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Keys — Understanding the Keyboard
The keyboard is one of the most visual instruments for understanding the number system. Every number maps to a specific set of keys. Before you look at chord diagrams, make sure you know where the notes live.
Natural notes (C D E F G A B) are the white keys. C is always to the left of the group of two black keys.
How to Read the Keyboard Diagrams
Each diagram shows two octaves — low C to high B
The teal highlighted keys are the notes you play for that chord number.
The number above the diagram is the chord number
1, 2m, 4, 5, 6m, etc.
The chord name and individual notes are shown below
These match what is in your Keys packet.
Your fingers play only the teal keys
Everything else is reference.
Each diagram shows the chord shape for that number in the Key of C.
Electric Guitar — The Fretboard
The electric guitar packet uses a horizontal fretboard diagram. Each diagram shows the chord shape for one number in one key. Before looking at chord shapes, make sure you know where the notes live on the neck.
Standard tuning: E · A · D · G · B · e (low to high). Each fret raises pitch by one half step.
How to Read the Fretboard Diagrams
Strings run left to right
Low E string at the top, high e string at the bottom.
Fret numbers are marked at positions 3, 5, 7, 9, and 12
These are your position landmarks.
Teal dots show finger placement
A teal bar across strings indicates a barre chord.
× means mute that string · ○ means play it open
The fret position below the diagram tells you where on the neck the chord lives.
Each diagram shows the barre or open chord shape for that number.
Acoustic Guitar — Open Position
The acoustic guitar packet focuses on open position chord shapes — the natural keys that ring most freely without a capo. The same fretboard reading skills from Electric Guitar apply here.
Standard tuning: E · A · D · G · B · e (low to high).
How to Read the Acoustic Chord Diagrams
Most shapes are open position — frets 1 through 4
These are the most resonant and natural-sounding shapes on acoustic.
Teal dots show where your fingers go
Open strings (○) ring freely and are a core part of the sound.
Capo-friendly keys are labeled in your packet
C, D, G, A, and E are all natural open keys.
For flat keys — a capo brings you to the right pitch
The diagram stays the same shape; the capo moves the root.
Bass — Single Notes, Not Chords
Bass players play single notes — the root of each chord number, or the note on the right side of a slash chord. Before looking at the fretboard patterns, make sure you know where the notes live.
Standard tuning: E · A · D · G (4-string) or B · E · A · D · G (5-string).
How to Read the Bass Fretboard Patterns
The number inside each teal dot is the scale degree
1 = root, 2 = second, 3 = third, and so on across the pattern.
The root note (1) has a larger dot with a ring around it
This is your anchor point for the key.
The pattern shows both 4-string and 5-string
The B string on 5-string is shown in gray.
Follow the number on the chart, find it on the pattern, play that note
You are not playing chords — just the single note for each number.
The fretboard pattern shows scale degrees across the neck. The reference table shows what each number means.
Drums — Kit Components & Dynamics
Drums don't play pitched notes, but every component of the kit has a name and a specific role. Knowing these names helps you follow chart instructions and communicate clearly with the worship team.
How to Read the Drums Packet
As a drummer, you do not play chord numbers — but you respond to them. The number progression tells you the harmonic direction of the song, which informs the energy level and groove you choose.
Read the section label and dynamic instruction
Soft, Medium, Full, Anthem — these are your primary guides.
Know the song structure before you play
Study the chart and song map so transitions are never a surprise.
Watch for chart instructions beside section labels
Half-time feel, straight 8th, groove only — these are written in your drums packet.
Your job is to serve the song, not fill every space
Space and restraint in the verse make the chorus explosive.
Download Your Instrument Packet
Your instrument packet is your reference guide for every key. Bring it to the workshop — printed or on a device.