Blank chord charts let you write down the chords of a song, a lesson or your own idea. These free printable blank chord charts have up to 30 chord boxes on a page for guitar or ukulele, with a nut, frets and a name line above each box. Print them, write the chord names, and mark the finger positions with dots.
Blank chord charts to print (PDF)
These four pages show what you can print: a blank guitar chord chart with 25 boxes, a ukulele chord chart with 30 boxes, and two filled sheets of open chords to copy from. Click any picture for the PDF, or use the generator above to choose the strings, the boxes across and down, the number of frets and the color.
How to read a chord box
A chord box is a small picture of the fretboard seen from the front. The vertical lines are the strings, the horizontal lines are the frets, and the thick line at the top is the nut. Every mark has a meaning:
| Mark on the chart | What it means |
|---|---|
| A dot on a string | Press the string down at that fret |
| A circle (O) above a string | Play the string open, without pressing it |
| A cross (X) above a string | Do not play this string, or mute it |
| A thick line at the top | The nut, where the fretboard starts |
| A number beside the box | The fret where the diagram starts, for chords higher up the neck |
| The line above the box | Where you write the name of the chord |
Blank guitar chord chart: strings and tuning
A blank guitar chord chart has six vertical lines, one for each string, with the lowest string on the left. The ukulele has four. The generator lets you choose either:
| Instrument | Strings (thickest to thinnest) | Number of strings in the generator |
|---|---|---|
| Guitar | E A D G B E | 6 |
| Ukulele | G C E A (the G is a high note, called re-entrant tuning) | 4 |
Chord diagram template: how many boxes per page?
The chord diagram template lets you choose 3, 4 or 5 boxes across and 3 to 6 down, so a page can hold from 9 to 30 chords. Use big boxes for children and for lessons, and small boxes for a songbook. This table shows the number of boxes for every layout:
| Rows | 3 across | 4 across | 5 across |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 down | 9 boxes | 12 boxes | 15 boxes |
| 4 down | 12 boxes | 16 boxes | 20 boxes |
| 5 down | 15 boxes | 20 boxes | 25 boxes |
| 6 down | 18 boxes | 24 boxes | 30 boxes |
You can also choose four or five frets in each box. Four frets suit ukulele and beginner guitar chords, and five frets give more room for chords that go higher up the neck.
Blank chord boxes for songs: write the chords above the words
- Print a page of blank chord boxes with the number of boxes you need.
- Write the name of each chord on the line above its box.
- Draw a dot where each finger goes, a circle for open strings and a cross for strings that are not played.
- Cut the boxes apart or keep them on the sheet, and clip the sheet to your lyrics.
Open guitar chords to copy into your chart
Here are twelve open chords that most beginners learn first. Read each code from the lowest string to the highest: x means do not play the string, 0 means play it open, and a number is the fret to press. Fingerings vary a little from teacher to teacher, so use these as a starting point:
| Chord | Frets, low E string to high E string | What to press |
|---|---|---|
| C | x32010 |
A string: fret 3; D string: fret 2; B string: fret 1; do not play the low E string |
| G | 320003 |
low E string: fret 3; A string: fret 2; high E string: fret 3 |
| D | xx0232 |
G string: fret 2; B string: fret 3; high E string: fret 2; do not play the low E string and the A string |
| A | x02220 |
D string: fret 2; G string: fret 2; B string: fret 2; do not play the low E string |
| E | 022100 |
A string: fret 2; D string: fret 2; G string: fret 1 |
| Am | x02210 |
D string: fret 2; G string: fret 2; B string: fret 1; do not play the low E string |
| Em | 022000 |
A string: fret 2; D string: fret 2 |
| Dm | xx0231 |
G string: fret 2; B string: fret 3; high E string: fret 1; do not play the low E string and the A string |
| F (easy) | xx3211 |
D string: fret 3; G string: fret 2; B string: fret 1; high E string: fret 1; do not play the low E string and the A string |
| G7 | 320001 |
low E string: fret 3; A string: fret 2; high E string: fret 1 |
| C7 | x32310 |
A string: fret 3; D string: fret 2; G string: fret 3; B string: fret 1; do not play the low E string |
| E7 | 020100 |
A string: fret 2; G string: fret 1 |
Ukulele chord chart printable: ten chords for the first month
For the ukulele chord chart printable, the strings are read from left to right as G, C, E and A in standard tuning. These ten open chords cover hundreds of songs:
| Chord | Frets, G string to A string | What to press |
|---|---|---|
| C | 0003 |
A string: fret 3 |
| Am | 2000 |
G string: fret 2 |
| F | 2010 |
G string: fret 2; E string: fret 1 |
| G | 0232 |
C string: fret 2; E string: fret 3; A string: fret 2 |
| G7 | 0212 |
C string: fret 2; E string: fret 1; A string: fret 2 |
| Dm | 2210 |
G string: fret 2; C string: fret 2; E string: fret 1 |
| Em | 0432 |
C string: fret 4; E string: fret 3; A string: fret 2 |
| A | 2100 |
G string: fret 2; C string: fret 1 |
| D | 2220 |
G string: fret 2; C string: fret 2; E string: fret 2 |
| C7 | 0001 |
A string: fret 1 |
Four chord progressions to write on a blank chord chart
A blank chord chart is useful for planning songs. These four patterns appear in many songs, and writing them out in boxes helps you see how the chords relate to each other:
| Progression | In the key of C | Songs that use this kind of pattern |
|---|---|---|
| I – V – vi – IV | C – G – Am – F | Hundreds of pop songs use this four-chord pattern |
| I – IV – V | C – F – G | Many folk, rock and country songs |
| ii – V – I | Dm – G – C | The classic jazz turnaround |
| 12-bar blues in A | A7 – D7 – A7 – E7 | The blues form, written in the key of A |
Using blank chord charts in lessons
- Chord homework: give a student a page of blank boxes and a list of chord names to fill in.
- Chord quiz: write the shapes in the boxes and ask students to name them, or the other way round.
- Songbook: print 30 boxes to a page and make a small chord reference for each song.
- Composition: students choose four chords, fill in the boxes and play them in different orders.
For reading about chord charts and chord diagrams, Wikipedia’s chord chart and guitar chord articles are good starting points.
Printing tip
Print at 100% or “Actual size” and turn off “Fit to page”, so that every measurement on the sheet is exact. Choose Letter or A4 paper in the generator before you print.
Blank chord charts: frequently asked questions
Is there a ukulele version of the blank chord charts?
Yes. Choose 4 strings in the generator, and the boxes have four vertical lines instead of six.
How many chord boxes fit on one page?
Up to 30, with 5 boxes across and 6 down. For bigger boxes, choose 3 across and 3 down, which gives 9 boxes.
What is a blank guitar chord chart used for?
For writing down chord shapes you are learning, for songs you play and for your own ideas. Teachers use them for homework, quizzes and songbooks.
Are the blank chord charts free?
Yes. Every sheet is free to print for home and classroom use, with no sign-up.
More printable paper
- Guitar tab paper for writing riffs and solos
- Staff paper for writing music notation
- Specialty paper generator with every layout on this site
- Paper generator for lined, graph, dot grid, isometric and handwriting paper
- Graph paper, lined paper and dot grid paper