As a beginner guitar player, it may be difficult to know where to start. One of the fastest and easiest ways to start playing songs and music is to learn chords.
A chord is a harmonic set of three or more notes used in contemporary and classical music.
On guitar or ukulele you use the tips of your fingers to press the strings onto the frets to change the pitch of the string to make notes. The Fret Finder shows you the finger position on the strings and frets to make a harmonic chord. The chord chart is a simplified visualization of how to play the chord.
The diagram above shows how to read the chord chart. To get started, look for the vertical lines, they each represent a string on the guitar, from the thinnest to thickest string. Hold your guitar in playing position (shown in the photo at top of the page). Then identify the thickest string on your guitar to transpose the chart to your guitar. For example, each horizontal line represents a fret on the neck of the guitar.
A fret is the metal strip in the fingerboard that creates a raised element on the neck of a guitar or ukulele, usually extending the length of the neck.
Each numbered circle represents the place you press your finger tip down on the string. Use the chart to place your fingers on the neck of the guitar in the position above. This is the C chord, and if you strum the strings of the guitar while holding the strings to the fretboard in this position, your guitar will play the chord of C.
You can use the Fret Finder to learn 10 beginner chords and be able to play thousands of songs! Practice looking at the chord chart and placing your fingers in the corresponding position. Learning the finger positioning of chords is an important step to playing the guitar. Next you will need to practice strumming the guitar while holding the finger position and you will be playing songs in no time!