Method. Refer to the graphic below, and look at left hand, facing the palm of the hand. In guitar studies, your left-hand numbers are each assigned a number from 1 to 4. When you see finger numbers as part of a guitar chord chart or scale diagram, you should use the corresponding finger to hold that string down on the guitar fretboard. For left-handed guitarists, the numbers apply to right-hand fingers.
Guitar Fret Numbers
As you can see in the diagram above, frets are numbered by starting on the 1st fret after the nut (the slotted white block at the top of the guitar neck). Fret numbers increment as we get further away from the nut… 2nd fret, 3rd fret, 4th fret, etc.
How to Read Guitar Chord Charts
Now that you know about guitar finger, fret, and string numbers, you can use this information to understand the how to read guitar chord charts as shown below:
How to Play an A Chord
In the open A example, we see…
- Finger 1 holds down the string 4 (the D string) at fret 2.
- Finger 2 holds down the string 3 (the G string) also at fret 2.
- Finger 3 holds down the string 2 (the B string) also at fret 2.
- Because of the X marking, we do not play string 6 (the low E string).
- Because of the O marks, we play string 5 (the high E string) and string 1 (the low A string) open.
How to Play a D Major 7th Chord (a.k.a., Dmaj7, DM7, or D∆7)
In the Dmaj7 example, we see…
- Finger 1 holds down three strings at once… strings 1, 2, and 3 at fret 2.
- Once again, we don’t play string 6.
- We play strings 5 and 4 open.
Note: This type of chord is sometimes referred to as a partial barre chord because one finger holds multiple strings, but not all six strings.
How to Play a C7 Chord
In the C7 example, we see…
- Finger 1 holds down string 2 at fret 1.
- Finger 2 holds down string 4 at fret 2.
- Finger 3 holds down string 5 at fret 3.
- Finger 4 (the pinky) holds down string 3 also at fret 3.
- We do not play string 6.
- We play string 1 open.
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