Guitar parts, chord diagrams, and tablature
To play blues guitar, or any style of guitar music, it helps to be able to identify the parts of the guitar, which are identified in the diagram below. It also helps to be able to read chord diagrams and the six-line guitar tablature that tell you which frets press on which strings.
A sample chord diagram and tablature are shown here as well:
Common open-position chords for blues guitar
Open-position chords are aptly named because they involve unfretted strings that can ring open, along with the fretted notes.
Open-position chords have a “jangly” pleasant feature, sometimes referred to as “cowboy chords.” These 24 chords make-up just about all the chords you need for rock guitar in open position:
Moveable chord forms for blues guitar
A moveable chord, unlike an open-position chord, does not include open strings. If you can move, without rearranging your fingers, from position to position on the neck of the guitar, it’s a moveable chord.
6th-String Root
These moveable, or power, chords get their name because they get their root from the 6th string.
5th-String Root
These moveable, or power, chords are rooted from the 5th string.
5th-String Root (more chords)
These additional chords are also rooted from the 5th string.
