Four chord shapes, and knowing the first six notes of a scale, make playing most songs pretty easy.

 

Here are the four chord shapes.

 

E root major                 E root minor                 A root major        A root minor

 

The following diagrams show which chord type to use for each note of the scale for keys on either the E or the A string. Upper case roman numerals indicate a major chord shape, lower case indicate a minor chord.

 

Note that the IV V and vi for tonics on the A string have simply been transposed down an octave to conform with the four chord shapes outlined above. More chord shapes will be added as we go along.