Free printable PDF

Printable Guitar Music Theory Cheat Sheet

All the music theory a guitarist needs in the first year, on one page: the musical alphabet and half steps, the major scale formula, how chords are built from it, the pattern of chords in every key, and the progressions that grow out of it.

1 page
Portrait
Beginner to intermediate
US Letter / A4
PDF, 144 KB

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Preview of the Guitar Music Theory Cheat Sheet — Page 1 preview

What’s inside

The musical alphabet and where the half steps are
Major scale formula: W W H W W W H
Building major, minor and 7th chords
The chords in a key and the most-used progressions

How to use it

Print it and keep it with your practice notes.
Read one section at a time and try each idea on the guitar straight away.
Use it as a quick reference whenever you learn a new song.

Learn it step by step, free

Fretwork turns sheets like this into short daily lessons with audio, a play-along and a quick check for every skill. Stages 0 and 1 are free.

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Questions

Do I need music theory to play guitar?

No, but a little goes a long way. Knowing why G, C and D sound good together helps you learn songs faster, write your own, and play with other people.

What is a half step?

The distance of one fret. Two frets is a whole step.

Is this printable really free?

Yes. Enter your first name and email once and every Fretwork printable unlocks on your device. There is nothing to pay and no card needed.

Can I share it with students or friends?

Yes, for personal and classroom use. Please share the link to this page rather than the PDF file, so everyone gets the latest version.