Page 60 - Year 8 Knowledge Organiser

Music: 3 of 5

How to read chord charts: A chord is any time that an instrument plays more than one note. On

fretted instruments, chord charts (sometimes called chord boxes) are a common way of notating

how to play chords. A chord chart is basically a map of one part of the fretboard. The vertical lines
(up and down) represent the strings, and the horizontal (left to right) represent the frets. The top

line on the chart is the plastic nut at the end of the fretboard. The dots on the chart tell you where

you need to place your fingers. Once you have placed all of your fingers, you strum across all
strings at once with your picking hand.

In this diagram, the blue arrows

show where the frets are on the

chord chart. The red arrows
show where the strings are. The

orange arrows show where you

place your fingers to make the
chord.