This section of our Illustrated Mandolin Chord Bible is dedicated to teaching numerous movable chord shapes, enabling students to quickly find any chord on the mandolin.

INTRODUCTION
Major Chord Shapes:
Simple Triads (and Diads)
Suspended
Augmented
Maj6
Maj7
Minor Chord Shapes:
Simple Triads
Min6
Min7
Diminished Chord Shapes:
Diminished Triads
Diminished Tetrads (dim7 and m7b5)
Dominant Chord Shapes:
7 Chords (b7)

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Introduction

This section of The Amateur Mandolinist’s Illustrated Mandolin Chord Bible contains many movable chord shapes that are useful in finding chords all up and down the mandolin neck. The chord shapes shown in this series are all given with fret one as a starting reference. The charts do give note names and chord names and notation, but only for example purposes based on the first fret position. As the chords are moved up the neck, the chord name, note names, and notation would change for each chord.

The important information is the chord fingering patterns and the intervals given for each chord, especially the location of the root note. Learn the pattern, and learn where the root note(s) are located in each shape. In that way, you can move the shapes around the neck to make the chords you need.

Below each chord chart is a table that can help find the fret positions and corresponding chord names. Please note: Many of the higher positions shown in the tables are more theoretical rather than practical positions. Depending on the size of your hands, positions starting at the twelfth fret, for example, may not be practical to play for some of the chords.

The chord shapes given here are only a choice number of shapes to use and learn. The list of shapes given here is by no means an exhaustive list! In fact, we plan to add a few more in the days ahead. And, if a specific, helpful shape you like to use is not shown here, we encourage you to contact us and share your suggestions. We’ll be happy to add them in the future.

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Major Chord Shapes

Major Triad (and Diad) Shapes

Major chords are based on the 1 – 3 – 5 triad: A stacking of the root note, and the major third, and the perfect fifth interval of the major scale. The following seven chord shapes are movable shapes, or fingerings, to play major chords up and down the mandolin neck. The name of the chord will depend on the starting fret and the name of the root note you are playing in whichever position you move the chord to.

In each chart below, the chord shape is shown in its LOWEST possible closed position on the neck, starting at the first fret. The charts offer a chord name in gray, as well as the note names of that chord’s intervals, as an example of the chord being played beginning at the first fret as shown in the diagram. As you move up the fretboard, both the notes and the chord name will change, depending on which fret the root note falls on, while the intervals of 1 -3 -5 remain the same!

Note that sometimes the 3rd or the 5th may be omitted making the chord shape a diad rather than triad. This is analogous to playing two chordal doublestops together, rather than playing the chord triad.

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Our first example appears as C#/Db when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the pinky on the second string, in this example that note is C# or Db.

NOTE: You may recognize this chord shape as the open chord C major when moved down 1/2 step, compare with the first C chord shown on this page.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	1-3-4-1	C#/Db
2	2-4-5-2	D
3	3-5-6-3	D#/Eb
4	4-6-7-4	E
5	5-7-8-5	F
6	6-8-9-6	F#/Gb
7	7-9-10-7	G
8	8-10-11-8	G#/Ab
9	9-11-12-9	A
10	10-12-13-10	A#/Bb
11	11-13-14-11	B
12	12-14-15-12	C

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Example number two appears as D#/Eb when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the index finger on the third string; in this example, that note is D# or Eb.

Note the two string bar shown here. I generally play that by barring both strings with my index finger as shown in the photo. It is worth the time and effort involved to practice this until you are able to get a clean sound this way; however, if your fingers are very small, it may be possible to use two fingers to fret those notes. As always, the photographs are not authoritative, but only exemplary.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	3-1-1-3	D#/Eb
2	4-2-2-4	E
3	5-3-3-5	F
4	6-4-4-6	F#/Gb
5	7-5-5-7	G
6	8-6-6-8	G#/Ab
7	9-7-7-9	A
8	10-8-8-10	A#/Bb
9	11-9-9-11	B
10	12-10-10-12	C
11	13-11-11-13	C#/Db
12	14-12-12-14	D

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Chord number three appears as F major when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by both the index finger on the first string, and the ring finger on the third string; in this example, that note is F.

Note the two string bar shown below. I generally play that by barring both strings with my ring finger as shown in the photo. It is worth the time and effort involved to practice this until you are able to get a clean sound this way; however, if your fingers are very small, it may be possible to use two fingers to fret those notes. As always, the photographs are not authoritative, but only exemplary.

