Chords
Pick a root and a chord type to see it on the piano and, where a standard shape exists, as a guitar chord diagram — with the notes, the intervals, and the sound. Major, minor, 7ths, sus, diminished, augmented and more, in every key.
On the piano
On the guitar
Tip: the highlighted key/dot in violet is the root. Click any piano key to hear it, or press Play for the whole chord.
How to use the chord finder
A chord is three or more notes played together. To build one you need its root — the note it is named after — and its type, which fixes the intervals stacked on top. Choose both and the keyboard lights up the notes, the row above names them with correct spelling, and a guitar diagram shows a playable shape whenever a standard movable voicing exists. Press Play to hear the chord as a block and then arpeggiated.
Every chord type follows one formula from its root. A major triad is root–major third–perfect fifth; make the third minor and you get a minor triad; add a seventh and you get the four-note sevenths that colour jazz and pop. Because the formula is the same in every key, once you know the shape you can move it anywhere — which is exactly how the guitar diagrams here are built. See the notes laid out melodically in the scale finder, or map a chord’s tones across the neck with guitar scales.
Chord types you can explore
- Triads. Major, minor, diminished and augmented — the three-note chords everything else grows from.
- Sevenths. Dominant 7, major 7, minor 7, half-diminished (m7♭5) and diminished 7 — the workhorses of jazz and blues harmony.
- Colour chords. sus2, sus4, 6, m6 and add9 — small changes that soften or brighten a plain triad.
From chords to songs
Chords rarely sit still — they move in progressions. Find a key on the circle of fifths to see which chords belong together, keep them steady with the metronome, and train your ear to name what you hear.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find the notes in a chord?
Choose a root note and a chord type. The tool highlights the chord on the piano, names each note with correct spelling, shows the intervals, and — where a standard movable shape exists — draws a guitar chord diagram. Press Play to hear it, or click any key to hear a single note.
What notes are in a C major chord?
A C major chord is C, E and G — the root, major third and perfect fifth. Every major triad follows the same formula: root, a major third (four semitones) above it, and a perfect fifth (seven semitones) above the root.
What is the difference between a major and a minor chord?
Both are three-note triads with the same root and fifth; only the third differs. A major chord has a major third (four semitones above the root) and sounds bright; a minor chord has a minor third (three semitones) and sounds darker. C major is C E G, C minor is C E♭ G.
Why does the guitar diagram sometimes show a barre chord instead of an open chord?
The tool builds each guitar voicing from a movable E-shape or A-shape and places it at the lowest fret that spells the chord. For roots like E and A that lands on a familiar open chord; for others it becomes a barre chord. It is always a correct, playable voicing, though a given chord may also have easier open-position fingerings.
Play your chords in time
Lock a progression to a steady tempo with the free online metronome.