Basic Guitar Chords
Standard tuning E A D G B E · the essential majors, minors and their 7ths
How to play
- Tap a chord to see its shape and hear it strummed. The top row are open majors & minors; the rest are dominant 7ths.
- Reading the diagram — the thick bar on top is the nut. Dots show where to press (number = finger); ◯ = open, × = don’t play.
- 7th chords (G7, D7, E7, A7) add a bluesy note and are common in blues, folk and country turnarounds.
- Strum re‑plays it (tap the diagram too). Vol sets volume. Keyboard: Tab + Enter/Space.
- Tip — C–Am–F–G and G–Em–C–D are classic progressions you can build from these shapes.
As a virtual instrument, it provide you with the way to access basic guitar chords instantly (without having to find an actualy instrument). By simply clicking on the chord buttons, you are able to play along or navigate the instrument quick through your computer keyboard. It’s also laid out to help beginners learn where their fingers needs to go and what those shapes sounds like right away.
On the left-hand side is the main grid of available chords. Each time you click on one it appear in big panel on the right as its diagram. The chosen chord also has a border around it so you’re able to see what’s been chosen. To avoid clicking, you could of simply use the Tab key to cycle through the chord buttons and then hit Space or Enter to choose each one.
How to Use the Virtual Guitar Widget
The diagrams for each chord show exactly where to put your fingers on guitar. You can see that vertical lines are the strings. The thick line at the top is the guitar nut. The dots are the fingerings, and the numbers indicates which fingers to use. The X indicates to completely mute the string and an open circle mean play the string open.
To play back what you’ve entered, simply click the Strum button at the bottom of the diagram (or just tap on it) and you’ll be able to hear how each chord sound. If you want to listen again quickly without removing your cursor from the visual representation of the chords, then just tap on the diagram. This will trigger a simulated realistic strumming pattern so that each string is activated a fraction of a second after the one before it.
The Widget has a control bar located towards the top-right side containing a volume slider that allows you to adjust the master output level. You will be able to maintain a comfortabley pitch no matter where you are. The setting remain for the duration of your session, so you can fine tune it before playing any progression.
The How to play button switches on a help panel containing detailed explanations of all the symbols used on the diagram. This is helpful if you’re unfamiliar with how to read chord charts and would like a reminder about where each circle or cross go. Hide it as desired when you’d prefer some extra screen space to practice your shapes.
The Fullscreen option expands the whole interface to fill your browser window when you turn it on. It’ll make the chord diagrams bigger and easier to read on mobile devices or smaller screens while removing distractions from other content on the page. Once you’re finished, simply click the same button or hit the Escape key to go back to the regular view.
First of all, use some basic open chords, G, C, E perhaps… And become accustomed to clicking around. You can experiment with changing the chord using a commonly occurring progression (e.g. C to Am to F to G) and listen for how it sounds. Make sure you have the volume set to hear what’s happening and from there you can work on moving your attention between the diagram and the buttons.
Once confident in the simple major and minor shape, try experimenting with seventh chords such as A7 or D7. They introduce an extra touch of tension to your chord choices and is commonly used in the styles of country, folk and blues. Strumming them over and over again will help you get your fingers around the shape as well as hear how it sounds, all without having to worry about maintaining a pulse.
Although it’s not intended as a tool for in-depth theoretical study, this is a handy device for rapid reference and learning by ear. Stick to just familiarising yourself with the shapes and linking them to what they sound like. Take your time getting to know all of them, and if you’re finding the clicking hard over extended periods, then go ahead and use the keyboard buttons instead.
To use, simply pick one of the chords from the grid and then hit the strum button. You’ll hear what it sounds like with that voicing and notice the diagram immediate changes too. Work through this widget alongside your practice routine and eventually, they will become second nature to you.