 

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	2-3-3-1	F
2	3-4-4-2	F#/Gb
3	4-5-5-3	G
4	5-6-6-4	G#/Ab
5	6-7-7-5	A
6	7-8-8-6	A#/Bb
7	8-9-9-7	B
8	9-10-10-8	C
9	10-11-11-9	C#/Db
10	11-12-12-10	D
11	12-13-13-11	D#/Eb
12	13-14-14-12	E

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The fourth Major chord shape appears as Ab major when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the index finger on the fourth string; in this example, that note is Ab.

Once again I’m barring two strings with one finger in the photo. Please bear in mind that the photos are meant to help, but do not indicate any “correct” way of fingering the chords. While my suggestions are generally carefully considered, it is important that you find the most efficient and effective method that fits your own physical abilities when fingering chords.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	1-1-3-4	G#/Ab
2	2-2-4-5	A
3	3-3-5-6	A#/Bb
4	4-4-6-7	B
5	5-5-7-8	C
6	6-6-8-9	C#/Db
7	7-7-9-10	D
8	8-8-10-11	D#/Eb
9	9-9-11-12	E
10	10-10-12-13	F
11	11-11-13-14	F#/Gb
12	12-12-14-15	G

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Our fifth example appears as C#/Db when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by both the pinky on the fourth string, and the ring finger on the second string; in this example that note is C# or Db.

Note: This major chord shape is an example of a chord diad, because only two notes of the major chord are sounded: The root, and the third. The fifth is omitted.

Also, this major chord shape is often used as a bluegrass “chop chord,” especially when playing it in the D major or E major positions.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	6-3-4-1	C#/Db
2	7-4-5-2	D
3	8-5-6-3	D#/Eb
4	9-6-7-4	E
5	10-7-8-5	F
6	11-8-9-6	F#/Gb
7	12-9-10-7	G
8	13-10-11-8	G#/Ab
9	14-11-12-9	A
10	15-12-13-10	A#/Bb
11	16-13-14-11	B
12	17-14-15-12	C

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Chord number six appears as Gb major when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by both the ring finger on the third string, and the middle finger on the first string; in this example, that note is F#/Gb.

This major chord shape is often used as a bluegrass “chop chord,” especially when playing it in the G major or A major positions.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	6-4-1-2	F#/Gb
2	7-5-2-3	G
3	8-6-3-4	G#/Ab
4	9-7-4-5	A
5	10-8-5-6	A#/Bb
6	11-9-6-7	B
7	12-10-7-8	C
8	13-11-8-9	C#/Db
9	14-12-9-10	D
10	15-13-10-11	D#/Eb
11	16-14-11-12	E
12	17-15-12-13	F

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Our seventh example appears as Bb when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by both the ring finger on the fourth string, and the index finger on the second string; in this example that note is A# or Bb.

Note: This major chord shape is an example of a chord diad, because only two notes of the major chord are sounded: The root, and the fifth. The third is omitted. This is what is called the “power chord” in blues and rock music (especially hard rock with distortion).

Note the double bars, achieved here with the large fingertips of the index  and ring fingers slightly tilted.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	3-3-1-1	A#/Bb
2	4-4-2-2	B
3	5-5-3-3	C
4	6-6-4-4	C#/Db
5	7-7-5-5	D
6	8-8-6-6	D#/Eb
7	9-9-7-7	E
8	10-10-8-8	F
9	11-11-9-9	F#/Gb
10	12-12-10-10	G
11	13-13-11-11	G#/Ab
12	14-14-12-12	A

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Altered Major Triad Shapes

This section contains what are known as altered chords, because the basic chord triad is altered. Following are movable shapes for two types of altered triads: Suspended, and Augmented.

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Suspended Chord Shapes

For suspended chords, the 3rd is omitted – that is, it is replaced either by the 2nd (sus2), or by the 4th (sus4), and the triad is altered to become either:

1 – 2 – 5 or 1 – 4 – 5.

Three movable shapes are shown below for making sus4 chords.

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Our first example appears as Ebsus4 when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the index finger on the third string; in this example that note is D# or Eb.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	1-1-1-4	D#sus4/Ebsus4
2	2-2-2-5	Esus4
3	3-3-3-6	Fsus4
4	4-4-4-7	F#sus4/Gbsus4
5	5-5-5-8	Gsus4
6	6-6-6-9	G#sus4/Absus4
7	7-7-7-10	Asus4
8	8-8-8-11	A#sus4/Bbsus4
9	9-9-9-12	Bsus4
10	10-10-10-13	Csus4
11	11-11-11-14	C#sus4/Dbsus4
12	12-12-12-15	Dsus4

