Chord finder
MusicHow do you play this chord?
Pick a root and a chord type to see its notes and formula on a piano, hear it, or pick notes to find the chord's name.
Chord
What you enter stays on your device while you use this tool. Opening a shared link sends the settings in its address to HowToolbox to prepare the page.
C formula
- Formula
- 1 – 3 – 5
- Semitones from the root
- 0 – 4 – 7
- Notes
- C – E – G
Notes of C
| Note | Degree | Semitones |
|---|---|---|
| C | 1 | 0 |
| E | 3 | 4 |
| G | 5 | 7 |
Chord
C
C · E · G
Sponsored Links
Pick a root and a chord type to see its notes and formula on a piano, hear it, or pick notes to find the chord's name.
How to use
- Choose the root note and the chord type. The notes, the formula and the keys on the piano appear at once.
- Press Play chord to hear the notes together, or Play note by note to hear them one after another.
- To name a chord you know by its notes, switch to Name a chord from notes and press the keys. Octaves do not matter, so C, E and G in any order give C major.
How it works
A chord is three or more notes played together. Every chord type is a recipe of distances, counted in semitones (one key to the next on a piano) above the root. A major chord takes the root, the note 4 semitones up and the note 7 semitones up; a minor chord lowers the middle note to 3 semitones. Add a note on top and you get the seventh, sixth and ninth chords.
The formula writes the same recipe as scale degrees: 1 is the root, 3 the third, 5 the fifth, and ♭ or ♯ lowers or raises a degree against the major scale. Cmaj7 is 1 – 3 – 5 – 7, so C, E, G, B; Cm7 is 1 – ♭3 – 5 – ♭7, so C, E♭, G, B♭. Notes are spelled by letter, so F♯ major is F♯, A♯, C♯ rather than F♯, B♭, C♯.
Naming a chord from its notes tries every root and every type here and shows all that fit exactly. The same notes can have two names: C6 and Am7 contain C, E, G and A. This tool knows 13 common chord types; chords with more notes, altered notes or a different bass note are not included.
Sponsored Links
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a major and a minor chord?
Only the middle note. A major chord has the third 4 semitones above the root and sounds bright; a minor chord has it 3 semitones up and sounds darker.
Why do some chords show unusual notes like E♯ or B♭♭?
Notes are named by letter so each chord uses each letter once. In F♯ major the third is A♯, and in G♯ augmented the fifth is a double-sharp D. They sound the same as the simpler names, but are written correctly.
Does the order or octave of the notes matter?
No. C–E–G, E–G–C and a wide C chord are all C major. This tool names a chord from the set of notes, so it does not tell inversions or slash chords like C/E apart.
Why does the same set of notes have more than one chord name?
Some chord types share the same notes, such as C6 and Am7. The musical context and bass note help decide which name fits; this tool lists every exact match it supports.
Why are my selected notes not recognised?
The finder matches thirteen common chord types exactly. Extra or missing notes, and chord types outside that list, may give no match.
Next you might need
- Drum machineBuild a 16-step drum pattern with kick, snare, hi-hats, clap and tom, play it at your tempo and tap live pads on top., private, runs on your deviceMusicSound
- Metronome: steady beats for music practiceSet the tempo, hear the beat and follow the pendulum., private, runs on your deviceMusicSound
- SynthPlay and shape a keyboard synth: choose the waveform, envelope, filter and LFO, then play with the mouse, touch, your computer keyboard or a MIDI keyboard., private, runs on your deviceMusicSound
- TunerPlay one note near your microphone to see the nearest note, cents sharp or flat and the frequency. Sound stays on your device., private, runs on your deviceMusicCheckerSoundFrequencies
- Toy pianoBig colourful keys with toy piano, xylophone and marimba sounds, and songs where the next key lights up., private, runs on your deviceKidsSound
- Chess clockTwo chess clocks with increment or delay, a move counter and a flag at zero., private, runs on your deviceDate & timeCalculatorSound
Popular now
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links