Reading Chord Diagrams
To begin playing the guitar, one of the first thing we must understand is how to read a chord diagram. A chord diagram is simply a grid which represents the strings and frets of the guitar. On that grid, dots are used to illustrate the placement of the players fingers.
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Often, numbers are used across the top of the grid to show which fingers should be used to play each note. O's are used to indicate that a string is left "open" (played but not fretted). An X indicates that a string should be muted or not played. The chord below is G Major.
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When specific fingerings are not specified, it is generally best to avoid crossing fingers to play chords. This is the most natural way to play chords anyway. Also, fingerings are not really standardized so, it's not uncommon for books to suggest poor fingering choices. Assuming your hand position is good, proper fingerings ar fairly automatic. If you have doubts, drop us a note (e-mail), we'll be happy to suggest good fingering choices.