Guitar Chords by Shape
Stop memorizing hundreds of individual dots. Learn the 'master shapes' that unlock every chord on the guitar neck using simple, movable logic.
Like Duolingo, but for Guitar Chords by Shape. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
A short one: 13 levels across 2 sections, about 26 minutes end to end, roughly 5 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Play Your First Songs and Unlock the Entire Neck. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Guitar Chords by Shape
- The versatility and commonality of the Big Four chord shapes
- The mechanical benefit of using anchor fingers during transitions
- The D chord sounds dissonant if the low E or A strings ring out
- The C chord starts its bass note on the A string
- The Em chord uses all strings because the low E is part of the chord
- Cadd9 keeps fingers 3 and 4 in the same spot as a G chord, making the switch easier
- Cheat chords provide a similar harmonic sound with less physical strain
- Using simplified shapes helps maintain the rhythm of a song while building hand strength
- Identifying which strings to avoid for a clean chord sound
- The purpose of using 'cheat' chords like Cadd9
- Visualizing the shape in the air prepares the brain before the physical attempt
- Pressing the strings down firmly locks the physical sensation into memory
- Releasing and 're-forming' the shape in the air tests if the hand remembers the pattern
- The mental process of building muscle memory for chords
- The physical finger shape remains identical for different power chords
- Moving the shape to a new fret changes the chord name
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Guitar Chords by Shape the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
Why are G, C, D, and Em often grouped together as the 'Big Four' for beginners?
Get it right to open this lesson and 12 more in the app.
Where Guitar Chords by Shape takes you
- 1
Play Your First Songs
- The 'Big Four' Open Chords
- Power Chords: The Universal Shortcut
- 2
Unlock the Entire Neck
- The Logic of Movable Shapes
- Barre Chord Mechanics
2 sections · 4 units · 13 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
Guitar Chords by Shape is taught in the Bestie style: your friend who just gets it. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
More Music on Tomo
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Start Guitar Chords by Shape today.
Download Tomo, search Guitar Chords by Shape, and play your first lesson in under a minute.