Guitar Chord Diagrams:
Find, Hear, Play
Look up any chord of a guitar by name, browse by chord family, and hear it play before you pick it up.
Chord Entry Module
Search by Chord Name
Em, Bm7, Dbmaj7, G/B, D/F#
Browse by Chord Family
Major, Minor, 7th, Suspended, Power, Barre
Search by Name, Play by Ear
The GuitarTuner.io chord library is organized so you can reach any chord in two steps: type the chord name in the search field, or browse to the right family and select it from the list.
Guitarists most often search for a chord after seeing its name in a tab, chart, or lead sheet. Common lookups include open-position chords — Em, Am, Dm, G, C, D — as well as slash chords (G/B, D/F#, Em/D), minor 7th chords (Am7, Em7, Bm7), major 7th chords (Dmaj7, Cmaj7, Dbmaj7), and dominant 7th chords (G7, C7, B7).
View the full chord library01. Type exact name
Use the chord symbol as written: Am7, not "A minor seventh."
02. Choose voicing
Most chords have more than one way to play them; pick the shape that fits your position.
03. Listen before play
Tap the audio button to hear the chord ring out and confirm you have the right one.
Explore More Resources
Six Chord Types, Every Sound You Need
Every chord in the library belongs to one of six families, and knowing which family a chord belongs to tells you a lot about how it sounds.
Major chords
Bright, open, resolved. C, G, D, E, and A major appear in more songs than any other chord type.
Foundation of pop & rock
Minor chords
Darker, more emotional. Em, Am, and Dm are the open minor chords most guitarists learn first.
For ballads & moody tracks
7th chords
A four-note chord with a bluesy or jazzy edge. G7, C7, and D7 add tension that pulls toward resolution.
For blues, jazz, and soul
Suspended chords
Sus2 and sus4 chords replace the third, producing a floating, unresolved quality used in rock and pop.
Adding movement
Power chords
Two-note chords built from root and fifth. Punchy and distortion-friendly foundation of rock and punk.
For heavy rock & metal
Barre chords
Moveable shapes where the index finger frets all strings. Unlocks any chord anywhere on the neck.
Unlocking the fretboard
Three Things Every Chord Page Shows
The chord diagram
A grid of six vertical lines (strings) crossing horizontal lines (frets). Filled dots show where to place your fingers. An X above a string means mute it; an O means play it open. The nut is marked at the top for open chords.
Finger numbers
Each dot shows which finger to use: 1 for index, 2 for middle, 3 for ring, 4 for pinky. When a curved line connects dots on the same fret, that is a barre — press all those strings with one finger.
Multiple voicings and audio
Most chords have more than one playable shape. Use the voicing selector to switch between them and find the position that fits. Tap the play button to hear the chord ring out at any time.
Find the chord by name. Check the fingering numbers. Hear it play — then tune up and use it.
Is your guitar in tune?
Every chord sounds better on a guitar that is in tune. Use the free GuitarTuner.io microphone tuner to check your strings first.
External tuner: GuitarTuner.ioMore Guitar Tools
Guitar Chord Questions
- What does a guitar chord diagram show?
- A chord diagram is a grid that maps the guitar's six strings (vertical lines) and frets (horizontal lines). Filled dots show where to place your fingers, and numbers on the dots indicate which finger to use. An X above a string means mute it; an O means let it ring open. When a barre is required, a curved line or bracket connects multiple dots on the same fret.
- How do I find a chord like Em/D or G/B in the library?
- Type the chord symbol exactly as written — Em/D, G/B, D/F# — into the search field. These are slash chords: the letter before the slash is the chord, and the letter after it is the bass note to play on the lowest string. The chord library shows the diagram with the correct bass-string placement.
- What is the difference between a major and a minor chord on a guitar?
- A major chord (C, G, D) has a bright, resolved sound. A minor chord (Em, Am, Dm) sounds darker and more emotional. The only physical difference is one note lowered by a half step — on most open-position chords, that means one finger moves down one fret. The chord diagram for each shows exactly which string and fret changes.
- What are the easiest guitar chords to learn first?
- Em, Am, E, A, D, G, and C are the open-position chords that appear most often in beginner songs and that use the fewest fingers in the lowest positions on the neck. Em and Am are the easiest two: both use only two fingers on adjacent strings at the second fret.
- What are power chords and when should I use them?
- A power chord uses the root note and the fifth — just two pitches, played on the two or three lowest strings. Because they contain no major or minor third, they sound equally good through a clean amp or heavy distortion. Power chords are the core of rock, metal, and punk rhythm playing, and they work in any key without needing a barre.
- Do I need to learn barre chords to play guitar songs?
- Not immediately. A large number of songs are playable using only open-position chords. Barre chords become necessary when a song uses a chord shape not available in open position, when you want the same chord in a higher register, or when you use a capo and need to transpose shapes.
- What is a suspended chord on guitar?
- A suspended chord replaces the third — the note that makes a chord major or minor — with a second (sus2) or a fourth (sus4). Asus2, Dsus4, and Csus2 are common examples. Because they have no third, suspended chords sound neither major nor minor; they feel unresolved and are often followed by the major or minor version of the same chord.