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The second sus4 shape yields Fsus4 when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by both the bar on the third string, and the index finger on the first string; in this example that note is F.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	3-3-3-1	Fsus4
2	4-4-4-2	F#sus4/Gbsus4
3	5-5-5-3	Gsus4
4	6-6-6-4	G#sus4/Absus4
5	7-7-7-5	Asus4
6	8-8-8-6	A#sus4/Bbsus4
7	9-9-9-7	Bsus4
8	10-10-10-8	Csus4
9	11-11-11-9	C#sus4/Dbsus4
10	12-12-12-10	Dsus4
11	13-13-13-11	D#sus4/Ebsus4
12	14-14-14-12	Esus4

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Our third sus4 example appears as Bbsus 4 when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by both the ring finger on the fourth string, and the bar on the second string; in this example that note is A# or Bb.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	3-1-1-1	A#sus4/Bbsus4
2	4-2-2-2	Bsus4
3	5-3-3-3	Csus4
4	6-4-4-4	C#sus4/Dbsus4
5	7-5-5-5	Dsus4
6	8-6-6-6	D#sus4/Ebsus4
7	9-7-7-7	Esus4
8	10-8-8-8	Fsus4
9	11-9-9-9	F#sus4/Gbsus4
10	12-10-10-10	Gsus4
11	13-11-11-11	G#sus4/Absus4
12	14-12-12-12	Asus4

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Augmented Chord Shapes

For augmented chords, the 5th is raised a half step, and the triad is altered to become 1 – 3 – #5. Three movable shapes are shown below for making augmented chords.

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Our first example appears as Caug when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the ring finger on the second string, in this example that note is C.

NOTE: Chord Shape #3 below for augmented chord is the same as this shape – compare that one to this one; check the root positions and interval note names! Remember, G# and Ab are enharmonic equivalents!

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	1-2-3-4	Caug
2	2-3-4-5	C#aug/Dbaug
3	3-4-5-6	Daug
4	4-5-6-7	D#aug/Ebaug
5	5-6-7-8	Eaug
6	6-7-8-9	Faug
7	7-8-9-10	F#aug/Gbaug
8	8-9-10-11	Gaug
9	9-10-11-12	G#aug/Abaug
10	10-11-12-13	Aaug
11	11-12-13-14	A#aug/Bbaug
12	12-13-14-15	Baug

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Example number two appears as Faug when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by both the ring finger on the third string, and the index finger on the first string; in this example, that note is F.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	2-3-4-1	Faug
2	3-4-5-2	F#aug/Gbaug
3	4-5-6-3	Gaug
4	5-6-7-4	G#aug/Abaug
5	6-7-8-5	Aaug
6	7-8-9-6	A#aug/Bbaug
7	8-9-10-7	Baug
8	9-10-11-8	Caug
9	10-11-12-9	C#aug/Dbaug
10	11-12-13-10	Daug
11	12-13-14-11	D#aug/Ebaug
12	13-14-15-12	Eaug

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Chord number three appears as Abaug when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by both the index finger on the fourth string, and the pinky on the first string; in this example, that note is G# or Ab.

NOTE: Chord Shape #1 above for augmented chord is the same as this shape – compare that one to this one; check the root positions and interval note names! Remember, Ab and G# are enharmonic equivalents!

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	1-2-3-4	G#aug/Abaug
2	2-3-4-5	Aaug
3	3-4-5-6	A#aug/Bbaug
4	4-5-6-7	Baug
5	5-6-7-8	Caug
6	6-7-8-9	C#aug/Dbaug
7	7-8-9-10	Daug
8	8-9-10-11	D#aug/Ebaug
9	9-10-11-12	Eaug
10	10-11-12-13	Faug
11	11-12-13-14	F#aug/Gbaug
12	12-13-14-15	Gaug

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Major Tetrad Shapes (Major6 and Major7 Chords)

Tetrads are four-note chords. The most common tetrads are the Major6 chord, the Major7 chord, and the Dom7 chord. In this section, we reference some movable shapes for playing the Major6 and Major7 chords. The movable dominant chord shapes will be given later in a separate section. Dominant chords get their own unique treatment throughout this chord bible, as they are the foundation for extended chords, and so are treated separately from simpler forms of Major and Minor chords.

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Major6 Chord Shapes

The following four movable shapes can be used to find  Major6 chords up and down the neck. These chords add the 6th interval to the major triad:

1 – 3 – 5 – 6

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The first shape is represented here by an Eb6 beginning at the first fret,  because the root note is played by the index finger on the third string; in this example, that note is D# or Eb.

NOTE: This exact same shape and position also makes the Minor7 chord! Check out the #1 chord shape in the Minor7 section, this shape at the first fret is also used for the Cm7 chord!

