Guitar chord
Encyclopedia
In music
, a guitar chord is a chord
, or collection of tones usually sounded together at once, played on a guitar
. It can be composed of notes played on adjacent or separate strings or all the strings together. Chord voicings designed for the guitar can be optimized for many different purposes and playing styles.
The guitar is generally very capable and versatile for chording purposes, but it does exhibit some differences from other instrument
s. For a six string guitar in the very largest chord-voicings it may be necessary to drop or omit one or more tones from the chord; this is typically the root
or fifth
. The layout of notes on the fretboard sometimes demands that the notes in a chord will not run in tonal order. It can make a possible chord which is composed of more than one note of exactly the same pitch
. Many chords can be played with the same notes in more than one place on the fretboard.
Guitar
s can vary both in the number of strings
and in tuning
. Most guitars used in popular music
have six strings and are tuned (from the lowest pitched string to the highest): E-A-D-G-B-E. The internal intervals present among adjacent strings in this tuning can be written 5-5-5-4-5 (with perfect fourth
intervals except for one major third
interval between the G and the B). Conventionally, the string with the highest pitch (the thinnest) is called the first string, and the string having the lowest pitch is called the sixth.
between the strings, which in each case are perfect fourth
s excepting the interval between the B (second) and G (third) strings, which is a major third. One common non-standard tuning, found in hard rock
and heavy metal music
, is called drop-D tuning. This requires the player to change the low E string tuning to that of a D note. This tuning allows power chord
s (see below) to be played relatively easily on the bottom three strings, as the strings are now tuned to a root-fifth-octave (D-A-D) tuning. Many other forms of guitar tunings
exist as well.
Major chord
s contain a root note, a major third
above the root and a perfect fifth
above the root.
In the case of C Major, these notes are C, E and G. The graphical representation on the left shows how left-hand fingering produces:
In a similar way, the chords A Major, G Major, E Major and D Major are often played as:
These five chords are fundamental to guitar for a variety of reasons including:
s, with the first finger used to press down multiple strings across the guitar fingerboard.
On examination, it becomes clear that these two chords are logical extensions of the A major and E major chords above. The B major chord is the same shape as the A major chord but it is located two frets further up the fretboard. The F major chord is the same shape as E major but it is located one fret further up the fretboard. In effect, barre chords act as if the whole guitar has been shortened, like a moveable nut or capo
.
Barre chords in the shape of A and E major can be played anywhere on the fretboard. Wherever they are played, these chords are major because they have the same shape, and this determines the intervals
between the notes. The root of the chord in any position can be worked out from the diagrams above.
The CAGED system therefore creates five major barre chords which can be used to play all the major chords in more than one position on the fretboard.
, only some of which can be covered here.
These require the basic shape of the chord to be modified so that it has slightly different intervals between each note. Once this is done, the shape can be played anywhere on the fretboard, as above.
s (commonly notated as C-, Cm, Cmi or Cmin) are the same as major chord
s except that they have a minor third
instead of a major third
. This is a difference of one semitone
.
To create F minor from the F major chord (in E major shape), the second finger should be lifted so that the third string plays onto the barre. Compare the F major to F minor:
The other shapes can be modified as well:
The C major and G major shapes cannot be modified in this way because the major third
in those shapes falls on the bar (or nut). It is therefore impossible to lower that note by one semitone (to produce the minor third
) and retain the barre. C minor and G minor therefore have to be played using one of the other CAGED shapes.
Augmented chords (major third
and augmented fifth
) and diminished chord
s (minor third
and diminished fifth) can be created in much the same way.
when the bass note
isn't the root note. For example, if the note E (the open sixth string) were to be played over the A minor chord (as in the table above), the chord would be[0 0 2 2 1 0] . This has the note E as its lowest tone instead of A. It is often written as Am/E, where the letter following the slash indicates the new bass note. However, in popular music it is usual to play inverted chords on the guitar when they are not part of the harmony, since the bass guitar can play the root pitch.
s (notated by 7 or "maj7") are constructed by adding a fourth note to the major triad
, which is a minor or major 7th above (i.e., a whole or half step below) the tonic. There are various types of seventh chords depending on the quality of the original chord and the quality of the seventh added. In fact, in many cases, the seventh chord is relatively easy to play, compared to the corresponding major chord. Some of these are based on the CAGED fingerings, and some are not. Below is a series of fret-number configurations for some common chords:
Other extended chord
s, such as ninths (9), elevenths (11) and thirteenths (13) can also be constructed. These can all be played with the CAGED shapes.
s (sometimes notated as 5) consist solely of a root note and a fifth
. Sometimes an octave
is included as well.
