Guitar Chord Notes Chart

The following is an online guitar chord notes chart for looking at common guitar chords both visually and audibly. You’ll be able to move around the chart using either your computer keyboard or by tapping on the chords with your mouse. As you do so, it will sound out the chord tones in real time via your speakers alongside showing you where to place your fingers on a fretboard diagram. This means you can more easly grasp what notes are included in each harmony and how these is placed over the strings.

A grid of chord buttons is displayed down the left side of the widget. To play a different chord simply click on the desired button which will highlight it and instantly update the large diagram on the right where you can see what’s changed. Alternatively, you can tab through the chords using your keyboard to place focus on them and then hit either Space or Enter to select that particular chord. If you don’t like using a mouse, this keyboard navigation will come in handy.

How to Use the Guitar Chord Tool

The selected chord will always display in the main display area along with finger position. This central diagram shows a standard tuned, or regular, fretboard. The horizontal lines are the frets; the thicker ones is the strings. Squares near the nut show which string are open. Dark circles show finger placement, and an X means do not play that string. The bottom legend explains what each dot and line signifies in colour.

The purple dots on the fretboard draw attention to the root note of the chord so you can instantly find the home note of the chord. Tones other than the root is coloured neutrally to contrast them. The button above the diagram toggles labels between interval roles (R = Root; 3 = third etc.) and note names (C/E). In other words, when set to Note Names, it will show you the individual notes in each place. It will show C or E, but if you change it to Role, it will give you the harmonic function of that note. These include the root note, the third, and the flat seventh. This is useful if you’re trying to analyse the structure of various chord progressions at a glance. Toggle back and forth between these two options to see how the pitch relates to its role in the progression.

There are also a number of buttons and sliders that control the playback of sounds. Clicking the Strum button sound out the chosen chord with a simulated strumming action. You can also click anywhere in the diagram, which makes a sound just as if you’d tapped the button. The slider on the right-hand side of the control bar lets you adjust the master volume so that you can hear what you want without altering the volume on your computer or other system. All of the chords have a moddern velocity to create something close to natural sound of an acoustic.

A Help button displays more help text in the interface. Click the button, and an expanded tip panel appears offering guidance on using the controls and interpreting the charts. There’s also a Fullscreen button that maximizes the widget, providing a bigger view of the fretboard. It is a nice option if you’re practicing away from other distractions, or if you’re working on a big screen. You can toggle both features on and off as needed during your practice session.

Explore various chords. How do these appear? What do they sound like? Listen for the differences between major and minor variations. Observe how the intervals change. Using the role display when you listen can help align what you are hearing with your understanding of theory. It may assist if you play a chord, identify its root position, then toggle to show the note names to reveal which pitches is being played. The more this process is repeated the clearer the mental picture of chord formation becomes.

There are a few controls and presets to experiment with so spend a little time getting familiar with them all. It’s a tool intended to give an instant response while allowing you to refer back quickly. You should of used it more often to get better. Play around with it and check your fingers. Try learning the notes of popular chords. Use it to learn about chord progressions.

Begin with something simple such as G major or perhaps C major if this is new to you, just to get your bearings with how things are laid out. Once you feel confident with using it go deeper into more complex harmonies. You should of checked the settings first.