The term root refers to the note which gives the chord its name. For example, A is the root of A7, and E is the root of Em.

You have learned three types of chords, built on еach of the seven roots, That's our twenty-one chords. Learn and memorize where the root is located on each chord shape. Most of the time, the root is the lowest note (also known as the „bass note“). You should be able to clearly pluck the root first, and then follow that with full strumming. The coordination should feel comfortable at many different tempos. Remember to vary your tempos and your strums.

Open Position Chords

The next chord type to work with is the dominant 7th. These chords are extremely important in defining „key centers“ and, along with the major and minor chords you already learned, they make up the twenty-one open chords that are the backbone of guitar. You will see all of these shapes reappearing further up the neck in the higher positions. Therefore, it is best to become very familiar with these twenty-one shapes in open position so you have a solid foundation in the continuing study of the guitar neck and its intricacies.

This vertical diagram is the most commonly used diagram for guitar. It is used to show the first four or five frets starting at the nut. The frets are actually the metal wires. However, the „fret area“ (the space between the nut and fret, or from one fret to the next) is generally referred to as the „fret.“ Frets are numbered from #1 as the lowest, all the way up the neck to the highest.

Sometimes a numeral will be used at the lowest fret in the diagram to indicate a different starting fret other than the first fret. This way, you can use this diagram to show any four or five consecutive frets on the guitar.