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Guitar chord chart: every common chord, every key

Pick a root and a chord type and you get the chord on a clear diagram, with finger numbers, the notes it contains and the intervals that give it its colour. Twelve roots times fourteen chord types make 168 chords, each with its own page, up to three positions and a sound you can play. No account, nothing to install.

All 168 guitar chords

major chord

C · C♯ · D · E♭ · E · F · F♯ · G · A♭ · A · B♭ · B

minor chord

Cm · C♯m · Dm · E♭m · Em · Fm · F♯m · Gm · A♭m · Am · B♭m · Bm

dominant 7th chord

C7 · C♯7 · D7 · E♭7 · E7 · F7 · F♯7 · G7 · A♭7 · A7 · B♭7 · B7

major 6th chord

C6 · C♯6 · D6 · E♭6 · E6 · F6 · F♯6 · G6 · A♭6 · A6 · B♭6 · B6

minor 6th chord

Cm6 · C♯m6 · Dm6 · E♭m6 · Em6 · Fm6 · F♯m6 · Gm6 · A♭m6 · Am6 · B♭m6 · Bm6

dominant 9th chord

C9 · C♯9 · D9 · E♭9 · E9 · F9 · F♯9 · G9 · A♭9 · A9 · B♭9 · B9

half-diminished chord

Cm7♭5 · C♯m7♭5 · Dm7♭5 · E♭m7♭5 · Em7♭5 · Fm7♭5 · F♯m7♭5 · Gm7♭5 · A♭m7♭5 · Am7♭5 · B♭m7♭5 · Bm7♭5

What you find on each chord page

Every chord, from C major to B minor seven flat five, has a page with:

Up to 3 positions on the neck, from open shapes near the nut to movable shapes higher up, with a finger number on every dot.
The notes of the chord, so you know what you are actually playing.
The intervals from the root: 1, 3, 5, ♭7 and so on.
The sound, to check your ear against the diagram.
A printable cheat sheet to keep on your music stand.

The twelve roots are C, C#, D, E♭, E, F, F#, G, A♭, A, B♭ and B. The fourteen types go from simple triads to sevenths, sixths and ninths. Start with C major if you want to see the layout.

How to read a chord box

A chord box is the neck seen from the front, standing upright. Vertical lines are strings, low E on the left, high E on the right. Horizontal lines are frets; a thick line at the top is the nut. When the shape sits higher, a number such as 5fr tells you which fret the top of the diagram represents.

A dot is where a finger goes. The number is the finger: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little finger.
O above a string means play it open; X means do not play it (mute it or avoid it with the pick).
A curved line or long bar across several strings is a barre: one finger presses them all.

Example, A minor (x02210): X over low E, A open, middle finger on the D string at the 2nd fret, ring finger on G at the 2nd fret, index on B at the 1st fret, high E open. The notes are A, E, A, C, E: only three different notes, which is normal for a triad spread over five strings.

How chord names are built

A chord symbol is a recipe. The letter is the root, the rest says which intervals to stack on it. Here are the fourteen types in the chart, built on C:

Symbol	Type	Formula	Notes in C
C	major	1 3 5	C E G
Cm	minor	1 ♭3 5	C E♭ G
C7	dominant seventh	1 3 5 ♭7	C E G B♭
Cmaj7	major seventh	1 3 5 7	C E G B
Cm7	minor seventh	1 ♭3 5 ♭7	C E♭ G B♭
Cdim	diminished	1 ♭3 ♭5	C E♭ G♭
Caug	augmented	1 3 ♯5	C E G♯
Csus2	suspended second	1 2 5	C D G
Csus4	suspended fourth	1 4 5	C F G
C6	major sixth	1 3 5 6	C E G A
Cm6	minor sixth	1 ♭3 5 6	C E♭ G A
C9	dominant ninth	1 3 5 ♭7 9	C E G B♭ D
Cadd9	added ninth	1 3 5 9	C E G D
Cm7♭5	half-diminished	1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7	C E♭ G♭ B♭

Two details trip people up. A plain 7 means a flat seventh (C7 has B♭), while maj7 means the natural seventh (B). And add9 has no seventh at all, whereas 9 includes the ♭7. On guitar, the fifth is often left out of four-note chords to save fingers, which is why a seventh chord shape can have only four strings sounding. A sus chord replaces the third, so it is neither major nor minor.

Which chords to learn first

Learn in this order and every step reuses the previous one:

Open major and minor chords: C, G, D, A, E, Am, Em, Dm. Our guide to the first chords to learn explains the order and the changes.
Open sevenths: E7 (020100), A7, D7, G7 (320001), then Am7 (x02010) and Cmaj7 (x32000), which are easier than their triads.
Barre chords: the E-shape and A-shape barre chord give you every major and minor chord in all twelve keys, starting with F (133211).
Colour chords: sus2, sus4, add9, 6, then 9 and m7♭5 for jazz and soul. Try A minor seven next to Am to hear what one extra note does.

Before you judge a shape, tune up with the online tuner: a slightly flat B string makes every chord sound wrong.

Going further in the free workshop

The chord pages show you shapes. The GuitarHarmony workshop, open with a free account, works the other way round too: in the chord identifier you place notes on a virtual neck and the tool names the chord, its inversions and its alternative names. It is the quickest way to find out what that shape you made up actually is. The same chords are also laid out on a keyboard in the piano chord charts, handy if you play with a keyboard player.

How to use it

Choose the root. Pick one of the twelve roots. Sharps and flats follow common usage: C#, E♭, F#, A♭, B♭.
Choose the chord type. Major, minor, 7, maj7, m7, dim, aug, sus2, sus4, 6, m6, 9, add9 or m7♭5. The page opens on that chord.
Compare the positions. Look at the up to three shapes, read the finger numbers and play each one. Keep the one that is closest to the chords around it in your song.
Listen and print. Play the sound to check your version, then print the cheat sheet for the chords of the song you are learning.

What you can do with it

Learning a song from a chord sheet

Your song says Cadd9, Dsus4 and Em7. Open each page, play the shapes and print a cheat sheet with just those chords. You will spend your practice playing, not searching.

Understanding a strange chord symbol

F#m7♭5 in a jazz standard? The page gives the notes (F#, A, C, E), the intervals and a playable shape. Next time you will build it yourself from the formula.

Finding a smoother voicing

If jumping from an open chord to a barre chord breaks your rhythm, compare the three positions and pick the one that sits closest to the previous chord.

Frequently asked questions

How many chords are in the chart?

168: twelve roots times fourteen chord types. Each chord has its own page with up to three positions, finger numbers, notes, intervals and sound.

What do the numbers on a chord diagram mean?

They are fingers of the fretting hand: 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 little finger. An O above a string means open, an X means do not play that string.

What is the difference between C7 and Cmaj7?

C7 adds the flat seventh (B♭) and sounds bluesy, wanting to resolve. Cmaj7 adds the natural seventh (B) and sounds soft and open. One fret apart, two very different colours.

Is C# the same chord as D♭?

Yes, they sound the same and use the same shapes. The name depends on the key: C# in A major, D♭ in A♭ major. The chart uses the most common spelling for each root.

Do I need an account to use the chord chart?

No. The chord pages are free on the public site and need no sign-up. A free account only opens the workshop tools, such as the chord identifier.

More free tools

Ready to go further than the chart?

The free GuitarHarmony workshop shows every scale on the whole neck, names any chord you play and builds progressions with you. Free account, no card.

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