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Guitar 5 min read

How to Read a Guitar Chord Diagram

Learn what the strings, frets, dots, open circles, and X marks mean, then use a C major diagram to play your first shape.

By the Music Trainer editorial team

Open C major · guitar

Read the symbols before you strum

SEE IT · TRY IT · PLAY IT
Open C major guitar chord diagramSix strings run left to right from low E to high e. Low E is muted; A fret 3 uses finger 3, D fret 2 uses finger 2, G is open, B fret 1 uses finger 1, and high e is open.×EAD○GB○e321Left: low E · Right: high e · Dots mark frets
Low E is muted (X). Press A3, D2, and B1; play G and high e open (○). Strum from the A string so all five intended strings sound.

A practice loop you can reuse

Try it in four steps

  1. 1Name the six strings
  2. 2Check open and muted marks
  3. 3Place fingers on the dots
  4. 4Strum and check each string

Read the grid as a view of the fretboard

A standard chord diagram has six vertical lines for the guitar strings. Looking at the diagram, the low E string is on the left and the high e string is on the right. The horizontal lines mark frets. In an open-position diagram, the thick top line is the nut, the edge of the fretboard near the headstock.

A dot between two horizontal lines shows where to press a string. A dot in the first space means fret 1; a dot in the second space means fret 2. Some diagrams put a finger number inside the dot: 1 is index, 2 middle, 3 ring, and 4 little finger.

Check the symbols above the strings

An open circle above a string means play it without fretting it. An X means do not play that string. Read all six symbols before you strum, because a chord can use fewer than six strings.

The C major example shows X on low E, a dot at A string fret 3, a dot at D string fret 2, an open G string, a dot at B string fret 1, and an open high e string. Strum from the A string downward so the low E stays quiet.

  • X: skip the string.
  • ○: play the open string.
  • Dot: press that string at the shown fret.
  • Finger number: use the named fretting-hand finger if the diagram supplies one.

Build the shape one string at a time

Place your fingers on A3, D2, and B1, then pick each intended string separately. If one sounds muffled, adjust that finger so it presses just behind its fret without touching a neighboring string. Once all five intended strings ring, strum them together.

Start slowly. Say the string and fret for each dot as you place it. Then look away from the diagram, make the shape again, and check it against the picture. This turns the symbols into a repeatable hand position.

Try another open chord

Guitar Chord Practice shows several open major chords with diagrams and playback. After reading C major, compare its open and muted strings with another shape. The Chord Diagram Builder lets you draw a shape and check whether its symbols say what you intended.