← All tools

Fretboard & Chord Shapes

Pick an instrument and a note. See every note, a scale or a chord across the whole neck, and the chord shapes you can play.

Root (the starting note, or the key)
Chord (also used for the chord shapes)

C

root (square), chord notes. Swipe the neck sideways for higher frets.

Tap a spot on the neck to name it.

The neck as text

    Chord shapes

    Listed by a rule of thumb: low on the neck, few muted strings, the root as the lowest note, few fingers. It is a guide, not a verdict on what suits your hands.

      How to read it

      • Strings are numbered from the one nearest the floor: on a guitar string 1 is the high E and string 6 the low E; on a ukulele string 1 is the A and string 4 the G. String 1 is drawn at the top, as in tablature.
      • Pitches are the notes you hear, in scientific pitch notation (middle C is C4). Guitar and bass music is written an octave higher than it sounds, so the guitar's 2nd string at the 1st fret is shown as C4, written C5 in guitar music.
      • Chord diagrams stand the neck upright: the lowest string on the left, × over a string you do not play, ○ over an open string. A number on the left is the fret of the first row. With a capo, frets are counted from the capo.
      • Shapes are worked out, not copied: every string you play is a chord note, all the chord's notes are there (a seventh chord may leave out its fifth), the fingers stay within four frets, and muted strings sit only at the edges. They are listed by a rule of thumb (low on the neck, few muted strings, the root as the lowest note, few fingers); it is a guide, not a verdict on what is easiest for your hands. Power chords come root lowest first, as root, fifth and octave on three strings. Finger numbers are not shown.
      • Degree is the note's place counted from the root: 1 is the root, ♭3 a minor third above it. Turn on Indian terms in the footer for swara names, counted from the root as Sa.

      Keyboard shortcuts

      • ← →root down or up a half step
      • ↑ ↓previous or next chord (or scale)
      • N S Cshow all notes, a scale, or a chord
      • Lnext label style (names, degrees, swaras)
      • , .previous or next chord shape (shows it and plays it)
      • Pplay the chosen shape again
      • [ ]capo down or up a fret
      • Hleft-handed view on or off
      • Espell the root the other way (C♯ or D♭)
      • Escstop the sound and clear the chosen shape

      Shortcuts pause while you type in a field or use a menu. On the neck, the arrow keys move along and across the strings, Home and End jump to the ends, and Enter names (and plays) the note.

      Letter, number and punctuation shortcuts can be turned off: use the Keyboard shortcuts switch in the footer, under Display. Space, Enter, the arrow keys and Esc keep working.