On a guitar with six strings, it is possible to play any of five power chord shapes. Each can be played anywhere along the neck. The basic shapes are
, for example). These change the way chords are played, making some chords easier to play while others may be more difficult. Also, guitars may be tuned to a chord so that a slide may be used to play the chord at a multitude of pitches.
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, a guitar chord is a chord
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
, or collection of tones usually sounded together at once, played on a guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. It can be composed of notes played on adjacent or separate strings or all the strings together. Chord voicings designed for the guitar can be optimized for many different purposes and playing styles.
The guitar is generally very capable and versatile for chording purposes, but it does exhibit some differences from other instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s. For a six string guitar in the very largest chord-voicings it may be necessary to drop or omit one or more tones from the chord; this is typically the root
Root (chord)
In music theory, the root of a chord is the note or pitch upon which a triadic chord is built. For example, the root of the major triad C-E-G is C....
or fifth
Perfect fifth
In classical music from Western culture, a fifth is a musical interval encompassing five staff positions , and the perfect fifth is a fifth spanning seven semitones, or in meantone, four diatonic semitones and three chromatic semitones...
. The layout of notes on the fretboard sometimes demands that the notes in a chord will not run in tonal order. It can make a possible chord which is composed of more than one note of exactly the same pitch
Pitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
. Many chords can be played with the same notes in more than one place on the fretboard.
Guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s can vary both in the number of strings
Strings (music)
A string is the vibrating element that produces sound in string instruments, such as the guitar, harp, piano, and members of the violin family. Strings are lengths of a flexible material kept under tension so that they may vibrate freely, but controllably. Strings may be "plain"...
and in tuning
Guitar tuning
Guitar tunings almost always refers to the pitch of the open string, though some tunings may only realistically be attained by the use of a capo on an unmodified instrument....
. Most guitars used in popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
have six strings and are tuned (from the lowest pitched string to the highest): E-A-D-G-B-E. The internal intervals present among adjacent strings in this tuning can be written 5-5-5-4-5 (with perfect fourth
Perfect fourth
In classical music from Western culture, a fourth is a musical interval encompassing four staff positions , and the perfect fourth is a fourth spanning five semitones. For example, the ascending interval from C to the next F is a perfect fourth, as the note F lies five semitones above C, and there...
intervals except for one major third
Major third
In classical music from Western culture, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions , and the major third is one of two commonly occurring thirds. It is qualified as major because it is the largest of the two: the major third spans four semitones, the minor third three...
interval between the G and the B). Conventionally, the string with the highest pitch (the thinnest) is called the first string, and the string having the lowest pitch is called the sixth.
Six-string guitars with standard tuning
Guitar chords take advantage of the intervalsInterval (music)
In music theory, an interval is a combination of two notes, or the ratio between their frequencies. Two-note combinations are also called dyads...
between the strings, which in each case are perfect fourth
Perfect fourth
In classical music from Western culture, a fourth is a musical interval encompassing four staff positions , and the perfect fourth is a fourth spanning five semitones. For example, the ascending interval from C to the next F is a perfect fourth, as the note F lies five semitones above C, and there...
s excepting the interval between the B (second) and G (third) strings, which is a major third. One common non-standard tuning, found in hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
and heavy metal music
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, is called drop-D tuning. This requires the player to change the low E string tuning to that of a D note. This tuning allows power chord
Power chord
In music, a power chord is a chord consisting of only the root note of the chord and the fifth interval, usually played on electric guitar, and typically through an amplification process that imparts distortion...
s (see below) to be played relatively easily on the bottom three strings, as the strings are now tuned to a root-fifth-octave (D-A-D) tuning. Many other forms of guitar tunings
Guitar tunings
Guitar tunings almost always refers to the pitch of the open string, though some tunings may only realistically be attained by the use of a capo on an unmodified instrument....
exist as well.
CAGED major chords
CAGED is an acronym for the five easiest major chords to play.Major chord
Major chord
In music theory, a major chord is a chord having a root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord has these three notes alone, it is called a major triad...
s contain a root note, a major third
Major third
In classical music from Western culture, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions , and the major third is one of two commonly occurring thirds. It is qualified as major because it is the largest of the two: the major third spans four semitones, the minor third three...
above the root and a perfect fifth
Perfect fifth
In classical music from Western culture, a fifth is a musical interval encompassing five staff positions , and the perfect fifth is a fifth spanning seven semitones, or in meantone, four diatonic semitones and three chromatic semitones...
above the root.