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	3-1-3-3	D#6/Eb6
2	4-2-4-4	E6
3	5-3-5-5	F6
4	6-4-6-6	F#6/Gb6
5	7-5-7-7	G6
6	8-6-8-8	G#6/Ab6
7	9-7-9-9	A6
8	10-8-10-10	A#6/Bb6
9	11-9-11-11	B64
10	12-10-12-12	C6
11	13-11-13-13	C#6/Db6
12	14-12-14-14	D6

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The second shape is represented here by a Gb6 beginning at the first fret,  because the root note is played by the middle finger on the first string; in this example, that note is F# or Gb.

NOTE: This exact same shape and position also makes the Minor7 chord! Check out the #2 chord shape in the Minor7 section, this shape at the first fret is also used for the Eb7 chord!

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	3-1-4-2	F#6/Gb6
2	4-2-5-3	G6
3	5-3-6-4	G#6/Ab6
4	6-4-7-5	A6
5	7-5-8-6	A#6/Bb6
6	8-6-9-7	B6
7	9-7-10-8	C6
8	10-8-11-9	C#6/Db6
9	11-9-12-10	D6
10	12-10-13-11	D#6/Eb6
11		E6
12	14-12-15-13	F6

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The third shape is represented here by an Ab6 beginning at the first fret,  because the root note is played by the index finger barring the fourth string; in this example, that note is G# or Ab.

NOTE: This exact same shape and position also makes the Minor7 chord! Check out the #3 chord shape in the Minor7 section, this shape at the first fret is also used for the Fm7 chord!

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	1-1-3-1	G#6/Ab6
2	2-2-4-2	A6
3	3-3-5-3	A#6/Bb6
4	4-4-6-4	B6
5	5-5-7-5	C6
6	6-6-8-6	C#6/Db6
7	7-7-9-7	D6
8	8-8-10-8	D#6/Eb6
9	9-9-11-9	E6
10	10-10-12-10	F6
11	11-11-13-11	F#6/Gb6
12	12-12-14-12	G6

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The fourth shape is represented here by a B6 beginning at the first fret,  because the root note is played by the middle finger barring the second string; in this example, that note is B.

NOTE: This exact same shape and position also makes the Minor7 chord! Check out the #4 chord shape in the Minor7 section, this shape at the first fret is also used for the Abm7 chord!

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	1-1-2-2	B6
2	2-2-3-3	C6
3	3-3-4-4	C#6/Db6
4	4-4-5-5	D6
5	5-5-6-6	D#6/Eb6
6	6-6-7-7	E6
7	7-7-8-8	F6
8	8-8-9-9	F#6/Gb6
9	9-9-10-10	G6
10	10-10-11-11	G#6/Ab6
11	11-11-12-12	A6
12	12-12-13-13	A#6/Bb6

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Major7 Chord Shapes

The following three movable shapes can be used to find Major7 chords up and down the neck. These chords add the 7th interval to the major triad:

1 – 3 – 5 – 7

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Our first example appears as Gbmaj7 when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the ring finger on the third string, in this example that note is F# or Gb.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	3-4-4-1	F#maj7/Gbmaj7
2	4-5-5-2	Gmaj7
3	5-6-6-3	G#maj7/Abmaj7
4	6-7-7-4	Amaj7
5	7-8-8-5	A#maj7/Bbmaj7
6	8-9-9-6	Bmaj7
7	9-10-10-7	Cmaj7
8	10-11-11-8	C#maj7/Dbmaj7
9	11-12-12-9	Dmaj7
10	12-13-13-10	D#maj7/Ebmaj7
11	13-14-14-11	Emaj7
12	14-15-15-12	Fmaj7

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Our second example appears as Abmaj7 when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the index finger on the fourth string, in this example that note is G# or Ab.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	1-1-3-3	G#maj7/Abmaj7
2	2-2-4-4	Amaj7
3	3-3-5-5	A#maj7/Bbmaj7
4	4-4-6-6	Bmaj7
5	5-5-7-7	Cmaj7
6	6-6-8-8	C#maj7/Dbmaj7
7	7-7-9-9	Dmaj7
8	8-8-10-10	D#maj7/Ebmaj7
9	9-9-11-11	Emaj7
10	10-10-12-12	Fmaj7
11	11-11-13-13	F#maj7/Gbmaj7
12	12-12-14-14	Gmaj7

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This third chord shape appears as Bmaj7 when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the pinky on the fourth string, in this example that note is B.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	4-1-1-2	Bmaj7
2	5-2-2-3	Cmaj7
3	6-3-3-4	C#maj7/Dbmaj7
4	7-4-4-5	Dmaj7
5	8-5-5-6	D#maj7/Ebmaj7
6	9-6-6-7	Emaj7
7	10-7-7-8	Fmaj7
8	11-8-8-9	F#maj7/Gbmaj7
9	12-9-9-10	Gmaj7
10	13-10-10-11	G#maj7/Abmaj7
11	14-11-11-12	Amaj7
12	15-12-12-13	A#maj7/Bbmaj7

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Minor Chord Shapes

Minor Triad Shapes

Minor chords are based on the 1 – b3 – 5 triad: A stacking of the root note, and the minor third, and the perfect fifth interval of the major scale.

