Learn › Guitar Chord Chart: 21 Essential Chords
New Released in April 2026
Guitar Chord Chart: 21 Essential Chords
A guitar chords chart shows where to put your fingers for each chord. This one has the 21 chords guitarists use most: the 7 natural major chords, their minor versions and their 7th chords, each with a diagram and its notes. Learn the shapes here, then practise switching between them until you can play them without looking.
No account, no download. The demo has limited content. Advanced features are in ChordRunner Premium.
- MIDI keyboard
- Digital or acoustic piano
- Guitar
- Computer, phone or tablet
Major guitar chords chart
Strings from low E (left) to high e. Dots = fingers, ○ = open, × = do not play.
Minor guitar chords
Sadder, darker versions: one note of the major chord drops a fret.
7th guitar chords
Dominant 7ths add a bluesy pull towards the next chord.
How to read a guitar chord chart
- Vertical lines are strings: the thick low E on the left, the thin high e on the right.
- Horizontal lines are frets: the bold line at the top is the nut; the first space below it is fret 1.
- Dots are fingers: press just behind the fret shown.
- ○ above a string: play it open. ×: mute it or skip it when you strum.
- Several dots on the same fret (F, Fm, F7, Gm, Cm): one finger can lie across them as a barre.
All guitar chords from a few shapes
There are thousands of chord names, but most are moved shapes. The E and A shapes become barre chords anywhere on the neck: slide the F shape up two frets and it is G, up four and it is A. Learn the open shapes on this chart first, then the two barre shapes, and every major, minor and 7th chord is in reach.
From the chart to real chord changes
A chart shows the shape once. ChordRunner shows the chord name and listens through the microphone while you strum, so you practise changes in a random order, the way songs use them.
Symbols, like songbooks
The game shows chord names, not diagrams: the skill you need to read any chord sheet.
Beginner to pro
Major and minor first, then sus, 7th and 9th chords as you improve. On piano, a MIDI keyboard works too.
Common questions
What are the most important guitar chords?
The open major chords C, D, E, G and A, the minor chords Am, Em and Dm, and the 7th chords such as G7 and D7. With them you can play most songs in the keys of C, G, D and A.
How do you read a guitar chord chart?
Vertical lines are strings, low E on the left. Horizontal lines are frets, the bold top line is the nut. Dots show where to press, a circle means play the string open, a cross means do not play it.
How many guitar chords are there?
Thousands of names, but most are a few shapes moved along the neck. Learn the open chords, then the E and A barre shapes, and every major, minor and 7th chord is reachable.
How do I memorise guitar chords?
Play them in random order with instant feedback. In ChordRunner the chord name appears and the microphone checks your strum, so you learn to find shapes without looking at a chart.
Your instrument is the controller.
ChordRunner is a browser game that teaches piano and guitar chords: a chord appears on screen, you play it on a real instrument, and your runner jumps. MIDI keyboard or microphone, both work.
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