Master Guitar Chords

This page will guide you through everything you need to know about guitar chords, from beginner to advanced levels.

We'll start with the most common chord shapes for beginners, progress to intermediate fingerings, and eventually dive into chord theory to understand how to create any chord across the entire fretboard.

You'll also find a comprehensive chord library with various voicings, an interactive chord generator, and my complete ebook Chords Domination | Play Any Chord You Want Across All The Fretboard.

Let's get started!

Example: A Major chord

The diagram shows the guitar fretboard, with the thickest string on the left and the high E string on the right.

The numbers on the frets indicate where to press the strings. At the top of the diagram, you'll see an X or a 0 above certain strings.

C Major Chord

This is the most common way to play the C major chord on the guitar.

Be careful not to play the low E string.

How to play the C major chord:

• Mute the low E string
• Let the G string ring open
• Let the high E string ring open
• Place your index finger (1) on the 1st fret of the B string
• Place your middle finger (2) on the 2nd fret of the D string
• Place your ring finger (3) on the 3rd fret of the A string

C Major (Super Easy)

This is an easier version of the C major chord, using only three strings and your index finger.

To play this super easy version of the C major chord:

• Mute the low E, A, and D strings
• Let the G string ring open
• Let the high E string ring open
• Place your index finger (1) on the 1st fret of the B string

A Major Chord On Guitar

To play the basic A major chord, use your index, middle, and ring fingers.

• Mute the low E string
• Let the A string ring open
• Let the high E string ring open
• Place your index finger (1) on the 2nd fret of the D string
• Place your middle finger (2) on the 2nd fret of the G string
• Place your ring finger (3) on the 2nd fret of the B string

G Major Chord

This is the most common fingering for the G major chord.

• Let the D string ring open
• Let the G string ring open
• Let the B string ring open
• Place your index finger (1) on the 2nd fret of the A string
• Place your middle finger (2) on the 3rd fret of the low E string
• Place your ring finger (3) on the 3rd fret of the high E string

G Major (Super Easy)

This simpler version of the G major chord uses only one finger.

• Mute the low E, A, and D strings
• Let the G string ring open
• Let the B string ring open
• Place your ring finger (3) on the 3rd fret of the high E string

E Major Chord On Guitar

For the E major chord, you should strum all the strings.

• Let the low E string ring open
• Let the B string ring open
• Let the high E string ring open
• Place your index finger (1) on the 1st fret of the G string
• Place your middle finger (2) on the 2nd fret of the A string
• Place your ring finger (3) on the 2nd fret of the D string

E Major (Super Easy)

This simplified version of the E major chord only requires two fingers.

• Mute the low E and A strings
• Let the B string ring open
• Let the high E string ring open
• Place your index finger (1) on the 1st fret of the G string
• Place your middle finger (2) on the 2nd fret of the D string

How To Play D Major on Guitar

This is the standard way to play the D major chord on the guitar.

• Mute the low E and A strings
• Let the D string ring open
• Place your index finger (1) on the 2nd fret of the G string
• Place your middle finger (2) on the 2nd fret of the high E string
• Place your ring finger (3) on the 3rd fret of the B string

A Minor Chord

The A minor chord is another fundamental chord often found in ballads and melancholic songs.

• Mute the low E string
• Let the A string ring open
• Let the high E string ring open
• Place your index finger (1) on the 1st fret of the B string
• Place your middle finger (2) on the 2nd fret of the D string
• Place your ring finger (3) on the 2nd fret of the G string

A Minor (Super Easy)

Here's a simpler version of the A minor chord.

• Mute the low E, A, and D strings
• Let the high E string ring open
• Place your index finger (1) on the 1st fret of the B string
• Place your middle finger (2) on the 2nd fret of the G string

E Minor Chord

The E minor chord is very straightforward and requires only two fingers.

• Let the low E string ring open
• Let the G string ring open
• Let the B string ring open
• Let the high E string ring open
• Place your middle finger (2) on the 2nd fret of the A string
• Place your ring finger (3) on the 2nd fret of the D string

E Minor (Super Easy)

Believe it or not, this E minor chord shape doesn't require pressing any frets. If you've ever tried playing "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica, the first few bars use only open strings.

• Mute the low E, A, and D strings
• Let the G, B, and high E strings ring open

D Minor Chord

This is the final basic chord covered in this tutorial.