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This first example appears as C#m when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the pinky on the second string, in this example that note is C# or Db.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	1-2-4-4	C#m/Dbm
2	2-3-5-5	Dm
3	3-4-6-6	D#m/Ebm
4	4-5-7-7	Em
5	5-6-8-8	Fm
6	6-7-9-9	F#m/Gbm
7	7-8-10-10	Gm
8	8-9-11-11	G#m/Abm
9	9-10-12-12	Am
10	10-11-13-13	A#m/Bbm
11	11-12-14-14	Bm
12	12-13-15-15	Cm

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This shape appears as Ebm when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the index finger barring the third string, in this example that note is D# or Eb.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	3-1-1-2	D#m/Ebm
2	4-2-2-3	Em
3	5-3-3-4	Fm
4	6-4-4-5	F#m/Gbm
5	7-5-5-6	Gm
6	8-6-6-7	G#m/Abm
7	9-7-7-8	Am
8	10-8-8-9	A#m/Bbm
9	11-9-9-10	Bm
10	12-10-10-11	Cm
11	13-11-11-12	C#m/Dbm
12	14-12-12-13	Dm

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Our third movable minor shape appears as Fm when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by both the ring finger on the third string, and the middle finger on the first string; in this example that note is F.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	1-3-3-1	Fm
2	2-4-4-2	F#m/Gbm
3	3-5-5-3	Gm
4	4-6-6-4	G#m/Abm
5	5-7-7-5	Am
6	6-8-8-6	A#m/Bbm
7	7-9-9-7	Bm
8	8-10-10-8	Cm
9	9-11-11-9	C#m/Dbm
10	10-12-12-10	Dm
11	11-13-13-11	D#m/Ebm
12	12-14-14-12	Em

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Shape four appears as G#m when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by both the pinky on the first string, and the index finger barring the fourth string; in this example that note is G# or Ab.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	1-1-2-4	G#m/Abm
2	2-2-3-5	Am
3	3-3-4-6	A#m/Bbm
4	4-4-5-7	Bm
5	5-5-6-8	Cm
6	6-6-7-9	C#m/Dbm
7	7-7-8-10	Dm
8	8-8-9-11	D#m/Ebm
9	9-9-10-12	Em
10	10-10-11-13	Fm
11	11-11-12-14	F#m/Gbm
12	12-12-13-15	Gm

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Minor chord shape number five appears as Fm when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the ring finger barring the third string, in this example that note is F.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	1-3-3-4	Fm
2	2-4-4-5	F#m/Gbm
3	3-5-5-6	Gm
4	4-6-6-7	G#m/Abm
5	5-7-7-8	Am
6	6-8-8-9	A#m/Bbm
7	7-9-9-10	Bm
8	8-10-10-11	Cm
9	9-11-11-12	C#m/Dbm
10	10-12-12-13	Dm
11	11-13-13-14	D#m/Ebm
12	12-14-14-15	Em

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Minor Tetrad Shapes (Minor6 and Minor7 Chord Shapes)

As with major chord triads, so with minor chords: A fourth note can be added to create the most common minor tetrads of m6 and m7 chords. This section contains several movable shapes for finding those chords up and down the neck.

Minor6 Shapes

These chords consist of the following intervals: 1 – b3 – 5 – 6

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Our first movable minor6 example appears as Cm6 when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the barre on the second string, in this example that note is C.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	2-1-3-3	Cm6
2	3-2-4-4	C#m6/Dbm6
3	4-3-5-5	Dm6
4	5-4-6-6	D#m6/Ebm6
5	6-5-7-7	Em6
6	7-6-8-8	Fm6
7	8-7-9-9	F#m6/Gbm6
8	9-8-10-10	Gm6
9	10-9-11-11	G#m6/Abm6
10	11-10-12-12	Am6
11	12-11-13-13	A#m6/Bbm6
12	13-12-14-14	Bm6

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Example two appears as Ebm6 when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the index finger on the third string, in this example that note is D# or Eb.

