Vital major chords

ActionTab

Quick Reference

This handy chart tells you what every dot in the ActionTab system means. If you don't understand some of them don't worry - we have video lessons that explain them in the members section.

Fretboard & Capo

The fretboard is the area of your guitar where you play

Some songs require a capo. A capo is just a clamp which you can place on any fret. This effectively moves

the 'nut' of the guitar, allowing you to play 'open' chords higher up the fretboard. In ActionTab the capo is represented by the black bar on the left.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Space, K	Pause/Play
Home	Rewind
End	Go to End
	Step Forward
	Step Backward
M	Mute/Unmute
F	Fullscreen
H	Toggle Help
S	Save Settings
R	Restore Defaults
O	Toggle Loop
D	Toggle Delay Start
X	Toggle Light Strings
W	Flip Fretboard
C	Fretboard Color
T	Tablature
N	Normal Speed Window
B	Bookmark Position
,	Set Loop Section Start
.	Set Loop Section End
/	Clear Loop Section

Strumming Hand Dots

Fingerpick

Fingertap

Downstroke

Upstroke (Palm muted)

Pinch Harmonic

Color Codes

Applies to both hands

Thumb

1st (index) Finger

2nd Finger

3rd (ring) Finger

4th (little) Finger

Fretboard Hand Dots

Hold finger here

Bend note down

Bend note up

Hammer On

Pull Off

Slide dot this way

Prepare note

Mute note/string

Harmonic

Vibrato

Open string note (no finger)

Song Notes

This is from the Theory section on Chords. These are the most common and important major chords to know.

We start with the E major chord and work our way up through the others. There are some popular variations of certain chords which we also play here for you to learn.

Notice that some chords involve muting or omitting strings. When strumming it is often easier to mute unwanted strings using the thumb from the other side of the neck (cyan dot with M in it). This means that if you overstrum, the string is muted and won't affect your chord. This is easier than trying to skip the unwanted strings with your strumming hand, particularly when strumming quickly.

1st chord is E major (triad: E, G#, B)
Strum (lowest to highest): Low E - B - E - G# - B - E

2nd chord is G major (triad: G, B, D)
Strum (lowest to highest): G - B - D - G - B - G

3rd chord is a popular G major alternative (triad: G, B, D)
Strum (lowest to highest): G - B - D - G - D - G

4th chord is A major (triad: A, C#, E)
Strum (lowest to highest): x - A - E - A - C# - E

5th chord is B major (triad: B, D#, F#)
Strum (lowest to highest): x - B - F# - B - D# - F#

Notice that this chord is just like the previous A major chord - just all the notes are moved up by 2 frets. This is a classic barre chord. Go here learn about barre chords and how they work. (Basically we can use an A major shape, and move it up to play any other chord if we move this B major shape up by 1 more fret we will get C major, up by 2 frets to get D major and so on. This works because the 1st finger acts like the nut of the guitar, or like a capo).

6th chord is C major (triad: C, E, G)
Strum (lowest to highest): x - C - E - G - C - E

7th chord is a popular C major alternative (triad: C, E, G)
Strum (lowest to highest): G - C - E - G - C - E

Here we add a G note by playing it on the bass string. This is a popular way to play the C major chord because the extra bassy G adds a little more depth to the sound.

8th chord is D major (triad: D, F#, A)
Strum (lowest to highest): x - x - D - A - D - F#

notice that here we omit / mute the 2 lower strings.

9th chord is F major (triad: F, A, C)
Strum (lowest to highest): x - x - F - A - C - F

notice that here we also omit / mute the 2 lower strings. Really this chord shape is just a partial E barre chord shape (see below)...

10th chord is a popular F major alternative (triad: F, A, C)
Strum (lowest to highest): F - C - F - A - C - F

Just like the B major we looked at earlier, this is also a barre chord. Look at the first chord in this ActionTab (E major) and then this F chord, and you can see they are exactly the same - EXCEPT for the F, everything is moved up by 1 fret (the 1st finger acts like the nut or a capo). Some chords are best played as barre chords like this, as the finger positions are much easier. B major, F, F# major are good examples of this (to play F# major just move the F shape we play here up by 1 more fret).

Also if you look at the first F major chord again, you can see that it is actually just a partial way of playing the full F major barre chord!

Even if you don't understand all the barre chord stuff, don't worry - those things will make more sense over time as you work through this site. Just make sure that you practice these chords and learn their names. They are ESSENTIAL for guitar playing. If you are new to guitar, they may seem impossible, but stick at them - with practice your fingers will get stronger and quicker!

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