• Mute the low E and A strings
• Let the D string ring open
• Place your index finger (1) on the 1st fret of the high E string
• Place your middle finger (2) on the 2nd fret of the G string
• Place your ring finger (3) on the 3rd fret of the B string

Want a printable guitar chords chart? Download the Free Guitar Chords Pdf

A Note About Open Chords

Open chords make use of open strings as much as possible.

They are easier to play because they require fewer frets to be pressed. Beginners usually start by learning major and minor open chords.

A basic major chord consists of the root note, the 3rd, and the 5th. For example, a G chord is made up of the notes G, B, and D. A minor chord, on the other hand, consists of the root, minor 3rd, and 5th, so a G minor chord is G, Bb, and D.

Drill Down: Check out the first open guitar chords that a beginner should learn.

Power Chords

Power chords are an excellent starting point for beginners and are commonly used in rock and blues. Technically, they aren't chords but dyads meaning two notes played together.

A power chord is made up of only the root and the fifth. For instance, a G power chord consists of the notes G and D.

Power chords are typically played on the three lowest strings of the electric guitar (low E, A, and D), often ignoring the higher strings.

Drill Down: Jump to the complete power chords tutorial to learn more.

We've compiled a list of 15 intermediate guitar chords you should learn to play more complex chords.

After that, it's time to tackle...

Bar Chords

Bar chords require pressing multiple frets with a single finger.

They can be challenging initially, especially when you lack finger strength.

The great thing about bar chords is that they are movable: you can shift the same shape up or down the fretboard to play any chord.

You can play full bar chords, like the F major chord (with all six strings pressed by the index finger), or partial bar chords.

Drill Down: 7 Tips To Make Bar Chords Easier. Bar chords can be tough for beginners, but this guide provides tips to make them easier to master.

Dominant Chords

Dominant chords are major chords with a minor seventh, making them a type of four-tone chord.

For example, the G dominant chord consists of the G major chord (G, B, and D) plus F, which is the seventh of G.

Dominant chords play a crucial role in chord progressions by introducing tension that resolves to the home chord.

Drill Down: Learn more about 7th dominant chords and their extended forms, such as the Ninth chord.

Diminished Chords

Diminished chords are used to create dissonance and tension, often resolving to more stable chords.

There are three main types of diminished chords:

• Diminished triad (1, b3, b5)
• Half diminished chord (1, b3, b5, b7)
• Diminished 7th chord (1, b3, b5, bb7)

Drill Down: Learn all about diminished chords.

Suspended Chords

Suspended chords are unique because they are neither major nor minor.

They are often used to create tension and can be a powerful tool in songwriting.

Suspended chords come in two varieties: sus2 (1, 2, 5) and sus4 (1, 4, 5).

Drill Down: Learn more about suspended chords for guitar.

Sixth Chords

To add a laid-back and relaxed feel to your music, consider using the 6th chord.

A sixth chord is a major chord with a major sixth added: 1, 3, 5, and 6 (G, B, D, and E in the case of G6).

Drill Down: Learn more about 6th chord construction and applications.

Finger Positions Are Just Suggestions!

A Major chord with bar fingering

Sometimes, you'll find chord diagrams that don't specify which fingers to use.

This is because different people sometimes play chords differently.

Some people can't play an A chord in the standard way because their fingers are too large, making the standard fingering too cramped.

Instead, they might play the A chord with a mini-barre, using one finger to press down multiple frets.

For example, I could bar my index finger across the 4th and 3rd strings at the second fret, then place my middle finger on the 2nd string, second fret (as shown in the image).

This gives me more space between the frets and frees up my ring and pinky fingers to play melodies and bass notes. It's all about personal preference—play the chord in the way that feels most comfortable for you.

Drill Down: Did you come up with a shape that sounds great, but you're not sure what to call it? My guitar chord analyzer can help you figure out any chord you create.

How Many Chords Should I Learn?

Theoretically, there are unlimited possible chords.

You can start with open chords and move them up the fretboard to discover hundreds of different shapes.

In practice, you can get by for quite a while with around 30 chords in your repertoire, or even fewer, depending on the type of music you want to play.

There are bluegrass guitar players who have gone through their entire careers playing only a dozen or so chords.

Many guitarists are also used to transposing songs to more familiar keys, often with the help of a guitar capo.

If you're interested in delving deeper into music theory and learning how to construct chords by combining intervals all along the fretboard, check out my chord construction tutorial and my complete ebook Chords Domination | Play Any Chord You Want Across All The Fretboard.