How many chords does the encyclopedia cover?

Nineteen chord types in twelve keys — 228 dedicated reference pages. Types include major, minor, 7, maj7, m7, m7b5 (half-diminished), dim7, sus2, sus4, add9, 6, m6, 9, maj9, m9, 11, 13, aug, and 5 (power). Every page shows multiple voicings and movable patterns plus Karplus-Strong audio playback.

What's a movable voicing?

A chord shape that doesn't depend on open strings, so you can slide it up and down the neck to change keys. Barre-chord shapes are the canonical example — the F barre at fret 1 is the same shape as G at fret 3, A at fret 5, B at fret 7. Movable voicings are the foundation of playing in any key without needing a different fingering for every chord.

Can I hear the chord?

Yes — Karplus-Strong synthesis plays the chord with a clean guitar-like tone. Useful for ear training, for confirming you've got the right voicing, and for checking that the chord 'sounds the way it should' before assigning it as homework.

What's the difference between the encyclopedia and the chord chart generator?

The encyclopedia is a fixed library of pre-built shapes for quick reference. The chord chart generator is for building custom voicings the encyclopedia doesn't carry — alternate fingerings, partial chords, slash chords, modal voicings. Use the encyclopedia for the canonical shape; use the generator when you need something specific.

Are the chord pages indexable in search engines?

Yes — every chord page has its own dedicated URL (e.g. /chords/c-major7, /chords/bm9), structured data, and clean canonical metadata. The 228 pages are designed so a student googling for, say, 'guitar Bm9 chord chart' lands directly on the correct page.

Does it support left-handed guitarists?

Currently the diagrams are right-handed only. Left-handed support is on the roadmap. In the meantime, the chord chart generator can produce custom diagrams in either orientation (manual mirror in the form fields).

When would I use the encyclopedia in a lesson?

As a quick reference whenever a student asks 'what's a Cmaj7?' or 'how do I play F#m7b5?' — pull up the page, show them the voicing, play it. For longer-term work where a chord becomes part of a student's repertoire, print the diagram via the chord chart generator so they can take it home. See How to plan a guitar lesson for the structured lesson context.

Free Guitar Chord Encyclopedia — 228 Chord Pages with Movable Voicings

TL;DR — The free chord encyclopedia at myguitartutor.com is a 228-page reference library covering 19 chord types × 12 keys. Movable voicings, fretboard maps, Karplus-Strong audio, every page indexable. Bookmark it and never hunt for a chord chart again.

There’s a class of question that crops up in every other lesson: “what’s a Cadd9?”, “how do you play F♯m7b5?”, “show me a B7sus4 again”. Static chord books and basic online charts cover the top 30 chords, then taper off. For anything beyond the basics — extended chords, altered dominants, half-diminished sevenths — most students end up googling, landing on inconsistent diagrams, and getting confused by conflicting fingerings.

The free chord encyclopedia closes that gap with 228 dedicated reference pages — every common chord type in every key, with movable voicings, audio, and one canonical diagram per chord.

What it is

A structured chord reference library built for guitar tutors and learners:

19 chord types — major, minor, 7, maj7, m7, m7♭5 (half-diminished), dim7, sus2, sus4, add9, 6, m6, 9, maj9, m9, 11, 13, aug, 5 (power chord).
12 keys — every chromatic root.
228 dedicated pages — each combination has its own URL (e.g. /chords/g-major7, /chords/fsharp-minor7b5), indexable in search engines.
Multiple voicings per chord — open-position, barre, and partial voicings where they exist.
Movable patterns — the canonical movable shape with the fretboard map showing how to transpose to any other key.
Karplus-Strong audio — hear the chord with a clean guitar pluck.
No signup, no ads, no usage limits.

How to use it

Three ways to land on a chord page:

Browse — open the chord index and navigate by chord type or key.
Direct URL — go straight to a chord’s page by URL (e.g. /chords/a-minor7). Useful when you’re sharing a chord with a student over messages.
Search engine — google “guitar [chord name] chord” and the encyclopedia page is engineered to surface near the top.

On each chord page:

The headline diagram shows the canonical voicing for the chord.
Alternate voicings (where they exist) are shown below.
A movable-shape diagram shows the pattern with no open strings, so the student can see how the same shape transposes up the neck.
The audio button plays the chord through Karplus-Strong synthesis.
Cross-links to related chords (the chord’s diatonic siblings, the chord’s parallel minor/major) and to the chord progression builder so you can drop the chord into a sequence.

Pro tips for tutors

When a student asks about a chord over text or email, send the URL rather than a screenshot. They can click through, see the diagram, hear the audio, and find related voicings — all of which a screenshot doesn’t provide. Bookmarkable URLs also mean the student can return to the same reference at any time.

Use the audio for ear-identification practice

Play a chord through the encyclopedia (with the diagram covered) and ask the student to identify the chord type. Major vs minor first, then minor vs minor 7th, then m7 vs m7♭5. Six weeks of this kind of ear training transforms a student’s chord-recognition ability.

Pair with the chord chart generator for custom needs

The encyclopedia is the canonical reference. When you need a variant — say, the Cmaj7 voicing the student finds easier than the standard one, or a partial chord for an arrangement — switch to the chord chart generator and build the exact shape, then save it to the student’s personal chord library.

Track chord acquisition as discrete checkpoints

For new students, the chord encyclopedia naturally maps to the skill checklist on the student progress tracker. Tick the boxes as the student locks in each chord family — open chords, then barres, then 7ths, then extensions. Visible progress against a finite list is one of the highest-leverage retention tools available.

Where it fits in the teaching workflow

The encyclopedia is the reference layer of a structured teaching practice:

Plan the lesson with a lesson planner — note which chord families the lesson will introduce.
Pull up the encyclopedia during the lesson to show the canonical shape; use audio to demonstrate.
Print a custom variant via the chord chart generator if the encyclopedia voicing isn’t quite right for the student.
Hand the printed chart to the student alongside the practice log at the end of the lesson.
Track chord-family acquisition on the progress tracker.

The pillar pieces: How to plan a guitar lesson, How to track guitar student progress, How to get guitar students to actually practice.

Tools that pair with the chord encyclopedia

The encyclopedia is one of seven free browser tools for guitar tutors:

Chord chart generator — build custom voicings the encyclopedia doesn’t carry.
Reverse chord & scale lookup — drop in notes from the fretboard, get every chord that matches. The opposite tool.
Chord progression builder — sketch progressions using chords from the encyclopedia.
Scale generator — find scales that fit each chord (e.g. C major pentatonic over a C major chord).
Metronome — for tempo-graded practice of chord changes.
Tuner — before any chord work.

Try it now

The free chord encyclopedia opens instantly. Bookmark it, share URLs with students, never get caught short on a chord lookup again.

If you’re running a tutoring practice that’s outgrown a free chord library, our bespoke teaching platform gives every student a private chord library you curate — the exact voicings you’ve taught them, with audio, in their app, on your domain.