NOTE: This exact shape also serves for making the half-diminished, or m7b5, chord. Compare this Ebmin6 with the Cm7b5 chord in this section below.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	3-1-3-2	D#m6/Ebm6
2	4-2-4-3	Em6
3	5-3-5-4	Fm6
4	6-4-6-5	F#m6/Gbm6
5	7-5-7-6	Gm6
6	8-6-8-7	G#m6/Abm6
7	9-7-9-8	Am6
8	10-8-10-9	A#m6/Bbm6
9	11-9-11-10	Bm6
10	12-10-12-11	Cm6
11	13-11-13-12	C#m6/Dbm6
12	14-12-14-13	Dm6

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Our third minor6 example appears as F#m6 when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the ring finger on the first string, in this example that note is F# or Gb.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	2-1-2-4	F#m6/Gbm6
2	3-2-3-5	Gm6
3	4-3-4-6	G#m6/Abm6
4	5-4-5-7	Am6
5	6-5-6-8	A#m6/Bbm6
6	7-6-7-9	Bm6
7	8-7-8-10	Cm6
8	9-8-9-11	C#m6/Dbm6
9	10-9-10-12	Dm6
10	11-10-11-13	D#m6/Ebm6
11	12-11-12-14	Em6
12	13-12-13-15	Fm6

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The fourth movable minor6 shape appears as G#m6 when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the barred fourth string, in this example that note is G# or Ab.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	1-1-2-1	G#m6/Abm6
2	2-2-3-2	Am6
3	3-3-4-3	A#m6/Bbm6
4	4-4-5-4	Bm6
5	5-5-6-5	Cm6
6	6-6-7-6	C#m6/Dbm6
7	7-7-8-7	Dm6
8	8-8-9-8	D#m6/Ebm6
9	9-9-10-9	Em6
10	10-10-11-10	Fm6
11	11-11-12-11	F#m6/Gbm6
12	12-12-13-12	Gm6

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Minor7 Shapes

Our movable minor7 chords consist of the following intervals: 1 – b3 – 5 – b7

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The first movable minor7 shape appears as Cm7 when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the barred second string, in this example that note is C.

Check out the #1 chord shape in the Major6 section (it is the exact same shape, which makes Eb6 at first fret)!

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	3-1-3-3	Cm7
2	4-2-4-4	C#m7/Dbm7
3	5-3-5-5	Dm7
4	6-4-6-6	D#m7/Ebm7
5	7-5-7-7	Em7
6	8-6-8-8	Fm7
7	9-7-9-9	F#m7/Gbm7
8	10-8-10-10	Gm7
9	11-9-11-11	G#m7/Abm7
10	12-10-12-12	Am7
11	13-11-13-13	A#m7/Bbm7
12	14-12-14-14	Bm7

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Our next shape appears as Ebm7 when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the index finger at the third string, in this example that note is D# or Eb.

Check out the #2 chord shape in the Major6 section (it is the exact same shape, which makes Gb6 at first fret)!

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	3-1-4-2	D#m7/Ebm7
2	4-2-5-3	Em7
3	5-3-6-4	Fm7
4	6-4-7-5	F#m7/Gbm7
5	7-5-8-6	Gm7
6	8-6-9-7	G#m7/Abm7
7	9-7-10-8	Am7
8	10-8-11-9	A#m7/Bbm7
9	11-9-12-10	Bm7
10	12-10-13-11	Cm7
11	13-11-14-12	C#m7/Dbm7
12	14-12-15-13	Dm7

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Shape three appears as Fm7 when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the barred first string, in this example that note is F.

Check out the #3 chord shape in the Major6 section (it is the exact same shape, which makes Ab6 at first fret)!

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	1-1-3-1	Fm7
2	2-2-4-2	F#m7/Gbm7
3	3-3-5-3	Gm7
4	4-4-6-4	G#m7/Abm7
5	5-5-7-5	Am7
6	6-6-8-6	A#m7/Bbm7
7	7-7-9-7	Bm7
8	8-8-10-8	Cm7
9	9-9-11-9	C#m7/Dbm7
10	10-10-12=1-	Dm7
11	11-11-13-11	D#m7/Ebm7
12	12-12-14-12	Em7

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The fourth movable minor7 shape appears as G#m7 when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the barred fourth string, in this example that note is G# or Ab.

Check out the #4 chord shape in the Major6 section (it is the exact same shape, which makes B6 at first fret)!

