Free online chord finder

A chord is a set of notes played together, built by stacking specific intervals on a root note. Choose the root and the chord type and this tool lights up those notes on the keyboard, names the chord, and spells out its notes.

Here’s what a chord is, how to read the keyboard below, and how the common chord types are built.

How to use it

Pick a root note (the note the chord is named after) and a chord type. The chord tones light up on the central octave of the keyboard, with the root shown in a stronger color, and the notes are listed underneath next to the chord’s name. Switch the flats toggle to read the chord with flats instead of sharps.

Why see a chord on the keyboard

A chord type is the same stack of intervals wherever you start it. Seeing it on the keys makes that shape visible: a major chord is always a root, a major third, and a fifth, and a minor chord just lowers the middle note. Once you know the shape, you can build the chord on any root without memorizing each one.

How the common chords are built

• A major triad stacks a major third then a minor third (root, third, fifth).
• A minor triad flips that order — a minor third then a major third — which lowers the middle note.
• Seventh chords add one more note a third above the triad, giving the major, minor, and dominant sevenths their fuller sound.

FAQ

What is the root of a chord? The note the chord is built on and named after. A C major chord has C as its root.

What’s the difference between a major and a minor chord? The middle note. A minor chord lowers the third by a half step compared with a major chord, which makes it sound darker.

What does the 7 in a chord name mean? It adds a seventh — a note a third above the top of the triad. The exact seventh depends on the chord type (major 7, minor 7, or dominant 7).