Chord diagrams are typically situated vertically like this. However, occasionally you might also encounter horizontal grids
Assuming you have standard tuning, each of those strings plays the notes E-A-D-G-B-E, when played from left to right. Some chord diagrams have the names of the strings at the bottom or top of the diagram, but they aren’t strictly necessary. The strings are typically referred to by numbers so you know which string to play regardless of your tuning. The thickest, lowest string is the 6th string, the one to the right of it is the 5th string, and so on, all the way to the thinnest, highest string, which is the 1st string.
Most chord diagrams show the first 4 frets. For your most basic chords, the ones you’ll learn first when you learn to play guitar, your fretting hand will stay primarily within these first 4 frets.
1: index or pointer finger 2: middle finger 3: ring finger 4: pinky finger
There are also smartphone apps that you can use to tune your guitar. Although these vary in quality and are never as good as an electronic tuner, they’ll work in a pinch. Always tune your guitar every time you pick it up to start playing. This is especially important when you’re just starting out because you want to train your ear to the correct pitches.
For example, if you look at the chord diagram for a C chord, you’ll see black dots on the 3rd fret of the 5th string, the 2nd fret of the 4th string, and the 1st fret of the 2nd string. The diagram also tells you to place your 3rd finger (ring finger) on the 5th string, your 2nd finger (middle finger) on the 4th string, and your 1st finger (index finger) on the 4th string. Place each finger on the string at the fret indicated. Then pluck each of the 6 strings and listen to the sound. If one of the strings buzzes or sounds muffled, that means one of your fretting fingers is also touching that string. Adjust your finger position until you’re no longer doing that. It can take some practice to get it just right.
Especially with beginner chords, the strings you don’t play are typically the outer strings, so you simply start or end your strum in a different place and leave them out. For example, the C chord diagram has an “X” over the 6th string, so you would only strum the 5th through the 1st strings. Note that on the C chord diagram, the 3rd and 1st strings have an “O,” so you still strum them, but without fretting them anywhere.
It doesn’t matter if you strum up or down, you’re still playing the same chord. However, you might notice that it sounds a little different if you strum down as opposed to if you strum up. Play around with different strumming patterns to get used to the sound of the chord.
For example, if a diagram starts on the 7th fret, that means it shows the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th frets. Diagrams that start at a different fret than the 1st typically don’t have the thick line at the top that represents the nut, so it’s easy to determine at a glance if you need to be concerned about what fret the diagram is starting from.
When you place your capo, it takes the place of the nut in the diagram. So the next fret down from the capo is the same as the 1st fret on the diagram.
Some diagrams also use a solid bar across the barred strings, so be familiar with both ways of showing a barre chord on a chord diagram. If you’re just starting out, you might not have developed the finger strength yet to play barre chords. But once you do, you’ll discover a whole new range of songs that you can play, including a lot of rock and pop songs.
