Interactive Left Handed Guitar Chord Diagrams

When I first started to learn left handed guitar chords, it never occurred to me that chord diagrams were designed with right handed players in mind. I always managed to figure them out, but there was always that slight struggle to get them to make sense on my southpaw guitar.

Like me, many of you will just put up with deciphering regular chord diagrams – but why make it harder? Left handed guitar chords will help make learning that little bit easier.

For those of you who are new to guitar and a little unsure, I’ve put together a selection of 14 left handed guitar chords that every new guitarist should learn. I’ve also included an audio file for each diagram so that you can hear how each chord should sound when played correctly.

Left Handed Guitar Chords Diagrams

If you are brand new to left handed guitar chord charts, head to the bottom of this page for a brief explanation of how to read the diagrams. 

If you’re viewing these on a mobile device, try using landscape mode to ensure that everything fits within your screen correctly.

Print Me! Click here to download a printable version of these lefty guitar chords! Right-click the image to save it to your computer.

Remember that you can hit the ‘play‘ button below each chord to hear how it should sound!

A Major

A Minor

B Major

B Minor

C Major

C Minor

D Major

D Minor

E Major

E Minor

F Major

F Minor

G Major

G Minor

Free Printable Left Handed Guitar Chords

Below you will find all of the above lefty guitar chords in a handy, downloadable poster. Save it to your device or print it out for reference!

How Do You Play Lefty Guitar Chords?

In case you are a complete beginner looking at these diagrams for the first time, let me briefly explain what they represent.

The diagrams should be read as if you have your guitar standing up in front of you with the fretboard facing you.

The orange stripe near the top of each diagram represents the nut, i.e. the thin strip of plastic or bone just before your guitar’s headstock which holds the strings in place.

For simplicity, each diagram only shows the first five frets of the fretboard.

The orange circles indicate where you should place your fingers, and the numbers on the circles (1-4) are your finger numbers.  Your fingers are numbered as follows:

• Index : 1
• Middle : 2
• Ring : 3
• Pinky : 4
• Thumb : T (thumb isn’t used in any of these basic chords)

A ‘0‘ above the nut (the orange strip) tells you that the string should be played ‘open’, i.e do not fret any notes. An ‘X‘ above the nut indicates that the string should not be played.

Are Left Handed Guitar Chords Different?

Yes! Left handed guitar chord charts are essentially mirrored versions of regular chord diagrams. So for example, if you were to look at a regular guitar chord chart in a mirror you would get a left handed chord. Other than this simple difference they are exactly the same.

This is easily illustrated in the image below which shows a left handed E Minor chord versus a right handed E Minor chord.

Guitar Chords For Left Handed Beginners

Tips and Tricks

Finger placement. Try to place your fingers as close to the fret-wire as you are able to. The reason for this is because if you place them too far back, the string is likely to buzz.

It might be difficult at first, but over time it’ll become second nature.

Finger pressure. Try to use the lightest touch necessary for the string to ring through without any buzzing. Pressing down too hard will cause the note to become slightly sharp, making the chord sound off key.

Strum and pick. At first, pick every note individually to ensure that no strings are being accidentally muted. You might not notice dead notes when strumming the whole chord.

If you have accidentally muted a string make a small adjustment in your hand/finger position until the note rings clear.

Pain. If this is the first time you have tried to learn guitar chords your fingertips are going to hurt – sorry!

After a while calluses will form and you’ll wonder what you were crying about. Give it a few weeks, but don’t push it too hard initially!

Stay in tune. Always tune your guitar before playing. If your guitar is out of pitch you might incorrectly blame wonky sounding chords on finger pressure or other issues.

Mastered the left handed guitar chord chart above? Click below to learn 300 more!!

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