Guitar Chords

This free guitar chords tool shows any chord as fretboard diagrams and plays it for you. Pick a root and a chord type, and up to four ways to play it appear, each with the frets, the fingers to use and the notes on every string. It also names chords you finger yourself.

How to use the chord finder

• Pick a root: choose any of the 12 notes from C to B.
• Pick a chord type: major, minor, 7, maj7, m7, sus2, sus4, dim, aug, add9, 6, m6, 9 or 5 (the power chord).
• Read the diagrams: each one is a chord box with the low E string on the left. A dot marks the fret to press and the number inside is the finger: 1 for the index finger up to 4 for the little finger. A bar across several strings is a barre. An o means play the string open and an x means leave it out. Gold marks the root.
• Check the notes: the table under the diagrams lists every string with its fret, finger, note and degree in the chord, such as 3 for the 3rd or ♭7 for a minor 7th, plus the chord’s formula.
• Listen: tap a diagram, or press Strum down, Strum up or Pluck. The sound is a plucked-string synth built in your browser with the Karplus–Strong method, so nothing is downloaded.

How the voicings are chosen

The diagrams are not copied from a fixed chart. For every chord the tool works through the fretboard in standard tuning (E A D G B E) and keeps only shapes a hand can play:

• Every note sounded belongs to the chord, and every chord tone is there. The one exception is the 5th of 7, maj7, m7 and 9 chords, which guitarists often leave out.
• The fretted notes fit within four frets, and the shape needs no more than four fingers, counting a barre as one.
• At least four strings ring (two to four for a power chord), with no muted string in the middle of the chord.
• Shapes with the root as the lowest note are preferred along with low positions, open strings and fewer fingers.

The familiar open chords from beginner charts, such as C, A, G, E, D, Am, Em and Dm, come up first, and barre chords that are those shapes moved up the neck are ranked next. That is why F shows the full barre at the 1st fret and Bm the barre at the 2nd fret. Up to three more voicings follow higher up the neck.

Fingering

Fingers are numbered in order of fret, lower string first at the same fret. When five or six strings are fretted, one finger lays a barre and the others fill in. Other fingerings work too; these are a reliable starting point.

Name a chord from the fretboard

In the Name it tab, tap the fretboard to place one note on each string, or type the frets, such as x32010 or 8-10-10-9-8-8, and press Set frets. Tap a dot again to mute that string; the column by the nut plays it open. The tool names the chord from the notes, says which inversion it is, and lists other names for the same notes. For example, x02010 is Am7, but the same notes also make C6 over an A bass. If a note is missing, it shows the closest chords with notes left out.

Capo and left-handed view

Choose a capo fret and the shapes are shown counted from the capo, which is how chord sheets write them. The panel names the shape you play and what it sounds as: with the capo on fret 2, the G shape 320003 sounds as A. Left-handed mirrors the diagrams, the table and the fretboard so the low E string is on the right.

Tips

• Learn a few shapes well. The E and A shapes moved up the neck as barre chords give you every major and minor chord.

FAQ

Is this guitar chords tool free?

Yes. It runs in your browser, with nothing to install and no account.

Why don’t I hear anything?

Browsers only start sound after you tap or click the page, so the first chord you pick starts the audio. Check that Sound is On and, on a phone, that silent mode is off.

What is the difference between a power chord and a major chord?

A power chord, written with a 5 such as E5, has only the root and the 5th, so it is neither major nor minor. A major chord adds the major 3rd, for example E G♯ B for E major.

Want to play more? Try our Virtual Piano to play songs on the keys, or train your ear and memory with Simon.