Chord Diagrams
Throughout the lessons I’ll use chord diagrams to help explain where to put your fingers, and how to play the chords. Chord diagrams are found at the start of most published music, and serve as a way to show you what shape of the chord to play. Being able to read chord diagrams will help you learn faster and absorb more knowledge.
Example Chord Diagram Using a C Major Chord
‘x’ means do not play that string.
‘o’ means play the open string.
The yellow numbered dots tell you which finger to use – 1 means use your 1 st finger, 2 means use your 2 nd finger etc. The location of these yellow dots also tells you which fret to press down on.
So to play the example, place your fingers in the positions indicated in the diagram, and with your right hand strum the C Major chord, starting from the 5 th string, and strum the 5 strings.
That’s all there is to reading chord diagrams, so now you’re equipped to play any chord!
Scale Diagrams
You’ll also notice scale diagrams throughout the lessons. These help to explain where to put your fingers, and how to play scale patterns. Scale diagrams will appear horizontally in the lessons, while the chord diagrams will appear vertically. Knowing how to read scale diagrams will help you soak up the lessons faster. With scale diagrams, you’ll see where to put your fingers for an entire pattern in the one diagram.
Example Scale Diagram Using the E Minor Pentatonic Scale
1. Scale diagram showing a section of the fingerboard
Each dot represents a note to play. In this first example, you play each dot, with the clear dots meaning open strings. The letter ‘R’ means root note for the scale. Basically, you play scale diagrams by starting from the most bass note, and play each note to the highest note marked.
2. Scale diagram showing whole neck
Chord and scale diagrams are important parts of your learning tool kit, so spend a little time getting comfortable reading both styles and you’ll be ready to tackle any lesson, from the most basic beginner exercises to advanced techniques.
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