Guitar Chords

3 or more notes played at the same time.

Guitar chords are represented in guitar chord diagrams. Here's an explanation of the symbols used in chord diagrams:

• The 6 vertical lines represent the 6 guitar strings.


• The horizontal lines represent the frets of the guitar.


• An O above a string indicates that string is played open.


• A black dot on a vertical line indicates where you have to place your finger.


• A number near a horizontal line indicates a fret number

Here's a chord chart for all the basic chords you just need to know.

Guitar chords (and all chords for that matter) are constructed by stacking thirds on top of eachother.

A third is a musical interval of 3 or 4 half notes. When we add 3 half notes to C, we get Eb. This interval we call a minor third. When we add 4 half notes to C, we get E and we call this interval a major third.

Let's have a look at an example in the key of C. Here's the C major scale:

C D E F G A B C

Remember that between all notes of the C major scale there are 2 half notes, except between E-F and B-C, those notes are only separated by 1 half note.

Let's make a triad (a 3-note chord) on the first note of the C major scale. Start counting up a major third from C: E is the result. From E we go one minor third further: the G.

The resulting notes: C E G
These are the notes for a C major chord.
The chord structure: Root (=first note) + major third + minor third.

Every type of chord has a typical chord structure. Here are the structures for the other chord types:

Minor chords: root + minor third + major third
Dominant chords: root + major third + minor third + minor third
Diminished chords: root + minor third + minor third