Use a familiar open chord to verify the mirrored string order and markers.
Second Shape D Major in StandardRead a compact three-note shape and check which lower strings must stay silent.
Easy Minor E Minor in StandardUse a low-friction shape to practise reading before working on faster changes.
Start With The String Order
When you face one of this site's vertical chord boxes, the high E string is on the left and the low E string is on the right. That order is deliberately mirrored for a conventionally strung left-handed guitar.
The string-note labels under every box are the final check. In standard tuning they read E, B, G, D, A, E from left to right: high-pitched string to low-pitched string. If you use another tuning, those six labels change with the selected tuning.
Read From The Nut Down The Frets
The thick top line represents the nut when the box begins at fret 1. Each horizontal row below it is the next fret. A box higher up the neck displays a fret badge such as 5fr so you know where its first visible row begins.
The note dots sit inside the fret spaces. On this site the letters inside the dots are note names, not finger numbers. A highlighted root dot marks the note that names the chord.
Know What To Play And What To Avoid
An o above a string means play that string open. An x means mute or omit it. A filled note dot means fret that string at the row shown. Check the intended strings one at a time before strumming the full chord.
The generated voicings are filtered for a maximum three-fret span and an estimated maximum of four fretting fingers. That protects against impossible computer-generated grips, but it does not mean every shape will suit every hand or musical context.
Why The Tab Is Not Mirrored
The chord box is mirrored because it is a visual map of finger placement. Standard guitar tablature remains unchanged: its six horizontal lines still run from high E at the top to low E at the bottom, with fret numbers showing what to play.
Keeping tab standard lets a left-handed player use mainstream lessons, songs and transcriptions without learning a private notation system. Use the mirrored box for orientation and the tab as an exact text reference.
A Two-Minute Diagram Check
Open A major in standard tuning. First identify the low E side, then find every open marker, mute marker and fretted note. Form the shape without strumming and compare each string with the box.
Pick the strings one at a time. If every intended note rings, release the shape and rebuild it five times. Then repeat the same check with D major or E minor so the reading process becomes automatic rather than a one-off explanation.