My Chord FinderTHE PRACTICE WORKBENCH
Piano Chords with the Piano Chord Finder
Put a name to those notes.
This piano chord finder shows which keys belong to a named chord and identifies chords from keys you select. The note lists and inversion examples below remain readable without the interactive keyboard.
How to Use the Piano Chord Finder
Playback uses recorded instrument samples in your browser.
Piano chords chart: six basic piano chords
For piano chord lookup by name, choose a root and chord type in the tool.
Major triads contain a root, a major third and a perfect fifth; minor triads use a minor third instead. The table applies these formulas to six chords. Basis: Open Music Theory: triads.
| Chord | Notes |
|---|---|
| C major | C, E, G |
| C minor | C, E♭, G |
| D major | D, F♯, A |
| G major | G, B, D |
| A minor | A, C, E |
| E minor | E, G, B |
Compare C major with C minor: C and G stay the same, while E becomes E♭. That change lowers the third by one half step. See Open Music Theory: half steps and accidentals.
Piano chords for beginners: read, play, compare
Start with C major in the chart: C, E and G. Select C and Major in the finder, then use the highlighted keys to locate those notes. Try A minor next: A, C and E. The two triads share C and E; G changes to A. These note sets follow Open Music Theory: triads.
Use Hear chord to check the selected chord, then change Inversion to compare its arrangements. The notes in the chart identify the chord tones; they are not finger numbers. The inversion table below shows what happens when a different chord tone becomes the lowest note.
What changes when you invert a chord?
The lowest sounding note determines the inversion. A triad is in root position with its root in the bass, first inversion with its third in the bass, and second inversion with its fifth in the bass. The chord's root does not change. Basis: Open Music Theory: inversion.
| Position | Notes | Bass |
|---|---|---|
| Root position | C–E–G | C |
| First inversion | E–G–C | E |
| Second inversion | G–C–E | G |
Read each row upward in pitch: the final C in E–G–C is above G. These examples keep the same chord tones while changing the bass. Rearranging only the upper notes, while leaving the bass unchanged, does not change the inversion.
To compare them in the tool, choose C and Major in Find by name, then select Root position, Inversion 1 and Inversion 2 in turn. Press Hear chord after each choice and compare the highlighted keys.
Continue with a chord, scale or sequence
Open the Guitar Chord Finder to explore guitar shapes, or the Chord Progression Generator to arrange chords in a sequence. Use Guitar Scales for a fretboard scale map and Guitar Chords for Beginners for finger-numbered guitar charts and chord-change practice.