Reading Chord Diagrams & Tab
Chord diagrams and tablature (TAB) are the guitar's two most common “maps.” Once you can read them, you can teach yourself almost any song.
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How to read a chord diagram
A chord diagram is a little “fretboard map”: the vertical lines are the 6 strings (left to right is the 6th string to the 1st string), the horizontal lines are the fret wires, and the thick line across the top is the “nut” (that is, the position of the 0th fret).
A dot shows which finger presses which string at which fret, and the number inside the dot tells you which finger to use (1 = index, 2 = middle, 3 = ring, 4 = pinky). A circle (O) above a string means play it open; an X means don't play that string, or mute it.
Below are the chord diagrams for Em and Am — set them up on the guitar as you read:
A quick intro to tab (TAB)
Tab uses 6 horizontal lines for the 6 strings (note: the top line is the thinnest, the 1st string). A number on a line tells you which fret to press, and 0 means open string.
You read left to right in playing order: numbers stacked in the same column are played together (a chord); spread apart, they're played one at a time (an arpeggio or melody).
- 💡 When reading, don't rush to play fast — first make sure of each note's “which string, which fret.”
Chords in this lesson
Tap the 🔊 under each diagram to match every chord's sound to its shape.
⏱️ Cycle this lesson's chords to a beatPractice switching without stopping (one-minute changes) — first learn each chord by ear and shape, then drill clean changes between them.Expand Collapse
Switch back and forth between this lesson's chords to the beat below.
One bar of count-in first, then the chord changes automatically each bar. Get it smooth slowly, then speed up bit by bit.
Want to count how many changes you can do in 60 seconds? Head to the one-minute changes drill.
Go play these
Songs that fit this lesson's technique and chords — pick one and practice in the library:
Companion practice licks
Play-along licks for this lesson's technique — tap to hear them in the Riff library and practice slowly:
Practice checklist
- Looking at the Em chord diagram, set it up on the guitar and pluck it string by string.
- In tab, work out where “3rd string, 2nd fret” should be written.