How to identify a chord on the piano
- Tap two or more keys on the keyboard, the notes you hear or play. The name updates with every key you add or remove.
- Read the chord in the bar at the top: its symbol, and below it the inversion (root position, first or second inversion), which depends on the lowest note.
- Click one of the voicings next to it to hear the same chord with another note in the bass, press Play, or switch between sharps and flats.
- Add chords to the progression builder and play the sequence back at the tempo you choose.
How chord names work
A chord name has two parts. The root is the note the chord is built on; the quality says which intervals are stacked above it. C means C major (C, E, G), Cm is C minor (C, E♭, G), and C7 adds a minor seventh, B♭, to the major chord.
The order of the notes does not change the name, only the inversion. E, G, C is still C major, in first inversion because the third is in the bass; written as a slash chord, that is C/E.
Common chord types
All built on C. Press Show to put a chord on the keyboard above and hear it.
| Chord | Symbol | Notes | Intervals | Show on the keyboard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major | C | C E G | 1 3 5 | |
| Minor | Cm | C E♭ G | 1 ♭3 5 | |
| Diminished | Cdim | C E♭ G♭ | 1 ♭3 ♭5 | |
| Augmented | Caug | C E G♯ | 1 3 ♯5 | |
| Suspended 2nd | Csus2 | C D G | 1 2 5 | |
| Suspended 4th | Csus4 | C F G | 1 4 5 | |
| Major 6th | C6 | C E G A | 1 3 5 6 | |
| Major 7th | Cmaj7 | C E G B | 1 3 5 7 | |
| Dominant 7th | C7 | C E G B♭ | 1 3 5 ♭7 | |
| Minor 7th | Cm7 | C E♭ G B♭ | 1 ♭3 5 ♭7 | |
| Half-diminished | Cm7b5 | C E♭ G♭ B♭ | 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭7 | |
| Diminished 7th | Cdim7 | C E♭ G♭ A | 1 ♭3 ♭5 ♭♭7 | |
| Add 9 | Cadd9 | C E G D | 1 3 5 9 | |
| Dominant 9th | C9 | C E G B♭ D | 1 3 5 ♭7 9 |
When the same notes have two names
Some sets of notes can be read two ways. C, E, G and A form C6, but with A in the bass the same notes are usually heard as Am7. The lowest note, and the chords around it, decide which name fits the music, so play the bass note you actually use.
The chords of a whole piece
To find every chord of a song you play, record it and let Ivory's audio to sheet music converter write it out as a score you can play back and edit.