Piano Chords
A piano chords chart for every key: see any chord on the keyboard, read its notes, and hear it and each of its inversions.
Inversions
Keyboard: Space plays the chord, ← → move the root down or up a semitone. Press any key on the piano to hear it.
Piano chord chart
All 12 major and 12 minor triads in root position. Tap one to see its inversions above.
How to use the piano chords chart
This piano chords chart shows any chord on the keyboard: pick a root note and a chord type, and it marks the keys, spells the notes, gives the formula and plays the chord and each of its inversions, for 32 chord types from simple triads to 13th chords. Pick a root note, then a chord type: major, minor, 7, maj7, m7, sus2, sus4, dim, aug, 6, m6, 9, add9, m7b5 and dim7 are on the buttons, and More types holds the rest, up to 13th chords. The keyboard marks the chord in root position, with the root in a different colour, and the line above it spells the notes and gives the formula. Play chord plays all the notes together; Arpeggio plays them one at a time from the bottom. You can also press any key on the keyboard to hear it.
On a computer, Space plays the chord and the left and right arrow keys move the root down or up a semitone. Flat names switches the root buttons from sharps (C#) to flats (Db). To go the other way, from notes you are holding to a chord name, use the chord finder, or play freely on the online piano.
How piano chords are built
A chord is built by stacking notes above a root. Count in semitones, one key to the next including black keys. A major triad is the root, a major 3rd (4 semitones) and a perfect 5th (7 semitones): C E G. A minor triad lowers the 3rd by a semitone: C Eb G. Diminished lowers the 5th as well (C Eb Gb), augmented raises it (C E G#). Add a 7th and you get four-note chords: a minor 7th (10 semitones) on a major triad makes a dominant 7th, C E G Bb.
| Type | Formula | On C |
|---|---|---|
| Major | 1 3 5 | C E G |
| Minor | 1 b3 5 | C Eb G |
| Diminished | 1 b3 b5 | C Eb Gb |
| Augmented | 1 3 #5 | C E G# |
| Dominant 7th | 1 3 5 b7 | C E G Bb |
| Major 7th | 1 3 5 7 | C E G B |
| Minor 7th | 1 b3 5 b7 | C Eb G Bb |
The notes are spelled from the formula, so each chord uses the right letter names: the 3rd of Eb major is G and its 5th is Bb, and a diminished 7th on C has Bbb, not A, because a 7th has to be some kind of B. That is why this page writes Eb G Bb and never D# G A#.
Inversions
An inversion keeps the same notes but puts a different one at the bottom. In root position the root is lowest (C E G). In 1st inversion the 3rd is lowest (E G C), in 2nd inversion the 5th (G C E), and a four-note chord has a 3rd inversion with the 7th at the bottom (Bb C E G for C7). The name gets a slash and the bass note: C/E, C/G. Each inversion is drawn on its own small keyboard under the tool; press it to hear it.
Inversions are what make chord changes smooth. Going from C (C E G) to F, you can keep the C, move E up to F and G up to A, which gives F in 2nd inversion (C F A) and moves your hand only a little. Try it: play C in root position, then F/C, then G/B (B D G), then C again.
The piano chord chart
Below the tool is a chart of all 24 major and minor triads in root position, one small keyboard each, with the root marked. It uses the usual names for each key: Db, Eb, Ab and Bb major rather than their sharp spellings, and C#, G# and Bb minor. Press Print chart to print only the chart, on one page, to keep on the music stand.
Learn the major triads in groups by shape. C, F and G use only white keys. D, E and A have one black key in the middle. Db, Eb and Ab have a white key in the middle and black keys outside. Then each minor triad is its major with the middle note moved down one key.
How to practise
Play each triad with the right hand using the thumb, middle finger and little finger (1, 3, 5), then play its two inversions going up and back down. Do the same in the left hand an octave lower. When those are comfortable, pick a key, play the chords that belong to it, and link them with the nearest inversion each time. The chord progression generator gives you sets of chords to practise, and the circle of fifths shows which keys are close to each other.
More for piano: Online Piano · Piano Scales · Chord Finder · Treble Clef Notes · Bass Clef Notes
Questions
How many piano chords are there?
Every one of the 12 notes can be the root of every chord type. This page has 32 types, from triads to 13th chords, so 384 chords, plus their inversions.
What are the first piano chords to learn?
The major and minor triads: 24 chords, all shown in the chart under the tool. Most other chords are a triad with one or two notes added or changed.
What is the difference between C7 and Cmaj7?
C7 adds Bb, a minor 7th above C. Cmaj7 adds B, a major 7th above C. The first is tense and wants to move on; the second sounds settled.
Why is it Eb and not D#?
Each note of a chord is spelled from its scale degree. In C minor the 3rd must be some kind of E, so it is Eb. D# names the same key but is the wrong degree.
Can I print a piano chord chart?
Yes. Press Print chart to print the 24 major and minor triads on one page.