In the case of C Major, these notes are C, E and G. The graphical representation on the left shows how left-hand fingering produces:
- E on the first string
- C on the second string
- G on the third string
- E on the fourth string
- C on the fifth string
In a similar way, the chords A Major, G Major, E Major and D Major are often played as:
These five chords are fundamental to guitar for a variety of reasons including:
- they are all major triads, and as such they are all primary reference chords
- they all occur and are available in open position (see also Voicing (music)Voicing (music)In music composition and arranging, a voicing is the instrumentation and vertical spacing and ordering of the pitches in a chord...
and open chordOpen chordIn music, especially guitar, an open chord is a chord that is not fingered and fretted, the opposite of a barre chord, the strings of which ring, or sound, freely and fully....
): the first three frets plus open strings - their overall gross large shapes become the basis of the CAGED system
- they can be connected and linked together to create one large long contiguous 12-fret or one-octave greater resource pattern of major triad tones encompassing the entire fretboard.
B major and F major shapes
The two remaining whole tone major chords (to complete an octave) are those of B major and F major. These are commonly played as barre chordBarre chord
In music, a barre chord is a type of guitar chord, where one or more fingers are used to press down multiple strings across the guitar fingerboard , enabling the guitarist to play a chord not restricted by the tones of the guitar's open strings...
s, with the first finger used to press down multiple strings across the guitar fingerboard.
On examination, it becomes clear that these two chords are logical extensions of the A major and E major chords above. The B major chord is the same shape as the A major chord but it is located two frets further up the fretboard. The F major chord is the same shape as E major but it is located one fret further up the fretboard. In effect, barre chords act as if the whole guitar has been shortened, like a moveable nut or capo
Capo
A capo is a device used on the neck of a stringed instrument to shorten the playable length of the strings, hence raising the pitch. It is frequently used on guitars, mandolins, and banjos. G.B...
.
Barre chords in the shape of A and E major can be played anywhere on the fretboard. Wherever they are played, these chords are major because they have the same shape, and this determines the intervals
Interval (music)
In music theory, an interval is a combination of two notes, or the ratio between their frequencies. Two-note combinations are also called dyads...
between the notes. The root of the chord in any position can be worked out from the diagrams above.
C major, G major and D major shapes
The other three shapes in the CAGED system are C major, G major and D major. These can be transformed into barre chords in a similar way to the A major and E major shapes.The CAGED system therefore creates five major barre chords which can be used to play all the major chords in more than one position on the fretboard.
Other CAGED chords
The CAGED system can be modified to produce many other chordsChord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
, only some of which can be covered here.
These require the basic shape of the chord to be modified so that it has slightly different intervals between each note. Once this is done, the shape can be played anywhere on the fretboard, as above.
Minor, Augmented and Diminished
Minor chordMinor chord
In music theory, a minor chord is a chord having a root, a minor third, and a perfect fifth.When a chord has these three notes alone, it is called a minor triad....
s (commonly notated as C-, Cm, Cmi or Cmin) are the same as major chord
Major chord
In music theory, a major chord is a chord having a root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord has these three notes alone, it is called a major triad...
s except that they have a minor third
Minor third
In classical music from Western culture, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions , and the minor third is one of two commonly occurring thirds. The minor quality specification identifies it as being the smallest of the two: the minor third spans three semitones, the major...
instead of a major third
Major third
In classical music from Western culture, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions , and the major third is one of two commonly occurring thirds. It is qualified as major because it is the largest of the two: the major third spans four semitones, the minor third three...
. This is a difference of one semitone
Semitone
A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically....
.
To create F minor from the F major chord (in E major shape), the second finger should be lifted so that the third string plays onto the barre. Compare the F major to F minor:
The other shapes can be modified as well:
| Chord name | Fret numbers |
|---|---|
| E minor | |
| A minor | |
| D minor | |
The C major and G major shapes cannot be modified in this way because the major third
Major third
In classical music from Western culture, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions , and the major third is one of two commonly occurring thirds. It is qualified as major because it is the largest of the two: the major third spans four semitones, the minor third three...
in those shapes falls on the bar (or nut). It is therefore impossible to lower that note by one semitone (to produce the minor third
Minor third
In classical music from Western culture, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions , and the minor third is one of two commonly occurring thirds. The minor quality specification identifies it as being the smallest of the two: the minor third spans three semitones, the major...
