The building blocks behind every chord
Left-handed players use the same chord theory as every other guitarist. The helpful difference is having diagrams and explanations that make the fretboard easy to read from a left-handed viewpoint.
What is a chord?
A chord is two or more notes heard together. Most common guitar chords are built from a root note and intervals above it. A major triad contains a root, major third and perfect fifth; a minor triad lowers the third by one semitone.
For example, A major contains A, C♯ and E. A minor contains A, C and E. The chord names describe the same notes whether the player is right-handed or left-handed.
Roots, thirds and fifths
- Root: the note that gives the chord its name.
- Third: the note that helps define major or minor quality.
- Fifth: the stable interval that completes a basic triad.
When you learn a movable shape, try to identify at least one root note inside it. That makes the shape useful in more keys and helps you connect chord playing to scales and the notes on the fretboard.
Open chords and movable shapes
Open chords use one or more open strings, while movable shapes can be shifted to different frets. Barre chords are movable because one finger replaces the nut and frets several strings at once.
Our horizontal scale and notes charts show high e at the top and low E at the bottom, with the nut on the right. Portrait chord boxes put low E on the right. String labels and the nut identify the orientation. Place your finger just behind the indicated fret wire, rather than on the wire.
Chord symbols you will meet often
- Major: written as C, G or A, with no extra symbol.
- Minor: written as Cm, Gm or Am.
- Seventh: written as C7, A7 or E7.
- Major seventh: written as Cmaj7 or Amaj7.
- Suspended: written as sus2 or sus4, replacing the third with another interval.
- Added tones and extensions: written as add9, 9, 11 or 13 when the harmony calls for them.
How chords connect to scales
Chord tones are the notes that make a chord sound like itself. When you play a scale over that chord, landing on a chord tone often sounds more settled than landing on a passing note. This is the bridge between learning shapes and understanding music.
Use the interactive notes fretboard to locate roots and chord tones, then use the scale library to see those notes in a wider position.
A left-handed practice method
- Learn the chord shape from a left-handed diagram.
- Say the string letters as you place each finger.
- Find the root note in the shape.
- Play the chord, then the related scale slowly.
- Move the shape or progression into another key.