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Step Two: How To Read Chord Diagrams |
Before you start learning how to play guitar chords you need to learn how to read chord diagrams. A chord diagram is a graphic that tells you how to play a specific chord shape. For this beginner guitar lesson you will learn how to read a D major chord diagram. There are a few things that you need to know to be able to properly interpret a chord diagram so let’s get started.
Look at the D major chord diagram. The six vertical lines represent the six strings of the guitar. The far left line represents the low E string and the far right line represents the high E string. The horizontal lines represent the frets of the guitar.
The dots on the diagram represent where you should put your fingers. The numbers inside of the dots represent which fingers you should use to fret those particular notes. The black dots represent the root note of the chord. In this case we are learning a D major chord so the black dots would be D notes.
If you see a “X” above a string that means that you should not play that string at all. If you see a circle above a string that means that you should play that string open.
Work through this D chord diagram and see if you can play it. Watch this lesson and make sure that you understand how to read chord diagrams because you will be learning several new chords in the next guitar lesson.
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