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	1-1-2-2	G#m7/Abm7
2	2-2-3-3	Am7
3	3-3-4-4	A#m7/Bbm7
4	4-4-5-5	Bm7
5	5-5-6-6	Cm7
6	6-6-7-7	C#m7/Dbm7
7	7-7-8-8	Dm7
8	8-8-9-9	D#m7/Ebm7
9	9-9-10-10	Em7
10	10-10-11-11	Fm7
11	11-11-12-12	F#m7/Gbm7
12	12-12-13-13	Gm7

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Diminished Chord Shapes

Diminished chord shapes are built on the diminished triad, containing the intervals 1 -b3 -b5 (known as root, minor third and diminished fifth). It is the diminished fifth that gives these chords their name. A diminished interval occurs when either a minor interval is lowered a half step, or a perfect interval is lowered a half step. Example: bb3 = diminished third (minor third is flatted), bb7 = diminished seventh (minor seventh is flatted), b5 = diminished fifth (perfect fifth is flatted).

Diminished Triad Shapes

The first three movable diminished shapes given here are for diminished triad chords, playing the 1 – b3 – b5 intervals only.

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Example shape one appears as E^o when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the middle finger at the third string, in this example that note is E.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	3-2-1-3	Edim
2	4-3-2-4	Fdim
3	5-4-3-5	F#dim/Gbdim
4	6-5-4-6	Gdim
5	7-6-5-7	G#dim/Abdim
6	8-7-6-8	Adim
7	9-8-7-9	A#dim/Bbdim
8	10-9-8-10	Bdim
9	11-10-9-11	Cdim
10	12-11-10-12	C#dim/Dbdim
11	13-12-11-13	Ddim
12	14-13-12-14	D#dim/Ebdim

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Shape two appears as F^o when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by both the ring finger at the third string, and the barre at the first string; in this example that note is F.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	1-3-2-1	Fdim
2	2-4-3-2	F#dim/Gbdim
3	3-5-4-3	Gdim
4	4-6-5-4	G#dim/Abdim
5	5-7-6-5	Adim
6	6-8-7-6	A#dim/Bbdim
7	7-9-8-7	Bdim
8	8-10-9-8	Cdim
9	9-11-10-9	C#dim/Dbdim
10	10-12-11-10	Ddim
11	11-13-12-11	D#dim/Ebdim
12	12-14-13-12	Edim

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This third movable shape appears as A^o when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by both the middle finger at the fourth string, and the pinky at the first string; in this example that note is A.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	2-1-3-5	Adim
2	3-2-4-6	A#dim/Bbdim
3	4-3-5-7	Bdim
4	5-4-6-8	Cdim
5	6-5-7-9	C#dim/Dbdim
6	7-6-8-10	Ddim
7	8-7-9-11	D#dim/Ebdim
8	9-8-10-12	Edim
9	10-9-11-13	Fdim
10	11-10-12-14	F#dim/Gbdim
11	12-11-13-15	Gdim
12	13-12-14-16	G#dim/Abdim

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Diminished Tetrad Shapes (Diminished7 Shape, Min7b5 Shape)

Our fourth diminished chord shape is usually called the fully diminished chord. It is formed by adding a diminished 7th (bb7, or double-flat seven) to the diminished triad. It’s interval spelling is 1 – b3 – b5 – bb7. Note that in our modern tuning system of TTET (twelve-tone equal temperament), the bb7 note is the same note as the 6.

The usual way of denoting this chord is with the diminished symbol ^o, like this: A^o or using “dim7” as in Adim7

This chord is built by stacking minor third intervals! 1 – b3 – b5 – bb7 means stacking three b3 intervals atop each other. By stacking one more b3 interval, we arrive at the octave (and so we are back at the root): 1 – b3 – b5 – bb7 – 1 This is a very symmetrical stack of intervals, in that each note of this chord is perfectly equidistant from the next in either direction! This means that when you play this chord, any of the four notes you are playing can be considered to be the root.

Thus, as example, the chord you play for an Adim7 – that same chord in that same position can also be played for an D#dim7, Cdim7, or F#dim7 … and of course D#dim7 can also be called an Ebdim7; likewise, the F#dim7 can be called a Gbdim7. And, each time the shape is moved up three frets, the same group of chords are repeated (see table below chord chart).

