Guitar Chord Finder
Look up how to play any guitar chord with clear fingering diagrams and alternate voicings, plus what the chord symbol is actually telling you.
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Standard tuning (EADGBE), low E on the left. ✕ = don't play · ○ = open string · numbered dot = which finger to press with.
Only half the roots have an open chord at all
An open chord uses unfretted strings and needs no barre, so it can be held with two or three fingers and left to ring. A barre chord needs one finger laid flat across every string — harder, quieter, and much more tiring to hold through a song.
Counting across the 529 chords and 2,069 fingerings in the database behind this tool, exactly six of the twelve roots have an open major shape:
| Root | Major | Minor |
|---|---|---|
| C | open shape | open shape |
| C♯ | barre only | open shape |
| D | open shape | open shape |
| Eb | open shape | open shape |
| E | open shape | open shape |
| F | barre only | barre only |
| F♯ | barre only | barre only |
| G | open shape | open shape |
| Ab | barre only | barre only |
| A | open shape | open shape |
| Bb | barre only | barre only |
| B | barre only | barre only |
C, D, Eb, E, G, A — and nothing else. That is not a fact about music. It is a fact about where the six open strings happen to sit, which is a tuning decision made centuries ago and inherited ever since.
Which decides what keys guitar music gets written in
A major key needs six common chords — I, ii, iii, IV, V and vi. Counting how many of those have an open shape, key by key:
| Key | Open shapes | Needs a barre for |
|---|---|---|
| C | 5 of 6 | F |
| G | 5 of 6 | Bm |
| D | 4 of 6 | F♯m, Bm |
| F | 4 of 6 | F, Bb |
| A | 4 of 6 | Bm, F♯m |
| Bb | 4 of 6 | Bb, F |
| Eb | 3 of 6 | Fm, Ab, Bb |
| E | 3 of 6 | F♯m, Abm, B |
| B | 3 of 6 | B, F♯, Abm |
| Ab | 2 of 6 | Ab, Bbm, C♯, Fm |
| C♯ | 1 of 6 | C♯, Fm, F♯, Ab, Bbm |
| F♯ | 1 of 6 | F♯, Abm, Bbm, B, C♯ |
C and G come out on top at 5 of 6, with D and A just behind. Those are exactly the keys that guitar-based popular music is overwhelmingly written in, and the reason turns out to be mechanical rather than musical — they are the keys where the instrument stops arguing with you.
The detail worth noticing is which single chord spoils each one. In the key of C it is F; in G it is Bm. Those are the two chords every beginner complains about, and they turn up here from the data rather than from anyone's memory of learning. At the other end, F♯ manages 1 of 6 — five of its six chords need a barre, which is why nobody writes a campfire song in it.
It also explains the capo, which otherwise looks like cheating. Clamping the neck moves every open shape up together, so a guitarist can play the easy shapes of C or G and have the song come out in E♭ or B♭. The capo is not a way around theory — it is a way of borrowing open strings for a key that does not have any of its own.
How to use
- Choose the root and chord type.
- Read the diagram — dots are fingers, numbers are which finger.
- Try the alternate voicings for one that suits the passage.
- Learn the shape's movable form where one exists.
Frequently asked questions
How do I read a chord diagram?
The vertical lines are strings, low E on the left, and the horizontal lines are frets. Dots show where to press, numbers usually show which finger, an X above a string means do not play it and an O means play it open.
What does the chord symbol mean?
The letter is the root note, and what follows describes the intervals stacked on it — m for minor, 7 for a flattened seventh, maj7 for a major seventh, sus for a suspended fourth or second. Once you can read the symbol, the shape becomes a consequence rather than something to memorise.
Why are there several shapes for the same chord?
Because a chord is a set of notes, not a fingering, and those notes appear in many places on the neck. Different voicings differ in which note is lowest, how many strings sound, and how easily they connect to the chords around them — which is why good players choose rather than default.
What is a barre chord and why is it worth the pain?
A chord where one finger presses several strings at once, replacing the nut. It matters because it makes shapes movable — one shape played at different frets gives every chord of that type, which converts a handful of shapes into the whole neck.
Why do my barre chords buzz?
Usually finger placement rather than strength. The barre should sit close behind the fret and slightly rolled onto the bony side of the finger, with the thumb behind the neck rather than over the top. High action or an unset neck makes it genuinely harder, which is worth checking before blaming yourself.
Do I need to learn to read music?
For most guitar playing, no — chord symbols and tab carry a great deal. Reading standard notation opens up material that tab does not cover and makes theory considerably easier to apply, so it is worth having eventually rather than first.
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