) and retain the barre. C minor and G minor therefore have to be played using one of the other CAGED shapes.
Augmented chords (major third
Major third
In classical music from Western culture, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions , and the major third is one of two commonly occurring thirds. It is qualified as major because it is the largest of the two: the major third spans four semitones, the minor third three...
and augmented fifth
Augmented fifth
In classical music from Western culture, an augmented fifth is an interval produced by widening a perfect fifth by a chromatic semitone. For instance, the interval from C to G is a perfect fifth, seven semitones wide, and both the intervals from C to G, and from C to G are augmented fifths,...
) and diminished chord
Diminished chord
A diminished triad chord or diminished chord is a triad consisting of two minor thirds above the root — if built on C, a diminished chord would have a C, an E and a G. It resembles a minor triad with a lowered fifth....
s (minor third
Minor third
In classical music from Western culture, a third is a musical interval encompassing three staff positions , and the minor third is one of two commonly occurring thirds. The minor quality specification identifies it as being the smallest of the two: the minor third spans three semitones, the major...
and diminished fifth) can be created in much the same way.
Slash (inverted)
A chord is invertedInversion (music)
In music theory, the word inversion has several meanings. There are inverted chords, inverted melodies, inverted intervals, and inverted voices...
when the bass note
Bass note
In music theory, the bass note of a chord or sonority is the lowest note played or notated. If there are multiple voices it is the note played or notated in the lowest voice. While the bass note is often the root or fundamental of the chord, it does not have to be, and sometimes one of the other...
isn't the root note. For example, if the note E (the open sixth string) were to be played over the A minor chord (as in the table above), the chord would be
Seventh and extended
Seventh chordSeventh chord
A seventh chord is a chord consisting of a triad plus a note forming an interval of a seventh above the chord's root. When not otherwise specified, a "seventh chord" usually means a major triad with an added minor seventh...
s (notated by 7 or "maj7") are constructed by adding a fourth note to the major triad
Triad (music)
In music and music theory, a triad is a three-note chord that can be stacked in thirds. Its members, when actually stacked in thirds, from lowest pitched tone to highest, are called:* the Root...
, which is a minor or major 7th above (i.e., a whole or half step below) the tonic. There are various types of seventh chords depending on the quality of the original chord and the quality of the seventh added. In fact, in many cases, the seventh chord is relatively easy to play, compared to the corresponding major chord. Some of these are based on the CAGED fingerings, and some are not. Below is a series of fret-number configurations for some common chords:
- E7:[020100]
- G7:[320001]
- A7:[X02020]
- B7:[X21202] (note that a B major can't be played without using the barre chord, but B7 can)
- D7:[XX0212]
- Dm7: [XX0211]
- Em7: [020000]
- Am7: [X02010]
- Bm7: [X20202]
- Fm7: [202220]or ([XX2222] Also an A/F# Chord)
- Cmaj7: [X32000]
- Dmaj7: [XX0222]
- Emaj7: [021100]
- Fmaj7: [103210]
- Gmaj7: [320002]
- Amaj7: [X02120]
Other extended chord
Extended chord
In music, extended chords are tertian chords or triads with notes extended, or added, beyond the seventh. Ninth, eleventh, and thirteenth chords are extended chords...
s, such as ninths (9), elevenths (11) and thirteenths (13) can also be constructed. These can all be played with the CAGED shapes.
Power chords
Power chordPower chord
In music, a power chord is a chord consisting of only the root note of the chord and the fifth interval, usually played on electric guitar, and typically through an amplification process that imparts distortion...
s (sometimes notated as 5) consist solely of a root note and a fifth
Fifth
Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five.Fifth may refer to:* Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "Pleading the Fifth"* Fifth column - a political term...
. Sometimes an octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
is included as well.
On a guitar with six strings, it is possible to play any of five power chord shapes. Each can be played anywhere along the neck. The basic shapes are
| Chord name | Fret numbers |
|---|---|
| E5 | |
| A5 | |
| D5 | |
| G5 | |
| B5 | |
Six-string guitars with alternate tuning
There are many alternate tunings (like drop D tuningDrop D tuning
Drop D tuning, also known as DADGBE, is an alternate, or scordatura, form of guitar tuning — specifically, a dropped tuning — in which the lowest string is tuned down from the usual E of standard tuning by one whole step to D.- Uses of drop D tuning :In drop D the three bass strings...
, for example). These change the way chords are played, making some chords easier to play while others may be more difficult. Also, guitars may be tuned to a chord so that a slide may be used to play the chord at a multitude of pitches.