If you’ve picked up a guitar recently, you may have noticed how confusing guitar chord diagrams can be. Most diagrams feature six lines, and while those lines represent the notes in the chord, the notes aren’t written out! Instead, the diagrams feature numbers, with the most significant note on the left and the least significant note on the right, and the numbers get smaller as you move around the diagram.

Guitar chords are an important part of learning to play the guitar, as they allow you to play songs. Of course, learning to read chord diagrams and sheet music is a lot easier if you can read them. They are an important part of playing the guitar, and knowing how to read guitar chords diagrams is a key skill to master. The diagram is a series of lines representing the notes in a chord. The first line shows the root note, followed by the notes in the root position, then the notes in the second degree, and so on. You can trace these diagrams from a book or tablature or quickly learn by ear.

Here’s How to Read Guitar Chord Diagrams:

You Should Know There Are 21 Different Chords; Chords Are Made Up of Three Or More Notes

Learning how to read guitar chord diagrams is a lot easier than you might think. First, you should know there are 21 different chords and that chords are made up of three or more notes. The notes, or ‘strings,’ on the guitar can be plucked, strummed, or bowed. Child’s play, right? Once you know those basics, you’re ready to pick a song you like and see how the chord diagrams work. Guitar chords seem to come out of nowhere, and sometimes they can be confusing. (Mostly because, as guitarists, we hardly ever take the time to learn their arithmetical significance.) But frets are simply the spaces between each string. So, the fret of “C” on a guitar is the space that divides the 4th string from the 3rd string. And fret 2 on a guitar is the space that divides the 2nd string from the 1st string.

Learn The Shapes of The Strings and Where the Fingers Should Be Placed

Learning to read guitar chords involves learning the shapes of the strings and where the fingers should be placed. But instead of learning chords by starting at the top and working towards the bottom, guitarists are taught to “read” the diagrams from the top down.

Learn The Layout of The Notes on The Fretboard 

Learning to read guitar chord charts may seem tricky. While it’s important to know the basic layout of a chord chart, it’s more important to learn the layout of the notes on the fretboard. So, what is a chord chart, anyway? A chord chart is a diagram of a chord progression. The chord progression is important because it tells you which notes to play.

Be Aware of Which Chord Diagrams to Follow 

Learning how to read guitar chord diagrams, also known as tabs, is the fastest way you’ll learn how to read guitar tabs. There are thousands of chord charts on the Internet and in books, and as a beginner, you’ll be spending hours and hours and hours reading them. So, you should be aware of which chord diagrams to follow. Just keep in mind that certain chords are harder to read than others, and some chords have symbols that aren’t really spelled out in the chart. If you run into a situation where you have trouble reading a chord, we recommend playing a chord by ear instead.

Things to Remember 

• The slope of the vertical line represents the pitch of the note. For example, a sloped line pointing straight up means the note is a high E.
• The horizontal distance between the two horizontal lines represents the fret. So, the frets are between the horizontal lines on the E note.
• The space between the horizontal lines represents the length of a note. So, on the E note, the distance between the frets is three frets.
• The dots under the note tell you what finger to use. For example, the note is placed on the 3rd fret, so you see three dots on the 3rd fret.

Learning how to read guitar chord diagrams is essential to mastering playing an instrument. Guitar chords are made up of several unique strings that are played simultaneously, and it’s very important to be able to read chord charts quickly. These diagrams are an efficient way to communicate a musical idea, so it’s important to grasp the concept in as few steps as possible.