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	2-1-3-2	Adim7, D#dim7(Ebdim7), Cdim7, F#dim7(Gbdim7)
2	3-2-4-3	A#dim7(Bbdim7), Edim7, C#dim7(Dbdim7), Gdim7
3	4-3-5-4	Bdim7, Fdim7, Ddim7, G#dim7(Abdim7)
4	5-4-6-5	Adim7, D#dim7(Ebdim7), Cdim7, F#dim7(Gbdim7)
5	6-5-7-6	A#dim7(Bbdim7), Edim7, C#dim7(Dbdim7), Gdim7
6	7-6-8-7	Bdim7, Fdim7, Ddim7, G#dim7(Abdim7)
7	8-7-9-8	Adim7, D#dim7(Ebdim7), Cdim7, F#dim7(Gbdim7)
8	9-8-10-9	A#dim7(Bbdim7), Edim7, C#dim7(Dbdim7), Gdim7
9	10-9-11-10	Bdim7, Fdim7, Ddim7, G#dim7(Abdim7)
10	11-10-12-11	Adim7, D#dim7(Ebdim7), Cdim7, F#dim7(Gbdim7)
11	12-11-13-12	A#dim7(Bbdim7), Edim7, C#dim7(Dbdim7), Gdim7
12	13-12-14-13	Bdim7, Fdim7, Ddim7, G#dim7(Abdim7)

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Finally, this fifth diminished chord shape is usually called the half diminished chord. It is formed by adding a flat 7th (b7), rather than the bb7, to the diminished triad. It’s interval spelling is 1 – b3 – b5 – b7.

The usual way of denoting this chord is with the half diminished symbol ^o, like this: C^o or using “m7b5” as in Cm7b5.

The chord is shown here in its lowest position; as a movable shape, it becomes Db^o when moved up to second fret, D^o when moved to third fret, etc. See the table below the chart.

NOTE: This exact shape also serves for making the minor6, or m6, chord. Compare this Cm7b5 with the Ebmin6 chord in this section above.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	3-1-3-2	Co, Cm7b5
2	4-2-4-3	C#o, C#m7b5 (Dbo, Dbm7b5)
3	5-3-5-4	Do, Dm7b5
4	6-4-6-5	D#o, D#m7b5 (Ebo, Ebm7b5)
5	7-5-7-6	Eo, Em7b5
6	8-6-8-7	Fo, Fm7b5
7	9-7-9-8	F#o, F#m7b5 (Gbo, Gbm7b5)
8	10-8-10-9	Go, Gm7b5
9	11-9-11-10	G#o, G#m7b5 (Abo, Abm7b5)
10	12-10-12-11	Ao, Am7b5
11	13-11-13-12	A#o, A#m7b5 (Bbo, Bbm7b5)
12	14-12-14-13	Bo, Bm7b5

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Dominant (b7) Chord Shapes

The next four movable shapes yield dominant 7 chords, with the intervals 1 – 3 – 5 – b7.

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Dominant shape one appears as Eb7 when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the index finger at the third string, in this example that note is D# or Eb.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	3-1-4-3	D#7/Eb7
2	4-2-5-4	E7
3	5-3-6-5	F7
4	6-4-7-6	F#7/Gb7
5	7-5-8-7	G7
6	8-6-9-8	G#7/Ab7
7	9-7-10-9	A7
8	10-8-11-10	A#7/Bb7
9	11-9-12-11	B7
10	12-10-13-12	C7
11	13-11-14-13	C#7/Db7
12	14-12-15-14	D7

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This dominant chord shape appears as F7 when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the index finger barring the first string, in this example that note is F.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	2-1-3-1	F7
2	3-2-4-2	F#7/Gb7
3	4-3-5-3	G7
4	5-4-6-4	G#7/Ab7
5	6-5-7-5	A7
6	7-6-8-6	A#7/Bb7
7	8-7-9-7	B7
8	9-8-10-8	C7
9	10-9-11-9	C#7/Db7
10	11-10-12-10	D7
11	12-11-13-11	D#7/Eb7
12	13-12-14-12	E7

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Dominant shape three appears as Ab7 when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the index finger barring the fourth string, in this example that note is G# or Ab.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	1-1-3-2	G#7/Ab7
2	2-2-4-3	A7
3	3-3-5-4	A#7/Bb7
4	4-4-6-5	B7
5	5-5-7-6	C7
6	6-6-8-7	C#7/Db7
7	7-7-9-8	D7
8	8-8-10-9	D#7/Eb7
9	9-9-11-10	E7
10	10-10-12-11	F7
11	11-11-13-12	F#7/Gb7
12	12-12-14-13	G7

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Our final movable shape appears as B7 when played at the first fret, because the root note is played by the ring finger barre at the second string, in this example that note is B.

Starting Fret:	Cafe Shorthand:	Chord:
1	2-1-2-2	B7
2	3-2-3-3	C7
3	4-3-4-4	C#7/Db7
4	5-4-5-5	D7
5	6-5-6-6	D#7/Eb7
6	7-6-7-7	E7
7	8-7-8-8	F7
8	9-8-9-9	F#7/Gb7
9	10-9-10-10	G7
10	11-10-11-11	G#7/Ab7
11	12-11-12-12	A7
12	13-12-13-13	A#7/Bb7

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