Guitar Triads Chart — Every Shape in Every Key
Prefer drilling over reading? Open the trainer
Pick a key and see every close-voiced triad shape on the guitar: all three inversions on all four string sets, color-coded by inversion. Built from the same music-theory engine that powers our trainer — every dot is verified, not hand-drawn.
C major triads — all positions
Strings 1·2·3 (e · B · G)
Strings 2·3·4 (B · G · D)
Strings 3·4·5 (G · D · A)
Strings 4·5·6 (D · A · E)
How to Read This Chart
Each cluster of three dots is one complete triad. The dots sit on three adjacent strings — that's what makes these shapes compact and moveable. The color tells you the inversion: violet means the root is the lowest note (root position), amber means the third is lowest (1st inversion), and rose means the fifth is lowest (2nd inversion). The letters inside the dots are intervals relative to the chord's root: R, 3 (or b3 for minor thirds), and 5 (b5 diminished, #5 augmented).
Moving left to right on any string set, the inversions always cycle in the same order — learn that cycle once and you can find any chord anywhere. When a string set shows only two shapes, the missing inversion first becomes playable above the 12th fret, where the pattern repeats an octave higher.
How to Practice These Shapes
Reading a chart builds familiarity; recall builds fluency. A simple routine: pick one string set and one key, play the three inversions ascending, then descending, then jump between string sets while staying in one fret region. When shapes start feeling automatic, test yourself in the triads trainer — it shows you a shape to name (recognition) or names a chord you must find (recall), across every key, quality, and string set on this chart.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many triad shapes does the chart show?
For each key and quality, every close-voiced triad shape up to the 12th fret: the three inversions (root position, 1st, 2nd) on each of the four three-string sets. Across four qualities and 12 keys, that's every playable close-voiced triad on the guitar.
How do I read the chart?
Each group of three dots is one triad voicing. Violet = root position, amber = 1st inversion, rose = 2nd inversion. The letter inside each dot is the interval: R for root, 3 or b3 for the third, and 5, b5 or #5 for the fifth.
Why does a string set sometimes show only two inversions?
Because the missing inversion first becomes playable above the 12th fret on that string set — every shape repeats an octave higher. All three inversions always appear across the four string sets within the first 12 frets.
Is the PDF free, and what tuning does the chart use?
Yes — every per-key PDF and the all-keys bundle are free to download and print, no sign-up. Everything assumes standard tuning (E A D G B e).
Browse Triads by Chord
Every chord has its own page with all shapes, chord tones, and inversion positions: