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GO-TO CHORDS
for the ACOUSTIC guitarist
PLUS CAPO CHEAT SHEETS
The GO-TO Chords for
Acoustic Guitar in Worship
This a cheat sheet, reference guide and mini-training course all in one. This packet contains the GOTO chords that I use when I’m playing acoustic guitar in worship:
1. I don’t have to think about them—my fingers know them like my lungs know how to breathe.
2. They’re chords that I know will sound great.
“Even Eb? you ask.
Yes. Even Eb. And why can I make great chords in Eb on the acoustic guitar? Because I use a capo. There
are guitarists out there that won’t use a capo because it’s cheating. They’re right, it is cheating. But I think
they might be morons for not using one. Do capos let you cheat and not play wonky, hand-wrenching
chords? Of course. That’s part of the reason why we use them. But more than that, the acoustic guitar
just sounds better with open strings. So put on a capo and cheat. AND, you won’t get carpal tunnel as
quickly. Let the capo-haters’ hands ache.
So besides the GO-TO chords for the five keys that work great in open position, you’ll also find several
capo “cheats” for the other keys. And it doesn’t end there. Over the next few weeks, I’ll send you emails
to free videos and tips to help you develop your chord playing. Let’s get started...
We will be following the Circle of 5ths as we look at the
different keys.
F
This is the Circle of 5ths >>>>>
If it makes no sense, don’t worry.
You can still use this couse without
understanding it.
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B
C 
00
1
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2
circle
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E 3
of
4
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A

5ths
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D
5
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
66
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G
G
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1
2
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3
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5
D
B
4
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E
A
The GO-TO open chords in the 5 “Open Keys”
1 Chord (I)
2m Chord (ii)
Key of C
3m Chord (iii) /
1/3 Chord
4 Chord (IV)
5 Chord (V)
6m Chord (vi)
5/7 Chord (vii)
No sharps or flats
The true 7 chord of a
major key is a diminished triad or half
diminished (minor 7
flat 5) if the seventh
interval is added.
The second chord
C/G is technically
an inversion, but I
like it for it’s nice full
sound.
You can also play the
straight Dm chord.
But it’s pretty dark.
Often times, songs
will use the 1 Chord
in 1st inversion--in
this case C/E--more
often than the 3m
chord.
Somtimes you’ll
need to play the Big
Fat F Barre Chord,
But often this simple
sus2 chord sounds so
much better
Why mute the 5th
string instead of
playing the B note?
That third interval
gets muddy when it’s
played that low.
With all these 5
chords, this cheat
sheet will include a
sus4 variation since
that’s often called for
in worship music.
When it comes to the
6m chord, sometimes
you want the straight
minor, but often the
softened m7 better
fits the style.
You don’t find
m7b5 very often in
non-r&b/gospel
influenced worship
music. More often it’s
the 5/7 chord.
1 Chord (I)
Key of G
2m Chord (ii)
3m Chord (iii) /
1/3 Chord
4 Chord (IV)
5 Chord (V)
The stock C can
work, but this add2
often creates a better
sound. You can mute
or open up the 4th
string to give it a
tougher sus2 sound.
Don’t be afraid to liberally open the high
e string to create a
sus2. That 3rd (f#)
in the high note can
stick out too much.
6m Chord (vi)
5/7 Chord (vii)
1 sharp = F#
The G5 works most
of the time. But occasionally you want
the third in chord to
pretty it up. Hence
the second voicing.
The (4) in this chord
is the open high e. If
it doesn’t seem right,
just slouch your third
finger down to mute
it. Trust your ear.
Occasionally I’ll do
the finger gymnastics
to play the f# on the
high e string. But
mostly, I let the e
ring out, or mute it
with my third finger.
1 Chord (I)
Key of D
2m Chord (ii)
3m Chord (iii) /
1/3 Chord
4 Chord (IV)
5 Chord (V)
6m Chord (vi)
5/7 Chord (vii)
2 sharps = F#, C#
Again, in the 4
Like the D chord in
Chord spot, this sus2 the key of G, don’t be
can be nice.
afraid to open up the
B-string to get the
sus2 sound.
The add2 plays a dual
purpose. It’s easier
to play and it sounds
good.
1 Chord (I)
Key of A
2m Chord (ii)
3m Chord (iii) /
1/3 Chord
4 Chord (IV)
5 Chord (V)
6m Chord (vi)
Like the D chord in
the key of G, don’t be
afraid to open up the
B-string to get the
sus2 sound.
This variation for
F#m sounds great
in most modern
worship songs. Occaisionally the song
will call for a straight
F#m. In that case, use
the standard barre
chord.
5/7 Chord (vii)
3 sharps =
F#, C#, G#
Again, in the 4
Chord spot, the
Dsus2 can be nice.
Simply play the
first string open to
acheive the sus2.
The second voicing includes the b7
interval for a more
unstable chord that
wants to resolve to
the Root.
1 Chord (I)
Key of E
2m Chord (ii)
3m Chord (iii) /
1/3 Chord
4 Chord (IV)
4 sharps =
F#, C#, G#, D#
For the 1, 2m, 4, 5,
and 6m, I’ve inclueed
some open movable
shapes . These allow
you to move further
up the neck to create
some great sounding
chords.
You can also slide
the F#m7(4) shape
up two frets to create
a variation of the
G#m7. However, it
doesn’t always sound
as good on the 4th
fret as it does the
second.
Again, in the 4
Chord spot, the sus2
can be nice.
5 Chord (V)
6m Chord (vi)
5/7 Chord (vii)
Moving to the Capo
Beyond these five keys we just went through, I capo. There are plenty of ways to use
barre chords and other shapes to play in any key, but 1) it usually doesn’t sound as
good. Remember, the guitar truly sings with open strings. There are certain styles
where the barre chord sound is preferable, but it’s not as common in worship. And
2) it’s just too much work.
So from here, I will provide “capo cheats” for the rest of the major keys. In some
cases, I put two capo keys, others I added a third option. This higher fret capo option works great when you have two acoustics, or you just want that higher, snappier
sound. Regardless of which capo key you choose, this will give you everything you
need to play in any key your worship leader throws at you.
Key of B
There are a few open chord options in the key of B, especially with the open movable voicings, but this
key still requires a fair amount of barre chords. So I recommend acoustic players capo the key of B.
Capo’ing at frets 2 and 4 are the two the most common ways to capo in the key of B.
1 Chord (I)
2m Chord (ii)
3m Chord (iii) /
1/3 Chord
4 Chord (IV)
5 Chord (V)
6m Chord (vi)
5/7 Chord (vii)
5 sharps =
F#, C#, G#, D#, A#
B
C#m7
D#m7
B/D#
E
F#
G#m7
F#/A#
Capo 2
A
Bm7
D
E
F#m7
E/G#
Capo 4
G
Am7
C
D
Em7
D/F#
Key of B
C#m7
A/C#
Bm7
G/B
Key of F#
When piano players ruled the worship universe, you never saw the key of F#. Once guitarists took the
reins, with their quick-change capos and total disregard for other instruments, 6 sharps became fair
game. Capo’ing at frets 2, 4 or 6 will get the job done for the key of F#. But don’t expect your piano player
to like you.
1 Chord (I)
2m Chord (ii)
3m Chord (iii) /
1/3 Chord
4 Chord (IV)
5 Chord (V)
6m Chord (vi)
5/7 Chord (vii)
F#
G#m7
A#m7
F#/A#
B
C#
D#m7
C#/E#
Capo 2
E
F#m7
A
B
C#m7
B/D#
Capo 4
D
Em7
G
A
Bm7
A/C#
Capo 6
C
Dm7
F
G
Am7
G/B
Key of F#
6 sharps =
F#, C#, G#, D#,
A#, E# (aka: F§)
G#m7
E/G#
F#m7
D/F#
Em7
C/E
Key of F
We’ve now moved to the other side of the Circle of 5ths - the “flats” side. You will capo this entire side of
the circle (unless you’re some sicko who enjoys hand cramps). The key of F works great capo’d at frets 1
and 3, and even works well at fret 5. However, if your guitar’s intonations aren’t awesome, you may need
to retune once you place your capo at the 5th fret. That goes for any of these higher capo options that are
shown for the other keys.
1 Chord (I)
2m Chord (ii)
3m Chord (iii) /
1/3 Chord
4 Chord (IV)
5 Chord (V)
6m Chord (vi)
5/7 Chord (vii)
F
Gm7
Am7
F/A
B¨
C
Dm7
C/E
Capo 1
E
F#m7
A
B
C#m7
B/D#
Capo 3
D
Em7
G
A
Bm7
A/C#
Capo 5
C
Dm7
F
G
Am7
G/B
Key of F
1 Flat = B¨
G#m7
E/G#
F#m7
D/F#
Em7
C/E
Key of B¨
Like the key of B, capo’ing to play the key of A or G chords works well. In this case, we’ll capo at frets 1
and 3.
1 Chord (I)
2m Chord (ii)
3m Chord (iii) /
1/3 Chord
4 Chord (IV)
5 Chord (V)
6m Chord (vi)
5/7 Chord (vii)
B¨
Cm7
Dm7
B¨/D
E¨
F
Gm7
F/A
Capo 1
A
Bm7
D
E
F#m7
E/G#
Capo 3
G
Am7
C
D
Em7
D/F#
Key of B¨
2 Flats = B¨, E¨
C#m7
A/C#
Bm7
G/B
Key of E¨
1 Chord (I)
2m Chord (ii)
3m Chord (iii) /
1/3 Chord
4 Chord (IV)
5 Chord (V)
6m Chord (vi)
5/7 Chord (vii)
3 Flats = B¨, E¨, A¨
E¨
Fm7
Gm7
E¨/G
A¨
B¨
Cm7
D¨/F
Capo 1
D
Em7
G
A
Bm7
A/C#
Capo 3
C
Dm7
F
G
Am7
G/B
Key of E¨
F#m7
D/F#
Em7
C/E
Key of A¨
1 Chord (I)
2m Chord (ii)
3m Chord (iii) /
1/3 Chord
4 Chord (IV)
5 Chord (V)
6m Chord (vi)
5/7 Chord (vii)
A¨
B¨m7
Cm7
A¨/C
D¨
E¨
Fm7
E¨/G
Capo 1
G
Am7
C
D
Em7
D/F#
Capo 4
E
F#m7
A
B
C#m7
B/D#
Capo 6
D
Em7
G
A
Bm7
A/C#
Key of A¨
4 Flats = B¨, E¨,
A¨, D¨
Bm7
G/B
G#m7
E/G#
F#m7
D/F#
Key of D¨
1 Chord (I)
2m Chord (ii)
3m Chord (iii) /
1/3 Chord
4 Chord (IV)
5 Chord (V)
6m Chord (vi)
5/7 Chord (vii)
D¨
E¨m7
Fm7
D¨/F
G¨
A¨
B¨m7
A¨/C
Capo 1
C
Dm7
F
G
Am7
G/B
Capo 4
A
Bm7
D
E
F#m7
E/G#
Capo 6
G
Am7
C
D
Em7
D/F#
Key of D¨
5 Flats = B¨, E¨,
A¨, D¨, G¨
Em7
C/E
C#m7
A/C#
Bm7
G/B
Key of G¨
Gb is the same as F#. So when you see the key of Gb in worship, you can probably figure it was guitarist
who wrote the song in D with his capo on the fourth fret, and it was a piano player who transcribed the
chart. Regardless, you capo the same as F#.
1 Chord (I)
2m Chord (ii)
G¨
A¨m7
Capo 2
E
F#m7
Capo 4
D
Em7
Capo 6
C
Dm7
Key of G¨
6 Flats = B¨, E¨,
A¨, D¨, G¨, C¨
3m Chord (iii) /
1/3 Chord
B¨m7
G¨/B¨
G#m7
E/G#
F#m7
D/F#
Em7
C/E
4 Chord (IV)
5 Chord (V)
6m Chord (vi)
5/7 Chord (vii)
C¨
D¨
E¨m7
D¨/F
A
B
C#m7
B/D#
G
A
Bm7
A/C#
F
G
Am7
G/B
Be looking for the free mini-course that accompanies this GO-TO guide. It will be arriving about once
a week. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email me at [email protected].
All material © 2014 WorshipTeamCoach.com and Jon Nicol
If you were given this document and would like to sign up for the free mini course
that accompanies this, go to www.worshipteamcoach.com/go-to-chords