Reading Chord Box Diagrams

Music Theory Neck Notes, TAB, Chord & Scale Diagrams
22

You just need to orient yourself correctly.

Here is a neck diagram of a C major scale.

C Major scale - all notes up to fret 3
C Major scale - all notes up to fret 31152×648 10.8 KB

Here are two views of a C major chord

chord C - - - - - - - - - - - chord C.

Think of this …

Were you to take a print out of TAB and place it flat on a desk, then place your guitar flat on the desk in the manner you play it, with you sitting at the desk, both would have the low E / thickest / 6th string nearest to you. The orientation of the TAB will not always be flat depending on whether you read it on a computer screen, a music stand or other. But the same principle applies regardless of the orientation.

Screenshot_188
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Hope that helps.
Cheers :smiley:

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23

That’s a great explanation of a topic that confuses many beginners, Richard!

For me, chord diagrams that are laid out horizontally - like your second image - are MUCH easier to follow. They look like what I see when I tilt my guitar back and look at my fretting fingers.

I’m right handed, but if I was a leftie I think,I would create my own chord diagrams by rotating them 90 degrees counter clockwise, and then flipping them horizontally.

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