My Chord Finder

THE PRACTICE WORKBENCH

Guitar Chord Finder & Chord Identifier

Free: pick a chord name to see its shapes, or tap the fret you play on each string and the chord identifier names every exact match, including the bass note. Press Hear chord to play the notes you selected.

My Chord Finder is a guitar chord finder for looking up shapes by name, identifying a shape you have selected, and hearing its notes in your browser.

How to Use the Guitar Chord Finder

Playback uses recorded instrument samples in your browser.

What chord is this? Identify a guitar chord from its frets

Switch the tool to Identify on fretboard and copy your hand onto the strings: one fret per string, 0 for open, × for a string you do not strum. The identifier compares those notes with its chord dictionary and lists every exact match. When the lowest note is not the root, it adds the bass as a slash, for example Am7 next to C6/A. With a capo, set the capo fret first; frets then count from the capo and the matches show the chord you actually hear.

It works from the frets you enter. It does not listen through a microphone or name the chords of a recording.

Common shapes and what the identifier returns
Frets (low E → high E)Exact matches
x32010CLoad in the identifier
320003GLoad in the identifier
x02210AmLoad in the identifier
x32000Cmaj7Load in the identifier
x02010Am7 · C6/ALoad in the identifier
320000G6 · Em7/GLoad in the identifier
x00233Dsus4/A · Gsus2/ALoad in the identifier

Why one shape can have two chord names

Some shapes hold exactly the same notes as another chord. x02010 plays A, E, G, C, E: that is A minor 7 (A C E G), but it is also C6 (C E G A) with A in the bass. Neither name is wrong. Choose the name by what the song is doing:

G6 and Em7/G (320000), and Dsus4/A and Gsus2/A (x00233), are the same kind of twins. The identifier shows both so you can decide.

Chord finder questions

What chord am I playing?

Choose Identify on fretboard, select the fret you play on each string (0 for open, × for muted), and read the exact matches. Press Hear chord to compare the result with your guitar.

Why does it show two names for one shape?

The notes fit two chords. Pick the name from the bass note and the key of the song, as shown in the section above.

What does x32010 mean?

It lists frets from the low E string to the high E string. x means do not play the string, 0 means play it open, and each number is a fret, not a finger. x32010 is an open C chord.

Does it work with a capo?

Yes. Set the capo fret first. Frets then count from the capo, and the matches show the sounding chord name.

Is there a piano chord identifier?

Yes. Open the piano chord finder and switch to Identify on keys to name a chord from the keys you press.

Use the guitar chord maker to explore a shape

In Identify on fretboard, change one selected fret to try a different note, then press Hear chord to listen to the selection. You can also switch to Find by name, choose a root and type, and browse candidate shapes with Previous and Next.

This is a chord creator guitar players can explore one string at a time: it shows dictionary matches for the notes you choose, rather than assigning a new name to every possible combination. Use Copy link to save the current tool state.

Read chord notes without relying on a diagram

A triad contains a root, a third and a fifth. For the major and minor examples below, the fifth stays the same while the third determines the quality. See Open Music Theory: triads.

These note lists follow the major-triad formula of a major third and perfect fifth above the root, or the minor-triad formula of a minor third and perfect fifth. They describe chord tones, not a sequence of strings to strum.

One C major shape, written string by string

Use standard tuning: E, A, D, G, B, E from string 6 (thickest) to string 1 (thinnest). Fender's string-order guide explains this order.

  1. String 6, low E: do not play.
  2. String 5, A: fret 3 with your ring finger — C.
  3. String 4, D: fret 2 with your middle finger — E.
  4. String 3, G: leave open — G.
  5. String 2, B: fret 1 with your index finger — C.
  6. String 1, high E: leave open — E.

Strum strings 5 through 1. In fret notation, this shape is x 3 2 0 1 0: x means do not play, 0 means open, and the numbers give frets rather than fingers. The shape follows Fender's open C chord lesson; the sounding notes are C, E, G, C, E.

On the tool's diagrams, fretted dots show suggested fingers as well as fret positions when the shape has a comfortable assignment. This written example supplies one specific fingering; the generated diagrams offer candidate shapes.

Take the chord into your next practice step

For finger-numbered charts and chord-change practice, open Guitar Chords for Beginners. To study notes across the neck, use Guitar Scales. To put chords into a sequence, open the Chord Progression Generator. For keyboard notes and inversions, use the Piano Chord Finder. Paste the chords you already have into Transpose chords to move them to another key.

When a song needs a different key, transpose guitar chords with capo and fingering guidance to compare the shapes you play with the chords you hear.

For a side-by-side reference between keys, use the chord transposition chart to compare all twelve roots, then copy, print or download the table.

To work through the method before rehearsal, learn how to transpose chords and generate a key-to-key reference you can download.

For a fixed capo position, the capo transpose chart shows which shape produces each sounding chord, with a table you can take to rehearsal.

When open shapes are comfortable, learn how to play barre chords with finger-numbered examples and a string-by-string check.

For root-and-fifth shapes, use the power chord guitar chart; start with how to play a power chord for finger placement and unwanted-string control.

Compare four-note colors with minor seventh chord guitar, or distinguish triads from half- and fully diminished shapes in diminished chord guitar.

For the note structure before choosing a guitar shape, explore the diminished chord guide with a piano-key comparison.

Return to the chord finder above whenever you want to check a name, compare a shape, or hear the notes you selected.

Reference: Open Music Theory: triads. This is a practice tool, not a transcription service.

Chord shapes

Tunings

Keys and scales

Transpose

Progressions

Piano