Major Guitar Chords

A, Bb, B, C, C#, D, Eb, E, F, F#, G, Ab

Major chords are made up of a root, a major third, and a perfect fifth. When a chord consists of these 3 notes alone, it is called a major triad.

We will be looking at all the 12 major guitar chords in 3 different positions on the fretboard. Most will be open chords but some of these positions will be barre chords. If you haven't played barre chords or are not comfortable playing them, you can concentrate on the other positions for now.

There are many other ways to play these chords, but we are concentrating on the most common ways. Most of these guitar chords are based around the root position of the chord, so if you are playing an A chord, the lowest note is an A.

  • The chord formula for a major chord is 1 - 3 - 5
  • The featured song for this session is 'Hallelujah'... a great Leonard Cohen classic recorded by K. D. Lang including chords and lyrics.
Major Chords Table
Chord A B♭ B C C# D E♭ E F F# G A♭
Root A B♭ B C C# D E♭ E F F# G A♭
Major 3rd C# D D# E E#(F) F# G G# A A#(B♭) B C
Perfect 5th E F F# G G# A B♭ B C C# D E♭

Major Chords - RH / LH

Chord Chart Legend Chord Chart Legend
Right Handers
A - A major
Scale: A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G#
Spelling: 1st (A), 3rd (C#), 5th (E)

A chord A Major barre chord A Major chord
A# / Bb - A#major / Bb major (more commonly used)
Scale: Bb - C - D - Eb - F - G - A
Spelling: 1st (Bb), 3rd (D), 5th (F)

Bb Major barre chord Bb Major - 2nd position Bb Major - 3rd position
B - B major
Scale: B - C# - D# - E - F# - G# - A#
Spelling: 1st (B), 3rd (D#), 5th (F#)

B Major barre chord B Major - 2nd position B Major - 3rd position
C - C major
Scale: C - D - E - F - G - A - B
Spelling: 1st (C), 3rd (E), 5th (G)

C Major chord C Major - 2nd position C Major - 3rd position
↓ Major Guitar Chords - Part 1
Left Handers
Major Guitar Chords for Lefties
↓ Major Guitar Chords for left handers - Part 1

Right Handers
C# / Db - C# major (more commonly used) / Db major
Scale: C# - D# - E#(F) - F# - G# - A# - B#(C)
Spelling: 1st(C#), 3rd(F), 5th(G#)

C# Major - 1st position C# Major - 2nd position C# Major - 3rd position
D - D major
Scale: D - E - F# - G - A - B - C#
Spelling: 1st(D), 3rd(#F), 5th(A)

D Major - 1st position D Major - 2nd position D Major - 3rd position
D# / Eb - D#major / Eb major (more commonly used)
Scale: Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb - C - D
Spelling: 1st(Eb), 3rd(G), 5th(Bb)

Eb Major - 1st position Eb Major - 2nd position Eb Major - 3rd position
E - E major
Scale: E - F# - G# - A - B - C# - D#
Spelling: 1st(E), 3rd(G#), 5th(B

E Major - 1st position E Major - 2nd position E Major - 3rd position
↓ Major Guitar Chords - Part 2
Left Handers
Major Guitar Chords - Part 2
↓ Major Guitar Chords - Lefties Part 2

Right Handers
F - F major
Scale: F - G - A - Bb - C - D - E
Spelling: 1st(F), 3rd(A), 5th(C)

F Major - 1st position F Major - 2nd position F Major - 3rd position

The 1st F Major chord is pictured as a barre chord. To play an open F chord, simply omit the barre line and only play the first 4 strings with a mini-barre on the first 2 strings - replace the 4th finger with the 3rd.

F# / Gb - F# major (more commonly used) / Gb major
Scale: F# - G# - A# - B - C# - D# - E#(F)
Spelling: 1st(F#), 3rd(A#), 5th(C#)

F# Major - 1st position F# Major - 2nd position F# Major - 3rd position
G - G major
Scale: G - A - B - C - D - E - F#
Spelling: 1st(G), 3rd(B), 5th(D

G Major - 1st position G Major - 2nd position G Major - 3rd position
G# / Ab - G# major / Ab major (more commonly used)
Scale: Ab - Bb - C - Db - Eb - F - G
Spelling: 1st(Ab), 3rd(C), 5th(Eb)

Ab Major - 1st position Ab Major - 2nd position Ab Major - 3rd position
↓ Major Guitar Chords - Part 3
Left Handers
Major Guitar Chords
↓ Major Guitar Chords - Lefties Part 3

Reading the Charts

Remember that the Top E is at the top of the diagram and the bottom E is at the bottom of the diagram. This can also be seen by the different thickness of each string. The fatter the string, the lower the string.

Always check the fret numbers when reading the chord charts, as they change quite often. You will find them below every diagram. You can do this quickly by looking at your fret markers while you are playing.

One Shape...One Fret... One Semitone

Have you noticed how most of the shapes are repeated, except they are on a different fret. This is the beauty of barre chords. You can play one shape, and by moving up the fretboard one fret, you move up one semitone. The same applies if you move down the fretboard... you move down 1 semitone. You can virtually play all 12 chords of the major scale using 1 shape and just moving up and down the fretboard. You probably wouldn't do this, but you can if you want to.

If you can get these major guitar chords under your belt, you are doing very well. As this site grows, we will include more obscure chords which you may be interested in, especially if you are a jazz musician or just love jazzy chords.

I hope you have enjoyed this section on Major Guitar Chords. Don't forget to put away some time each day to practice your guitar. The more you practice, the more natural your playing will become. You will begin to move smoothly and effortlessly from one chord to the next, up and down the fretboard. Before you know it, you will be a seasoned expert. Happy Face

Movable Major Chords

Movable Major chords are fundamental building blocks for guitarists. These versatile major chords maintain the same finger shape, allowing them to be played across the entire fretboard. They encompass both familiar open chord forms and powerful barre chords, specifically those rooted on the 4th, 5th, and 6th strings, as well as forms rooted on the 5th and 6th strings with the fifth as the lowest note.

A foundational understanding of guitar notes and their positions on the fretboard is essential to effectively utilize and transpose these chord shapes.

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